Tom is always teaching me things. When we first moved to California, Tom taught me that 10-15 pitches of climbing is more than do-able in a day. Having previously taken more than 10 hours to do only 3 pitches, this easy comfort with moving quickly over the rock was something that I hadn't really imagined before. He has undertaken a prolonged crusade to make me more comfortable hopping and dancing across steep boulder-fields and slippery scree slopes, maneuvers that would previously have had me crawling on all fours in tears. This winter he taught me to ski the trees in VT. It's always the same program, “Try this. Be safe. The worst-case scenario isn't that bad. You can do it.” and I learn, slowly, from his example.
Theresa’s first 10d onsight – Moratorium
I had a lot of beta from my housemate, Bob, but I was still nervous about embarking on such a difficult lead without having had the opportunity to explore it before-hand. Moratorium is only 4 pitches, but at 10d, 10d, 11b, 5.9, the terrain is quite intimidating. I led the second 10d, a pitch with … Read more
