http://fiveten.com/ http://fiveten.com/images/stories/NewBox_black.png http://fiveten.com/ http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14021-the-power-of-two-day-2-benjamin-rueck http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14021-the-power-of-two-day-2-benjamin-rueck I would like thank my sponsors, Adidas, 5.10, CAMP, Gnarly Nutrition, J-Tree Salve, and the Grand Junction Climbing Center for all of their support! 5:30 in the morning… I wake to the sound of silence creeping through my house; no one is awake at this point… except me. My first thought is to roll over and sleep the rest of the day away… but then I remember that it is time for the second day of the challenge. I have a difficult time bringing myself to a sitting position in my bed… my back aches,... ]]> Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:55:00 -0400 14021 2013-04-13 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14021_380-1366301453.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14021_3751-1366301453.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14021_373-1366301453.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14021_401-1366301454.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14021_402-1366301454.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14020-training-with-a-champion-josh-levin http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14020-training-with-a-champion-josh-levin For the past month and a half, I have had the unique privilege of training with one of the best female sport climbers in the world, Charlotte Durif. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, simply enter her name into any respectable search engine and you’ll get a long list of career accomplishments, sponsor lists, her own professional website, and countless photos and videos of her being an all-around boss at competitions and outdoor crags. She’s also a five-time World Champion and is one of the few women in the world to have climbed 9a (5.14d). I’ve watched her... ]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:28:00 -0400 14020 2013-04-12 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_charlotte-1365809326.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14019-open-rope-nationals-joseph-gifford http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14019-open-rope-nationals-joseph-gifford I recently competed in the open SCS Nationals at the Movement climbing gym in Boulder, Colorado. It was a flash format for the qualifying rounds with two climbs. My first climb was interesting, there weren't really any hard moves in it but the climb itself was tricky in parts, it had a cool huge ledge traverse in the middle of the climb and then up into the more overhanging section where I fell, had more powerful big moves. I don't think I climbed my first climb very fluidly which led to getting super tired when I hit the over... ]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:48:00 -0400 14019 2013-04-12 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_scs-open-1365734883.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14018-strate http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14018-strate After 60+ hours of international travel, taking me from the valleys of Switzerland through the French countryside and three different airports, I found myself sitting under the now unfamiliar tread wall at The Spot Gym in Boulder, CO doing my best to prepare for the 2013 SCS National Championships which was only 2 days away. I still wasn’t quite sure how I was going to manage to hang on to plastic holds for more than a few moves after spending the past month getting nice and comfortable on the short, powerful, textured granite boulders of Ticino, Switzerland. ... ]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:37:00 -0400 14018 2013-04-12 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_carlo-scs-2013-2-1365734257.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_carlo-scs-2013-1-1365734257.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_scs-2013-podium-1365734258.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14017-stepping-it-up-fred-charron http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14017-stepping-it-up-fred-charron What a season! For the past 6 months, I have been trying to step up my game as a competition climber. I have competed at over 10 competitions this year, bouldering and lead competitions, trying to secure my spot on the national team and trying to obtain as much experience as possible. As much as it can be very hard and stressfull to train and compete non-stop, constantly raising your expectations, it kept me chalenged and motivated. The biggest challenge for me was avoiding injuries! Of course, I have been very healthy and... ]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:28:00 -0400 14017 2013-04-12 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_regionals-1365726482.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_nationals-2-1365726482.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14015-heartbreak-crux-at-red-rocks-seth-rogers http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14015-heartbreak-crux-at-red-rocks-seth-rogers Last weekend, I went to Red Rocks outside of Las Vegas with 5.10 athlete Nick Bradley, climbing buddy Cameron Read and my little brother Ethan. We spent most of the time projecting at the Gallery Wall, but also spent a day at the Tsunami Wall. We tried the Black Corridor, but since it had the only shade that afternoon, it was a zoo. It was my first time at Red Rocks, so I didn't expect to send anything serious. But then I saw Nick on-sight Minstrel in the Gallery (5.12b). He recommended that I give it a try... ]]> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:46:00 -0400 14015 2013-04-11 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_seth-modified-1365659203.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_victory-1365659203.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_morning-gift-1365659205.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_ethan-sleeping-1365659206.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_ooh-1365659207.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_fam-1365659208.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_the-gift-2-1365659210.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14014-scs-open-nationals-alex-fritz http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14014-scs-open-nationals-alex-fritz This past weekend I competed in the SCS Open Nationals at Movement Climbing + Fitness in Boulder, Co. I didn't prepare for this competition as much as I would have liked but results showed I was in pretty decent shape! Friday evening was Qualifiers and my initial impression was the routes looked a little bit easier than last years. Last year I finished 14th and my whole goal for the competition was to best that. I didn't warm up enough for the first climb but I manged to finish the route! Already an improvement than last year! After... ]]> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:51:00 -0400 14014 2013-04-11 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_15124-524957390883304-685629938-n-1365655905.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_61517-524957400883303-631317081-n-1365655905.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_533358-524957777549932-269930471-n-1365655905.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_543697-524958220883221-750837251-n-1365655905.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14013-scs-2013-open-nationals-noah-ridge http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14013-scs-2013-open-nationals-noah-ridge Last weekend I competed in SCS Adult Open Nationals at Movement Climbing and Fitness in Boulder, Colorado.  I had a great time at nationals and I’m super excited that I made it on the podium for the first time at adult nationals placing third. I defiantly reached my goals and beyond at this competition.  ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:07:00 -0400 14013 2013-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_podium-1365624423.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_anthem-1365624424.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_pic1-1365624424.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_pic3-1365624425.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14012-spring-time-in-the-rockies-brian-dunnohew http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14012-spring-time-in-the-rockies-brian-dunnohew I have also had a couple trips to outside of Wyoming this year. I got a good tour of Shelf Road from my good friend Fritz. Shelf felt pretty old school, very techy, keeps me on my toes. There were so many routes in such a small area. I will return there for sure. I got to make it down to St. George for a long weekend. I love that place and wish I could spend more time there. I traveled down with about 16 people...madness. Most were there to bike and climb a little. Some were... ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:30:00 -0400 14012 2013-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_sinks-008-1365611410.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_st-george-2013-016-1365611410.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_sinks-013-1365611410.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_st-george-2013-028-1365611410.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_sinkspan2-1365611410.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_st-george-2013-013-1365611411.JPG http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14011-a-tale-of-a-finger-hueco-and-abs-mirko-caballero http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14011-a-tale-of-a-finger-hueco-and-abs-mirko-caballero Packing for Hueco was, to say the least, a little stressful for me. Not knowing whether or not I could climb or not… Would I be able to compete at Nationals the following week? Even if I did, would I have a chance to win? Ok, let's rewind a little... ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:25:00 -0400 14011 2013-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0032-1365578711.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-0448-1365578712.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0226-1365578712.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-0459-1365578713.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0247-1365578713.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-0473-1365578713.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0351-1365578714.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14010-scs-nationals-angela-payne http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14010-scs-nationals-angela-payne This past weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone and competed in the SCS Nationals in Boulder, CO.  Sport climbing is not something that is completely foreign to me, as I was exclusively a sport climber for 5 years of my youth, but it is definitely not something I do very often anymore.  So, I knew that this event would be a challenge for me.  Given that and the fact that it was at Movement, just a few blocks from my house, it was hard to resist.   ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:15:00 -0400 14010 2013-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc01136-1365563759.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc01181-1365563760.JPG http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14009-joes-valley-spring-break-trip-sierra-carroll http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14009-joes-valley-spring-break-trip-sierra-carroll A little over due is my report from my Spring Break Trips. Along with a report of how well I have been able to break in and use my amazing new Dragons and Teams.    ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:56:00 -0400 14009 2013-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0427-1365562573.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0903-1365562574.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0605-1365562575.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_dsc-0511-1365562576.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14008-canadian-nationals-2013-erica-carlson http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14008-canadian-nationals-2013-erica-carlson Canadian Nationals were this past weekend and.... I placed 7th overall!!!!! I'm super stoked as this is the best I have ever placed at Nationals. I also have to say this is the comp I am able to mentally pick apart the least from this whole season. The competition was extremely strong... Any of the top 20 girls could have made finals on any given day. By CEC rules, Nationals must have 8 Canadian citizens (and CEC eligible) in finals. As a result, there were 11 girls and 8 guys in finals. I finished qualifiers in 10th place. I... ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:50:00 -0400 14008 2013-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_finals-presentation-1365562206.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_problem-2-1365562206.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_problem-3-crimp-1365562206.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_problem-4-1365562206.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14007-2013-scs-open-nationals-kyra-condie http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14007-2013-scs-open-nationals-kyra-condie This last weekend I competed in my second ever Open SCS nationals! When I competed last year I finished 8th place in sport climbing, and 3rd place in speed! Going into the comp this year I wanted to do better than last year, but the female category had some really tight competition. ]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:30:00 -0400 14007 2013-04-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_544770-244533635691181-196932380-n-1365561004.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_58943-244533445691200-1342051399-n-1365561004.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_546048-244533685691176-823087771-n-1365561005.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14006-weekend-in-boulder-nicholas-milburn http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14006-weekend-in-boulder-nicholas-milburn Boulder had some more big names than usual this past weekend as it was SCS Open Nationals! Everyone flying in from everywhere including Canada and France Carlo Traversi even flew in from Switzerland. This was my first SCS Open Nationals, so I was pretty psyched. I was traveling with a big crew gathered together by Kim Puccio. Shane Puccio, Joe Gifford, Danielle Rogan, Marisa Romero, Tiffany Murphy, Michaela Kiersh and I all hung out most of the time. Like I said... big crew. Qualifiers didn't start until late Friday which was great because we all could... ]]> Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:35:00 -0400 14006 2013-04-09 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-3-of-6-1365539740.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-4-of-5-1365539740.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-1-of-6-1365539740.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-6-of-23-1365539741.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-1-of-5-1365539741.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-5-of-5-1365539741.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_boulder-3-of-5-1365539741.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14005-red-rocks-nick-bradley http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14005-red-rocks-nick-bradley Sometime around last month a trip to Red Rocks in Las Vegas was being planned. Red Rocks is literally, red sandstone, with nice moderate routes ranging from 5.9 to 5.13c (8a+). With rope season starting up, I thought it would be a good opportunity to go try to on-sight and flash as many routes as I could. So, just last week we all set out on the nine-hour trip to Nevada ]]> Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:37:00 -0400 14005 2013-04-09 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_red-rockk-1365475047.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_red-rockk2-1365475047.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14004-scs-nationals-2013-delaney-miller http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14004-scs-nationals-2013-delaney-miller This past weekend was SCS nationals. I placed second behind the phenomenal climber Charlotte Durif, who is French, and earned myself the title of National Champ. The comp took place April 5th and 6th, and the 6th just happened to be my 18th birthday. Needless to say it was a good weekend. To be honest I still can’t believe how amazing it all went. I really did not feel prepared for this comp. I’ve had A LOT going on these past couple of months. As of last June, my family took in three foster kids. We had some good... ]]> Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:16:00 -0400 14004 2013-04-09 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_scs-nats-photo-1365466563.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14003-the-power-of-two-day-1-benjamin-rueck http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14003-the-power-of-two-day-1-benjamin-rueck “Mike got hit with a virus and is out… and my other partner doesn’t feel up to the challenge… you in?” “Yes… I’m in.” of course I’m in… but what am I in for? “You in…” two simple words generally answered with a “yes” or “no”. As I read the text knowing that the person on the other end who sent it needed a definite answer soon– I began to contemplate the repercussions of my saying that I was indeed “In”. For the last year or so I have been living... ]]> Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:02:00 -0400 14003 2013-04-08 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14003_368-1365522937.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14003_371-1365522938.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14003_365-1365522939.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14003_366-1365522940.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14003_369-1365522941.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14003_882271-10151603694210992-1799455783-o-1365522942.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/14003_372-1365522943.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14002-joes-valley-road-trip-andre-difelice http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14002-joes-valley-road-trip-andre-difelice Well, I finally made it outside again, this time to Joe’s Valley. This was my first bouldering trip since 2010 and overall I am pretty excited about the experience. It was great to get outside, climb hard and increase my motivation for the rest of the year. Warming up - Jelly Bean - V1 ]]> Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:23:00 -0400 14002 2013-04-08 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_jl-fivetenblog-andredifelice-joesvalley-02-1365394992.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_jl-fivetenblog-andredifelice-joesvalley-09-1365394992.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_jl-fivetenblog-andredifelice-joesvalley-04-1365394992.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-1086-1365394992.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_jl-fivetenblog-andredifelice-joesvalley-07-1365394993.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_img-1104-1365394993.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_jl-fivetenblog-andredifelice-joesvalley-08-1365394994.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13996-five-ten-airborne-drops-from-balloon-jt-holmes http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/13996-five-ten-airborne-drops-from-balloon-jt-holmes JT Holmes and Timy Dutton drove out to Utah to meet up with Jesse Hall, Suz Graham, Neil Amonson and Marshal Miller in order to jump, jump and do some more jumping.  This trip highlight was a creative and spontaneous balloon jump above Tooele Valley.  It is ver fun what can happen with some extra altitude! The Chase shoe from Five Ten provided nice grip on the railing of the balloon basket.   ]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:51:00 -0400 13996 2013-04-03 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/13996_ballon-1365092114.jpg