http://blog.firstascent.com THE FIRST ASCENT BLOG Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:11:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/12/07/getting-into-winter-climbing-shape-with-chad-peele/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/12/07/getting-into-winter-climbing-shape-with-chad-peele/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:58:04 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=9820 http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/12/07/getting-into-winter-climbing-shape-with-chad-peele/feed/ 0 Chad Peele shares his winter cross-training regimen for getting into optimal climbing-season shape. climbing thumb http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/01/chad-peele-visits-the-southfork-ice-festival/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/01/chad-peele-visits-the-southfork-ice-festival/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:00:49 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=4529 http://blog.firstascent.com/2011/03/01/chad-peele-visits-the-southfork-ice-festival/feed/ 1 By Chad Peele I believe that climbing should be fun, and what better way to have fun than visiting a climbing festival, meeting new people and seeing new terrain! I recently attended the Southfork Ice Festival in Cody, WY. Having never been to Cody before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I quickly found [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/09/30/first-ascent-guide-caroline-george-summits-the-bietschhorn-in-switzerland/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/09/30/first-ascent-guide-caroline-george-summits-the-bietschhorn-in-switzerland/#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:48:27 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=3420 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/09/30/first-ascent-guide-caroline-george-summits-the-bietschhorn-in-switzerland/feed/ 1 By Caroline George The Bietschhorn reigns proudly on the northern slopes of the Valais and is the only snowcapped mountain visible from anywhere in the Rhone Valley. I first climbed this peak in 2005 during a Swiss Alpine Club training regimen. We climbed most of the routes from the remote Baltschiederklause hut. I remembered being [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/05/georges-take-on-v%c3%b8ringfossen-norway%e2%80%99s-esteemed-waterfall/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/05/georges-take-on-v%c3%b8ringfossen-norway%e2%80%99s-esteemed-waterfall/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:14:02 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=2164 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/05/georges-take-on-v%c3%b8ringfossen-norway%e2%80%99s-esteemed-waterfall/feed/ 0 By Caroline George The forecast this morning is for sunshine and no wind. We drive to climb Will’s route, a 400m long WI5+ climb, but the wind is blowing snow so strongly that we can’t even make out the road. The summits are again lost in a cloud of snow. The forecast was wrong yet [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/04/george-recounts-dr-evil%e2%80%99s-last-words/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/04/george-recounts-dr-evil%e2%80%99s-last-words/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:28:10 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=2155 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/04/george-recounts-dr-evil%e2%80%99s-last-words/feed/ 0 By Caroline George Adam and I decided to stay in Eidfjord after the rest of the group (climber Chad Peele, photographer Celin Serbo and rigger/guide Seth Hobby) returned to their respective homes. We had been in Eidfjord for a week and there hadn’t been a good window to climb Dr. Evil since we first spotted [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/02/what-it-takes-to-complete-first-ascents/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/02/what-it-takes-to-complete-first-ascents/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:13:23 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=2151 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/02/what-it-takes-to-complete-first-ascents/feed/ 0   By Caroline George Completing the first ascent of a route means that you are the first person to climb the route…ever. That might seem obvious, but here in Norway, it’s all but a given. There are not many local ice climbers here, and those who climb don’t always communicate their ascents. This makes it [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/01/blue-steel-provides-%e2%80%9crest-day%e2%80%9d-for-peele-and-george/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/01/blue-steel-provides-%e2%80%9crest-day%e2%80%9d-for-peele-and-george/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:02:18 +0000 Chad Peele http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=2143 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/03/01/blue-steel-provides-%e2%80%9crest-day%e2%80%9d-for-peele-and-george/feed/ 0 After numerous days of traveling, scouting and climbing, a down day was sounding pretty good. We decided that Eidfjord was just too “dead” to enjoy and that we should have a mellow day of climbing instead. Luckily for us, we had the perfect route to explore. On one of our last scouting missions, when we [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/26/george-recounts-mini-me-a-norwegian-gem-of-a-first-ascent/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/26/george-recounts-mini-me-a-norwegian-gem-of-a-first-ascent/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:05:12 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=2137 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/26/george-recounts-mini-me-a-norwegian-gem-of-a-first-ascent/feed/ 0   By Caroline George We pull into Ossa, a little hamlet across the ferry north of Eidfjord, sitting on the tip of one of Norway’s many fjords. A striking blue line peers from behind a rocky outcrop. We drive to the end of the road and the view reveals two long pillars of bright blue [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/25/georges-find-climbing-together-spices-things-up/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/25/georges-find-climbing-together-spices-things-up/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:07:15 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=2130 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/25/georges-find-climbing-together-spices-things-up/feed/ 0   By: Adam George For the past week, we’ve followed climbers Chad Peele and Caroline George as they attempted a bevy of first ascents in Norway. Also on the trip is George’s husband, Adam, who gave us a sneak peek at what it’s like to tie into rope with your partner in climbing and in [...] http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/24/dr-evil-eludes-peele-and-george/ http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/24/dr-evil-eludes-peele-and-george/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:40:15 +0000 First Ascent Brand Team http://blog.firstascent.com/?p=2121 http://blog.firstascent.com/2010/02/24/dr-evil-eludes-peele-and-george/feed/ 0   By Caroline George Naming a route can sometimes be the real crux of a route. The name needs to communicate what was experienced and/or describe aspects of the climb. For example, “The Nose” on Yosemite’s El Capitan gives away the part of the wall the route follows, while Lipton was named after the color [...]