Funny reading my last post on March 31st stating that Spring was almost here! I think Spring this year was June 1st to June 5th.

Gear tip: Buy some Link Cams from Omega Pacific! You've probably heard that they can plug in anywhere and heard that they get stuck easy. Maybe you've heard that they've broken. All true. and they break in particularly poor placements where nearly ANY OTHER CAM has been shown to break as well. yes, they are expensive, but the price is worth the performance they deliver. I've been caught saying that using them is cheating. Tip: do not bury the cam deep in a crack, alas do not bury ANY CAM deep in a crack. Most cams in most placements "walk" deeper into a crack, for ease of cleaning you want to place a cam as shallow in the crack as is safe for holding a fall.

I am headed to Yosemite next week with a plan to climb El Cap twice in four days. Although I've been managing Diablo Rock Gym* the past 6 months, I haven't been getting in much crack climbing. We all know that outside climbing has it's skills that take some practice getting back to speed:) I've been making a trip or two to GWPC and BIW to run a lap or two on their cracks. If you need an introduction or re-intro to outdoor climbing, join me: http://www.mtadventure.com/pages/rock/special.html

Although it will be less frequent this summer, remember I lead a train for climbing class on Tuesday evenings at 8pm at Diablo Rock Gym. Check their calendar for dates.

I hope you'll all make THE LIST this year or report in to me if your name is already missing. http://www.noseinaday.com/

For shorter tidbits: http://twitter.com/hansflorine and: http://www.facebook.com/hans.florine

Spring is basically here! what should I do about my gear?

What sort of rack should you build for heading outside?

As point of reference I pull up what Yuji Hirayama and I used to climb The Nose In A Day, (NIAD) in 2002 and "flush out" a rack from there so that you can get up most any climb.

"For our 2002 ascent we carried one #3 camalot, one #2, two #1s, one.75, one .5, and doubles below that,(some of our smaller cams were Metolious tricams). 6 nuts, one cam hook, one etrier, 17 quick draws, 18 free biners, 6 long runners, a Gri gri, a couple lockers, Petzl jugs, and a set of JJs, (jugging loops)."

If you are only free climbing you can ignore the etriers, jugs, and JJs.

Here's the things I'd add to the above rack for anyone who just wants to have a reasonable rack to take on just about any trad climb.:

A set of tiny offset Nuts, and 6 more .5 to 1 inch regular nuts.

A #.5, #.75, #1, and #2 Link-Cam from Omega Pacific (These didn't exist in 2002)

Two Cordelets, theses are 5 to 7 mm cords in 18 to 22 ft in length, great for anchors on trees, gear, LARGE boulders, or bolts.

Offset Metolious tricams are really nice for pin scares or any flaring placement. Get the middle four of the six sizes they make.

Get a rappel device, I would most recommend a Petzl Reverso as it has Top Belay lock off capabilities that a regular stitch plate device does not have. -the Reverso only costs a small bit more than a standard stitch plate type device.

If you know you are going to be doing wide cracks then buy another #2 camalot, another #3 and two #4s. There are very few cracks that are continuously wide and require more than this, on the occasion that they do, I recommend asking to borrow from friends. (ask me if you need)

Lastly if you know a crack you are headed up is notorious for a certain size for a long distance than add to this rack accordingly or borrow. For the people who really like to have plenty of everything and then some get more in the .5 to 1.5 inch range than I've listed.

Happy climbing,

Hans

BIG WALL Speed Competition! Awesome! Figures it is in an Eastern Block area. Wish I could go! http://paklenica.hr/Paklenica_en/Paklenica_BWSC_2011_EN.htm

I just committed to going to Boulder CO for the National Championships. I did my first 5.13 in 7 or 8 years. Time to ramp up.

I am now the manager at Diablo Rock Gym in Concord California. We are having a great time with a community of motivated people all psyched to get fit for various reasons. Stop in if you are in the neighborhood. http://diablorockgym.com/

We've got a challenge list going for 2011 that is really getting people fit and they are having fun doing it. That's the key isn't it! http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11478976/2011DIABLORockGymChallengeList.pdf

I am offering a day of climbing, (in 2011), to anyone who donates
$2,000, in my and their name, to any of the organizations listed
below. You must commit and actually make payment to the
organization by end of the day Friday January 14th 2011.

(no particular order)
http://www.accessfund.org/
http://www.aynrand.org/
http://www.bigcitymountaineers.org/
http://www.yobasecamp.com/fund.htm
http://www.naturebridge.org/yosemite
http://lasf.org/
http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/

feel free to call or email me with questions regarding limitations of this offer. (Minimally you must be able to pay for my expenses to get to the climbing place where we share the day)

You've got a Thermarest or camping pad that sits in your closet or garage for 362 days out of the year. Let's put it to use more often! - Do ab exercises on it!

One of the reasons it is difficult to do ab exercises is that on a hard floor or even moderately cushioned carpeted floor your lower back is hurting from the ground pressure on it. If you are wearing a belt or the waist band on your pants is bulky it is worse. However if you've got a pad that you've kept handy in your family room discreetly hidden behind the couch then it's super easy and comfortable to bust out some abs while you are watching TV or in between Face Book and blogging posts.

I have been doing 100 abs a day for over 4 years now. Keeping a strong core is really fantastic for avoiding injury in any endeavor. so... Put your camping pads to use!

Habitual fitness.

I am now four years into doing 100 abs a day. Initially it was a challenge thrown out that it would be tough to do 100 reps for 100 days of anything. http://fitnessrank.com/100club/ - it didn't matter if it was push-ups, squats, or pull-ups. Abs seemed to be the easiest so I tried that first. I failed many times, I distinctly remember getting as far as 79 days consecutively one time and missing a day, Then! having to start over! I can also remember being on a BART train at 11:45 pm one night and realizing I hadn't done my situps yet! Darn the carpet on those trains has no padding. Eventually I did do the 100 day straight run. My friend Rich Fettke actually went a year without missing a day. I managed doing a year with only missing 7 days. I did "make-up days" and realized that to average 100 abs a day from then on out would be a healthy habit. Each year I moved to a different ab exercise. Sit-ups, crunchs, Atomic Situps, bicycles, etc. two years ago I tried adding push-ups to the regime and kept having trouble keeping up. Finally I got where I could do 10 push-ups everyday for a year. Last year I bumped it up to 40 push-ups every day and now have been doing that in addition to the abs for 14 months. this month I started doing 20 squats and 50 hand gripper closings as well.

Go ahead and give 100 reps for 100 days a try without missing a single day. I've now done it for Sit-ups, Jumping Jacks, and Pull-ups.

OK, It's October 12th, - two years to the day that we set the speed record on The Nose of El Cap. And it's Columbus day - this week. "They said it couldn't be done."

It was a cool summer and who knows what will happen in the next month, but we all know what is going to happen in two months. - It will be too cold and wet to climb in Yosemite. SOOO get out there and get some climbing in.

I got in a great day of three medium length routes at Lovers Leap last weekend. temps were awesome. Did you know I can legally guide at Lovers Leap? not much time left this season to do it. try getting me directly or using www.skaboosh.com

happy climbing

Yuji Hirayama and Hans Florine ARE going for The world record Wedneday the 2nd of July see the latest here: http://speedclimb.com/

El CApitan , The NOse Record, working on it NOW, June 27th. just go straight to http://speedclimb.com/ to get latest updates.

I was on the front of the SF Chronicle yesterday.

H

Online live training/coaching with Hans! set up a time and he'll share his desktop and speak with you live. Hans at speedclimb dot com

Train with Hans in the SF Bay area. Hans at speedclimb dot com

PLAY in Yosemite, STAY in yosemite. www.hansbasecamp.com

AWESOME WAY to get in an endurance climbing workout!- AND raise money for the fabulous Stacey Collver!

2007 Mt. Everest Challenge to Benefit Stacey Li Collver

5^th Annual Climb-a-thon!

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007

1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Planet Granite Gym in Sunnyvale
(408) 991-9090

November 10th I climbed the Nose in 5:26 with Mark Melvin.

Well, after congratulating the Hubers on their record I went up and have now taken two runs up the Nose to see where my fitness level is for taking back the record.

Mark Melvin and I climbed the route in 8:35 three weeks ago and yesterday, Saturday the 3rd of November we climbed the route in 5:26. Mark led the first half and I the second. We made a few logistical areas and were feeling a little shy of the "yosemite fitness" we need to have for the record. So it's more training and we'll be back. want to train with us? www.fitnessrank.com/turkeyburn

THEY GOT IT! -TWICE

The Huber's ran up the route in 2:48:35 and then again in 2:45:45.

see more at speedclimb.com/forum.

cheers.

Hans

On Sunday September 16th I ran into the Huber Brothers in El Cap Meadow. They seemed in good spirits after their ten hour ascent of The Nose the day before. -They flew in on Friday so it was just a jet-lag-reducing ascent.

Thomas says he'll graciously only beat the current record by 5 or so minutes so there's more to cut off for future parties.

I predict 2:36 - Go Hubers!

If you have news from the valley on their preparations or the day they'll make their first attempts at the record please post, so those close by can come cheer them on.

Hans

I'll be doing a LIVE webinar on climbing The Nose in early September. check back here or at: www.NoseInADay.com for the exact date and time.

I lead a training for climbing class every Monday and Wednesday night at 8pm at the Touchstone Concord gym. Come join us, you first class is free, and always free to Touchstone members. http://touchstoneclimbing.com/cd.html

My home is for sale in Yosemite!

http://hansbasecamp.com/lot.html

Two weeks ago I did my first descent of The Nose route on El Capitan In A Day! We rappeled the route to shoot HD and Film for an upcoming Warren Miller Production that will be aired on the Weather Channel in October 2007. Stay tuned.