The Motorola University

     It was business as usual  during the Winter semester at the University of Victoria. I took Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis, Probability, and Topology. The routine consisted of homework, training at the climbing gym, biking to and from class, and the occasional pizza dinner with friends. I appreciated my time with Sophie as her departure date for France loomed. It's always busy. Never having enough time for anything, especially downtime. We did however manage to get out surfing a little, climbing some more, and a trip to Squamish in February.  1: Sourdough     Sourdough has been a nice study distraction, and a  useful tool to maintain some routine with the timing involved. Typically I'd feed my starter in the morning, make my dough in the afternoon so the bulk rise can happen overnight. I'd been playing with some higher hydration loaves with really good results. Something I'll need to revisit this fall. My downfall in the bread business is my ...

      I was sitting in my living room at 3pm on a Friday half heartedly going through a homework problem. My bags were in the car. The food was packed and I was itching to hit the road. "Okay fuck it" I muttered, and called Dorian. "I've changed my mind. I want to leave now." Dorian laughed, "you know I have an open schedule... I'll see you soon. Dorian Munro. The man who both is and isn't, about everything. An educated man, recently graduating from Uvic with an engineering degree. Educated, sure, but constantly coming up with some hot take that has everyone looking at him  Tea in the van The crag, as viewed from the beach incredulously. He'll then proceed to meticulously defend his point in such a manner that leaves you wondering that he may actually be right. He's also a one backpack kind of man. I appreciate this about him a great deal. So when I showed up to pick him up, aside from his small food bag, everything just goes in one 45L Deut...

Air Test At the end of this past summer, I spent two days climbing at the Skaha bluffs. While it was a brief trip, I was blown away with the quality of the climbing. It was the first time I had climbed on true endurance routes, and I quickly found myself inspired by a route called Air Test, given the grade of 5.13a. It was bolted and climbed by Hugh Lenny, a legendary developer in the area. While it had some very 'enhanced' grips, the ethics of development at the time make the line possible (or at least not 5.15). It is found in the Great White Area and climbs directly up the center of the most impressive wall. It’s forty metres long on a mostly flat 25-degree overhang with very few rests. A true fitness test. Over those two days I tried the moves, but the relentless enduro-style felt far out of reach. I felt as though sending the pitch would represent a benchmark in my growth as a climber.  Fall Training I decided immediately that it was what I wanted to train for this f...

     From April to October, as you drive out of Squamish, you likely look up at the impressive Chief. And, if so, you will likely spot a handful of rock climbers on the Apron; the huge slabs of granite found near the bottom. While there are many popular ways to climb the Apron, I'd bet money that the climbers you saw on your way out of town were on a easy and popular route called Diedre.     Diedre climbs one of the prominent corners of the Apron. It begins and ends with a long section of slab. There are no hand or foot holds, so one must smear the flat of their foot on the crystalline granite and trust that the friction of the rubber on their climbing shoes will prevent them from slipping off. The climbing in the middle of the route is the main attraction. It involves lay backing a crack in a large corner, and protects fairly well.     My Hamish was over for the weekend, and we had hoped to climb the route. Unfortunately it had been raining quite...

Today is Friday, July twenty-first. Sophie and I are sitting in the Green Olive Cafe. It's my first day of the weekend, and I just had a wonderful croissant and cappucino. The good coffee seems to have finally improved our respective moods after a dusty, hot, and rather unpleasant night on the Mamquam logging road. One might inquire: Why were you camping in Squamish? I thought you guys rented a room for the summer? Well, we had  rented a room for the Summer, but due to a very difficult landlady situation we found ourselves packing our bags almost two months earlier than we anticipated. Living in a van is manageable, however the crux of the situation was that we had both packed under the pretense that we would have a little bit more square footage to work with then what was available.  The First Test: We have all this stuff. Luckily the wonderful Hawk, owner of spokehaven cycles allowed us to store a couple bikes at the back of his shop in return for the occasional delivery of ...

    April, 2022      I took the day off school to do some work for Ken, a longtime friend. Most of the guys at the jobsite thought it was pretty funny I took the day off school to work. We were chatting about climbing and Ken suggested Hamish and I go checkout a sweet route up in marble canyon called 'The Goat'. When I got home I suggested to Hamish that we rip out and give this route a go next weekend. He said no way. For context, neither of us had climbed a proper multipitch before, and The Goat is a nineteen pitch long route. The next day I invited Ken over for some pizza, and we chatted about the route. One thing lead to another, and Hamish agreed that we would give it a go. The plan was to learn on a small easy multi at Mt. Wells. If you can climb three pitches, then you can climb nineteen! Right?!?!?          We found plenty of helpful tutorials on how to multipitch on youtube! Hurray for the internet! Once we did our practice run,...