What’s with the anxiety that comes along with hangovers when you are in your mid/late 20′s?  Can anyone explain that?

Regardless, here is the recipe for the Meyer Lemon bars 

Gluten Free Meyer Lemon Bars:

-1/2 cups all-purpose GLUTEN FREE flour

-1/2 cup powdered sugar

-3/4 cup butter, room temp, cut into cubes

-4 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

-1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice

-1 T plus 1 tsp. gluten-free all-purpose

-1 T lemon peel

-Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 35o degrees. 

In a food processor combine the flour, powdered sugar and butter together until it looks like wet sand.  Press this into a 9 x 13 non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown.  I like to rotate the crust half way through to ensure even cooking but do whatever you wish…I don’t care.  But don’t complain if it isn’t evenly cooked… that’s all I am saying. 

While the crust is baking, in the same food processor, combine the rest of the ingredients.  Mix until smooth and yummy (yes, that is a technical term).  Once the crust is done, pour over the filling mixture.  It is important to pour the filling mixture into the crust while it is still hot/warm.  Bake for another 20 minutes or until brown and set in the middle.  

Allow to cook completely and cut into however many number of bars your want.  If you are unsure, cut them into 24 bars.  Sift powdered sugar over for dusting/decoration/beautification.  

Eat all of them!  

After all of my anxiety and self loathing subsided, I joined the normal living human race and (once again) decided that that much drinking is not a good idea… for me.  My body likes to be healthy and I guess I need to respect that.  Because let’s be honest, I am really no fun when my anxiety is that fucked up.

When I wake up in the morning, I check my iPhone.  iPhones are like crack and I am insanely addicted.  My boyfriend says that I am on my phone way more than he is on his (no iPhone there) but I seriously doubt it.  See below picture…. and if you follow me on Instagram (Do it), you have already seen this.. so I am sorry.

Regardless, I get feeds from blogs on recipes and it gets me thinking from the beginning just how great some cooking would be.  I think about food ALL the time… so it’s totally natural for me to look at recipes at 8:00am before I have even opened my eyes completely.

Lauren Azevedo-Henderson is a climber and foodie with a degree in Art History. Lauren has been cooking all her life and has been seriously climbing for just over 2 years. While living in her ex-boyfriend’s van (only for long weekends or a week at a time) she started cooking what you would call “gourmet” food on a camp stone in the van. She now spends most of her time in Red Rock, NV and started writing her food/climbing blog “The Climbing Chef” just last year.

As someone who is completely in love with climbing and mountaineering, when my partner Luke suggests a trip to Patagonia, even though I have to take out a loan to go there, I can’t turn it down. We head there with low expectations. I expect the weather to be pretty bad, so to keep disappointment at bay, I try not to imagine too many great successes. My imagination gets the best of me.

For some reason, I expect rain, but in reality what keeps people from climbing is the wind. When we first arrive in El Chalten, I walk down the street looking for a hostel as Luke waits with our enormous bags full of expedition gear. The wind is blowing so hard that I can’t walk a straight line.

In a few short days, a weather window arrives with sunny calm skies, and we eagerly head towards the hills. The approaches are long and gorgeous. The first time up there about kills me. I am seeing stars as I carry my humongous pack up the steep and rocky hike toward Lago de los Tres in hot sunshine. I look up the glacier towards Paso Superior and think I’ll never make it. We continue on. Slowly, I put one gore-texed foot in front of the other, marching my way up the glacier in steps kicked by a party before us. I stop noticing the blisters on my heels. My heavy pack melts into my shoulders. I stop noticing the pain and just move.

When we arrive at Paso there are three other parties planning on sleeping there and climbing Fitz Roy the next day. We have our sights on Poincenot. I feel confident. An Adidas sponsored Austrian gives us beta on our chosen route. He says the entrance snow ramp is tricky and scary, but “you will do it.” I like his confidence.

At 3 a.m. the next morning we realize we have made a terrible mistake and have not brought enough fuel. There is no realistic way we can climb for 20+ hours without water. We hike back down, dejected.

In El Chalten we are joined by Jason, our third, and we make plans to try Poincenot again when the weather gets better. Each time hiking up to Paso Superior feels shorter. Either my pack is getting lighter or I am getting faster. On our way up we run into some skiers who tell us in broken English that they don’t think the weather looks so good for the next day. “No Poincenot, try Guillamet.” We take their advice.

We cross the glacier in the dark, watching the sun rise. Jason takes the lead and climbs over the first schrund. We simul-climb the vertical snow pitch towards the base of the Amy Couloir as it starts snowing gently down on us. We climb excellent ice in the couloir, but when we reach the notch below the rock step, we decide not to summit because of the weather. It’s snowing harder. It has turned into a white-out and I begin to wonder how we are going to make it back across the glacier to our snow cave. We rappel back down and thankfully can still see our footprints disappearing into the whiteness beyond. Roping up, we start to cross the glacier even though we can’t see to the other side.

I squint in to the whiteness, desperately looking for a dark silhouette of rock in front of me. No matter how hard I look, nothing appears. I keep glancing over my shoulder at the wall of rock behind me that is slowly being enveloped by the whiteness. In a few moments I won’t be able to see anything at all. No landmarks, just white. We will be blind and lost in the middle of a crevasse field. I stifle my panic. To avoid the hopeless search for rock in front of me, I start scanning the snow for our earlier footprints, which have all but disappeared. Luke is on the rope in front of me, carefully scraping his ice tool back and forth in order to feel their icy outlines. I resume my squinting search for the rock face in front of us. “Hey guys, I think I see a dark outline, straight ahead.” Jason calls from behind. I let a whoosh of air out of my lungs as my eyes find the same spot in the blurry fog. We continue our roped trek across the snow, now towards hope. When we arrive, I rejoice. I never thought I’d be so happy to see a snow cave in my life.

As I lay in the snow cave that night, irrational thoughts buzz through my mind. What if the snow cave collapses on us? What if I get cold at night and can’t get warm again? What if I get wet? What if the storm doesn’t clear and we are stuck up here without food? What if it avalanches on us as we hike down the glacier? Even though I am exhausted, I lay there restlessly. I can’t come up with a single peaceful thought to latch onto to ease me into sleep. I start repeating the words warm….rest….warm….rest. Eventually I drift off. For no discernible reason I dream of a girl I knew years ago in high school and her two young children whom I have never met.

Back at the cabin I sit at the table drinking gross coffee and eating Zopft, an amazing Swiss bread made by my new roommates that I like mainly because it is mostly butter. It’s the third day since we have come down from the mountains, uneventfully thank goodness, and the weather has been bad since. It looks to be bad for a few more. Three days of sitting and doing nothing except eat has made me restless. Now I am anxious to get out in the mountains again, with all the risk and uncertainty it involves. While in the snow cave I yearned for the steamy security of the cabin, and now I yearn for the cold, high peaks. What is wrong with me? This doesn’t seem sane. Is this the conundrum of every alpinist? Or is this a problem unique to me, as I mentally tackle my personal failures and self-doubt?

After three attempts up at Paso Superior, we get one more go of good weather before we leave. This time we head into the less snowy Torre drainage, which blows me away with the might of the peaks and the strangeness of the receding glacier. Crunching over the ice and rocks, I feel like I just walked into a Planet of the Apes movie. Sheer exhaustion and some doubts about loose rock make us turn around on our last climb. No send for us in Patagonia.

The day we leave El Chalten the wind is blowing so hard I cannot stand up straight in the street.

I’m not disappointed. I took the giant leap to come to this iconic place, I gave it my physical best, and I learned a great, humbling deal.

The US Customs Officer glares at me warily as I hand him my passport. I wait for him to ask me about my travels outside the States, but they never come. He barely looks over the document as he stamps my passport with a succinct thump and gripes “Why are you smiling? I can’t handle people who are always smiling.”

McKenzie tries her best at climbing and making a living, working as a gear reviewer for OutdoorGearLab.com and as a freelance graphic designer. She is usually based in California, but not always.

If you’re STILL thinking of coming out to climb with Chicks this year, just do it – we’d love to have you! There’s just a little bit of time left for you to sign up for “The Quickie” – check out all the details here.

Speaking of climbing with Chicks, we received a beautiful testimony from Jess – who’s been out to three Chicks clinics (both Chicks Rock! and Chicks with Picks) and she gave us an honest and heartfelt look into how Chicks has transformed her as a climber. If you haven’t read this lovely piece yet, you can check it out here.

Yesterday our January newsletter came out – did you see it? If not, check it out here and get caught up on all things Chicks!

We were a guest contributor to a fantastic project called 31 Days of Adventure, and our prompt came out this weekend! If you haven’t joined in the fun yet we highly suggest you start ASAP You can check out what WE at Chicks suggested for an adventure here.

Did we miss any cool stuff this week?  Let us know if you’ve got a link to some climbing-related goodies so we can share with everyone else!

P.S. We are just wondering – do you hang out on Google+ ??? We do! Find us here so we can get you in our circle and stay up-to-date on another platform with all the latest and greatest from Chicks.

We loved this quote found on Twitter last week from Laurel, aka @mtsquirrel who wisely said “One thing about ice climbing, if it’s a good spot to belay from it usually seems to be a bad spot to take pictures.”

Climbing
- What was ice climbing like before specialized gear? This vid gives a good sense of it: http://vimeo.com/35167823
-  You’ve probably never seen ice climbing like this: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.328090103881019.76740.119440211412677&type=3
- Sasha DiGiulian wraps up her trip to Hueco bouldering hard for a great start to 2012:  http://ht.ly/8wkui
- Kruk and Kennedy Free the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre… http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1722872/Kruk-and-Kennedy-Free-the-Compressor-Route-on-Cerro-Torre
- More details from the Kennedy Kruk climb on Cerro Torre: http://bit.ly/wNXbWE
- Get psyched to climb! http://bit.ly/yFeZoL ”We’d all just be doing this anyway.”

News
- Climber Jack Roberts dies after ice climbing fall http://climbing.about.com/b/2012/01/17/climber-jack-roberts-dies-after-ice-climbing-fall-in-colorado.htm
- Very sad news out of Patagonia, Canadian climber Carlyle Norman killed: http://ht.ly/8xJSK
- Bolt failure in Australia: http://ht.ly/8xLvN
- More on Canadian skier Sarah Burke who passed away this week. This video is necessary viewing: http://ht.ly/8AG4n

Training & Nutrition
- Great rehab advice for climbers with tweaked elbows or ankles from Steph Davis (@highsteph): http://ht.ly/8ycHR
- Dealing with forced rest periods in climbing: http://climbstrong.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/qa-forced-rest-periods/

Gear
- Shelby’s put a lot of time in with the Black Diamond (@BlackDiamondUSA) Epic 45 pack and shares her positive review: http://ht.ly/8ArUY

Trip Reports
- Photos from Teri’s first ice climbing trip at Lee Vining Canyon with AAI: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62362992@N02/sets/72157628914917477/

Inspiration
- Love, love, love this post from Brendan (@semi_rad) on how staying young is the new growing old: http://ht.ly/8zbIx
- Beautiful Yosemite time lapse video – inspiration for climbing!  http://is.gd/XpAoAz

Fun Stuff
- Mouse’s chocolate ice climbers! http://yfrog.com/odhhcxmvj

If you have a blog entry that you think would be of interest to the women of Chicks Climbing please let us know! We love getting contributed content from other women – anything from trip reports, nutrition and training tips, to videos. We want to share your resources with the community – much like we do with the Gossip Report and are more than happy to re-publish and share links on behalf of the women’s climbing community!

This week’s Gossip Report is brought to you by our sponsors at Columbia Sportswear! Thank you, Columbia for your support of our programs!

I don’t have strong, beautiful muscles bulging out of my arms and back. I am terrified of heights. I’ve never been able to do a pull up. I am 6’ tall and weigh 180 pounds (oh my god, I just admitted to that. *Breathe*). So believe me when I say that signing up for my first Chick’s clinic was a huge and scary step for me.

Before my first clinic, I had been climbing on and off for a couple of years. I climbed with people I knew and was very comfortable with, and I still felt incredibly self-conscious every time we would go out. I was certain that people were looking at me, the fat lady trying to climb and wondering why the hell I even bothered. Since most climbers are shaped a little differently than I am, even the gear provided challenges. I felt like I was the only one ever doing the “butt wiggle” trying to stuff my ass into my harness. I had to get a size medium so that I could snug the waist up enough to be tight, but it’s ridiculously tight going over my butt. And the adorable brightly colored bras by Verve that everyone around here is wearing? Yeah, forget about it. Approximately half of one of my breasts actually shoves in to a size large. But I kept going.

I went to crags and climbing gyms whenever I could. I wanted more of those few minutes on the rock or ice where my mind is focused only on my next move and my breath. I craved the feeling of power in my legs as I stand up on a tiny hold. I was fueled by the shift in my energy when I was at home in my own body and feeling the strength it possessed. So with massive trepidation, I went to my first Chicks clinic. I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that I hardly slept the night before. I envisioned a group of strong, badass women – thin with beautiful muscle definition, who would all be gracefully prancing up the rocks scoffing at me as I tried to haul myself up. I was afraid that I would be paying to go to a clinic only to be hurt and embarrassed. I could not have been any more wrong…

Sure, there were absolutely beautiful, strong, badass women there; women who easily climbed routes that I found to be challenging. But there was no scoffing, no judgment, and no hurt (other than some bruised knees!). I found myself in a new mini-family of women who were all just putting themselves out there, doing the best they could and supporting one another no matter what ‘level’ they were at.

I was both humbled and inspired by the Girly Guides. What an amazing feeling to be coached by the legendary Kitty Calhoun or ass-kicking Dawn Glanc! And even though both of those ladies could run up the routes I was climbing, they still genuinely celebrated MY successes. They cheered the times when I’d feel exhausted and frustrated and on the brink of tears pull out one more move than I thought I could. It didn’t matter that we were climbing 5.9 and these women don’t even sink that low to warm up…they were supporting me the whole way.

Yesterday I wrapped up my third Chicks clinic. This time we were on the ice at the Ouray Ice Park. As it always seems to, the hurtful voice inside my head was screaming loudly as we started to climb. “You’re too fat. Why are you here? You can’t do this. Go home.” But with each swing of my tools, kick of my feet and bit of encouragement from Kitty or the girls in my group, that voice started to take a back seat. There’s no room for such judgment and self-hate when you’re surrounded by such amazing CHICKS!

It’s my hope that more people will discover Chicks. Especially those girls like me who most people would never expect to actually be rock or ice divas at heart. Feeling (even briefly) at home in your own body and being wholly supported by fierce women you barely even know is a fantastic blessing. I am so thankful for the opportunity to climb with these ladies, and I know I’ll keep putting myself out there. Again and again and again. At some point the voices telling me that I’m not good enough or too fat to do this WILL be replaced by the amazing Kitty Calhoun telling me that I am special. Because if she believes that, who am I to disagree?

My heartfelt thanks to the Head Chick, Girly Guides and amazing sponsors like Marmot, Columbia, Patagonia, Osprey, Rock and Ice, First Ascent and The Victorian Inn who make these clinics possible. It’s not just about the climbing. You’re all changing lives.

We had a couple of wonderful guest posts on the blog last week, one from one of our Sampler Chicks (and alumna) Almine Barton who wrote an in-depth article on how to treat acute injuries so you can get back to play or training right away. If you missed this wonderful resource, check it out here – it’s a MUST read!

We also had a post from Lauren, the Climbing Chef, who is back in action after a long rest period to recover from injury. She’s back in the climbing game and tells us all about her “resurrection” along with a yummy recipe for some great climbing snacks – “Goo Balls” check it all out here.

We also got some great feedback from some of our “Caption that Photo!” contest winners! Helen sent us a photo and wrote: “Love my new marmot backpack! Perfect for all my gear!” http://pic.twitter.com/NuX4fD0s While Paul-Baptiste also sent us a note saying “A big thank you to Chicks Climbing! Something oddly satisfying packing my laptop and such in my new Marmot Zelus 25 pack!!” We are so happy your packs arrived and are already being put to good use. Thanks again to our wonderful sponsors at Marmot for making it possible!

Did we miss any cool stuff this week?  Let us know if you’ve got a link to some climbing-related goodies so we can share with everyone else!

P.S. We are just wondering – do you hang out on Google+ ??? We do! Find us here so we can get you in our circle and stay up-to-date on another platform with all the latest and greatest from Chicks.

Climbing
- “If you’re going to be a climber, why not experience it all?” – 2012 Ouray Ice Fest female winner Emily Harrington on learning to ice climb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JJRIpsUxhk
- Ouray Ice Festival champ Emily Harrington on her experience & encouraging more women to try mixed climbing:  http://ht.ly/8pUTJ
- Lovely blog from Jen Olson on her Ouray Ice Fest performance & how “popping off” a route can happen to anyone:  http://ht.ly/8r00h
- Dawn Glanc writes about a scary big dagger she broke off while climbing that barely missed hitting her belayer:  http://ht.ly/8rvMn
- Sarah Hueniken & Jen Olson climb together despite mixed agendas & end up having a great day: http://ht.ly/8uS9q
- Alex Puccio looking as graceful as ever on Alphacentaury (8A). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHNwu1ISWjg
- Check out this sweet climbing video featuring Libbi Gilson on ‘A Face in the Crowd’ V7  http://themorningfresh.com/2012/01/08/check-out-this-sweet-jill-sompel-climbing-video-featuring-my-good-friend-libbi-gilson/
- Some great climbing and training learned by Andrew (@EveningSends) who shares tips after he took a climbing lesson with Justen Sjong: http://ht.ly/8r0wn
- The Art of Early Season Ice Climbing: http://tinyurl.com/7d99m8w
- Jen Vennon checks in on the Five Ten website http://ht.ly/8omM7
- This week’s Rock & Ice (@Rockandice) TNB recaps the Ouray Ice Festival comp & winning climb by “underdog” Nate Kutcher: http://ht.ly/8oOPj
- Hey, it’s our web designer Jason Nelson talking about (and climbing) the Ouray Ice Fest comp route! http://ht.ly/8r2oo
- Sam Elias on the M11 Red Bull & Vodka is soooo impressive! http://vimeo.com/34937249
- The “Tricks in the Alpine” series AAI (@AlpineInstitute) has been doing is really good. The latest – episode 4: http://ht.ly/8oHvS
- Good (and very important) stuff from AAI (@AlpineInstitute) Pre-Equalized Anchors: http://ht.ly/8oHjb
- 9-year-old Brooke Raboutou has energy for DAYS and is a pretty impressive climber to boot! http://ht.ly/8pS28
- Katie Parker climbs the very cool looking ‘beak’ in Arkansas: http://ht.ly/8sq4I
- Sasha Digiulian wraps up her trip to Hueco bouldering hard for a great start to 2012:  http://ht.ly/8wkui
- The climbing hit list was a huge success for Erica (@cragmama) in 2011 so naturally she’s got another one lined up for 2012: http://bit.ly/Aliq0H
- Hey look it’s Girly Guide Jen Olson in this video on the Ouray Ice Fest by Outside Magazine  http://ht.ly/8pWWu
- Splitter Choss’ (@splitterchoss) Friday Five – Training Day http://www.splitterchoss.com/2012/01/13/friday-five-training-day/
- Great list from Katie Levy (@k8tlevy) on the 6 reasons YOU should give ice climbing a try this year: http://ht.ly/8uSiz

News
- Wow, very cool LIVE YOUR DREAM grant opportunity from the AAC @AmericanAlpine for climbers in the Northeast:  http://ht.ly/8ouoX
- Hey (Canadian) ladies! The Alpine Club of Canada is seeking grant applications for the Jen Higgins Fund until the end of the month: http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/grants/higgins.html
- This week’s climbing and outdoor news courtesy of AAI (@alpineinstitute) http://tinyurl.com/6m3s225

Training & Nutrition
- Stephen Brooks (@scorpiobrookes) is doing research on climbing injuries & needs some women to participate – please help him: ht.ly/8nl8p
- Good read on how to strengthen your legs to improve your climbing: http://ht.ly/8ol4G
- Training for an upcoming trip to Spain – see how Alli Rainey @allirainey is doing it this winter to be ready: http://ht.ly/8osFD
- Refuel with a smoothie – new recipe from Paul-Baptiste (@paukku) on Zegedines & Bellytimber: Purple Smoothie (bananas, blueberries & pomegranates) http://zegedinesandbellytimber.blogspot.com/2012/01/purple-smoothie.html

Gear
- The Petzl (@Petzl) Lynx crampon gets two thumbs up in this review from Climberism Magazine (@climberism)  http://ht.ly/8wjRr
- I can think of several Chicks that would not agree with this review! The Gnar Down Skirt review from the AC crew: http://is.gd/qiEK25
- Gif of @rockclimberlife: writes a review of the CU Belay Glasses bit.ly/xAze3i
- Katie of Adventure Inspired (@AdvInspired) reviews the Mountain Hardwear Butter Hooded Topper in a bright color: http://www.adventure-inspired.com/2012/01/gear-review-bright-soft-and-cozy.html

Trip Reports
- Gina (@ginabegin) hit the road for the Ouray Ice Fest to rock out some ice climbing: http://ht.ly/8n3Jk
- Writing a guide book requires lots of climbing – see what routes Erica (@cragmama) was sending while gathering beta at Stone Mountain: http://ht.ly/8otju

Inspiration
- New Post at Tali’s Cupcake Mafia: Leaping Cupcake! http://ht.ly/8nc70 Come share your story!
- Wow, Steph Davis (@highsteph) has been busy doing lots of tower base climbing to make a film called “The Perfect Circle” http://ht.ly/8pEDx how cool does this look?!!?

Fun Stuff
- Heh. Spotted at the gym: the dreaded “Floor Flounder” — http://www.climbingterms.com/post/15570223557/floor-flounder#disqus_thread
- A warning from Brendan of (@semi_rad) to beware of the urine-drinking mountain goats: ht.ly/8rcza
- New from the Head Geargal: Why Traveling Alone Is Rad: http://geargals.com/2012/01/12/why-traveling-alone-is-rad/
- Send it kitteh!!! Even teh climbing internets are made of cats (Thanks, AAC!).  http://imgur.com/Jug16

If you have a blog entry that you think would be of interest to the women of Chicks Climbing please let us know! We love getting contributed content from other women – anything from trip reports, nutrition and training tips, to videos. We want to share your resources with the community – much like we do with the Gossip Report and are more than happy to re-publish and share links on behalf of the women’s climbing community!

This week’s Gossip Report is brought to you by our sponsors at Columbia Sportswear! Thank you, Columbia for your support of our programs!

This blog started because I was wondering. In life, love, work, everything… I found myself, cooking awesome food on a camp stove inside a van. This van was my home for periods of time while climbing with my ex boyfriend. To this day, he is the voice inside my head when I climb… he is what pushes me harder, and what makes me want to climb harder than “the boys”.

Cooking has always been some what easy for me. I love doing it, and it just makes sense for me. When I started cooking meals on this stove, located inside a van, that was located in a desert in NV, I never thought it was anything special. My dad informed me otherwise, and it’s because of him that I even started this blog. He, by the way, is the one who named me, The Climbing Chef.

Before I was a preschool teacher in San Francisco, who during breaks (or whenever) would fly out to see her (then) boyfriend at wherever he was climbing. He, the ex, was an amazing architect who decided to take a break and live out of a van, tour the country and climb like an ape. I still admire him for doing this, even if things between us didn’t end up with a “Happily Ever After” attached it this story. But… like I was saying… before all of this…. I worked for UCSF on their rock climbing wall. I had climbed before but never outside… I was 100% a gym rat. A leisurely, gym rat at that. I liked to climb but it had not taken over my life…. yet.

One fateful afternoon, I met an amazing woman who invited me to join her and her friends on my first outdoor climbing experience. Going out of my comfort zone, I accepted and have been hooked to the same group of climbing friends ever since. Some more than others, I have remained close to but I credit them for most, if not all, of my climbing knowledge and passion.

If we fast forward this story to April 2011, you would have found me in Red Rock Canyon, NV for my third climbing trip there. The previous two times before that, was with my ex and was when I spent time “living” in his van. This trip was amazing and I finally felt like I was thriving within my climbing. That trip, I was able to climb an 11.a and an 11.b… neither of them I climbed clean, but I was still capable of those problems. IT WAS AMAZING!

Sadly, right after that (literally on that trip), I started getting sick. Really sick. Thank goodness for one of my best friends, who was able to get me out of the canyon and into a hotel room, because I would not have been able to do it alone.

My climbing pretty much ended for the season right then and there. I was able to do a few more day trips here and there, and an occasional gym climb… but I was really hurting at that point. Come end of May and I wasn’t able to climb at all…

That means that I was without my drug of choice, climbing, for almost 8 months. My heart was broken.

Finally, it was time for what I am calling: The Resurrection

Last weekend I headed up to Grizzley Dome and tried my hardest to climb something…. anything. I had no idea how much strength I had lost and mainly, how much of my “mental” was still there. The goal? To climb laps on whatever I could do.

Soooo, the day started when we reached the rocks at just before 10:00am. I figured it was a good sign that I was giddy and not just nervous. We unloaded the car, racked up, and my friend took off to lead a pretty decent 5.8 sport route. This route has always been weird for me… there is this one move that even back before April, stumped me. Regardless, she lead it like a pro and I lowered her.

My turn…

The first run at it was hard. Not physically but mentally. To be honest, I haven’t lost too much strength. Sure, I have lost some but not a lot… mainly in my feet and ankles. They started getting tired a lot quicker and my stamina wasn’t there. But, like I said, it was mostly my head… I felt like a total newbie! After the first run, I took a quick break, had a snack and did it again…

And again….

Then I hopped on a 5.7 and cruised up it like a pro. Yea yea yea, it’s a 5.7, I know… but at least it is something

Thankfully, I can say that this Climbing Chef is back in action! For as long as I can, I will not take any climbing trips, adventures, climbs and/or experiences for granted. I’d much rather be climbing something “easy” than not climbing at all.

To top it all off, these Goo Balls (thanks Rach for the name change) have been a huge hit. All of my friends and loved ones can’t stop eating them. Thanks Evan

Goo Balls:

(original recipe here.. not mine at all… but I love them)

Ingredients(Makes about 18 balls):

1 1/2 cups pitted dates

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 T chia seeds

In a food processor, combine the dates and raisins until they make a dough like ball. Once this happens, add in the peanut butter and chia seeds. Continue mixing until completely combined. Take out of the food processor and finish mixing by hand. Finally (yea, like it’s been forever… it takes all of 5 minutes… jez), pinch off small amounts of the mixture and roll into balls. I like mine the size of large gum balls or small golf balls but make them how you wish. Also, I doubled the recipe because I knew I would LOVE them. I suggest doing the same!

These have been saving my butt at work since I made them, because I can eat them quickly and they give me a lot of energy. They also rock for climbing!

Haha, get it?! Rock…

Lauren Azevedo-Henderson is a climber and foodie with a degree in Art History. Lauren has been cooking all her life and has been seriously climbing for just over 2 years. While living in her ex-boyfriend’s van (only for long weekends or a week at a time) she started cooking what you would call “gourmet” food on a camp stone in the van. She now spends most of her time in Red Rock, NV and started writing her food/climbing blog “The Climbing Chef” just last year.

The biggest dilemma of living in an outdoor recreation mecca, such as Bend, OR. is what activity to do on any given day. Bend is known as the “birthplace” of modern American sport climbing. ”Smith Rock State Park” is the incubator that allowed a new era of climbing to emerge in the early 80s. In addition, Bend is rated in the top 5 for its trail systems in the U.S. Mountain biking and trail running are a favorite pastime of the town’s inhabitants.

In the winter months, options abound here. Over coffee, a “Bend-ite” may have a ”U.S. Forest Service” trail map on the table, the ”Mt. Bachelor” weather hotline on hold, & be looking at the ”Smith Rock” web cam all at the same time.

As the excited outdoor lover puts on his/her clothes (with many layers, of course!), you may notice in the driveway a car already packed to the gills: mountain bike on the back, kayak & snowboard on top, dog, climbing gear and trail-running shoes already loaded up inside.

The nationally acclaimed TV show ”Portlandia” claims that “Portland, OR. is the place where young people go to retire.” I would venture to say that Bend is the place where everyone goes to retire. It’s that good.

With all of the myriad possibilities for play surrounding the “Bend-ite,” a few bumps and bruises are inevitable. My dear friend, and climbing pal, head of the local ”Search & Rescue” rock climbing dept., Randy Columbell, says it best: “If You’re Not Flying, You’re Not Trying.” This is in reference to taking a few falls, while pushing your limits with climbing. Falling is part of climbing. It WILL happen. No two ways about it. Same goes for mountain biking, snow sports, kayaking, etc. It’s all part of the process of improving at any given sport.

With that being said, there are things you can do to help mitigate the pain of an acute injury, and get you back out playing again ASAP.

I admit it. I’m not a very good patient. A bit hypocritical, I realize, considering I treat patients, day in and day out. Put me on the couch for more than 24 hrs., and its not pretty. I crave the outdoors, like a fish to water, and if I don’t get my “outdoor fix,” I do go a ‘lil bonkers. This is why I’m vested in figuring out the best (and quickest) possible way (with the least side effects) to heal an injury. I’m just like you. I don’t like being injured, and thank God (knock on wood) it doesn’t happen to me often.

Our culture, and western medicine, is obsessed with ice for acute injury recovery. The latest in sports medicine news says that this obsession has little science behind it. See the following ”NY Times” article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/why-ice-may-be-bad-for-sore-muscles/

The content in the NYT article echoes what ancient medicine has stated all along. Ice is not necessarily the answer. What does ice do? Ice numbs the pain. This is a fact. Can that be helpful in some situations? Certainly, to ease the injured for a short period of time. However, it is not the “cure all” for acute injuries that its been made out to be. This goes for both joints and muscles. Nor is it very helpful for anything other than the initial 15 mins. of pain, according to Chinese medicine.

If ice isn’t the answer for acute pain, then what is? It may surprise you. “The Law of Similars” gives us the answer: “Treat Like With Like.” This is the basis for homeopathic medicine (where vaccinations originally came from: give the disease to prevent/treat the disease). In addition, the origins of Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine echo the same wisdom. Spagyrical homeopathy is a forte of Ayurvedic medicine, and originally came out of Egypt. It traveled east, eventually reaching India, where it became honed to an art. “The Law of Similars” can also be seen in the most ancient of martial arts sparring formulas.

Chinese medicine could really be considered the world’s first system of sports medicine. Crafted for centuries, by monk-warriors of the Shaolin sect, who focused on acupuncture protocols and herbal remedies for weapon injuries to sparring wounds. Their formulas for broken bones, tendon sprain/strains, and all manners of muscle injuries are unparalleled. We think this is “new age” medicine? Quite to the contrary. It’s thousands of years old. In comparison, western medicine has been around for the blink of an eye.

In no way, shape or form, am I saying western medicine isn’t a vital, necessary part of medical treatment. In the way of emergency situations, it’s a gift. Would I go to the ER if I had a broken bone? Absolutely. Would I add in other protocols that have been shown to speed recovery by up to 65% (such as acupuncture and moxabustion). There’s no question about it. If you have need, by all means go to the ER. But there are things you can do to get yourself back to playing, competing and training that compliment what western medicine does, more speedily.

If you’re not in need of an ER, then there are things you can do at home that will greatly aid recovery. People have asked me how I’ve recovered from climbing and mountain biking injuries so quickly. I will share with you “tricks of the trade” that you can implement in your recovery of acute injuries. Let’s explore these…

ACUPUNCTURE: It goes without saying that acupuncture has substantial research behind it. We know it works. “The mechanism of action is unknown,” however, which is just really an academic way of saying we have no idea how it works yet. We just know that it does. Look up acupuncture research on ”PubMed” or the ”National Institute of Health” websites and you’ll find exhaustive research to back it.

To receive acupuncture 1-3x per week after an acute injury is ideal. It will not only reduce inflammation quickly, but it will strengthen and heal surrounding nerve tissue and fascia. Add electro-stim. to the needles and you will see remarkable healing. Find a licensed acupuncturist in your area, who specializes in sports injuries. They will augment your recovery process, and you’ll be back to training in no time.

Performing electro.-stim. acupuncture on my swollen ankle, post first lead fall (I flipped upside down, then “cheese grated” all the way down an arete!). This acupuncture treatment was performed 4 hrs. after the fall (notice how swollen the ankle is). The next day I ran the 10k “Xterra Trail Race” with ZERO pain.

HERBAL MEDICINE RX.: 75% of the world uses herbal medicine to treat ailments. This is a big number. Ancient peoples observed what animals ate, chewed on, etc. after being wounded in the wild. They then adapted these plants into medicine tinctures, powders, poultices and the like for human use. Some societies even honed this practice to a science, such as the forefathers of medicine in Tibet, Egypt, Greece, China and India. In addition, indigenous peoples the world over came up with their own ways of applying plant medicine. There are many Rx.’s for acute injuries. I have somewhat of an obsession with Shaolin remedies. I have a passion for ancient medical texts, and find the Shaolin sect of monks to be unparalleled in their wisdom of treating acute pain and injuries. Please see your local acupuncturist, or naturopathic physician, for an injury herbal Rx. My athlete patients are amazed at how fast their injuries heal. Their referrals and testimonies are what has built my practice.

Chinese herbs being made into tinctures

Chinese herbal Rx.’s

MOXABUSTION: If I was on a desert island, and could have one thing in my “First Aid” kit for all manners of acute injuries, it would be moxabustion. Moxabustion is my “ice,” and is absolutely dynamite for reducing inflammation quickly. Here is where the “Law of Similars” can be seen in Chinese medicine. We treat heat (inflammation) with heat (moxabustion). In a way, you can almost think of the heat from the moxabustion “canceling” out the heat of the inflammation. Its the best way I can explain its effects, and why it works so quickly. Known as “plant aspirin,” it’s an athlete’s best friend. I carry it in my climbing bag. I carry it in my gym bag. I’ve had the opportunity to perform moxa on patients in emergency situations, and it’s amazing. You will watch the inflammation reduce in front of your eyes. There are many ways to apply moxa. You should obtain it from your local acupuncturist or naturopathic physician. Look up the research on moxabustion. The statistics are exciting. Its said to be the “Queen herb of moving Qi & Blood.” Whenever you hear the term “blood mover” in Chinese medicine, think “inflammation reducer.” Moxabustion is my “secret weapon.”

Moxabustion being applied via a moxa stick. “Like Treats Like” (heat treats heat/inflammation)

Moxabustion being applied via “Warm Needle Technique” (amazing for acute injuries!)

Moxa cones, being placed over area of injury, for quick reduction of inflammation

POULTICES/COMPRESSES: Herbs have been placed topically over areas of pain and inflammation for centuries. The method still works to this day. There are many ways of doing this. When I was camping once, I found an herb in the wild, that I knew could help a large cut I had. The cut kept bleeding like a war wound. The cut itself wasn’t that large, but it wouldn’t stop bleeding. I had some gauze in my emergency “First Aid” kit in my backpack. I smashed the plant, until the vital juices began oozing out of the leaves, stem and bark. I then proceeded to place the plant matter in between two pieces of gauze. I had surgical tape in my “First Aid” kit also. I taped this poultice (the plant matter smashed in between the two pieces of gauze) onto my leg. The bleeding stopped within five minutes.

Mountain Biking at “Phil’s Trail,” Bend, OR.

This girl loves her bike, dirt and trails! A few bruises and bumps are to be expected…

LINIMENTS: Liniments are liquid extracts of herbs that move Qi & Blood swiftly and effectively. Again, created by the Shaolin monks over centuries, there are as many liniment formulas as there are injuries. There are liniments for bruising, arthritis, sprains, strains, tears and breaks. Consult with your local acupuncturist as to what liniment is appropriate for your injury. Like the moxa, these have a home in both my climbing and gym bags.

HOMEOPATHY: Homeopathy is not only a science, but an art. There are few more gifted homeopaths in the Pacific N.W. than Dr. Mitchell Bebel Stargrove, N.D., L.Ac. He is located in Portland, OR. I’ve always felt so grateful to have been his T.A. for several years. He’s as knowledgeable about the history of homeopathy as he is its application. There are simple home remedies that you can apply, in the way of homeopathy, for an acute, non-emergency injury. Arnica is the most well-respected and well known for bruising and trauma to tissues. You may find it in health foods stores in a variety of applications from creams, to lotions to homeopathic “pellets.” My advice, when there is acute bruising and trauma to tissues is to do both topical and internal applications. Another swift-acting homeopathic remedy is ”Traumeel.” Some naturopaths offer ”Traumeel” injections to areas of acute swelling and inflammation. It works like a charm. Arnica and “Traumeel” are both good things to have in your backpack, gym bag, etc.

There are many applications of “Traumeel.”

Arnica montana, also commonly known as “leopard’s bane, wolf’s bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica.”

St. John’s Wort, Hypericum Perforatum, is known in western herbalism as a treatment for depression. In homeopathy it is known for acute injuries, particularly those ”injuries to nerves, especially of fingers, toes and nails. Crushed fingers, especially tips. Excessive painfulness is a guiding symptom to its use. Prevents lockjaw. Punctured wounds. Relieves pain after operations.” See a licensed naturopathic physician for homeopathy care and dosage.

For those that love to “play hard” like me, there are many side-effect free options to support your recovery. Whatever your given sport is, it’s not a bad idea to implement some of the above recovery suggestions. It’s also a good idea to have a natural “First Aid” kit, with some of the above liniments, homeopathics, creams, etc. inside.

The joy of sport is to find your “edge,” while taking care of yourself and being smart about it. After all, they say that “Life Begins At The Edge Of Your Comfort Zone.” I think this is so true, but it doesn’t hurt to have safety equipment on and some remedies in your “toolbox” along the way. After all, the better you take care of yourself the more time you’ll have to play…

My first 10a trad. lead attempt on the route, “Black Angel,” at “Meadow Camp,” Bend, OR., 2011

“Exchanging blows generously, which is not uncommon in some other martial arts, is unthinkable in Shaolin philosophy, because a Shaolin disciple always assumes that an opponent is competent and able to inflict damage with just one blow.” ~WONG KIEW KIT, “Art of Shaolin Kung Fu”

Almine Barton is a licensed acupuncturist and certified personal trainer. She runs 2 sports medicine clinics in Bend, OR., and Portland, OR.  She works closely with climbers, olympians, and competing “CrossFit” athletes in her practice, and enjoys seeing her patients achieve their fitness and wellness goals. She and her husband Stanford, a certified “CrossFit” coach, live near “Smith Rock,” and enjoy the immense climbing opportunities that Central OR. has to offer. She is an avid sport and trad climber, “CrossFitter,” mtn. biker, trail-runner and Adventure Racer. She has two Malamutes named Tallon and Anok, who keep her running trails all winter long. Learn more about Almine at her new website http://www.alminewellness.com/ at her “day job” http://www.bendwellnessdoctor.com and on her blog at www.alminewellness.blogspot.com

There were almost more Chicks sightings then could possibly be reported in the last week as many lovers of ice descended on Ouray for the Ouray Ice Fest. Check out this Chick sighting from South Park!  If you’ve got a Chicks sighting, please let us know! You can send it to us by posting it on Facebook, hitting us up on Twitter, or by a good old fashioned e-mail to info[at]chickswithpicks.net!

We posted a guest blog last week from Lisa, who is in her second year of ice climbing and was out at the Bozeman Ice Festival last month in Kitty Calhoun’s clinic. Read all about her experience climbing in Hyalite and see why THIS ice fest may be on your hit list later this year!

All of the other articles we linked to this past week through either the Chicks Climbing Twitter account, or on the Chicks Climbing Facebook fan page (and some on both!). We provide this wrap-up because we come across a TON of great resources each week, but understand that not everyone is online all the time, or even on both (or either) of these social media platforms. So you can check here each and every week for the latest and greatest in Chicks Climbing resources.

However, we know WE may have also missed some cool stuff this week, so if there is something of interest we missed that you came across this week please, let us know so we can share with everyone else!

Before we get to it, we want to know – do you hang out on Google+ ??? So do we! Find us here so we can get you in our circle and stay up-to-date on another platform with all the latest and greatest from Chicks.

Climbing
- A FANTASTIC opportunity for aspiring young alpine climbers that Steve House has initiated:  http://ht.ly/8gHT4  &  http://ht.ly/8gHWQ
- Page for the second annual Yosemite climbing Tweetup is live! Check it out & add your info so we can pick a date! http://ht.ly/8kSx5
- Video of Alex Puccio on Jacks Broken Heart V12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf4fQm_goMI&feature=share
- Even though she climbs 5.13, a V7 proved to be quite a project for Heather Robinson who reports in from Hueco: http://ht.ly/8haw3
- Wow, some seriously amazing strength in these bouldering videos: http://bit.ly/vOzCsK
- MINUS (-) 11 degrees? No problem for Shelby, who was ice climbing up in Alaska this past weekend:  http://ht.ly/8gKaD
- Graceful climbing is what Alizee Dufraisse demonstrates as she sends the 5.14c Patinoso in Spain:  http://ht.ly/8kpcF
- Don’t speak Portuguese? Don’t worry, you can still appreciate Francine Borges climbing the 8c Festa di Ciranca - http://vimeo.com/34366583
- Have you been reading the newest climbing blog? http://is.gd/K7lyzp (Warning, contains NSFW language!)
- Cool interview of amazing alpinist Ueli Steck: http://www.irunfar.com/2012/01/an-interview-with-speed-alpinist-ueli-steck.html
- What is your opinion on crag dogs? http://ht.ly/8hajP
- So Splitter Choss (@splitterchoss) has posed an interesting question here: The Great Gym Dilemma  http://ht.ly/8gYCG
- Nice post from Katie Levy (@k8tlevy) on her constantly evolving relationship with climbing: http://ht.ly/8j89i
- Another great post from Erica (@Cragmama) as she lays out her top 5 personal & spectator climbing highlights from 2011:  http://ht.ly/8hXkg
- Alli Rainey (@allirainey) takes advantage of the unusually warm WY Jan. by going climbing, of course!  http://ht.ly/8kGch
- Climb long enough & you’ll drop something! New blog from Brendan (@semi_rad): Excuse Me, You Dropped Something Several Hundred Feet:  http://ht.ly/8jiYM
- Some good advice from Steph Davis (@highsteph) on partners & belaying at the climbing gym:  http://ht.ly/8kpYg
- Majka Burhardt (@majkaburhardt) is going to be at the Mt. Washington Valley Ice Fest Feb. 3-5 teaching a women’s mixed climbing clinic: http://icefest.blogspot.com/2012/01/guest-guide-majka-burhardt-is-in.html
- Wonderful CNN follow up to that Citibank commercial with Katie Brown and Alex Honnold. http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2012/01/05/pkg-moos-rock-climb-rocks.cnn

News
- Angela Hawse rocks – so much so that the AMGA gave her the Guide of the Year award. She’s the first woman to ever get the award! http://ht.ly/8koqo
- Cool new alpine pod shelter just put in on Mont Blanc Range’s Freboudze glacier http://ht.ly/8gKQ7
- Some big climbs going down in Patagonia – ‘tis the season! http://ht.ly/8iagF
- Applications open for the Copp-Dash Inspire Award via The Jonny Copp Foundation  http://fb.me/13Mo9RfdT
- This week’s climbing and outdoor news from AAI (@AlpineInstitute): http://ht.ly/8jAeJ

Training & Nutrition
- Training to improve climbing can turn into much more than that – a reflection by Elizabeth (@eliz_rocks):  http://ht.ly/8mRcc

Gear
- Wonderfully detailed post on tool sharpening by Andy Turner: http://ht.ly/8ic6F
- Prep your tools with these sharpening tips from Margo Talbot: http://ow.ly/8jvsU
- Yet ANOTHER rave review for the Columbia Sportswear (@Columbia1938) mid-weight striped base layer http://ht.ly/8gYIW
-  Have you ever tried this trick that Jill (@Geargals) has been using to keep your feet warm?  http://ht.ly/8hWHn
- More kudos to Columbia Sportswear for the Triple Trail Shell: http://www.talesofamountainmama.com/2012/01/columbia-omni-heat-womens-triple-trail.html

Trip Reports
- Trip report from Amy (@TheGearcaster) of her weekend at the Ouray Ice Fest climbing steep ice & learning to lead: http://ht.ly/8mRXG
- Adventure isn’t always about the summit! http://ht.ly/8kFlf

Inspiration
- Lovely blog from Teresa (@snarkybumbler) on 11 lessons from ’11: http://ht.ly/8gG0Y
- Another wonderful column from Jenn Fields (@jennfields) on “Goal, interrupted” http://ht.ly/8gROw
- Warning – this may inspire some serious WANDERLUST: http://viewfromthetent.tumblr.com

Fun Stuff
- So Steph Davis (@highsteph) tried something new – gaining altitude in a hot air balloon for a wing-suit jump back down:  http://ht.ly/8gBXX – just awesome!
- Some people climb down frozen waterfalls and some people SNOWBOARD down them!! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150541729975795&set=a.62503480794.99690.609010794&type=1&theater
- Bass For Your Face has a fantastic 2011 climbing recap video. Year of Fail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0JDHAKEjLU&feature=youtu.be

If you have a blog entry that you think would be of interest to the women of Chicks Climbing please let us know! We love getting contributed content from other women – anything from trip reports, nutrition and training tips, to videos. We want to share your resources with the community – much like we do with the Gossip Report and are more than happy to re-publish and share links on behalf of the women’s climbing community!

This week’s Gossip Report is brought to you by our sponsors at Columbia Sportswear! Thank you, Columbia for your support of our programs!

Not literally. I have no idea how to milk a goat. That’s a Montana skill to be learned another day. Or never. What I did do was take another ice climbing clinic. Milking the goat refers to getting the most from your strength and endurance in order to climb more efficiently.

You might not know this (I sure didn’t before moving here), but Hyalite Canyon outside of Bozeman has over 225 pitches of naturally-forming ice. This is the most concentrated area in North America for ice climbing. This year marks the 40th year of climbing in the canyon. And it marks the 15th year of the Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival. And it marks the beginning of my second season climbing as well as my second women’s clinic at the Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival.

Reasons why climbing clinics are amazing:
1. You get to demo all kinds of high-end gear that you probably can’t afford on your own.
2. You get to learn from some of the top climbers in the world. Kitty Calhoun was my instructor.
3. You get to meet amazing people from around the country.
4. You learn that your body is capable of more than you ever dreamed it would be.
5. You get to hang out all day in a place that is breathtakingly gorgeous.
6. I’d list more, but let’s just let pictures tell the story.

So excited to start! Before lap 1 and before the burning arms.

Pro photo. Copyright Ari Novak.

Lap 2! More successful than lap 1.

Lap 4. Not as successful. That nonsense was hard.

Swing, kick kick. Triangle!

Not the kind of swinging I wanted to be doing…

Karen (in the gray) and Kitty (in the blue) try to unstick  a frozen rope.

In all, I did 5 laps (although I only made it to the top of 3). I got home around 4:00 with 8 hours of climbing under my belt and with muscles aching that I didn’t even know I had. So, what I’m saying is, Friday was a great day!

So, in summation, here’s my official review of the 2011 Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival:
1. Demo gear checkout- much smoother than 2010. Gear was back at the Emerson on time from the day’s clinics, we were able to get in on time at 5:00, and the staff had the process dialed in. (Or maybe they were volunteers. Whoever they were, they were great!). I loved the opportunity to try all kinds of gear that I haven’t tried before. Here is a quick round-up of what I demo’ed and my (newbie) opinion:

Me in all my demo glory.

• - La Sportive Nepal EVO GTX boots = amazing. I’ve also tried Scarpa and Kayland boots, and for me the La Sportivas are the first boots I’ve tried that have accommodated the width of my feet. I even had some extra room for a heat pack if I wanted. My feet aren’t really that wide, they’re quite average, but apparently with mountaineering socks they become wide, and the Nepals are the first and only boot I’ve tried that doesn’t squish my poor toes together. As a result, I could actually feel my feet all day. And now I own a pair of them.
• - Black Diamond mono-point Cyborg crampons = good. These felt nice and lightweight, I didn’t really notice them at all. I have only climbed in mono-points once before, but I think I like them better than a dual-points. At first, it was hard to trust only have one point, but once I overcame that mental block I appreciated having the more targeted, deeper penetrating mono-point. Apparently they’re also more flexible for mixed climbing, but I have not yet dared to venture into that world.
• - Black Diamond Viper axes = definitely not my favorite. On the plus side, the grip was comfortable in my hand, meaning it was small enough for my tiny girly hands. For me, the way the weight was distributed made the axes feel really heavy, especially as the day went on. By the top of each climb I was exhausted. I was definitely happy to try out some Grivel tools at the end of the day.
• - Rab Neutrino Endurance down jacket = super warm. The Pertex shell material felt strong and held up to a day of me tossing it around on ice, tree stumps, etc. without any escaping feathers. The double zipper is also nice for belaying, as you can just part the jacket around your belay device without having to bunch anything up or unzip your whole jacket. The Neutrino Endurance is also a longer length, which I prefer because it helps block any chilly breezes from finding their way up my back.
• - Rab Latok gloves = super sticky grippy palms, but wetted out after a few hours. To be fair, it was a wet day on the ice and for the conditions, I thought these held up very well. A word of warning, my boyfriend has the men’s version of these, and the sticky palm decals are peeling.

This is the best photo I could get of the peeling.

• - OR Extravert gloves = not as sticky as the Latoks, but still comfortable and I didn’t notice any slipping. I only climbed in them once or twice, so I can’t give much more of an opinion.

2. Travel up to Hyalite- the plow job was top notch. Probably helped by the fact that we haven’t really had much snow. But well done Hyalite plowing!
3. Check in on clinic morning- also more efficient than 2010. Free hot drinks and pastries in the morning and a very clear check-in point, as well as a volunteer who directed us to our clinic meeting areas.
4. Instruction- My clinic was led by one of the top female climbers in the country, if not the world. She was very inspiring to watch, although I think I learned a lot more from my instructors last year. This could be because I was a never-ever last year, but I think it was because in 2010 we spent a good hour to an hour and a half working on fundamentals as a group. This year we had about a 10-15 minute talk, a quick demo by the instructor, and then we were set loose. That’s not to say that I didn’t learn anything or that Kitty was neglecting the class. She was very good about calling up to us with tips while we were on the ice, and I did pick up some good tips over the course of the day, specifically about picking muscle movements to focus on and also some good stuff about reducing fatigue and neck pain while belaying.
5. Mini-clinics- We were supposed to break into a couple mini-clinics in the afternoon, but the anchor clinic never materialized. That was kind of a bummer, I’d really like to get some experience with setting up anchors.
6. Gear return- Super simple. And a volunteer was waiting for us with hot chocolate and optional peppermint schnapps. And there were more pastries. Pastries make me happy.
7. Evening events- fun and informative, as always! Great gear giveaways, engaging speakers, interesting films and slideshows.

Going up!

If you’re in Bozeman and haven’t tried ice climbing, you should attend this festival. If you’re not in Bozeman, you should visit and attend this festival. They let you demo all the gear you need, you get a full day of climbing with amazing people, and you feel so empowered that you think you can rule the world. No joke. The sense of accomplishment I get from ice climbing makes the runner’s high feel like nothing. For all of you out-of-towners, we’ve got a futon, an extra bed, and plenty of floor space. I expect to see you next December.

Here on the Chicks Climbing Gossip Report you can catch up on all of the great gossip (articles, videos, and other assorted cool stuff) we talked about over the past week at Chicks Climbing. We are getting SO CLOSE to our 2012 Chicks with Picks clinics, we have just over a week before our “Sampler” Chicks come on out! We’re stocking the goody bags with lots of fun treats, including some sweet ProBars we just got in the mail last week. Yum! Are you still thinking about coming out to join us this year on the ice? Let us know, there is still room in our clinics! And for those who have been asking, the Head Chick will be out and about at the Ouray Ice Fest, so keep an eye out for her!

Last week we announced the winners in our “Caption that Photo!” contest with prizes from our sponsors at Marmot. It was VERY hard to pick the winning captions and let me just say there was a lot of sore ab muscles from all of the laughing. But in the end three winners were selected, and are anxiously awaiting their Marmot Zelus 25 pack prize to arrive at the door. Check out the winning captions along with the closest runners-up in our blog post here.

As many of our alumnae headed to the park for their winter break, or as they arrive this week ahead of the Ouray Ice Fest, we’ve been getting reports of some Chick sightings! Here’s one from the Head Chick! And here’s another from Amy Jurries who did her first rock climbing lead in Ouray with Chicks graduate Cheryl Wallace (pictured) and Kate Higgins (congratulations, Amy!). If you are out in Ouray (or maybe halfway across the world) and spot a fellow alumna please send us a picture! We love sharing these

Do you hang out on Google+ ??? So do we! Find us here so we can get you in our circle and stay up-to-date on another platform with all the latest and greatest from Chicks.

All of the other articles we linked to this past week through either the Chicks Climbing Twitter account, or on the Chicks Climbing Facebook fan page (and some on both!). We provide this wrap-up because we come across a TON of great resources each week, but understand that not everyone is online all the time, or even on both (or either) of these social media platforms. So you can check here each and every week for the latest and greatest in Chicks Climbing resources.

However, we know WE may have also missed some cool stuff this week, so if there is something of interest we missed that you came across this week please, let us know so we can share with everyone else!

Quote of the week from ice climber Will Gadd who said on Twitter: “Ran ice laps in Marble, yes, again, but super fun. Every year I suck at ice climbing until I spend a full day on toprope, just moving.” [Have you ever felt that way?!?!]

Climbing
- Feature of Black Diamond (@BlackDiamondUSA) employees’ favorite routes: Andreas Schmidt on Tippin’ the Bottle (5.11): http://ht.ly/8eHSU
- Good goal setting advice from Alli Rainey (@allirainey): Climbing training tip #3: Write out your 2012 climbing goals  http://fb.me/DVP0UOv3
- This is seriously impressive! Check out how many of her goals Erica (@Cragmama) achieved in 2011 after laying ‘em out there for the world to see:  http://bit.ly/shsgLa
- Our friend Whitney (@Whitneyio) just tried ice climbing for the first time at Hoosier Pass; see how it went & what she learned: http://bradleysadventures.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/ice-climbing/
- Tips from AAI (@AlpineInstitute) on how to properly put an ice axe on a pack:  ht.ly/8btRg
- Some cool testing from DMM (@dmmclimbing) on improvising to avoid cross loading a carabiner over an edge; lark’s foot or basket hitch? Our results: http://ht.ly/8eIme
- Carabiner orientation tips from Gif at Rock Climber Life (@rockclimberlife):  http://ht.ly/8d39G
- Johnny Dawes one-hand and no-hand bouldering. http://youtu.be/03Cow7sn5w4
- Classic video of Steph Davis (@highsteph) freeing the Salathe: http://ht.ly/8d41a
- Classic badassery on The Nose (via the AAC): http://i.imgur.com/KyCnz.jpg

News
- Retreat of Glaciers Makes Some Climbs Tougher: http://ht.ly/8cnQa
- Another great roundup of the past week’s climbing and outdoor news from AAI (@AlpineInstitute):  ht.ly/8diFf

Gear
- The Columbia Sportswear (@Columbia1938) Reach the Peak hybrid down jacket got a RAVE review from Irene at Geargals (@geargals):  http://ht.ly/8d2fO

Trip Reports
- This is a sweet look back at 2011 from Lizzy & Luke at Dreaming in Vertical (@dreaminvertical):  http://bit.ly/sLkJhA

Inspiration
- Really like this post from Splitter Choss (@splitterchoss) as he reflects on his time climbing in 2011 – “The Journey is the Destination”:  http://ht.ly/8cdlo
- More good New Year blog posts – this one from Katie Levy (@k8tlevy) titled: 2012 Phrases of Action: How I’m to Make the New Year Rock and Redefining SMART Goals http://www.adventure-inspired.com/2011/12/2012-phrases-of-action-how-im-to-make.html

Holiday Fun Stuff
- It’s no secret we are Semi-Rad (@semi_rad) fans, and here’s another great one: Make 2012 The Year Of Maximum Enthusiasm: http://ht.ly/8d7ML

If you have a blog entry that you think would be of interest to the women of Chicks Climbing please let us know! We love getting contributed content from other women – anything from trip reports, nutrition and training tips, to videos. We want to share your resources with the community – much like we do with the Gossip Report and are more than happy to re-publish and share links on behalf of the women’s climbing community!

This week’s Gossip Report is brought to you by our sponsors at Columbia Sportswear!Thank you, Columbia for your support of our programs!