Making the jump to electric rental cars!

 

Well, I have to say, this post was unexpected. I had no intention of renting an electic car, but when I got on the Budget site, the only thing available were Teslas! So I bit the bullet and reserved one. I spent countless minutes on YouTube researching how 'to Tesla' and just when I thought I was totally ready, I opened my Budget app and it says I have a Ford Mustang Mach EV!!

You can imagine my disappointment, but it was late, and I thought: let's go check out the car and see if I can figure it out. Fortunately, Ford decided to make their EV systems more like a regular conventional gas car. It was easy to figure it out. But I still had to sit in the parking garage and learn the car quickly.

I have to say, I was all set not to like the Mustang EV, but I really do like it. If you do rent a Tesla, there are a lot of videos on YouTube that teach you how to understand the Tesla. The Ford really is a breeze. The only thing I don't like is that I got a 2023 model Mach E, and the videos all say it has CCS charging. This means I don't get to go to the Tesla superchargers, which I was really looking forward to.The next version of this car is getting upgraded to be able to use the Tesla system, but alas, that is not the car Budget gave me.

I already had the Plugshare app on my phone and put it in the vehicle I have. The app is supposed to find you compatible chargers. Haven't done this yet, so I will update when I do!

UPDATE: Well, I have to say, the charging experience was super smooth. Hey, if I can figure it out, anybody can! I chose to go with the Electrify America app and network. The app works well for notifications; ie. it tells you when charging starts/stops so you don't get charged idle fees for not moving your car in time. (Yes, they mean business!)

Some initial thoughts about the EV driving experience...well, when the car comes to a stop, you can take your foot off the brake since the car won't move again until you touch the accelerator. This is interesting. This car has a button to push to open the doors - no handle on the doors. Other than that, everything is in basically the same place. The car has a surprising amount of pickup and go. Looks great too!

I watched a TON of EV videos in my spare time (I have a lot of that on climbing trips.) I learned about 1-pedal driving and figured out how to turn it on. I loved it! Never having to touch the brake pedal (except for a couple of times), I’m totally down with this idea. One more plus for EVs: never having to replace the brakes! 👍🏽

UPDATE: Now that I am back, I miss the heavy weight of the EV compared to my gas car. I know it's the battery that makes it heavy, but it sure feels nice. I feel like it would be pretty good on the ice up here with all that extra weight on the road.

All in all, I may be convinced to start renting only electric cars. Buying one, especially in Alaska, not sold on that idea yet, but getting really close!

                    CLIMB ON!

My Day of SPEED!

 

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                                                                                  Photo credit: Dan Gadja

I decided to help out by volunteering since Brendan and I have been at Nationals for a while. I was looking for a low-stress job and finally found one I THOUGHT was going to be the least among of stress: being a Speed Clipper. I have to say, once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy and the least amount of stress I have ever experienced volunteering at a climbing event.

But who would have thought how complicated it would be???!!! So, for my orientation, I was given a crazy amount of information by a very experienced parent in the discipline of speed climbing. Here is everything I learned in case you want a 'relatively' stress-free volunteering experience!

• First, DON'T FORGET YOUR HARNESS...like me...I had it at the hotel, just forgot to bring it.🙄
• Then, you have to learn how to tie the safety rope to your harness. This is the clip/rope that you need to attach to the auto-belay rope, so in case it gets dropped, it won't go all the way up to the top of the tower. This gets attached to your belay loop on your harness.
• Next, you have to learn how to open the Carabiner one-handed to attach to each climber.
• After a climber descends, you attach the safety rope and unclip them, either holding the auto-belay rope or clipping it to yourself.
• THEN, in between each climber, you look up and make sure the auto-belay rope isn't twisted. If it is, untwist until it is straight. A twisted rope could cause the auto-belay to fail...and we don't want that!
• Now, for the cameras, the two clippers must work in unison, unclipping both climbers at the same time. This looks professional and synchronized on the video and has the least amount of commotion in the view.

That's it! There are a few nuances that you will learn, but the time really flies by fast! And it was a lot of fun seeing the fastest climbers in the country do their thing. I think this will be my new favorite volunteer job...🤔 .

                    CLIMB ON!

2025 USA Climbing Youth National Championship - Beaverton, Portland, Oregon

 

Photo Credit: @Permafrostpictures.photography

We are having a great time at the newly added onto Portland Rock Gym in Beaverton, Portland, Oregon.  We first came to this gym last year in 2024 for Divisionals, and they had only completed the Bouldering side. Now, the Ropes building is complete and is amazing. I just wish that when these gyms are built, more thought is put into where to put spectators. There has got to be a better way! 

UPDATE: OK, so my previous comment was about the rope area. The boulder area is amazing! Now, why couldn't there be seating for ropes?? There were a huge number of seats set out in front of the boulders. Bravo! 

The walls are amazing, and the warmup area is spectacular for competing athletes. They really thought about all aspects of the climbing experience for athletes, especially during competitions.

The only downside to this gym is that it is in an area that has terrible cell phone coverage. Inside the gym, the only way to check the results page is to consult a computer that the gym puts out for the crowd to access... not fun. On the plus side, there are lots of shops in the surrounding buildings of the shopping strip where the gym is located: Starbucks, a Barber shop, and a Gyro shop, among others. This is a welcome change from going to the Portland Rock Gym location downtown. It is really nice to be out of downtown and in the suburbs with more options and accessible amenities.

When it comes to planning for your climber's time in Isolation or ISO, here are some things to keep in mind: when competing in ropes, there is such a thing as a rolling clock. This means that if a climber on the wall falls before their allotted 6 minutes are up, the next climber is brought out to start. This can really mess with an athlete's warmup, because you never really know how much time you have to get ready. Brendan's time in ISO is getting shorter and shorter in ropes because of this, so plan to send in things like protein bars instead of perishable foods. 

Now, it’s different with Bouldering. Everyone has 4 minutes on the wall, so folks in ISO HAVE to wait. Their time could be hours, so in this case, it is a good idea to send in lots of food!

Well, Brendan delved into the world of Finals this year in Ropes and made it onto the USA Climbing Development Team! As in my previous post about the Youth Circuit, the top 5 places in each category are on the USA Climbing team. The next 5 spots will become members of the Development team. Pro tip:  If you make finals, be sure to head back to ISO for the awards ceremony! You will be presented as a group!

We are super excited about this, and when I know more, I will write a post about it! But it was interesting to find out that spots 4 - 10 in Finals get medals as Finalists. See below!

One of the most important things you can do as a parent to prepare for nationals is to read the Info sheet on the event in its entirity. Sometimes this is hard to find, as the current one gets taken down after an event. I have saved this year's HERE so you can get an idea of what to expect, even though the details will change.

Brendan is going to sit out Bouldering due to a shoulder injury, but the 2025 Youth Climbing Nationals have been a blast!

                    CLIMB ON!

Photo Credit: @Permafrostpictures.photography

The guys!

Photo credit: Pam Keskula

Wondering if you should use a hotel or Airbnb? See my post HERE

Wondering more about Elite events like the North American Cup Series and how to compete? See my post HERE

Wondering what colleges have climbing teams? See my post HERE

Want to know more about Open Nationals or the Yeti Elite National Championship? Click HERE

NACS Edmonton, Canada 2025

 

Well, this is our first time doing an International North American Cup Series (NACS).  We find ourselves in Edmonton, Canada, at the Climb YEG outdoor climbing facility.

I have to say, so far, my stay in Edmonton has been great. Only one small thing...when we got off the plane, I had NO INTERNET at the airport. And I wasn't alone. I heard other people talking about getting on the airport wifi, so I did the same. Since I didn't have internet, we decided to jump in a taxi...I haven't been in a cab in years...🙄. After some guy yelled at our cab driver, while taking his picture, hitting a curb on our trip, and trying to explain that I needed air in the back, the driver informed me how much our trip would be while we were driving. And then guess what? LTE showed up on my phone! 🙄🫩 Oh well, we will Lyft back to the airport.

UPDATE: No rideshares can be hailed at the airport, and all taxis have to charge the same flat rate of $62 CAD at the time of this writing. Our Lyft back to the airport will be $40 CAD...😒. You can meet your rideshare at Paid Arrivals outside Door 10.

Other than that, customs was a breeze. Be sure to get the ArriveCan app on your phone. It makes the border process super smooth and quick. I was glad, as I was worried about that...

I had to book an Airbnb for one night since the competition schedule was changed. We found a really nice 2-bedroom apartment that I will definitely come back to if we return to Edmonton! There are a lot of high-rise apartment buildings in Edmonton. I'm not sure I would live in an apartment on the 11th floor, but it was comfortable. This is a big city for sure, with lots of noise...reminds me of big cities back home. And for me, that is New York State, yes, including the Big Apple. We are at the Westin for the remainder of our stay, as that is right across from the climbing venue. Can't wait!

Oh, Brendan always laughs at me that I have plastic covers for our suitcases, but it is POURING in Edmonton today. They will come in handy, keeping our luggage dry! I hate bringing an umbrella, but in this case, maybe I should have...

We moved over to our hotel, the Westin. Good hotel with amenities. The room had a fridge but not a microwave. That is a bummer to me, but it is close to the venue and shopping options, including restaurants.

Edmonton has some amazing and unique restaurants, but I will say that walking around town can be an interesting experience. I can't say I felt 100% safe with the characters on the streets, but I'm glad I didn't have a car. We took a lot of Lyft rides and stayed in well-lit areas with people around.

Well, we found the venue. Holy cow! Right on the Saskatchewan River, and you have to climb down a lot of stairs to get there. (Smart tip: take the escalators in the Edmonton Convention Center!!! Big leg saver.) What a view and outside venue...see below.

The comp was held at ClimbYEG, and boy, do these people know how to please. They thought of everything, right down to VIP seating. I jumped at this and had a comfy, covered seat all three days, with snacks and 2 free drinks! I even came for the free showing of Reel Rock 19 in the pouring rain, and they set up my own tent! (Which I shared with other people who showed up...)

When it comes to planning for your climber's time in Isolation or ISO, here are some things to keep in mind: when competing in ropes, there is such a thing as a rolling clock. This means that if a climber on the wall falls before their allotted 6 minutes are up, the next climber is brought out to start. This can really mess with an athlete's warmup, because you never really know how much time you have to get ready. Brendan's time in ISO is getting shorter and shorter in ropes because of this, so plan to send in things like protein bars instead of perishable foods. 

We also had a brush with fame as Kai Lightner was there at the event competing! Boy, was it cool to see him climb in person. The last time we saw him was at the 2017 Youth Nationals. He is amazing to watch! What he can do is truly inspiring, and so is his story. Had to get the obligatory picture...

Well, before this trip ended, I decided to try my hand at the ClimbYEG walls myself and entered the community competition. Needless to say, I have a newfound respect for Brendan and what he does. Those walls kicked my you-know-what (notice no video here of me...👀). However, going through the entire experience gave me a new understanding of competition climbing and the rush you get when your name is announced over the speakers and the crowd cheers for you. I was struggling on my 2nd climb, and I actually thought I heard a guy telling me what to do! 😂 I couldn't do it, of course, but I felt like folks were with me as I tried to get up the wall. That is a definite high that I can see being addictive!

Youth Nationals next! Stay tuned!

        CLIMB ON!

Photo Credit: @Westlake.Photo

Collegiate Nationals - Salt Lake City, UT 2025

The road to collegiate nationals is gearing up! This new circuit is quite a bit different but loosely based on the Youth circuit. It has some interesting twists, which I will explain.

As I said in previous posts, there are Qualifier (QE) events followed by the equivalent of Divisionals (CNQE). If a competitor makes their way through these, then Nationals is the culminating event.

There are two registration periods for Collegiate Nationals: one for climbers who have qualified and one for first-come, first-serve, which allows ranked competitors to register for the event if there is room. Registration is going fast, so you want to sign up early for this event. Boulder and Lead disciplines for the Advanced category have a capacity of 144 and 90 for the Intermediate category.

Collegiate Nationals will have two rounds:

    Qualifiers - top 20 advance from each category to Finals

    Finals - top 5 from each category will be selected for the National Team

This year, Collegiate Nationals is May 2-5. There was quite a bit of controversy this year with dates from USA Climbing. These dates are right before finals for most college kids and the same weekend as the Montréal NACS. USAC has offered to write letters for any student wanting it for their College. My advice to all climbing moms trying to schedule things: wait until all dates are published, OR get everything refundable. TRUST ME...you will be glad you waited. 

        CLIMB ON!

photo credit: @permafrostpictures.photography

NACS Greenville, South Carolina 2025

 

Photo Credits: Brady @Blochaven

NACS Greenville 2025

I have to say, this 2^nd year around doing the NACS circuit is getting easier; for both Brendan and me. He made semifinals for the first time and finished 20^th overall. 

Take aways from this trip are I much prefer being in a shopping area where all conveniences are close by. We had a hotel that was literally around the corner from Whole Foods and REI. For a climbing trip, you couldn’t ask for a better location. And with the comp on Saturday and Sunday, there was no traffic to interfere with us getting to isolation on time.

As for the comp itself, BlocHaven is a beautiful gym in Greenville, SC. They really put some thought into the building of it, considering spectators. I anticipate there will be more Elite comps there in the future. It’s always a good idea to bring earplugs for finals…the music was great but REALLY loud. But there isn’t a bad seat in the house. They have a workout island that is elevated that doubles as spectator viewing for a great back bouldering wall.

As for as advancement, here are the requirements in a NACS setting:

• Top 24 climbers from the Quals go on to Semis
• Top 8 climbers from Semis move on to Finals

For those of you who fly a lot, I had a pretty good experience on American to get to South Carolina, BUT…. I have to say I like Alaska better. For starters, I am on a 6-hour flight from Dallas to Anchorage and the only thing they had for food was cheese and crackers…for $11! Come on! Alaska has hot food for sale. And I have to say the seats are a lot closer than Alaska planes, but these Airbuses have a bathroom in the middle of the plane. Very cool. But WIFI $21? On Alaska, it’s $8. Not a fan…but as I said, it’s a good means to an end.

The big thing for all you Alaska mileage members that I learned is that since American is part of the One World Alliance with Alaska, I can put in my Alaska mileage number in the American site when I purchase the tickets and get the miles deposited to my Alaskan account. PLUS, my status carries over. As a MVP Gold, I get two free checked bags and Brendan as a MVP gets one free bag. That really helps because I end up bringing a lot of stuff on climbing trips, especially if we have an Airbnb.

So, if you need to get to the other side of the country and Alaska doesn’t necessarily go there, American is a pretty good choice. And you don’t lose any miles making the switch. American has a major hub in Dallas/Fort Worth, which I just learned has major thunderstorms in the spring. We got lucky and dodged them.

There are two stops on the Elite circuit that seem to happen every year: Vail, Go Pro Games, and the USA Climbing Training Center. But for these varying stops, Greenville was a good choice. They have a beautiful airport with the essential amenities. I even spent some time in their Escape Lounge. Small, but did the job. Greenville has every restaurant you could want. We have an Alaskan tradition of visiting the Cheesecake Factory in whatever city we end up in and making sure we get our Cheese Cake fix. No, we don’t have that one….

Great climbing trip and Brendan and his teammate from Alaska Rock Gym represented Alaska well! ONWARD to the next one!

 

                        CLIMB ON!

Jermey @cmsninjagoat

Collegiate National Qualifying Event - CNQE

 

Well, there is much to learn about the Collegiate National Qualifying Event, or CNQEs, otherwise called Collegiate Divisionals. The event is nothing like youth divisionals in the strictest sense, but it is the penultimate event before Collegiate Nationals, so one can think of them as related.

But there are two very big differences: the first is that a collegiate climber, who has qualified by competing in a Qualifying Event (QE), can attend any CNQE in the country, but only ONCE. If the climber is not among the top 8 climbers, they will not advance to nationals.

The second difference is the real kicker: If a climber makes it into the top 8 in one category, then they make it into both in the Nationals event. So strategy comes into play here: If one makes the top 8 in the morning session, then they do not have to climb the afternoon session. In Brendan's case, Bouldering was in the morning and Lead was in the afternoon.

There are two ways to strategize here as a team. If a climber makes the top 8 and does not climb in the afternoon session, that leaves room for the team to have another climber try to make it in. The opposite of this strategy is that if the top 8 people climb in both categories, they essentially could take up 2 available spots for nationals by making it into the top 8 in both disciplines.

The next thing we noticed was that some climbers were coming from very far away because either their CNQE was full or they wanted to have a better chance of qualifying by coming to a less populated part of the country. It really pays to register early for the event you want because they tend to fill up quickly.

We continue to support Brendan on his journey and learn more about the world of competitive climbing. You heard it here first!

                CLIMB ON!