Here on the weekly Chicks Climbing gossip report you can catch up on all of the great gossip (articles, videos, and other assorted cool stuff) we talked about last week at Chicks Climbing! Last week went so fast we only posted one feature on the blog, but it was a good one – it was by Girly Guide Caroline George who told the story of a trip she made with her mother this summer to the top of the Cosmiques Ridge in Chamonix. Caroline’s mother, Martine, pushed the boundaries of female climbers in her youth, and now at the age of 65 (and with really bad knees), totally rocked out the highest 5.13 crack in the world and continues to be a role model for Caroline. It’s a really great story so if you didn’t catch it last week, I encourage you to do so here.
This week we’re off to Devil’s Lake! We’ve got a lot going on including some co-ed skills clinics this Saturday and Sunday, a slide show from the one and only Kitty Calhoun on Sunday night at the University of Wisconsin (with 50 passes from Boulders Rock Gym in Madison and some Sterling Ropes to give away) before the big event – the Chicks Rock! intensive climbing clinic Sept. 13-16!
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 Clicks Climbing resources here on the blog.
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!
Climbing
- With the start of fall comes a ton of rock climbing events! REEL ROCK, Nor’Easter, Chris Sharma and more http://ht.ly/2y4Dt
- B3Bouldering wants to know why there aren’t more women doing FAs at new climbing area near Denver? Weigh in here: http://ow.ly/2y0k8
- 2nd Annual #JTreeTweetup planning under way! Make your mark here: http://bit.ly/boFOLe
- What’s on tap next for Isabelle Faus? Catch up with her plans after the Edinburgh youth world championships next week! http://ow.ly/2y02U
- Confessions of a Boulder climbing guide http://ow.ly/2y74F
- Colette gets riled for having a copy of Vogue at the climbing crag – would this bother you to see? http://ow.ly/2y00f
Gear
- How to effectively attach an ice axe to an alpine pack: http://tinyurl.com/2eb99gp
- The Alpine Institute writes a blog post on the underappreciated value of trekking poles: http://ow.ly/2A9rH Are you a “believer” in their utility?
- Great review from The GearCaster of Vertical Girl Women’s Rock Climbing Clothing http://bit.ly/bNHydG
Trip Reports
- RockGRRL shares part 1 of her Tuolumne trip here (with gorgeous pics in the video!): http://bit.ly/91q6ZA
Training & Nutrition
- Steph Davis gives some training advice in her blog (it involves the dreaded “R” word – Rest!): http://www.highinfatuation.com/blog/advice-on-training/
- Katie Levy reviews three different electrolyte replacement drinks: Nuun Active Hydration, Camelbak Elixer, and Clif Shot http://bit.ly/c1SrNS
Fun Stuff
- (Warning: This is HILARIOUS!) Crying outside: 5 ways to cause an outdoor meltdown–& what do to about it http://ow.ly/2xlBZ
Inspiration
-Three ladies from Madison: Vera, Katie, and Anne pulling down hard (does this get you stoked for Devil’s Lake or what?!) http://bit.ly/arACpK
- Caleb Simpson shows you what your career has to do with your health in this interesting and inspiring read: http://bit.ly/ctVQfc
I don’t know if it’s even possible to totally catch up with Girly Guide Caroline George’s adventures this summer, since she’s been crazy busy all season guiding in the Alps. Although this post was originally written a few weeks ago, I think it deserves attention as it is such a touching story of a daughter climbing with the woman who inspired her – her mother.
I like to think that climbing is in my genes because my parents were climbers. We travelled the world to climb. And it’s still with great pleasure that I go climbing with them. My mother, Martine, is always excited to go on an adventure. At 65 though, her knees are giving her much trouble. So, I try to pick climbs which don’t involve much approach or descent.
This year, we headed to the Cosmiques Ridge on the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, France. After a frothy capuccino and still warm croissant in town, we rode the cable car nearly 10’000ft up to the top of the Aiguille du Midi. There, the view stretches out to Mont Blanc and onward to Italy. The Aiguille du Midi is also the gateway to the Vallee Blanche, a classic ski run in the winter, which ends 10’000ft later back in Chamonix.
Hiking out of an ice cave, we made our way down the knife edge snow ridge which drops steeply down 3500ft to the north, and down to the col du midi on the other side. You don’t want to fall down on either side there. The terrain eases up passed the ridge. We contoured the base of the striking south face of Aiguille du Midi, which rises like a bright orange flame out of the glacier below and kept heading west to the start of the ridge proper.
Although I had already done this climb with my mom, she was thrilled and excited, blown away by the beauty of the scenery around, as though she was there for the first time. It felt so special to be here with her. We climbed up mixed terrain, some time on snow, some time on the reputable Chamonix granite. This ridge is climbed and guided so often that locals have drilled holes in the rock to make it easier to climb with crampons. Only in the Alps could you see that! We traversed a snow couloir, contoured gendarmes – one of them has the highest 5.13 crack in the world: Digital Crack – and made it to the crux of the route, a diagonal slanting crack up a used-to-be blank-now-drilled-all-over-wall. This section is always a bottleneck, with people struggling up the 10m high crux. We killed time rehydrating, soaking in the view and enjoying each other’s company until it was our time to climb. My mom made quick work of the section and we climbed on, traversing into the north side of the ridge before reaching the summit, where a crowd of people coming out of the cable car was snapping picture after picture of us.
My parents opened my eyes to climbing and taking my mom on climbs now is not only a way for me to give back, it’s also very rewarding to take such an accomplished climber with me. My mom has pushed the boundaries of woman climbing in her own way when she was younger. She climbed great classic such as the Gervasutti Pillar, the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey, did the first female ascent of the Naranjo de Bulnes in Spain, climbed in Peru, came first in many ski mountaineering competition. She is a true model for me and I am greatful to be able to share time with her in the mountains.
All photos by Caroline George. See more photos from Caroline’s climb with her mom on her Web site Into The Mountains, where she and her husband Adam George share their passion for climbing with others by offering guided trips and instruction on rock, ice, and alpine climbing in the European Alps and North America.
Here on the weekly Chicks Climbing gossip report you can catch up on all of the great gossip (articles, videos, and other assorted cool stuff) we talked about last week at Chicks Climbing! We had two super fun Chick Sightings this week, which we reported in our blog! There was one out in Wyoming (reported by Anne Hughes) that you can check out here and another in North Boulder (reported by Dara Miles) that had a great description and photo here. Please keep ‘em coming! We just love knowing that Chicks hang out with Chicks outside of the clinics, learning more and more with each other (hey, that’s the whole point, right?!).
Our super-duper Devil’s Lake deals are almost up! The contest entries for the co-ed weekend skills clinic are due by Friday, and if you want to get in on the buddy pricing, you also need to sign up by Friday! If you need more details check out the hyperlinks that explain how to win a free day pass to our weekend skills clinic and the Chicks “Buddy Deal” pricing; don’t miss out on your chance to take advantage of these great deals! And remember, if you have already signed up for the weekend skills clinic and end up winning, we will REFUND your money, so don’t wait to sign up as the clinics will be capped at a certain point!
This week we also posted a great contributed piece from some ladies who just climbed the Northwest Coulouir of Middle Teton last month, you can check that out here!
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 Clicks Climbing resources here on the blog.
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!
Climbing
- Get a piton primer from the American Alpine Institute: For those who haven’t had to use pitons in the alpine or in aid, here are some of the basics http://ow.ly/2u47p
- Good description of a helpful technique, the mountaineers rest step: http://ow.ly/2wMuN
- Do you know how much work goes into putting up a new route? Jenn Fields gives a recap of a new one on the Diamond. http://ow.ly/2wNzJ
- A look at the fall Himalayan climbing season including one man’s attempt to do Everest solo http://ow.ly/2wH7U
- Angie Payne talks about her ascent of The Automater (V13 – the first woman to conquer this grade). http://ow.ly/2vaNj
- Jenn Fields explains “Why Bouldering is Better” (thanks to all the Chicks that contributed tips for Jenn to write this!) http://ow.ly/2vefA
- The Climber Girl (Sara) writes about how to pick the right climbing guide for those looking to do Mount Rainier (or any peak for that matter!) http://bit.ly/bwdsro
- Malcolm Daly shares a Public Safety Notice: Don’t be a dumbass. Climbing is NOT safe. http://youtu.be/wbNz4AnEn-U
Gear
- Ginkgo Biloba may help prevent altitude sickness…in some people – are you one of them? http://ow.ly/2wHdP
Trip Reports
- Trip report from Tuolumne by Dream in Vertical’s very own Lizzy T who talks about her and Luke’s recent Matthes Crest trip: http://ow.ly/2uGnd
- Kate Levy has written a two-part trip report on her recent Mount Rainier summit: Part 1:http://bit.ly/rainier1 Part 2: http://bit.ly/rainier2
News & Hot Topics
- The American Alpine Club Library is looking to launch book clubs around the country; will you take advantage of these great resources? http://ht.ly/2tZBR
- Weigh in on your rescue benefits as a member of the American Alpine Club as they prepare to make BIG changes http://ow.ly/2uFd9
- Find out who this week’s climbs and climbers to follow is! (Pete Takeda and Crew) http://ow.ly/2ve21
- The Climber Girl gives Chicks a little link love on her blog (Thank You!!!): Link love for a few of my favorite blogs: http://bit.ly/b1Jgkh
- Majka Burhardt reflects on her relationship with her poodle and preparing for upcoming Africa trip to climb! http://ow.ly/2vSnL
- The first woman to climb world’s highest peaks loses title after possibly being 200m short of summit http://bit.ly/bmFsAK
Fun Stuff - Ice climbing is the raddest (duh!) and should be No. 1, but Jenn Fields remains objective and looks at four other reasons to look forward to winter in Colorado: http://ow.ly/2uC50
- Finnish climbers set up mountain top sauna on Mount Blanc: http://tinyurl.com/24nykz2
- Get published with the American Alpine Institute Photo Contest – AND win gear or trip credit! http://ow.ly/2vOhe
Inspiration - AWESOME video Of Angie Payne’s Repeat Of The Automator (V13) http://ow.ly/2ubhi - Tali (aka Cupcake Mafia) reports on her latest big adventure, her first @oysterrace! http://ht.ly/2vPOf Find out why she did this race and who her team raised money for! Thanks for giving back Tali!
- See inspiring photos of @BradWerntz’s wife Vera and PEMBAsteve’s wife Katie pulling down hard with fellow Chick @AnneFHughes on the Pemba Serves blog! http://bit.ly/arACpK
Chicks alumnae Cheryl Wallace (lower bunk) and Kate Higgins (top bunk) demo the new dorm beds at the (strictly unofficial) Chicks’ North Boulder HQ. Stylishly situated in a three-car garage, the “beds” are rustic at best. (Okay, they’re darned hard and quite dusty, having been used previously as storage for kayaks and fly-fishing gear. Get over it.) The garage is unheated, so you’ll need your best foam pad and down bag, but the payoff is the hot tub in the backyard–with awesome views–and a civilized shower.
Cheryl and Kate are no strangers to harsh conditions, having logged countless miles on ice, rock, and gnarly downhill singletrack trails. Their host, Chick Dara Miles, prefers the soft bed in the house by night, but enjoys granite by day.
Thank you ladies for the submission! Have you experienced a recent Chicks sighting? If so, we want to know about it! Submit your sighting to info@chickswithpicks.net or maijaliisa.burkert [at] gmail.com to get it published here!
Just dial 970-mad-chic Yup, that's the Head Chicks's new cell number, no kidding!
HELL WEEK AT CHICKS (and we aren’t talking freshman rush) AKA: Techno tragedy, internet interruptus, computer crisis, digi disaster, cyber spasm and unforgettably f_ _ _ed up!
If you tried to visit the Chicks Climbing web site between Aug 18-23, you might have noted our new identity: Russian brides, old ladies, hot women, single girls or stock picks. During that time, you could pretty much access anything except our women’s climbing program. It appeared as if we disappeared off the face of the earth, “poof,” gone. Not only was our web site down – but all emails to kim@chickswithpicks.net or info@chickswithpicks.net became undeliverable.
An unmentionable company (called Skybeam, there I said it) emailed me a notice that on Aug 18th they’d automatically renew the Chicks domain and it would be good until August 2011. However, no one can explain to me why it disappeared into cyber space instead.
Bad timing (understatement) as we are gearing up for Chicks Rock in Devil’s Lake, WI and we are presently running a contest to give away two spots at our weekend Skills Clinic, plus we are offering a “buddy deal” for women who sign up for the Women’s Intensive clinic with a friend. Yes, it’s hard to sign up for a program that doesn’t seem to exist.
Behind the scenes you might imagine me pulling my hair out and going absolutely crazy since incompetence can drive me nuts. But I have to admit, I was unusually calm and I could even find some (just a little) humor in it. I kept reminding myself that “no one died in the process” (even if I did want to personally do it myself) and in a year or two, everyone will forget it happened, even me. It reminded me that our day-to-day dramas become larger than life and all consuming. That is, if we let them. For me, the frustration I felt became a great opportunity to practice letting go of any ideas on how I think life “should” or needs to be. In conclusion, technology is awesome when it works and pure hell when it doesn’t!
I am SO SORRY for the inconvenience! We are now BACK ONLINE. PLEASE DON’T WAIT TO SIGN UP FOR OUR PROGRAMS….we need to know who is planning to show up!
Chicks Rock! – our women’s rock climbing program is offering two GREAT DEALS that are happening right now. To win a free clinic or get a great discount – read on.
CONTEST: we are giving away two clinics for our weekend Coed Skills Clinics Sept 11 and 12 at Devil’s Lake, WI. To win, we want you to get creative! In order to enter the contest you must submit a photo on our Facebook page, of an artistic creation you design or capture with some climbing related piece(s) of gear. To learn more about the contest details, click here.
BUDDY DEAL: Between NOW and Friday, September 3, we are going to offer a special Buddy Deal that will save each Chick $100 who signs up for the Chicks Rock! clinic at Devil’s Lake, WI…with a buddy. Please click here to learn more.
HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING IN DEVIL’S LAKE WISCONSIN
• Sept. 11-12 – Chicks Climbing is hosting a co-ed weekend skills clinic at Devil’s Lake State Park 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., led by Kitty Calhoun. The clinics on Saturday and Sunday will cover topics that include intro to trad leading; working a project/redpoint tactics; intro to multi-pitch climbing; and anchors. Beginner to advanced climbers welcome. Chicks Climbing is giving away two free one-day passes to these clinics in an online contest that ends September 3.
• Sept. 12 – Chicks Climbing guide and world-renowned alpinist Kitty Calhoun will be giving a slideshow presentation on big wall climbing titled “Epics on the Big Stone” at 7 p.m. in the Class of 24 Reception Room of the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union. Families are welcome to attend this free event, which will also have raffle prizes.
• Sept. 13-16 – Chicks Climbing will host its Chicks Rock! Women-Only Intensive Rock Climbing clinic at Devil’s Lake State Park. This is a full-package affair that allows women to focus on improving their climbing skills in a fun, safe, and supportive environment. Beginner to advanced climbers welcome. Chicks Climbing is offering a special “buddy deal” price that amounts to a savings of $100 per participant through September 3 for women that sign up for the clinic with a friend.
PLEASE PLAN AHEAD FOR OUR NEW GIRLY GATHERING:
Sept. 24-26
Brought to you by Sterling Rope
You’ll appreciate our new short format clinic that takes place over a weekend in New River Gorge, West Virginia. Girls-just-wanna-have fun and we love to do it together. This affordable program is new this year and is coming up soon.
Catch that last glimpse of warm weather in the desert before winter sets in. We want you to take advantage of everything this desert climbing mecca has to offer! Start with our three-day intensive clinic that will help you gain confidence on the rock and learn more than you could ever imagine. Apply your new skills to the optional multi-pitch day where you get to climb in a 2-to-1 ratio with our Girly Guides. Red Rocks is famous for its long routes on beautiful red desert sandstone. Take advantage of this personal attention from our Girly Guides and climb to new heights! We welcome beginner to advanced rock climbers with 5 different levels you can choose from.
Four Chicks got together for camping & climbing in the Wind River Range of WY — Vera Naputi, Mattie Sheafor, Annie Hughes and Amy Skinner, plus kids and husbands.
A great testament to how many Chicks from our clinics make lifelong friendships!
Do you have a Chicks sighting you want to report? Send us your pics either through our Facebook page, Flickr, or through e-mail to maijaliisa.burkert [at] gmail.com!
Michelle Smith recently submitted a trip report of her July climb of the North West Ice Couloir of Middle Teton with Jessica Baker in July. Michelle is an east coast native who moved west to Jackson, Wyoming to follow her passion of snowboarding in the Tetons, and has developed a site dedicated to documenting and writing about those that make a lifestyle out of “getting after” their passions in the mountains. Jessica is not only the founder of Ski Divas Women’s Ski Camps, she also guides heli-skiing in Alaska, and is a ski mountaineering, alpine, and climbing guide for Exum Mountain Guides among being just a general all around bad-ass! Check out Michelle’s blog of their ‘grand’ adventure together below!
The alarm went off at 1:30 a.m. I anxiously rolled out of bed to go meet up with Exum Guide Jessica Baker at the Lupine Meadows trail head in Grand Teton National Park. From there we would start our mission to ice climb the Northwest Couloir on the Middle Teton. It is July in the Tetons, and the ice climbing in the high peaks is just starting to get good!
We started our hike at about 3 a.m. The combination of nerves and excitement was pretty overwhelming for me as we began hiking up the trail. I had never been ice climbing before, but I had no doubt in my mind that I could do it. I had spent the entire spring climbing and snowboarding big routes in the Tetons and Rockies. During these outings I would ascend the routes using crampons and a mountaineer’s axe. The snow on the routes was sometimes very firm and variable. I also had a fair amount of climbing experience. Last summer I climbed the Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton with Jessica and an all women’s crew. I also spent much of my time in the summer sport/trad climbing and trail running to stay physically strong.
After about an hour or so we got into Garnet Canyon and started making our way to the saddle between the Middle and Grand Teton. First light was hitting the high peaks and as usual, it was beautiful. The weather for the day was looking promising. There was not a cloud in the sky, it was warm, and there was no wind at all. These are the kind of magical summer days in the Tetons that you have to take advantage of. Weather in the high peaks can change quickly though, so we weren’t taking any of it for granted.
During the approach to the saddle we discussed our game plan for the day. Climbing the North West Couloir is a serious route in the Tetons because of all that it involves. Getting to the base of it requires 5.4-5.6 rock climbing on exposed and loose rock. The couloir itself rests on what I would call a hanging snowfield. The base of the couloir ends with an 1000 + foot cliff, and you definitely sense that cliff when you are climbing it. The couloir is about 1,000 feet long, and is pretty darn steep. The route is usually a combination of neve and ice climbing during the summer months.
At the saddle we changed into some warmer clothes, put on all of our climbing gear, got a bite to eat, and rearranged our packs. Now it was go time, and I really started to feel the anxiety of what was in front of me. The couloir was now staring me in face, and it sure did look scary. I started asking myself questions like if I was really ready for this, am I crazy, is this worth the risks, etc. Luckily my determination and drive to do this took over these feeling of uncertainty. There are few things in this world that are more fulfilling to me than challenging myself in the mountains. It was time to send it.
We scrambled up to the rock climbing section, and then began the fun part. The climbing was definitely spicy. Jessica was leading and kept yelling at me to climb the rock, but not to really touch anything. This made the usual 5.4-5.6 easy rock climbing pretty tricky. The last thing we wanted was to grab onto a loose rock and send it barreling down on top of us. There were sections that were very exposed too. I could see clear down into Idaho and into the Teton basins at every moment. I took deep breaths and stayed relaxed the whole time. Although I was feeling pretty gripped, I was starting to have one heck of a good time.
Not before too long we were at the base of the couloir. Jessica and I went over the route one more time. It was going to be done in 6-60 meter pitches. She was placing all the protection and setting up the anchors, and I was following and cleaning everything. I was extremely excited about this part. I am just at the point where I am ready to learn to lead climb, and I couldn’t wait to see exactly how she placed all the protection and made the anchors on each pitch. Plus, I was excited to take out all the ice screws she was going to place. Those tools are fun to play with. Jessica started climbing and before I knew it it was my turn to begin. I grabbed my ice axes and started up. As soon as I began I felt like I was in my element, and immediately fell for climbing ice. I loved that robotic feeling you got swinging the axe into the ice and then kicking your crampons in. It was very rhythmic. It also felt completely bomber and secure as well. I relaxed right away and was ready to really start having fun getting up this thing. I yelled up to Jessica and told her everything felt great. I felt way more comfortable on the ice than I did climbing rock for the first time.
Once we got going we worked like clockwork up the couloir. The conditions couldn’t of been more perfect. The ice was smooth and solid. The weather was calm….no wind whatsoever. It was warm too. I probably could of ice climbed in a t-shirt if I wanted to. And still, there wasn’t even a cloud in the sky! The looming abyss below me and anxiety associated with that was forgotten. I was fully in the moment and completely focused on the task at hand. I was having a blast.
For the next few hours we swung, picked, kicked, placed and removed gear, belayed each other, set up and cleaned anchors, and could not stop yelling such remarks as “oh my god, i can’t believe how amazing this day is!”
Before we knew it we were at the top. The feeling of accomplishment was unbelievable. We wallowed in our stoke for a little while, and then climbed up to the summit of the Middle Teton. There was another pair of women climbers up there with us that came up the south west route. A great day in the Tetons for us ladies! The summit was beautiful. It was hot up there too and again, no wind! Such a rare day in the Tetons. After enjoying the summit for a little while it was time to start climbing down.
I wouldn’t call down climbing the South West Couloir enjoyable at all. The rock was loose, and the snow patches were rotten and icy at the same time. We got down to a lower snowfield where Jessica went over self arresting with an ice axe with me in case I fell. She wanted to practice this, but not here because it was dangerous. About half way down this lower snowfield the snow I stepped in gave out on me. I was suddenly on my butt sliding down the steep snowfield. Jessica was yelling, “arrest, arrest!!”. Luckily it was very intuitive. I flipped over onto my stomach and pressed the axe into the snow. Before I knew it I had stopped. I was shaken up a little bit, and realized that we didn’t have to practice self arresting anymore on the way down. I had already done it for real:)
After we got off the Middle Teton we took a break for a while as we fueled up with food and water. We still had a long way to get down to the valley floor, and decided to take our time and enjoy the rest of this amazing day. Luckily we were in great spirits, and had a good time hiking down while cracking jokes and enjoying the high from our successful day.
At 9pm we got down to the trail head. There was a full moon out. We had been going at it for 18 hours! It had seemed like decades ago that we started up the trail at 3am. I had some cold beers from New Belgium brewery waiting for us in the car. We cracked them open, made a celebratory toast, and finally rested our physically exhausted bodies. At a spiritual level though, I don’t think I could of felt any better!
I can’t wait for my next adventure in the mountains. Jessica Baker was a blast to climb with. I can’t thank her enough for teaching me so much, giving me the confidence I needed to succeed, and being such a knowledgeable and passionate mountaineer!
For more information on Jessica and all that she has to offer to those interested in challenging themselves in the mountains , check out her site at Ski Divas.
Thanks to Michelle for submitting her Trip Report to Chicks Climbing! If you want to get YOUR trip report featured here drop us a note!
Here on the weekly Chicks Climbing gossip report you can catch up on all of the great gossip (articles, videos, and other assorted cool stuff) we talked about last week at Chicks Climbing! Last week was a tough one for us – one best described by the Head Chick as “Hell Week.” Our primary server was down from Wednesday until late Monday night – almost a week – which meant no beautiful Chicks Climbing Web site for 5 days! Because of that, we are extending both the promos we are running for the upcoming Devil’s Lake clinics! We are [...] Continue Reading…
Here on the weekly Chicks Climbing gossip report you can catch up on all of the great gossip (articles, videos, and other assorted cool stuff) we talked about last week at Chicks Climbing! We had a busy blog last week at Chicks Climbing that started off with the announcement of our contest to give away two one-day co-ed skills clinic giveaways in Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin, Sept. 11 & 12! We want you to get creative in this contest, and are asking for interested entrants to submit a photo of an artistic creation you design, create, find or capture with [...] Continue Reading…
Two of the wonderful ladies we have on our blogroll, “Rockgrrl” (the one and only Eileen Ringwald), and author of “Everyfrog’s Blog,” Tiffany Royal have each posted brand new reviews of FUDs – female urination device (or director), something essential to many of us chicks!
Eileen gave the Sani Fem Freshette a test to compare alongside the GoGirl. In testing both devices on a recent trip to Indian Creek Rockgrrl concluded: “The difference in the two non disposable models I used is that the Go Girl is flexible silicon, and the Freshette is hard plastic with a pull out tube. [...] Continue Reading…
Here on the weekly Chicks Climbing gossip report you can catch up on all of the great gossip (articles, videos, and other assorted cool stuff) we talked about last week at Chicks Climbing! Last week went so fast we only posted one feature on the blog, but it was a good one – it was by Girly Guide Caroline George who told the story of a trip she made with her mother this summer to the top of the Cosmiques Ridge in Chamonix. Caroline’s mother, Martine, pushed the boundaries of female climbers in her youth, and now at the age of 65 (and with really bad knees), totally rocked out the highest 5.13 crack in the world and continues to be a role model for Caroline. It’s a really great story so if you didn’t catch it last week, I encourage you to do so here.
The latest buzz