I will be making The Red my home for an indefinite amount of time in September this year (2011) and, unfortunately, do not have any friends in Chicago (my current hometown) who are able to make the same commitment. I will be content to find climbing partners when I can, climbing with them for a few days, and then moving onto another partner or group, but I figure I might as well send this message out to find out whether someone else might be in a similar situation to me come September. So if anyone will be spending a lot of time in the gorge this Fall and would like to try me out as a climbing partner, respond to this thread or send me a PM.
In case you are wondering about my climbing, I have been at it for over three years, love the variety of routes at The Red but prefer the steeper stuff when I push my limits. Some current projects of mine are Cell Block Six and Jesus Wept, but I think that I am capable of climbing at least a couple grades harder if I project a route with more dedication than weekend trips here and there can afford. In particular, I want to see what Triple Sec, No Redemption, BOHICA, and Taste the Rainbow are all about. I want to push myself to get better and stronger, but climbing is about more than that to me, and I am happy to spend strings of days on routes of any grade. I have all the gear a person needs for sport climbing, but I don't have any trad gear, nor have I done any trad climbing, though I am interested in getting into it. I have been teaching people to climb and belay in a gym here in Chicago for over two years and am considered by everyone I climb with to be very safe, attentive, and trustworthy. I always belay with a GriGri and adhere strictly to the Petzl-recommended belay technique (four fingers around the brake end at all times, thumb on cam when feeding clipping slack, etc.).
If you want to know anything else about me, send me a message and I will be happy to oblige.
One last important detail: I don't have a car for getting to and from crags