Sydney Boyle

Edgeworks Member since 2012

How did you start climbing?
Sydney: A friend of mine convinced me to come climbing at Fossil Rock a few summers ago. I was terrified of heights and afraid I’d be terrible at it, but I agreed to go. After my first climb I was completely hooked!

Why do you climb at Edgeworks?
Sydney: When I moved to Tacoma I wanted to find a way to keep climbing through the winter, and I also wanted to meet new people. Climbing at Edgeworks helped me make so many amazing friends and introduced me to a really great climbing community. It has felt like my second home for the past few years.

Where is your favorite place to climb outside?
Sydney: I’m just happy to climb outside — anytime, anywhere, anything. Fossil Rock will always have a special place in my heart, but I also love sport climbing at Vantage and Smith Rock, and even sometimes bouldering at Gold Bar and Leavenworth.

What do you do when you’re not climbing?
Sydney: I am starting a career in mental health counseling, so that has taken up a lot of my time for the last few years. When I’m not working, going to school, or climbing, I’m hanging out with my amazing family and playing music.

What are some interesting facts you’d like to share with the Edgeworks community?
Sydney: Regular practice of mindfulness and meditation — even for as little as 30 seconds a day — has been proven to alter the neural pathways in our brains and therefore positively impact things like mood, focus, problem-solving skills, and our ability to achieve goals. Next time you have the urge to check your cell phone (a mindless habit), choose that moment to re-connect with your mind and body and just pay attention to your breathing for 30 seconds. I bet you’ll notice a difference immediately 🙂

Our NEW fitness class, just for KIDS!

SUNDAYS |  3pm – 4pm  |  Ages: 4-12
FREE for members and children of members; included with purchase of any day pass

It’s official, the Kid Fit Class is now a regularly scheduled part of our fitness program! Incorporating elements of yoga, Pilates and play-based strength training, our awesome instructor, Samitha, will work to keep things fresh, new, interesting, exciting, and challenging for your kids.

Plus, now parents can climb or schedule an Edge Fitness Coaching session while their kids are taking the class!

Join us on Sundays and give it a try. Your kids are sure to love it!

How to Climb at Edgeworks

Our staff put together a few tips to make your climbing experience at Edgeworks that much better.

HOW TO START:

Rope:
•  To start a route first check the route label to make sure you are tied in to the correct rope.
•  Next, establish control of the starting hold(s) with your hands indicated by the route label(s)
•  Finally, once you have gained control of the start holds, place your feet on the foot holds and start your climb.
•  If you find the suggested staring position to hard or awkward feel free to start on any of the holds you can reach from the ground. (This may be due to the route being set for a particular youth size.)

Boulder:
•  Boulder problem start hold(s) are labeled with one piece of tape. If two holds of the same color are marked with tape, there are two start holds for your hands.

WHEN CLIMBING:

Rope and Boulder:
•  Use only the holds of the same color in order to complete the route.
•  The wall is considered part of the route therefore, grabbing, palming, smearing, or standing on any part of wall is OK.
•  Volumes (those really large holds that any variety of other holds can be attached to) are treated as part of the wall or extension of the wall and can be used as such.

HOW TO FINISH:

Rope:
•  To complete a route, establish control of the finish hold.
•  Typically the finish hold will be at the top of the wall unless otherwise marked with a finish label.

Boulder:
•  Boulder problem finish holds are indicated by two pieces of tape.
•  If the problem finishes on a hold marked with tape then the top of the wall is considered out of bounds and should not be used to complete the route. Instead, climbers should safely climb down using any large holds that are nearby or check the surroundings before dropping off.
•  Problems with no finish hold(s) are considered top-out routes in which case any part of the top of the wall can be used to top-out and complete the problem. Climbers should then walk off the wall by proceeding to the gate.

Experiences that last a lifetime!

Edgeworks Climbing is proud to offer a program designed specifically for Scouts interested in earning their BSA Climbing Merit Badge. Our program is designed to cover all of the BSA Climbing Merit Badge requirements and is offered to any individual Scouts and/or troops that are interested in obtaining this merit badge but might not have the full 5 students needed to reserve a time for them. There are no minimum registrations needed and individual Scouts are welcome to join us!

Saturday, December 12, 2015, 9am – 4pm.  – $50 per Scout.
Space is limited so register early.  BOOK NOW!

Program Schedule:

9:00 AM: Check-in, waivers, and rules
9:15 – 12:00 PM: Session 1
12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch Break (Please bring your own lunch; lunch will not be provided.)
1:00 – 4:00 PM: Session 2

Minimum Requirements:
• First Aid Merit Badge
• Read Climbing Merit Badge Handbook

Be Prepared/What To Bring:
• Proper Clothing (rugged, lose fitting – not baggy)
• Blue Cards
• Lunch

50% OFF steals!

Available Aug 1-31, 2015 ONLY — Don’t wait!

50% OFF: 30-Day Intro Pass!

Just $40 for 30 days of climbing
(regularly a $81 value!)
Our 30-day intro pass is an excellent option for those needing just a little more convincing before purchasing a membership! While the intro pass not a full membership, it does include some of the same perks like full access to our climbing walls and a 101: Intro to Climbing course.

Don’t miss out on these sweet deals!
No coupons necessary! Just mention the deal when purchasing at the front desk.
Offers expire August 31, 2015.

Also be sure to check out the details of our CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP SALE to see if you qualify for year round discounts on your membership!

Kimi Nakano

Member since 2005

How did you start climbing?
Kimi: I drove by the pinnacle at REI Seattle for months thinking it would be fun to try, and then a friend invited me to go with a group of her friends. Long story short, I freaked out while the REI employee was giving his safety talk and instructions. I was (quietly) a shaky, sweaty mess, and thought I might throw up, but because I didn’t know most of the people there I didn’t want to make a fool of myself and forced myself to do it. About five feet off the ground I panicked. I don’t think I technically blacked out because I didn’t lose consciousness, but I was so traumatized that I immediately lost all memory of the event (apparently I got to the top). I think it was a 5.6.

Thinking that maybe I didn’t eat enough that day or that I was getting sick, I made myself do it again on a different day (alone this time) – same anxiety but a little better. I knew it was completely irrational and hated the lack of control, so I kept forcing myself to do it. After about six months of torture, I realized I was starting to actually love climbing… and haven’t looked back since.

Why do you climb at Edgeworks?
Kimi: Some of the best people I’ve met in my life, I’ve met at Edgeworks. It’s like my climbing home.

Where is your favorite place to climb outside?
Kimi: Smith Rock will always hold a place in my heart – I love how it looks and how it smells (juniper and sage!), and I have a lot of great memories climbing and camping there. I also love all of the climbing in Squamish. But the most beautiful places I’ve ever had the privilege to experience are in the North Cascades.

What do you do when you’re not climbing?
Kimi: I take naps. I also do yoga pretty regularly, and when it’s warm and sunny I like to paddleboard on local lakes. Recently I’ve gotten into what has been dubbed “fight club,” but really it’s just high-intensity circuit training with occasional striking sessions – I get to train with and punch and kick MMA fighters, and they don’t hit me back!

What are some interesting facts you’d like to share with the Edgeworks community?
Kimi: Trypophobia is the fear of irregular patterns and clusters of circles or holes. Though not officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, it is believed to be rooted in biological revulsion rather than a learned cultural fear. Some of the holds at Edgeworks drive me nuts.

Vitaliy Zaychenko

Member since 2012

Over the last 3 years no member has been here more than Vitaliy. He has checked in over 500 times since his first visit on July 24, 2014.

Despite famously claiming that “technique is not for me” he has become quite the climber, in the gym and outside, as well as becoming an integral part of our community. We look forward to seeing Vitaliy at least 500 more times in the coming years, especially in the hours near to closing time!

How did you start climbing?
Vitaliy: Russian Mountaineering Club “Gorizont” introduced me to rock climbing three years ago on one of their
annual events in Leavenworth

Why do you climb at Edgeworks?
Vitaliy: Route setting here is unique. Not as straight forward as in some other gyms. Community is awesome.
I’ve made so many friends here.

Where is your favorite place to climb outside?
Vitaliy: SO many. Leavenworth. Index. Smith Rock. I discover new places all the time. It’s so fun.

What do you do when you’re not climbing?
Vitaliy: Go to Seattle Symphony, Spectrum Dance Theater, or just spend time with my daughter. Also, play with
photography, read up on science and listen to NPR.

What are some interesting facts you’d like to share with the Edgeworks community?
Vitaliy: The human body is crawling with trillions of microorganisms, that outnumber our own cells. Gut bacteria,
for instance, affects our mental and emotional state and play a major role at how our bodies function.
We need to eat more raw foods and probiotics.

Traversing: 3 Reasons to Add Laterally Inclined Routes to Your Routine

by: Dan Morrow

In climbing, to “traverse” is to climb sideways across the rock face. This is opposed to the normal upwards movement normally associated with rock climbing. I’m here to tell you that horizontal climbing is not just allowed, but awesome.

Now some of you may be saying, “but I want to go up.” Well, up is great! I too wish to climb to great heights and conquer the gnarly routes of the world. But, there are a lot of great reasons to periodically turn your back to the ascent and learn the joys of the more laterally inclined routes.

Reason number one; it’s great as a warm up!
Put on your comfy rock shoes, the ones where your toes aren’t forced to bend like an old mans’ rheumatic knuckles. Get in the zone, play some phil collins or whatever gets you in the mood to crush. Forget about the world outside with all it’s boring, non climbing related issues.  Try out different walls and sections of the gym and see which one tends to be the best warm up for you, mentally and physically. Just remember you are warming up, don’t go too fast and remember to stick on something that’s pretty easy for you. Explore the range of motion of your arms and legs and take lots of rest steps, when you get too pumped, just hop off!

Reason number two; it’s great training for specific techniques.
I used to have this bad habit. Whenever I matched feet on a small foothold, I had a tendency to bend my arms excessively at the elbows and over exert myself by squeezing way too hard on the rock with my hands. Now, I’m still no master matcher, but I have improved greatly by practicing that same move over and over again. Where did I do this? On a traverse! Do you grip holds harder then you need to? Do you forget to watch where you place your feet? Maybe you simply forget to breath? Those are habits that need repetition and intention to break, and an extended traverse is a great opportunity to reforge!

Reason number three; it’s a great way to meet people.
In a gym, climbing up is generally a two person activity. But exploring the alternative plane of the traverse is a shared experience. There can be tons of people on the same traverse at any given time.(especially during warm up for our kid classes) Maybe you and I will bump into each other on your next sideways climb!  You could even follow behind me for my sweet warm up beta.

There are a lot more great reasons to love traversing, and maybe you can come up with some other good reasons to add traversing to your repertoire. Then, once you get your x axis climbing skills dialed in, treat yourself and find a sweet traverse outside somewhere. I hear this one is pretty rad:  http://www.mountainproject.com/v/evolution-traverse/107070687