@gp_eighty_one means the fucking world to me. It’s like a gym from an alternate timeline, where the walls, and holds, and setting kept evolving, but climbing itself is somehow still niche, and scrappy, and full of tattooed miscreants making questionable life choices.
Grateful to be a part of this place, and to bring some appropriately old school, scrappy, highly questionable “production value” to this comp. Turns out, for $500 at Home Depot you can still put on a better show than USAC Nationals, just like 20+ years ago. Some things change, some things don’t, and that’s just about fucking perfect IMO.
Big thanks to Cliff, Julian, Ron, Sam, and everyone that makes this place what it is.
📷 from @evelynjeong@trevorlately and a few others I think? Kinda lost track lol
#GP81forever
Chicco (aka Nephew Supreme) in NYC pt 1
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This was his first “solo” trip (I.e. Grandma still dropped him off) to hang with his Uncle, so we had to do it up.
Mes amis en la foret
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Bleau never disappoints, but this year was something else: so many friends; such great weather; climbing 16 days in three weeks; doing a couple harder things but truly prioritizing fun and games.
The forest really opens up the more time you spend in it, the more zones you explore, the more obscure mega 7As and sandbagged slabs you climb, the more you understand the different regions and micro climates. It’s been over 20 years since my first trip, and I’m more psyched than ever to get back…
Happy belated birthday to my dude @vadimvinokur . Been almost 30 fucking years climbing with this guy and I don’t think I’m any closer to catching up with him.
Pics from the amazing @emilybfrank from a few weeks back, featuring the finest bday tarte framboise in la foret.
