Regular Climbing

For some reason I haven't mentioned on my blog that Alison and I joined the indoor rock climbing gym here in STP: Vertical Endeavors.  It's been great to have regular easy access to climbing.  We can even go after work, which is pretty hard to do outside in MN considering the drive required.  It's given me the chance to actually improve, rather than remain at the same climbing ability for the reason that it was so infrequent for me to get the chance to go.  I'd say I was comfortable climbing up to 5.9, with the ability to pull out a 5.10a once and a while when I got ambitious.  Not particularly impressive considering I've climbed over a decade now.  I'm now occasionally onsighting a 5.10d, and working on breaking the 5.11a barrier.  If you're not familiar with climbing grades, here is a descent description if you're bored sometime.  5.11a is certainly not among the grades being considered "hard" by good climbers these days, but for a guy with a job and a wife and bills and a biking habit who doesn't climb that much, 5.11a is pretty hard.  I'll be quite please to accomplish that grade, and I think I will pretty soon if I keep at it.  Plus, it should be noted that grades are completely subjective to who set the route, local opinion, type of rock (or gym), type of climb (steep face, crack, dihedral, roof, chimney, etc., blah blah blah), so yeah, it depends.  But 5.11a is still hard for me.  :)  Sweet.