Vikki Weldon

I’m sitting here jittering in my seat, my head exploding with all the things I want to share with all you wonderful people! I have so many things to say, where to START?! Beginnings are always a good place, but I’m going to be a rebel and start in the middle, because the beginning can be summed up in one word: RAIN. So who wants to hear about that? Noooo thankyou. THE MIDDLE: Beginning of July and it’s soooort of beginning to look like summer in Canmore. Mrs. Sunshine is being a bit of a flake and only showing up every so often, more interested in doing her make up in her big cloud house up in the sky. (But don’t worry, when she decides to show up she looks FANTASTIC!). I’ve settled into my amazing job at the Canmore Hospital working as a student nurse, learning a lot and being mentored by some of the most amazing nurses I have ever met. It’s a wicked hospital that I have my mind set on coming back to after I graduate and become a real nurse. Canmore is a town that warm the heart and brings an eternal smile to your face. I have thrived in this gorgeous setting, and have my heart set on making it my home in the near future!

Beautiful Canmore

I’ve also been ROCK CLIMBING. And it’s amazing. I virtually climbed on every single one of my days off work (minus Rainy days, but those seem to fade from memory..), and it was amazing. I love the Rockies. I love limestone. Acephale, one of Canada’s premiere rock climbing destinations, is my own personal Heaven. My love for outdoor climbing was fostered here, and each subsequent visit confirms the fact that I made a very wise choice copying my big brother and sister when they began climbing. I also enjoyed a number of days climbing at Planet X and the Coliseum up on Grotto Mountain. All of these crags can be found in Derek Galloway’s new guidebook, Bow Valley Sport which arrived in early July. It’s an amazing guidebook, full of colour photos and all that jazz! Check it out here.

The Bow Valley's amazing new guidebook. Author: Derek Galloway

Stacey gettin' her speed psych on before busting her ass from Canmore to Calgary. What a trooper

I’ve been really lucky to have amazing friends here in Canmore who share my passion for climbing and smilin’! I’ve been living with my big sister, Stacey, who I love to bits and pieces! She’s doing her final practicum in Canmore for nursing. We’ve worked together for a handful of shifts and had some great bonding experiences that only two sister nurses can have.

I had an amazing month in July. I have to say it was my single most productive month of rock climbing EVER. I was successful in climbing a handful of 513′s, including a bunch of wicked lines at Acephale. Naissance de la Femme (5.13b) is a stellar line at the Lower Wall, with a massive heart breaker deadpoint at the very end. After sending this line, it only got better. After a few days of work, I sent Whale Back (5.13c) at the Upper Wall. This line is such a star. It contained everything from massive heel hook rock overs to a rose move to a wicked slab crux! The day I sent Whale Back, I quickly took my draws down and walked 50 feet up along the wall and stood below a dream. My dream. Since I was 13 years old I have had this single route floating in the back of my mind, waiting until I was ready. I achieved this life long dream this month. In fact, it was only a couple of days ago, and I’m still riding the high!

Joe Kinder on Endless Summer. Photo: Keith Ladzinski

Endless Summer, graded 5.13d, is situated at the far right of the Upper Wall, before the Pavement area begins. It climbs up through the cave that it shares with routes such as Existence Mundane (5.14b) and Bunda de Fora (5.14d). The crux is situated at the beginning of the small roof and continues until you bust over the lip. It’s wicked and powerful. Putting the draws up that day was an epic. I could not complete a single move for the entire bottom section of the climb. My butt was handed to me over and over, and although I was laughing and having fun, a little voice in my mind was sayin’ “Hoooooooly moly, this may not be possible little miss Viks”. Yet each day, I began to link moves. I gathered beta and I worked hard to link sections together. I ended each day breathing hard and feeling an entire body soreness that I love. Soon I had it down to 3 sections. Then down to 2. Each day, as I packed the rope away, my glimmer of hope shone brighter and brighter. Next day. My body had to be fresh to link the moves through the roof and my mind fresher to hold it together though the “mono” (I stuck 2 tips in that sucker!) section at the top. On Sunday morning, my good friend Alex Quiring and I headed to the crag in the early morning. We were at the ditch by 8:00am, an alpine start by sport climbing standards. I had to be back at work for 3pm, which left only a few hours to give the project some burns. We arrived at the crag just after 9am, and immediately felt we were in an alternate universe. The Upper Wall was blasted with sun. Anyone who climbs at Acephale knows that a down jacket and a thermos of hot tea are staples up there, as the sun moves off the wall at around 11am. Al and I were PSYCHED.

Pre Hike Psych!

It's SUNNY!

Look Guys! I rodeo clipped the first draw and no backclip! Wow!

Warming up in the sun felt fantastic. With the crag to ourselves, we bathed in the sunshine as I prepped for my first burn of the day. I was feeling a little slow, a little stiff, and was keen on a warm up burn. Yet something wonderful happened as I grabbed that first crimp at the bottom of the route. My mind was clear, I was still chuckling over a joke shared earlier, and the rock felt good. I did not float up this route. No. I worked hard. I yelled a bit, I breathed hard and I tried my darndest. But it went. As I pulled over the lip, the sun hit my back and I breathed and smiled at the rest. I took my time and felt strong pulling to the chains. As soon as the rope snapped in, I let out a whoop! I sat back in my harness and felt the best high a climber can feel. I sent my dream route on my 5th day of attempts, in the sunshine, with a great friend, in my own personal heaven. Yahoooooooooooooo!

The Send! Photo courtesy of my belayer/photographer AQ!

At the Top!!!!

Happy would be an Understatement

But wait, the fun doesn’t stop there! Yesterday, Al and I set out on our second day of fun in the sun. Or so we thought.. We were psyched to get on a sport multi-pitch by the name of Sisyphus Summits. The route takes a prime line up the North-East face of Ha Ling Peak, a striking mountain on the edge of Canmore.

Sisyphus Summits (5.10d). 21 pitches. Photo: www.banffrock.ca

We had decided on an early start, but waking up felt tough and we bumbled around for a while before we headed out.

Organizing..or something like that

Too kool for skool

Rosy Cheeks and Eager Smiles

We left the car at 9:30am and arrived at the base of the route just under an hour later. To our dismay, a party of 2 was just leaving the second pitch. After some discussion, we decided to give them an extra birth of half an hour, hoping that would give us enough space to not have any issue. WRONG. As we reached the first set of anchors, we saw that they had not even left the third belay station. They were struggling. Worse, the sun we had so hoped to stay with us began to leave the cliff. We were left in the shade with a core-chilling wind that would stay with us all day. For the next 3 hours, we shivered at each belay station, waiting for the first party to climb. After only 4 pitches, we began to seriously contemplate bailing. At this rate, we would be climbing in the dark. What made matters worse is the following conversation, after which we promptly gave this party the nickname Team Douchebag or (TDB for short)

Al calling up to the belayer “Hey! Do you guys mind if we pass you?”

A pause. TDB “Ya”

Did we hear him right? Al “You do mind?”

“Ya!” Douchebag.

Check out Video #1

But shortly after, things turned around. To our joyous surprise, TDB decided to bail! Psyched! After exchanging some pleasantries as we passed them (Turns out they were pretty nice guys, yet after much deliberation I have concluded they still deserve their nickname), Al and I were PSYCHED!

Yahoooooo Moutain Dew!! We finally get to climb!

After that, it was smooth sailing. We doubled up on pitches, which made for a speedy and fun ascent, with awesome rock (expect for the death pitch #13. 2 bolts in 26 metres through complete choss). The only downside was the cold that shook up to the core. It wasn’t a wintery cold. My fingers were fine, my feet has blood in them. But my core was frozen. My shoulders are sore from shivering. It wasn’t until we ate dinner that night did my chill abate. After a total of 9 hours, Al and I reached the top, incredibly psyched and all smiles. The best feeling was the moment I peeked my head over the lip and sunshine blasted my face. I will never take sunshine for granted ever again!

The Final Pitch

Waaaaa SUNSHINE!!!!!

Video #2

Look over there!!

Looong way down

All Smiles

End of the Day!

After a beautiful hike down in the sun, scoping out new cliffs on the way, and an amazing dinner at the Grizzly Paw in the company of our good friend, Canmore’s sweetheart Zak McGurk, I crawled into bed, completely tuckered to the core.

I love my life.

(And the goofiness that goes with it!)

Goof

Well it’s been a long while! I supposed I haven’t been feeling the bloggo-spirit for the past few months. School seemed to take over my soul for a bit there. But I am now FREE for the summer! Yahoo! It’s been a long year and a half since I have had any sort of extended break and I am relishing every moment of it.
This summer is going to be EXCITING! I have already been home in Calgary for about 3 weeks now and it has been fantastic to relax at home and enjoy the company of my wonderous family. Next week I am moving to Canmore for two whole months, where I will be working as a student nurse (aka Baby Nurse) at the town hospital. I am stoked to have a summer job that relates directly to my future career. Plus, it is in my most favourite-est place ever: CANMORE!! I am going to rock climb to my heart’s content!
Also on the agenda this summer is a trip to EUROPE! I was chosen earlier this year to be one of the National Team coaches for the Canadian Youth Climbing Team who happen to be heading to Imst, Austria in August. I am incredibly honoured to have been chosen for this position, considering I myself traveled to 6 different Youth World Cup events in the past. My coaches for each trip were amazing, and I have developed wonderful relationships with each and every one of them. I hope to be able to share similarly great experiences with these talented and energetic kids in Austria! Another pretty sweet aspect of this trip, is that I myself competed as a youth in the very same town when I was about 16 years old. That was 6 years ago. Oh how time flies! The competition will be at a different venue, but I think it will be a nice trip down memory lane to revisit such a beautiful town!

That’s the plan for the summer. I am stoked to take a break from plastic and focus on some hard projects for the summer. I have three major ones in mind. I think in the end I’ll have to boil it down to just one (but hopefully 2!). They include the following:
1. Endless Summer (13d) @ Acephale
2. Leviathan (14a) @ Acephale
3. The Illusionist (14a) @ Planet X
But I will have to hold that thought for one more weekend…

This year I decided to tighten up my booties and try my hand once again at some World Cups. Particularly exciting was the first WC ever to be held on Canadian soil, in my favourite town, which you all know by now…Canmore
You can read an overview of the competition that I wrote for the Gripped website here. But I would like to give a quick personal account from last weekend, because I think my experience is one that should be shared, because I learned alot from it!

First of all, let’s clear the air: I did terribly. There really is no way around it. I pooped the bed. 27th out of 29th place is not something that I am really that proud of. Sure, I am proud that I competed. That I was there for my country and for myself. That I smiled through out the qualifying round even though I knew after the first problem that I wasn’t climbing well. I smiled all the way until I ran behind the wall. Then the tears came, and they came hard. I was mad, I was ashamed that I didn’t read 3 out of the 5 problems properly, and I was really upset with the fact that I instantly knew just how poorly I had done. I knew I was better than that, and it ate me up inside. It wasn’t until the next morning that the knot of frustration in my chest began to ease and I was able to think clearly again.

It was one competition. I have competed in an innumerable amount in the past, and I am sure to have many more to come in the future. Sure, it sucked that it was this particular competition. I mean, first one in Canada! Argh! But I have to take a deep breathe in and just let it go. That breathe got caught up inside of me for a bit, but I think I can breathe out again. Competitions are a funny thing. As I sat by the wall, wiping my tears away, I watched as the route setters immediately set about taking down the blocs that had kicked my toosh only minutes ago. It all seemed so pointless to me. Why put so much time and energy into something that in an instant is gone? It is so different from rock climbing, where your project will remain long after you yourself are no more than a pile of dust (Unless your project happens to be on Yam..or at Grassi. Wink!)

But I think there is more to competition than just the boulders or routes you climb. It’s a test for yourself and for others. It’s a motivator to push yourself, to prove to yourself and to others just how hard you can work to be the best. It’s a venue to draw talented climbers from all over to come together, to form friendships, to push the standards, and to create a passionate atmosphere. It’s (usually!) a ton of a fun. It’s a bucket you pour all your emotions into. I am my most vulnerable at competitions, because I care so much about it. I care about my performance and the outcome. I think that is what has brought me to where I am today. It hurts like hell what I fall (figuratively, but sometimes literally as well!), but when I accomplish my goal and stand up tall, I am so happy! Either way, I stay motivated.

After this competition, I am motivated. I am motivated to stay positive. To push myself through thick and thin. I have another WC this weekend in Vail. My goal is to keep my eyes open wide and my heart open even wider. I want to smile even after I run behind the wall. I want to push myself to be as strong a climber as the likes of Anna Stohr, Julianne Wurm, Akiyo Noguchi or Jain Kim. Those girls inspire me to no end!

Anna Stohr: Climber Extraordinaire. Photo: Simon Parton

A big congrats goes to Sean McColl for placing 3rd! I definitely had tears on my eyes watching him climb. I hope he has a fun and fulfilling summer in Europe this year!

I also want to congratulate all the Canadians. You rock! I especially want to congratulate my sister, Stacey, because she rocks! As well, congrats to Alannah Yip for rocking such a wonderful first WC performance, and Josh Muller for killing it. Final, a big congrats to my boyfriend, Ryan Olson, for entering into the competition fairly last minute and putting in a strong performance! Super proud of everyone!

Sean McColl finishing up the problem that earned him the bronze. Photo: Simon Parton

Jamie Chong smiling through the low percentage moves on Qualifier 5. Photo: Simon Parton

See some more wicked photos from the event, taken by Pam Eveleigh here! Check out the ones of my sis (the crazy canuck with short hair) jumping off of the 5th qualifying problem. Psyched!!!

So wish my luck for Vail! I know I will come back smiling, because I get a whole three months of fun, fun, fun! I will leave you with the cutest photo ever of my little pup, Logan, trying to stay warm at a mission up to Planet X yesterday. It was COLD!

Best!!

Trendy pup!