Javi Hidalgo

Reached a Hurdle

Javier Hidalgo — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:05:45 +0000

So I’ve been climbing frequently at Texas Rock Gym. I have surpassed 5.7s but am currently working on 5.8s. My major complaint is that no matter how hard I try I cannot get past certain points on specific routes and it does not feel like I am making progress on them. Usually I’ll start climbing then get stuck at a particular point and have to take on the rope. Then I will try and fall over and over in the same spot, basically wearing my self out and wasting time. I’ve decided to keep things from becoming redudant I will take a different approach to climbing. For now I have been spending my time climbing 5.7s and 5.8s that I am comfortable with over and over. Basically I will climb up and down a route until I cannot climb any more. I figure this will help me build strength, and allow me to tackle the 5.8s that have been giving me trouble.

I usually end my climbing with some dead hangs on the hang board at Texas Rock Gym. I am still debating if I want to purchase The Perfect Pull Up or a hang board from REI. My dad said he will let me mount a hang board in the garage but I will be moving out soon and like the portability of The Perfect Pull Up. So that is a decision I will probably have to make before my birthday.

I decided to get a membership at Texas Rock Gym instead of Stone Moves because Texas Rock Gym is much larger, has more routes at my difficulty, and has so much more to offer. I still plan on visiting Stone Moves to keep some variety, plus I really like the Traverse they have setup. It seems like there aren’t any real routes for traversing at Texas Rock Gym, and from what I understand traversing is a good way of training.

Anyways I’ve been messing with the blog a bit and I am trying to find a good picture of me climbing to use as the header. Please bare with me as I sift through photos until I find one that matches the color scheme well.

Week 2

Javier Hidalgo — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:11:36 +0000

I’ve spent my secon week of my rock climbing focusing on top rope climbing. First I visited Texas Rock Gym with Shannon and a friend of ours. It go rather fustrating because I could not make my way up a 5.8. I’m starting to realize how expensive climbing can be if you do not have a memership. It’s coming to a point where I have to decide between Texas Rock Gym and Stone Moves. Stone Moves is a much smaller facility but they change the routes often and it seems more targeted towards serious climbers. I also enjoy the traverse Stone Moves ha set up across the gym. My main complaint is that the facility gets crowded quickly and every night I go there is some sort of team hogging up all the routes. Texas Rock Gym is a larger facility which right off the bat looks more appealing. They appear to be targeted more towards the casual climber so I don’t think the routes change as much as Stone Moves. The membership at TRG has more to offer and the place does not feel nearly as crowded. The only thing about TRG is that it’s farther from my house.

Week One

Javier Hidalgo — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:09:54 +0000

I’ve spent my first week or so of serious climbing trying to learn as much as possible. My first climbing experince since Utah was spent at the climbing wall at Lifetime Fitness in Sugarland,TX. A friend of mine got us in for free and taught me how to belay using an ATC and he attempted to expose me to lead climbing. Unfortunately it was way to soon for me to tackle lead climbing and I fell before reaching my second clip. Overall I learned a lot and had fun trying some harder routes then before.

I decided it would be good to find a climbing gym I enjoyed that was closer to home. So I checked out a gym called Stone Moves. The facility was kind of small and although the staff was nice, they did not do a good job explaining the equipment we were using. As a result it was very uncomfortable belaying and climbing with the Gri Gri system because it was not properly explained to us. My girlfiend and climbing partner decided to stick to bouldering instead and had a good work out and great deal of fun with that.

I was really sore from climbing two days in a row so I decided to take a breather. During my rest period two climbing books I ordered from Amazon arrived in the mail. I skimmed through them and decided I wanted to tackle the gym again. So Shannon and I made a trip to our local REI and purchased climbing shoes. After trying on many sizes I decided to get a size 8 of Evolv Defys. I normally wear a size 9 in regular shoes so it was a big adjustment for me. Afterwards went back to Stone Moves. This time half of the building was roped off because they were setting new routes for a tournament. We decided to boulder some more . This was fun and challeneging and we met some nice people along our way. Our only complaint was the lack of beginner climbing routes at Stone Moves.

Today I thought it would be good to try a different gym before deciding where I want to purchase a membership. We stopped by Texas Rock Gym today which was actually a very nice facility. The staff was very helpful and fully explained the Gri Gri system and answered and questions we threw their way. We found a variety of top rope routes at our difficulty level. I sucessfully climbed one 5.6 and two 5.7s. I spent the rest of the time trying to tackle a 5.8 but Shannon and I continued to get stuck at the same point until we eventually ran out of energy. One factor we did notice was that Stone Moves had some easier bouldering routes for beginners but Texas Rock Gym had better top rope routes. It also appears that Texas Rock Gym has more to offer it’s members then Stone Moves.

Anyways that was my first week or so of climbing, I will probably hit up Texas Rock Gym one more time on Monday before deciding if I want to start a membership again. I think I’ll be climbing with Shannon and another friend so I should be able to get some pics/vidoes up by the next post.

Introduction

Javier Hidalgo — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:12:00 +0000

My name is Javier Hidalgo. I am a college student who hopes to attend UT Law. I follow a vegan life style and I am a political activist. I have recently started indoor rock climbing and have created this blog to track my progress as a vegan climber.

I recently made my way to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit my girl friend’s dad. During my visit I was introduced to indoor rock climbing and have since taken a great interest. I spent a few hours climbing simple 5.7 s and 5.8s and enjoy over coming my fear of heights as I progress as a climber.

Hopefully I can post many stories and pictures from the various adventures that root from climbing.