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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Trip Update

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 4:44 PM / / 1 comments
So as of today it looks like I will have a travel buddy through Denver. Star let me know that she was able to adjust her schedule and come with me. She found a one-way flight from Denver to NOLA for $120!!!!! A screaming deal. I am super pumped. So the ride to Denver will not be as boring. This is a somewhat less tentative itinerary of my grand trip out west.


I will head out of NOLA on the July 12th @3am. I am not leaving earlier due to close friends being married on the 11th. I am not planning to stop, until arriving in Boulder, Co. Star and I have a friend in Denver that we would love to see. So that will be fun for us both. This is a climbing trip for me so I am planning to be climbing at least five days a week. I have a crash pad so no matter what I will be doing something. Rest days I will be riding single track.

Since Star will be with me for a couple of days in Boulder I think it is best that we head to either Eldo Canyon or Upper Dream Canyon in Boulder Canyon. I am very interested to climb some very hard multi-pitch routes. It is time to pull my limits even farther.

I will drop Star off at the airport and make the eight hour drive to Jackson, Wy. I am very excited to meet up with Chris and Lori. (On a side note, they are currently on a month long road trip up the west coast to finish in Squamish. Then to Jackson, Wy where Chris guides for Exum.) From here my exact details are a little fuzzy. I still want to climb in Montana and Idaho. But that depends on finding people to climb with. I am hoping to meet up with some folks from Mountain Khaki, who I am an Ambassador for, to kick it with. I am going to the Outdoor Retailer Show in SLC the week of the 2oth of July. I am planning to meet up with some friends from Black Diamond to climb with around SLC.

I am looking forward the most to climbing in the Tetons. I wonder if I will even be able pull myself away from Jackson. Who knows. That's what I have so far. Stay tuned for a totally different detailed itinerary soon.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Europe 6

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 4:07 PM / Labels: / 0 comments





Climbing, Climbing, Climbing!!! That's one of Star and my loves in this life. Another one is spending time together. We are lucky that each other is passionate about the outdoors. I love having Star as my climbing partner. We push each other to the next level. On May 10th we set out for our last full day of climbing in Sardinia.

We headed for Jerzu. An area that has a high concentration of climbing sectors. There are five different sectors that I know of, with an enormous amount of rock never touched. We choose to climb at Costello. Our guide showed a large concentration of 6a to 7a routes here so we headed there. This was our fourth day climbing, but it was our last day. We wanted to climb fifteen routes. A goal that would not be achieved.

We warmed up on a 5b, Riposa In Pace , very easy. I wanted to start slow and then rock it out on some stiffer routes. In this area there are three easy 5s that go to the same chains. We each took a turn leading them. After these three we were ready for the fun stuff. We walked a little farther down and climbed a 6b, Mortadella. This climb was tough down low, then moved into a crimpy face. I would say that it is more of a 6b+. Walking still farther down the crag we came across a dihedral that has five 6b to 6b+s. We climbed two of them, L'ultimo Train 6b+ and Paradisi Musulmani 6b. Paradisi is the route in the dihedral. That climbs a crack that can take gear. I left the trad gear at the flat to save weight. I wish that I would have remembered to bring t along.It was a fun climb. A little sandy in the middle but fun. To the left of Paradisi is L'ultimo. It follows Paradisi to the second bolt, then leads left onto the face and to the arete. A great climb. Very delicate on top.
By this point of the day the temperature was starting to rise very fast. It was hot. I was very tired after these climbs due to the heat. We rested and ate a sandwich. We walked a little farther down the wall to check out more of what El Castello had to offer. I saw this killer face route that ran next to an arete. Fix is rated 6a, so I though I would give it a go. The rock was so bad due to the heat. It was very hot. The route was fun but the crux was tough. There was a sequence of shallow pockets that ran for five moves over a bolt to a nice hold. I did not realize that there was a slopping jug up top to clip from. I was trying to clip the bolt from the shallow pockets. I fell two times. And was pumped when I touched the ground. Star sat at the crux once but, had no problem with the moves. She is a uber strong climber. Not to mention she was able to put two fingers into those pockets. We finished our day on Easy 5c. The name says it all. It was very short, easy. Dirty in the middle. Not many people must climb that route.
On the hike out I noticed how beautiful the wall was and had to take some more photos. Sardinia is an amazing place. I totally understand how our friends Peter and Ann chose to live in this beautiful place. We drove back to our flat took a shower and met Peter and Ann out to dinner. They took us to a friend's restaurant. It was a great place. I had on of the best pizzas on our trip and Star had pasta. This would be our last dinner in Sardinia. We would drive the next day to the south to catch our flight to Rome.
We did not scratch the surface in Sardinia. There is so much there. Not to mention all of the rock that needs to be climbed. I can not wait to go back. I think next time it would make more sense to stay in Sardinia for two weeks alone. Oh well. Memories.


Go Climb Something!!!


Monday, June 15, 2009

Massey's NOLA Store Climb Night

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 9:24 AM / / 0 comments







Last night a few of the the members of the Massey's staff from the NOLA location headed to Slidell Rocks for an after hours gear clinic. At Massey's we do not sell a ton of climbing gear but April, the Store Manager, thought it would be a good idea if all of the staff knew how the gear works. This would help the staff be able to help our customers find the gear that they are looking for. I thought is was a great idea.







The owner of SR is Mr. Charley. He is a very nice guy and opened his doors to us free of charge.








At the clinic we talked about the different types of climbing and the gear that goes with each. We looked at all of the differences between the carabiners, harnesses, ascenders, descenders, and protection. We mostly sell harnesses and belays, so that's what we focused on the most. We tried some on and talked about the fit. Mr. Charley was nice enough to let us try on climbing shoes to see what it is like to have a pair on.

After the clinic we roped up for a quick route each and headed home. The drive is 40 min to Slidell from the shop in NOLA, so that gave us some time to chit chat about upcoming trips and adventures.



Over all it was a great clinic. And don't forget that Slidell Rocks!!!





Don't worry we were in dead stop traffic on the way home, I'm not driving.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Masseys Swap Meet

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 9:01 AM / / 0 comments

Massey's Outfitters is having a gear swap the weekend of June 26th. If you are not familiar with a swap meet here is a brief description of Massey's. The days preceding the meet Massey's will be sending out emails with more details.

Anyone can show up with their old gear, that pertains to Massey's, and sell it. Customers will be given a ticket so a Massey's and the customer will be able to keep track of the item. The item will be put on display under a tent in the parking lot of the N. Carrollton/Mid-City location. If the item is purchased Massey's will take care of the transaction for you and give the customer the correct amount of tender.

Now the cool part. Just say that you bring a tent and want to sell it for $100. Massey's will price it for you and merchandise it for you. If the tent sells, Massey's will give you 80% of the $100 in cash, or 100% in a store credit at Massey's. SWEET!! Win/Win situation. Cash or more gear. I always want more gear
So, get out there and start going through your old gear. Bring it by Massey's and get yourself some more gear. New gear. Advanced Gear


Go Climb Something!!!!!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Gear Recommendation

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 11:34 AM / Labels: , / 0 comments




Superfeet is an amazing product. Superfeet makes shoe inserts that can be trimmed to fit any shoe that takes an insert. There are many different inserts that Superfeet offers depending on what activities you are involved in and the type of arch you have. If you are a pronator or supinator, is a consideration for fitting too.
At first I was reluctant to use the insert because of the polycarbonate heal plate. I thought that it would be very stiff, rigid, and uncomfortable. I was right and wrong. The heal plate is rigid but not uncomfortable. The heel plate is designed at a certain pitch so it pushes your fatty pad under your calcaneus, aka heel, to add cushion. So it is comfortable. The fact that Superfeet uses polycarbonate instead of foam or gel for support is great. The polycarbonate does not loose its shape over time. This can be bad if you are loosing your arch due to a plethora of different medical problems or genes. If your loosing your arch a foam or gel insert will mold to the bad arch, not help stabilize it. The Superfeet will continue to support long after the foam and gel, in other inserts, have broken down.

I have a medium width foot and an average arch. I am a pronator. I use Superfeet in all of my shoes that permit an insert. I generally wear a size ten shoe, so I am an E in Superfeet sizing. I use a green insert in my everyday shoes and hikers, a blue in my Patagonia dress shoes, an orange in my running and approach shoes, a Redhot in my snowboard boots, and a yellow in my bike shoes. I have been wearing Superfeet for over two years now and have loved every minute of it.

Now saying all of this, I am not a podiatrist. I am not a orthopedist. I am just a man that beats up his feet on a regular basis. I am very active and I need to protect my feet for future use. I can not afford a custom made orthotic, which is the best insert on the market, because the money would come out of my trip fund. And I will not stand for that.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Tragedy in China

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 8:57 AM / / 0 comments
Photo from adventurefilm.org





Photo from patagonia.com





The climbing community has lost three amazing people. Jonny Copp, Micah Dash, and Wade Johnson. The three left for China on May 20 to climb Mount Edgar. The climbers were due back to catch a flight on June 3. They never made the flight. Jonny's company Adventure Film Fest opened a blog forum to help generate money to help with a search that needed to start immediately. There was an overwhelming out pour. On June 6 a body was found amongst an avalanche's debris on Mount Edgar at 4000m and later identified by photo at base camp. The next day the weather was so bad that it impaired the search for the remaining climbers. A second body was found and later identified as that of Wade Johnson, a photographer from Minnesota that worked with Sender Films. Micah Dash has not be located as of June 8.

I did not know any of these three men, but wish I had the pleasure to. In the climbing world we are able to meet professional climbers easier than in other professional sports. Being a climber myself, I feel a strong connection with these men. I have seen many short and featured films with both Jonny and Micah. They always seemed very positive and warm hearted. Only a real climber can crack a joke about the weather on a forced bivy in France. These to men were what we all, as climbers, aspire to be, driven.

I will not act like I knew these three men. I will only say that the climbing community is short three brothers today and they will surely be missed.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Europe 5

Posted by Eddie Gianelloni at 6:22 PM / / 0 comments



After a nice rest from the previous day of climbing, Star and I decided to take a rest day. Stars idea of a rest day would turn out to be far different than mine. We headed for Cala Gonone. Cala Gonone is a two and a half hour drive north of where we were staying in Arbatax.

There is no road that goes along the coast directly to CG. The road to Cala Gonone is very dangerous to drive on. The road is a very winding mountain road. This is not why the drive is dangerous. By this point I was starting to get used to the Indy car drivers from Italy, this added danger, but there was still something more dangerous on the way. Rocks!!! Not falling rocks, but actually, very stable rocks.

I was having a very hard time keeping my eyes in the road. We had to pull over repeatedly so I could check out the vast unclimbed rock. I was over whelmed.

We were driving on the winding road and finally came to a tunnel. Once we passed through the tunnel we were at the top of a cliff band that over looked CG. The view from this point was beautiful. Once we made our way into the village we located a restaurant that was not closed. Just to let everyone know, almost all of the restaurants in Italy close from 12pm to 4pm or 5pm. So it took some looking to find a place to eat is all I am saying.

So, Stars idea of a rest day was to go and hangout at the beach. No problem. That can be fun. I like the beach. I am ADD but I can hang on the beach and chill. But this was not your ordinary beach. This was a beach at Cala Gonone. The most developed area in all of Sardinia. I was to say the least, anxious to explore the nearby crags. After an hour or so of walking and laying out on the beach I was past ready to do something else that I started to talk to the seagulls that were flying over head. I know what your thinking, this is silly, everyone knows you can't talk to seagulls in Italy. They don't understand English.

Star saw that I was ready to head out and she reluctantly started to pack up. We headed back to the car. I did not intent on climbing. I just wanted to see the crags in the area. Just check them out. But once we arrived to the climbing area that was located right on the water, I started to feel the urge to climb. It was a rest day, so we could climb just two or three routes and still rest. Moderate routes. We descended into the small cala. This area is called Fuili.

Access to this area is very easy. Too easy. There were many tourist that were walking down to the beach below the crag and hanging out. Which is great, but they would use the bushes around the crag to urinate and defecate. The sector that we choose was Corvo Rosso, for it's close proximity to the water. The first climb that we did was an easy arete named Spigolo Fuili 5a.

Star lead it first then I led it next. We walked around the corner to find a row of moderates. We located them and to our surprise the locale outhouse too. We climbed a no named climb that went at 5a. Very easy. But we could not stand the smell and had to leave.

On our way out I walked by a really cool line that was only 20m but looked well chalked and fun. Desiderio 6a, was my favorite climb in our short visit to Fuili. There are two cruxes on this climb, one down low and the other one move before the anchor. The bottom is very bouldery and the top is delicate. I loved the entire route. Star enjoyed Desiderio also. She fell on the bottom crux, but lowered and sent it. Star is a very strong climber. I am very lucky to be her life and climbing partner




We packed up and hiked out and made it back to the car in 10 minutes. The drive home that night seemed a lot faster than before. It must have been because it was dark, and I could not see any rocks. The moon was low in the sky and red on the way home. It was a beautiful sight. We arrived late and went stright to bed. The next day would be our last full day in Sardinia and our last day to climb.

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