These Things We Do
- July 2007
- Uncategorized
At Rifle, kneepads are more important than gear. They ARE gear.
Most of the routes have fixed draws on them, or someone’s draws are hanging. You can show up there with only a rope, and climb more than you need to. The real local hardmen/women have these big, stiff femur-length leg sheaths, with Stealth rubber glued over the top half. They seem to be quite happy in these monstrous things, slamming in kneebars here and there as they monkeybar their way up overhanging limestone. Me, I feel like I’m wearing body armor in those things, or have turned into some kind of cyborg. It’s like a femur cast! So I made these petite kneepads, which people seem to enjoy laughing at. They do slide around a little, but they seem to do the job. And so much less confining….!
See–little Katie prefers my petite kneepads too. They just make her want to do a Farmer Brown jig!
Then we have the base jumpers, who feel that Rifle is a place to throw yourself off cliffs, rather than climb up them. Like Jimmy Hopper here, not just hopping off the cliff, but doing a gainer along the way.
No wonder the local people are always driving up the canyon, pointing at the climbers and taking pictures. It’s better than a three-ring circus, and no elephant s#*t. (but sometimes cow manure, during cattle drives)
