Fusion Forty Seven

World Cup Bouldering 2008 Pics

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:41:00 +0000

Some pictures from my visit to the Bouldering World Cup in Vail...

The Gym

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 04:02:00 +0000

The gym has gotten off to a great start. We've been open since Nov '07 - just 3 months - but things have already taken off. Seems like I work twice as much and twice as hard as I did at my previous career but this is way more fun.

I am reminded of a session I had with my Adviser my junior year at OU. I was on a pre-med track until that time and one day just before meeting with him had realized a crucial detail in being a physician: you work in a hospital. I hate hospitals. Can't stand them. Why the hell would I want to subject myself to such a thing? I didn't really want to be a doctor! And I told him as much. So he asked what I did want to do. I must have made some off hand comment about a job in rock climbing (as I tend to make those). Who knows, maybe I was half-serious. But he went off on me. He start talking about how he liked sailing a lot but that didn't mean he could make a career out of it. (Why not?)

His comments always stuck with me. Not that I knew that I would someday own and operate a climbing gym and climbing would be my full-time job and lifestyle but now that I think about it maybe it was in the back of my mind.

I think that those things that come naturally to us and that we would do regardless of if we made money or not are the ones that we can have the biggest impact in and the ones that make us the happiest.

WE ARE BUYING OKC ROCKS - NEW NAME: ROCKTOWN

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:11:00 +0000

Hello fellow climbers. This is a not-so-formal announcement that Lisa and I along with our partners, Andrew and Nicole Hunzicker of Touchstone Youth Project are buying OKC ROCKS Climbing Gym in Oklahoma City. The official closing/change-over date is Nov 4 and our first open date will be the next day, Monday, Nov 5. The new name of the gym is ROCKTOWN.

Plans for this have been in the work since March but we've been keeping it a secret as things progressed.

We are having a GRAND OPENING DAY/PARTY on Saturday, Nov 10 and EVERYONE is invited. We have some special things lined up for the day.

There are going to be some major renovations and improvements to the gym over the next several months. We are just getting started and already the change is evident - but just wait and see what the future brings! I think everyone will be very impressed.

The structure and mission of Rocktown will be heavily influenced about our non-profit side, Touchstone, where we will continue the worthwhile venture of working with under-privledged youth through rock climbing and mentoring. I think the program is going to add value to the gym and the community atmosphere.

Currently, I am working full-time on getting everything ready for opening day. It's a lot of work and is stressful at times but it is very exciting.

I hope you all will come and check out the NEW gym when we open. A website is forthcoming and will be online at http://rocktowngym.com when the time comes.

24 Hours Of Horseshoe Hell

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:16:00 +0000

On Saturday and Sunday Chris and I competed in the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell climbing competition at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas. The competition consisted of teams of two climbing as many routes as they could in a 24 hour period - from 10 am Saturday to 10 am Sunday. Each climb was given a certain amount of points and additional points were given for climbing at least one route per team member every hour.

Our team name was The Amoebacorns ("The rarest, smallest, and most elusive of mythical creatures.") The idea for the team name came from a comedy cartoon sketch by comedian Dimetri Martin (props). Chris and I developed a plan by which we would accomplish our personal goal of 100 climbs - we named it Operation Mythical Science. When people asked what our strategy was we would reply, "We would explain it to you, but you wouldn't understand. It would blow your mind. The plan must have worked because we were able to achieve 112 climbs by 10 am the next morning.

So you might be wondering, what is it like to climb for 24 hours straight? The answer: It is everything at one time or another. There are those times when you feel at the top of your game, as strong as you can be, of sound mind, hopeful, energetic, unstoppable! Then there are those times when you think, what am I doing here? This is absurd! This is crazy! I should be asleep right now. There are times when you can't remember the last sentence you said, when your palms feel like the skin is on fire, when your mind swims in a sea of blackness as you search for the next clip 50 feet above the ground - your only source of light a slim beam emitting from a headlamp. Tunnel vision takes over. Muscles cramp. You no longer laugh at things that are normally funny. You are focused not only on the next handhold but on keeping your mind tethered to reality. The reality is that you are climbing, or that you are belaying, or that you are staring off into space waiting for the next hour to arrive so that you can get credit for the 4 am hour climb. Nothing seems real except for those few moments when brain chemistry coalesces in just the right way to make things seem normal if only for a moment. Then the moment passes and you are back in the void of the early morning brain fog.

When dawn arrives the sun spawns a newfound energy in the climbing zombies. You shake off the pain - or simply ignore it - thinking that you might have just a little bit more energy to go on another climbing spree. Just one more push before the magically 10 am quitting time. And so you pop an ibuprofrine, guzzle an energy drink, choke down whatever form of carbohydrate you can muster and tie in form another climb. "On belay?" "Belay's on." "Climbing." "Sure."

This is one of those events that will take a year to forget all the little painful elements that make you think at the time - I will never do this again. Then the next year arrives, you have forgotten how difficult it was - only remembering how fun it was and what do you do but sign up again. I can't wait.

Chris and I had a great time. It was one of the most unique climbing experiences I have ever had. It was great and I would love to do it again.

I think our goal for next year is going to be 200 routes in 24 hours.

Access in the Wichitas - Article

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:45:00 +0000

I wrote an article for the September edition of Access Fund's e-news. It is about the WMCC's ongoing effort to protect climbing in the Wichitas pending an upcoming Comprehensive Conservation Plan(CCP) and compatibility review process. Not much has been announced publicly about this until now as the WMCC Board members have been working directly with the Refuge and other officials. But it is time to educate climbers about what is going on...

Read the article at http://www.accessfund.org/pubs/en/e-news83.htm#_Climbers_Working_to

F47 Productions - Film Site

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:20:00 +0000

For those interested in the film side of things I have a spin-off site at http://f47productions.com. I'm super into Super 8.

Hold Cleaning Article Posted on Routesetter.com

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:10:00 +0000

An article I wrote about the use of muriatic acid and hold cleaning was recently accepted and posted online at Routesetter.com.

Here's the link to the article.

China, Olympics '08, Everest, and Tibet

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:22:00 +0000

The countdown for the Olympics begins in China today - it's one year from the opening of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This brings forth the bittersweet reality that is China. A country that is bursting at the seams with industry, growth, and opportunity but at the same time is controlled by a heavy fist under Communist rule. The fact that the Olympics are being held in one of the most oppressive countries in the world is disturbing. On top of the lack of rights that China's own people endure there is also the case with its neighboring country of Tibet. China invaded Tibet in 1949 and has flooded the country with Chinese in an effort to drive out the Tibetan people and destroy their culture. The persecution of the Tibetan people has been and continues to be nothing less than ruthless. A once independent and peaceful nation now disappearing - it's leader in exile in India. China's argument? That Tibet is, and always has been, an integral part of China. But history proves otherwise.

Because China does not recognize Tibet as a sovereign nation they will not allow their team in the Olympics. A campaign has been setup up to protest the IOC for the inclusion of Tibet in the 2008 Olympic games. For details you can check out this website. http://www.supportteamtibet.org/

As a further slap in the face against Tibet and a sign of power, China has decided to march the Olympic torch through Tibet and to the top of Everest. To clarify, Everest is in Tibet - not China. I, for one, will not support such an action and believe that it goes against what is morally right, what is right in the spirit of the Olympics, and what is right in the spirit of Everest, and what is right in climbing. This is a political ploy by China to further show that it owns Tibet - not a sign of Olympic greatness.

Undoubtedly, China will continue to mask their human rights issues under the veil of the Olympics. A Chinese spokesperson said today that China wants the world to set politics aside in honor of the unity of the Olympic games. My question would be, how can you ask for the world to turn a blind eye to politics and human decency while at the same time it is politics that governs what China is doing and influences the inclusion of another country in the Olympic games?

Will the world buy in to China's Olympics? That remains to be seen.

For more details you can visit the following sites:
http://www.tibet.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet
http://www.savetibet.org/
http://www.freetibet.org/
http://www.tibet.net/en/index.html

Renegade Picture Show - AUG 11 - BIG LEBOWSKI

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:57:00 +0000

I think this Renegade Picture Show will be our biggest yet - and if not - well, there will be a few of us having a hell-of-a-good time. The plan is for everyone to dress up as a character from The Big Lebowski. Just that should be pretty funny. On top of that we are going to have some outdoor Renegade bowling - complete with bowling lane, ball, pins and, as a recent addition, trophies! The trophies was not my idea. A regular at the RPS came up with the idea of having bowling trophies and I guess a bowling alley in El Reno is coming through with some trophies. Crazy.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot - per usual - we'll be projecting the movie huge as can be (or at least as big as the projector will allow) on the side of a giant grain silo.

If anyone wants to check out - come on out.
http://renegadepictureshow.blogspot.com

Renegade Picture Show - Saturday Night, July 28

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:12:00 +0000

Music for a Cause - AIDS Awareness in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:11:00 +0000

My friend Courtney is volunteering with the Peace Corps in The Gambia of West Africa. One of her projects is working with an NGO and their support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. They recently
recorded their first album entitled "Terriaya", which means "friendship" in Mandinka, one of the local languages. The CDs are available for $10 (including shipping) and all proceeds go directly to the group for awareness programs, as well as additional income generating activities.

If you are interested in donating/purchasing a CD for this important and meaningful cause please contact Courtney's mom, Lee Anne Gilman, via email at gillag@ticnet.com. Send her your name and mailing address - she will reply with where to send your check. Make your checks out to Courtney Gilman so she can cash and withdraw the money in Africa.

I will post a clip of the music here soon.

An Evening With Wolfmother

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:57:00 +0000

Last night some firends and I went to see Wolfmother at the Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. They put on an awesome show - very loud, very, very loud. And the place was packed. The only bad thing was that we arrived on Opolis time. Meaning that we got there about 9:15 thinking that the warm-up band would be wrapping things up and Wolfmother would go on stage around rock-thirty. Instead, the first band must have gone on right after the doors opened at 7:00 and Wolfmother must have started just before 9:00 because we missed a couple of songs, I think. So we were a little put-off by the hours that Cain's keeps. At the Opolis the headliner doesn't normally go on until around 11:00 pm - yeah, a little late by most standards but it's what we in Norman have become accustomed to. I'll be damned if the security staff at Cain's wasn't pushing people out the door at 10:15 pm - the show was OVER! I'll just have to keep in mind the time issue next time I visit Cain's.

As far as the show itself goes, I was happy that I got to see them perform Pyramid - to me, the best song on the album - and they did it right. The price of the ticket was worth it just to hear that song live.

And of course there was the normal after-concert-debauchery with the crowd: a guy laying completely passed-out (or was it knocked-out?) against a wall next to a trash can, a guy in the bathroom over a sink washing his swollen black-eye and another guy asking him, "do you want me to get a medic?" Just your normal post rock concert stuff, you know.

Then there was the drive home - which I won't mention anything about, except that those of us who "had a few" did not drive, thankfully we had that covered. Suffice to say, the drive home was nearly as much fun as the concert itself.

Renegade Picture Show - Friday, June 8

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:17:00 +0000

The show from last Friday had to be rescheduled to this Friday, June 8. Still showing Bottle Rocket - same time, same place.

Go to http://blogspot.renegadepictureshow.com for details.

Sign up on THE LIST if you want the inside scoop on future shows.

RPS - Friday, June 1

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Tue, 29 May 2007 17:06:00 +0000

Yet another reason to look forward to Friday. Another Renegade Picture Show!!

This time we are showing Bottle Rocket.

Date: Friday, June 1
Time: Dark (around 9:00 pm)
Place: OKC Rocks, back of the silos

Details and stuff at http://renegadepictureshow.com

Saturday, May 19 - Free Drive In Movie

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:06:00 +0000

Saturday will be the third showing of the Renegade Picture Show - things are moving along well. I hope to have a bigger turn-out for this movie - but you never can tell. In fact, I know that if I went all-balls on the advertising and promotion there could be a huge crowd but I'm a little nervous about doing that. Not sure if it's the sheer volume of people that frightens me or the type of people that might show up. Maybe I will be less nervous as time goes on and gain more confidence in my skills of putting together programs and producing the show.

We're showing The Graduate. Why? I don't know why - it came to me in a dream. Not really. But you know how sometimes a particular scene or line just pops into your head and you think, "hey, I should see that movie again." That's kind of what happened. I guess.

I've only seen The Graduate a couple of times but I remember that dry, smileless, shy, scared guy that Dustin Hoffman plays so well. And the uncomfortable situations he's put in. More than anything the story is about a young guy being put through the ringer. It's a great coming-of-age film - of course it's a little twisted but that makes it all the better.

I'm attaching a printable version of the flyer if anyone wants to print some copies and post them somewhere. Here it is.

I posted a schedule of upcoming show dates on the RPS website. The movies that will show for those dates is not posted. There's a prospective list but it's top-secret until closer to showtime.

********
Remember - show begins at dark.
Location is OKC Rocks Climbing Gym - if you need directions check out this link.

The Paint Episode

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:09:00 +0000

This story is better suited for here than the renegadepictureshow.com news page. You'll soon see why.

I had this idea to paint a movie screen on the back of the OKC Rocks silos for the Renegade Picture Show. The picture quality on the silos as it was, was a little muddled and I figured that with a fresh coat of white paint the image would be much more sharp and bright. With wheels turning I called up Freddy (owner of OKC Rocks) and asked permission to paint a large white rectangle screen. He was cool with it and even said that there was some paint left over that I was welcome to use - it was at the top of the silos in the building I call the head-house (because it is the head of the silos - not for the other reasons) aka pigeon palace or pigeon house.

I called up my good buddy Chris and asked if he'd like to help me paint the silos. He said he would rather play golf - which was understandable because it was a beautiful day - but somehow I managed to talk him into manual labor instead.

We arrived at the silos with a car full of painting tools, climbing equipment for hanging off the side of the silos, and two 25 foot ladders lashed to the roof rack.

First things first, we had to retrieve the paint from the top of the silos.

For as many times as I've climbed the 100 foot ladder to the top of the silos, I still get a little nervous (and a little pumped) each time I climb it. The ladder is just inside the second set of silos behind a locked steel door. It is anchored to the concrete wall and travels up through three portholes that I imagine are supposed to provide some sense of safety. The three portholes are spaced evenly approximately 33 feet apart and consist of a narrow rectangular opening in 8 inch thick concrete platform that you pass through as you climb up (or down) the ladder. There are two issues when climbing the ladder that make it all the more tricky. Number one, it is dark. Pitch black. And I don't think I've ever used a headlamp. Don't ask me why. Number two, the rectangular portholes are a little too narrow. Great if you happen to fall off the ladder and want to miss the hole but bad if you are climbing in pitch black and trying not to hit your head or scrape your back.

That's just to give you some perspective - the climb up the ladder is really no problem. Though I did warn Chris that sometimes a pigeon will be hiding somewhere and fly out of nowhere nearly scaring the shit out of you.

Once on top of the silos we found four five-gallon buckets of paint. Going by the label on the tops of them they all appeared to be white paint. That was good news. The next step would be to lower them down.

The system rigged up for raising and lowering items is simple. There's a large open shaft which drops 100 feet to the ground. There's a 3 inch pulley anchored over the hole and a 9-10 mm static line which feels more like cable than rope. The usual procedure for lowering is simply to hook up whatever items you have to the rope and raise or lower them up or down the shaft.

Now, I've moved some pretty heavy items using this system and never had much trouble - sure, it's a workout but nothing more.

I attached two paint buckets to the line; 10 gallons of paint. Then I had the good idea of hooking on a piece of webbing to attach the other two buckets. Chris agreed - doing it this way meant we could lower it all in one trip. The concept of weight had not entered my mind at this point. (In retrospect, it probably should have enetered Chirs's mind since he is working on his PhD in physics but I'm not blaming. It's just ironic.)

Chris took hold of the rope and wrapped it around his waist - hip belay style. He braced himself with his feet against a small wooden block attched to the concrete floor. When he was ready and I released the first two buckets of paint into the shaft - they hung from the rope.

I asked if he was ready for the second two buckets, when he said yes I released them into the shaft and onto the rope. The rope tugged and Chris lurched forward towards the hole. I reached up and grabbed the rope with both hands. Then I realized how heavy the load was. There was no turning back.

"Pull it up a little," he said.
But I wasn't thinking along those lines, I was thinking about lowering. Why would he want to pull up the rope? Then I glanced up at the pulley and saw his fingers being sucked into it. "Just a little," he said calmly. He'd later tell me that he gets very calm when things like that happen. I pulled the rope with everything I had, it was just enough for him to free his fingers. Then the weight became greater - his fingers must have been blocking some of the weight. We were going to drop it.

I looked around quickly and saw the slings, biners and ropes we'd carried up. If I could only reach one of those I could set up a quick anchor point and get us out of this mess. But there was no letting go of the rope - not even for a second. One hand released meant someone would be pulled into the hole. If I let go, Chris would not have time to get the rope from around his waist and he would surely be pulled into the hole. On the other hand if he had let go, for as tightly as I was holding onto the rope I would be yanked forward instantly and into the hole. Then was the other scenario: four buckets of paint crashing down through the silo shaft making an incredible mess and crashing to the concrete floor where someone may be peaking in or standing beneath the shaft. I didn't even want to consider that. No, we were committed, that was certain.

And so we started lowering inch by inch with the rope creeping through our hands and around Chris's waist, digging into his skin. My foot was braced against something that was moving, a piece of wood and I scooted it over to a more secure spot. The load felt heavier with every foot as the rope added weight. It was hot and we we're sweating profusely, maybe because of the heat, maybe because of adrenaline or fear. We watched the rope coiled on the floor slowly disappear as it curled up through the pulley and down into the shaft. With about twenty feet remaining it felt like we were holding a Volkswagon and it still seemed like we could drop it at any moment. But we hung in there. I couldn't help but see the rope cutting into Chris's side and imagining about how painful that must be - but surely if he hadn't set it up like that we would not be able to hold the weight.

Finally, the buckets reached the ground and we released the rope and stood in disbelief. What the hell had we just done and how could we be so stupid? That's what we were thinking but instead we were laughing nervously.

Chris pulled up the side of his t-shirt to reveal a blood-red rope burn encircling his waist. I knew it had to hurt but unfortunately rope burns hurt worse, later.

With that episode over we rigged our ropes from the top of the silos and climbed back down the ladder. The buckets of paint sat safely on the ground. We carried them to the back of the silos and popped each one open. There were two buckets of tan paint, a bucket of black and a half bucket of white. We carried three of those down for nothing.

Luckily, there was enough white paint to complete the screen. It took several hours of painting involving top-stepping on a 25 foot ladder and reaching the top edge using an extendable pole combined with painting while hanging from a line. It was a lot of work and I was glad to have the help.

The first show using the new screen is going to be this Saturday (May 5) - come on out and check out Chris's permanent red belt.

**One gallon of fresh water = 8.34 lbs. And based on some online research I'm going to estimate that 1 gallon of paint = about 12 lbs. Given the amount of paint in each bucket I would estimate that the total load of the four buckets = 174 lbs.

RPS - 1: Notes

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:43:00 +0000

The premier of the Renegade Picture Show was held on Saturday, April 21 at OKC Rocks in downtown Oklahoma City. Everything went great - we had about 20 people show up, which was more than I expected for a first showing. There were no techno. glitches - everything worked as I'd hoped - which is quite a feat considering the amount of cords and electrical equipment that had the potential to screw up. The winds were a bit stronger than I'd hoped but it didn't affect the show.

We had a few people sitting in cars and listening to the movie through their stereos while others, including myself, sat outside and watched the movie. It was cool to see that both ways worked for viewers.

The movie we showed was Raising Arizona - one of my all-time favorites. We drank beer, ate candy and watched the movie on the back of the silos. It was pretty cool.

I think this event really has the potential to get big - almost too big - in fact, I'm a little nervous about HOW big it could actually get. I don't know if there would be enough space for more than about 30 cars. But I guess we'll address that issue when we get there.

I've received a couple of emails from the founders of other drive-ins. Rico Thunder of the Guerrilla Drive-In in Santa Cruz was psyched about the Renegade Picture Show - he added that the GDI just had their 5-year anniversary showing! Also, John Young of the West Chester, PA Guerrilla Drive-In responded to an email and was excited about the RPS. Feels like an odd underground sub-culture - but a cool one.

I have some killer ideas for some things I'd like to do to improve the RPS - any updates on things like that will be posted on the RPS website from now on. If any of you are interested in coming to a show check out the website and sign up on THE LIST.

NOW ONLINE - Renegade Picture Show

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:35:00 +0000

The Renegade Picture Show is now online. Go check it out to see what it's all about.

Coming Soon...

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:40:00 +0000

One of my websites FEATURED on KOTV The News on 6 Tulsa

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:10:00 +0000

I'm excited to say that a website I created and co-maintain was featured on March 14 on KOTV, The News on 6 in Tulsa, OK. The site is LostTulsaPets.com and is the brainchild of Jack Sampson, a current web design client of mine who owns C/2 Design, a custom material design company. Jack had an idea to create a website that would be a resource for people who have lost pets in Tulsa. He pitched it to him and asked if I could make it happen. The site was created as a forum to allow people to post descriptions and photos of animals they either lost or found.

Jack did an interview on Wednesday morning with Steve Berg who asked him about the origination of the idea and the purpose of the site. Minutes after the story aired LostTulsaPets.com saw a dramatic increase in the number of users. My email was flooded with new people signing up.

LostTulsaPets.com is designed to be a free site to users. Please go check it out!

And if you have any interest in my website design skills visit http://f47webdesign.com.

For a complete transcript of the story go here.

Free Hueco - For Real This Time

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:36:00 +0000

The boulders of Texas have been oppressed for far too long and it is time to do something about it. For over a decade Hueco Tanks has been plagued by access issues and now it looks like climbing may be closed for good. That's why today I am launching a campaign to free the boulders of Hueco Tanks!

The plan is this: organize a large mass of people and roll the boulders north out of Hueco Tanks State Park. Roll them straight out of Texas, across the state line, and into New Mexico. Travelling distance to the state line is approximately ten miles. Plus another few to head east off the military base. That's it. The boulders will be free!

Now, I know what you're thinking, "Roll boulders? But those things must weight thousands of pounds!" Oh yeah, well what did the pyramids weigh? If they can build those we can certainly move a few measily boulders a few miles. Come on people. Don't be a bunch of naysayers. We need manpower and womanpower and childpower. And maybe a couple of elephants for elephantpower. And lots of rope. Or chain. Maybe a couple of large steel pipes, for leverage.

We'll start off small. At the top so that we can roll them down the mountain. Save the bigger ones for last - like Mushroom boulder. But enough people on that one side and we'll have that thing pushed over and rolling like a log. The sooner we get those rocks out of Texas the sooner we'll be able to climb them free of Lone Star State Park opression!

I propose we designate a group to survey the area over Spring Break and report back with logistics.

SAVE CLIMBING AT HUECO!!!

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:25:00 +0000

Climbing at Hueco Tanks is being threatened and could be completely BANNED!

Go immediately to this sitefor details. THEN - take the next step - write a letter and send it!!!

This is the way to save one of the best bouldering areas in the world. Do it!

Back to Basics - Knots & Webbing - Climb Safe

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:50:00 +0000

I am rethinking the safety of something I've been doing for YEARS. Specifically, knots - the use of them, the strength of them, the validity of them. There's a handful of knots that we learn early on in our climbing days and once we learn them we don't give much thought to how or why they work. As long as they are working we kind of forget about them. One such knot, a very simple knot, is the girth hitch. It's used in many different ways - rigging top-rope anchors, linking slings to harnesses, anchoring a belayer to the ground...the list goes on. I always knew that knots were the weakest point in a system but it wasn't clear HOW weak until I read this article on BD's website.

The article compares the strength of three different knots used for linking runners together. The knots compared were the girth hitch, the strop bend (basically a girth hitch on each runner) and the climber's hitch. They compared various knots using various diameters of nylon and dynex slings (spectra was not tested here). They found that joining two slings together using knots could reduce the strength by more than 50% - that's over half the strength of the system! If you combined two different diameters of runners the system is even weaker - the thinner the sling material the greater the reduction in strength.

Of the three knots tested the strongest knot was the climber's hitch. Oddly, I had never seen a climber's hitch! I am making it my mission to learn it.

The best thing to do is use a locking carabiner to link slings together - if you have a choice don't use a knot to connect slings. If you are going to connect slings, connect them using the same diameter webbing and use the climber's hitch.

I needed someone to remind me so I am reminding you - check your webbing, runners, and quickdraws and get rid of them if they look worn. I'm going to go through my stuff and retire any of those old draws and webbing that I've been using for years.

If you are interested, there is a lot more good stuff on the QC with KP page of the BD website, including the most recent article which deals with retiring old ropes (I am guilty in this department too). Reading this stuff will really put into perspective some of that gear you have on your rack that you might not think twice about using.

Cool A/V Things

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:49:00 +0000

I've purchased a couple of things recently, well, within the past few weeks that I think are really cool. Both of them have to do with audio and/or video - so if you are not into either you can stop reading now. The first thing is the Ion Audio iTTUSB turntable. This thing is awesome - especially for someone like me who has a lot of records and wants to listen to them on the go. The iTTUSB allows you to transfer the analogue audio from a record digitally. The best thing is that it uses the open-source software Audacity which I found very easy to learn and use. Recording the audio is basically a two-step process: place the needle on the record and hit play, press the record button in Audacity. That's it. When you're done, the software allows you to easily insert track labels and do a multiple export in the MP3 format. Then I add it to iTunes and I'm ready to roll. I've got the hang of transfering records now so it takes me less than 20 minutes of labelling, processing, and exporting once I have the audio captured.

The other thing I made mention of that I purchased is a newly released version of the VDMX software by Vidvox. VDMX5 is touted as a realtime video studio for professional VJs. Well, I am not a professional VJ by any means, though I do like mixing video, synching video to music, and exploring video artistry. I've used Vidvox's Grid Pro software for over a year and got fairly proficient at using it - though there were always a few cryptic elements which eluded me. But VDMX5 is miles ahead of what Grid Pro could do. VDMX5 allows you to import multiple video clips into layers and create as many layers as you want. The program is much faster - much more graphic card intensive - but much cleaner too. My favorite aspect of the program is that you can incorporate Quartz Composer projects into your video mixes. Again, this is way ahead of what other real-time video mixing programs can do. The software is still young, meaning it's only about half-complete, a number of features are slated to be added in the coming weeks. So why would I buy a software package that's only half finished? Because the software design crew they have at Vidvox are some of the best around - if they say they're going to do it, it's going to get done. Plus, if you are into real-time video mixing, once you see this software you'll know it's the best around. That, and I got a deep discount for buying it early.

So there you have it. Now you know I am a complete audio/video geek.

More Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (awg) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:04:00 +0000

Summit is doing great. He had his one week birthday this week. We're debating whether we should celebrate each week. Maybe that's a little too much? I guess it makes more sense to have a birthday every year. He's eating really well and picking his head up - though he still lacks some control of it. He's still keeping us up at night but not nearly as much as he was the first week. I was trying to teach him how to do a push-up yesterday but Lisa tells me he's a little young for that. Another page of photos has been added - if you're interested.
Click here.