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chicago's best

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:09 am
by merrick
the weather was absolutely perfect here in chicago today, and it had been a full day since i had climbed so i was getting the shakes....

so miguel and i hit the best boulder in the city of chicago. it is also the only freestanding, non man made, boulder in chicago. I had seen it many times and even messed around on it without shoes or chalk. It is less than six feet high and probably about 12 feet around. it is dirty and slick but solid granite. It is also in the park directly across the street from cook county hospital and generally surrounded by sleeping homeless guys. But, since the weather was perfect, we decided to hit it up.

it has a plaque carved in it but other than that it is pretty good. it has a reasonable hold desity with mostly slopers and crimps and a few odd pockets. so i did lots of 2 to 3 move problems between v0 and v2 and there is potential for some harder stuff. it was actually surprisingly good and a ton of fun. we definately attracted some stares but the boys in blue stayed away.

all in all it was a great way to spend part of the afternoon in chitown. and of course we hit the gym afterwords to finish up the session. so i guess even the flat wasteland of chicago has a little love after all.

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 11:23 am
by Gretchen
Merrick+rock= addict

Merrick - rock= slowly decaying moloecules that quiver in the petridish

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 4:19 pm
by meetVA
merrick: which gyms do you hit in Chicago for climbing?

Re: chicago's best

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 4:33 pm
by Wes
merrick wrote:the weather was absolutely perfect here in chicago today... all in all it was a great way to spend part of the afternoon in chitown... so i guess even the flat wasteland of chicago has a little love after all.
And the cubs are in the post season? And won last night?

Isn't this one of the 7 signs of the end of the world?

Wes

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 5:07 pm
by charlie
That and the Bo Sox.

Go Cubs!

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 5:08 pm
by MiaRock
yes hell is freezing over while we speak. after 26 depressing years as a cub fan this could be my rich reward. GO CUBBIES!!!!!!!!!

mia

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 5:57 pm
by merrick
it is awesome about the cubs. but the true sign of the end of the world will be if the cubs and the red sox end up playing each other in the world series.

meetVA, most of my friends work and train at Hidden Peak, which is the best gym in chicago. i used to work there when i lived here. it is a tiny little bouldering gym but the employees know what route setting is. I have climbed at most of the gyms in the city over the last 7 years and if i want to do routes I ususally go to Vertical Endevors. I have friends that work at LPAC and Lakeshore Athletic Club as well and tons of people train at The Shop(a private climbing co-op) if they are invited.
Still hidden peak is where it is at.

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 5:59 pm
by MiaRock
hidden peak is where i got my start

Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:00 pm
by Scaife
Hidden Peak is a great gym to practice technique. You will never get more than 2 moves into a route there unless your feet and hips are in the right positions. I've been trying to duplicate some of that at VR, but with limited success.

Whoops, I alomost forgot. GO CUBS!!! :lol:

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2003 1:55 am
by gamma888
yo HP-lurkers!

wasssuppppp y'all??

just wanna stick my head out and say hey!

i'm still hovering around here in manhattan, and trying to make frequent trips to the gunks. no indoor gyms for me... the $$$ for the gyms are sooo friggin' ridiculously hefty! but then i've been investing my cute hangboard at my apt. i hope this will help me out.

you guys shud come to hp-40 for turkey week... i'll be out there for about 5 days. that millipede project is going DOWN!