I have dabbled with climbing through the years, never too serious though. I have always been intrigued by the climber Chris Sharma, and this journal of his adds to the interest as I can relate to many of the issues he brings up about being ‘pro’…

I’m starting to get settled in after being here for a little over a week. As always, being in a foreign country by myself will teach me many new things about people, relationships, communication, and myself. Being in a place where I know no one really forces me to open up to everyone.It’s so great to be staying in France with French people (and especially with the freedom of going solo). So many doors have already opened with meeting people who invite me to their secret areas. It feels good traveling alone (though it can get a little lonely with the language barrier) and observing, rather than coming over in a big posse - essentially bringing America to Europe and never leaving the bubble of American culture. Also, having no agenda or expectations is giving me a lot of flexibility and openness to be in the moment, climb what is appealing, and just flow.

Last year when I was working on Realization I was very locked-in with a specific goal. It was draining. This year I’m just going to try routes and enjoy new experiences. I feel a little funny making this journal for Climbing, because I know that most of my thoughts aren’t about climbing. I’m a full-time rock climber, yet I’m not only that. Climbing hits the spot, but sometimes even too much chocolate makes you vomit. Today started like all the others: croissants and café au lait in the center of a very ancient village called St. Guilhem, where I’m staying with my friend Laurent Triay. Laurent has bolted hundreds of routes in southern France and has been an excellent guide, showing me many off-the-beaten-track areas. We went to an absolutely incredible cave with 170-foot routes out sweeping limestone bulges. Very steep, nice rock, and no people! It was a very peaceful place. I was happy to on-sight a classic 5.13d. I was at my limit and it’s nice to feel myself getting into shape. Before this trip I didn’t climb routes for more than a year. It was a much-needed break from climbing. I cannot climb all the time, but it’s good to know that when I do climb I can really put my heart into it. I think it’s impossible for me to always climb at my highest level, if not because of my body needing a rest, for sure because my mind needs a change.

It’s ideal to walk the middle line in life. It’s for sure the way of peace. I’m trying every day to find that way. I get lost on a path that from afar seems so simple. Sometimes I’m too lazy and sometimes I hurry too much. I’d like to be right between those extremes. This is true with climbing as well. When I’m on a big jug, there’s no need to hold it like it’s a little crimper. I’d be smart to take it for what it is: a jug. If I hold onto that jug and won’t let go for fear of the next sequence of little crimpers then I’m not in balance. That’s not the middle way. The way I climb and relate to climbing these days is completely different from when I started nine years ago. At first it was a romantic love; now the relationship has progressed to a more mature, day-in, day-out lifestyle. I’m past the romance stage, but still in love. There are times to be mellow, times to be intense, times to be fanatic, and times to be balanced. That is the balance of life. In order for me to climb my best I feel that I need to do other things to balance that intensity. For me that balance is in meditation, yet I know I’m a long way from mastering this balance. It was great to finally climb today. I did a 5.14a second try at Claret. I feel more complete after exercising my body and being out in the sun and trees. It’s nice to be so focussed when trying a hard route. These moments are so pure; there is no separation and there is nothing to think about or understand because it’s all right there. The here, the present, the moment. Everything! We hadn’t climbed for a week due to floods in southern France. They were incredible to see. Water is so powerful. I need to learn to move on the rock like water. The more I can flow on the rock like water, the more I understand and the less separation there will be between us. Climbing hard will come naturally from that point, like a flooded river wiping out a bridge without even having to think about it. Jorge Visser and Lauren Lee have joined me for a while, and we drove 20 hours to the World Cup Bouldering comp in Italy.

For the remainder of Sharma’s journal, click HERE.

I’m sitting on the deck of my hotel room in Salmon Arm, BC, overlooking a bird sanctuary and marsh on the edge of the Shuswap Lake. I have been here for the the last four days, and have enjoyed watching the female osprey warm her eggs. She has no friends to meet, places to go, just a quiet commitment to her babies. The male comes and goes with sticks for the nest and food, although I haven’t seen the food exchange yet. A peaceful sight no doubt. As I also enjoy my Timmies steeped tea in the (finally) warm breeze, I feel my feet aching a bit, my hands feel a bit raw, and there is an general feeling of contentment and satisfaction from the weeks efforts. I visited 7 schools and did 9 presentations in four days, and have one last shop show in the area tomorrow at Skookum Cycle. Whew!

 

I often have students or teachers ask where I came up with the material I present, and I guess it’s a combination of reflection on my experiences combined with the critical thinking that goes along with reading books….yah, I’ve turned in to a bit of a nerd. I have had a few people ask if I have read or seen ‘The Secret’; I have fingered through the book out of curiosity, but am not convinced by some of the offerings, the main one being, and the real basis of the book, is that you create your own reality with your thoughts, or the law of attraction. For instance if you get raped it is because your thought patterns brought it about; now I have to disagree with that because crappy things do happen to good people. Sure there are some great things expressed in the book, but the suggestion that if you can keep only thoughts of being rich, that is what you will become…hmm, so does that go for those living in 3rd world countries? If you have read this book, but have a sort of funny feeling about it, I recommend reading this review by Julian Walker, or listening to the dialogue he had with Ken Wilber about the book.

 

I’m looking forward to spinning a bit on a cross country ride tomorrow before my show, it’ll be nice to mix it up a bit after so many trials shows. Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

 

 

 

 

Yesterday afternoon was my last show in Maine, and it was a public show, and it took place in the Camden Opera House. This beautiful venue was perfect for the event which included the showing of Manifesto, Trial and Error, and Crux; then a live demo, and a Q&A session to follow. The whole event was about 2 hours long; that’s a whole lotta Ryan time!

 

The best part of this trip was meeting and hanging out with so many great people. From Chris Christie the owner of Bikesenjava who thought of and organized the whole tour, to Ian who built all the demo obstacles, to Andrew who took care of the bike shop while Chris took me around, to Karl and John who both took a week of holiday to help set up and tear down, and drive the trailer; Chuck, Tanya, Gabe, Andy, Woody, and Steve for also helping with set up, Jeff at the snow bowl for helping with the Opera House venue, and Kaarie and Hayden who hosted us at their house; hopefully I didn’t miss too many names! The capacity of these Mainers to give their time for this tour was incredible; and I think it ultimately says a lot for a community that is willing to put others (in this case the students of the schools and cycling enthusiasts) ahead of their own needs that brings a community together, and ultimately creates a friendly neighborhood where good things can happen. For instance, it was rare that I saw anyone lock their vehicle, even if it had a bike in the back. The pace of life is rather laid back in mid coast Maine, yet everyone certainly knows the value of hard work. No trip to the Maine coast is complete without eating some local lobster, so Chris got the whole crew together for a cook up, very nice!!

 

I arrived home last night, (Caryn and I counted six Starbucks from gate to gate during our layover in the Chicago airport) and now sit in a hotel after a seven hour drive up to Revelstoke, BC, where I start the next week of schools which will consist of nine T.O.L. presentations and one bike shop show, whew!!

 

Go Barak, Peace Y’all,

 

Ryan

Hey Folks,

Had a couple fantastic school shows in Maine, so much enthusiasm with all the students and all the volunteers helping make this tour happen. Went out to the beach in Rockland today with Ian, ‘the’ local trials rider, and I was blown away, world class granite rocks with endless lines. A couple blown spokes and a lingering cold ended the session, but I’d love to go back sometime. It was refreshing to get out and ride rocks, especially by the ocean, the Atlantic ocean!!

On a different note, check out my friend Jack Christie’s new website, he is a fantastic media man, whether writing articles on the active west coast lifestyle, or profiling people and athletes who love to play in the outdoors, he does it with charm and sincerity. His new book “Best Weekend Getaways” is worth checking out if you live on the West Coast; Jack, along with his wife Louise, write from experience, so it is sure to be hit.

As Jack always says, “Take it easy, but take it!”.

Ryan

My new friends at Bikesenjava in Maine have gone all out for my demo tour. I put together a little video of the obstacles they made for my visit because they are just amazing, right down to the details. If you live in the Maine area, please do come out to the public show they have organized on Saturday.

I am in Rockland, Maine with my wife Caryn, a bit of a long day to get here. Started at 4am, got to the airport, checked in, paid through the nose for my bike as usual, proceeded to customs, they pulled me aside because my travel plans were suspicious, they questioned me for about 30 minutes, finally got out, and proceeded to get the full security check feel down and bag search, then finally we rushed to our flight that was actually departing 25 minutes sooner than on our original schedule. Starving on the plane we ordered the only food they had which was a dodgy ’snack pack’ and a ‘right pack’ of pre packaged food, along with some tepid tea. With an hour long layover in Chicago that turned in to a 5 hour layover, we finally arrived in Maine and amazingly our patient ride, the owner of BikesenJava, Chris Christie and his son Hayden, were still there waiting for us. A typical travel day!

Yesterday was a blast at John Henry bike shop in North Van. I did a show, but the highlight for me was racing an ‘88 Norco Rampage in Jay Hoots dual speed stunt course, good times! Jay, you put on an awesome event buddy!!

More from Maine soon, should be a fun week of shows!!

I have just arrived home after a month on the road, a fantastic month of shows that took me through Northern BC, down to California for the Sea Otter Classic, across to Toronto for demos at The Green Living Show, then finally to Ottawa for a shop show. After mixing in some very early morning photo shoots, breakfast TV shows, and late nights, and not enough yoga, my body decided it had had enough, so now I am at home in bed, sick with either bronchitis or pneumonia, and strep throut. Have you ever gone through an exceptionally busy time and right at the end, when all commitments were done, got really sick? Our bodies way of giving us a forced rest.

For me though, it’s tough, this rest is short lived, I have to pick up my trailer and get ready to perform on Saturday. Hopefully the antibiotics kick in in time, because it’s hard to cancel a show that is being advertised on the radio, and in the newspaper, some people make an extra effort to see me, and I have known people that travel a fair distance to do so. Even if it is just one person, or one kid that is bummed, that is enough for me to grit my teeth and make it happen. One worry is being contagious, but as I understand, after two days of antibiotics, people around me should be in the clear; or is that an old wives tale? Robin Coope, hopefully you can come announce for me buddy, like the good ‘ol days where you couldn’t get a word out of my mouth!

So the last demo in Ottawa  (well technically Gatineau), my symptoms were starting to show. The weather was cold, but clear, and I had been up at 5am in Toronto, to get a photo shoot in. Of course traveling to the shop, and eating nothing but ‘Timmies’ and ‘Coffee Time’ didn’t help with my health. I then started setting up my old demo structures which live out in Toronto. I was at this shop last year with my ‘nice’ western demo set-up, so as far as the look and flash, it’s a step down. Managed to muster off the show, sign a whack of posters, and all was good, and my petty worries about performing on my old stuff was a non-issue. Friendly folk there, even took me out to Dinner, thanks JF!

Once I muster enough energy, I have a little video tour edit of the Green Living show to post, I was so excited to have been a part of that event, and wanted to share some of it with you.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out over the last month, couldn’t do these tours without all the great people along the way. 

Nice!! 

Ryan

 

Just some video clips from my recent Northern BC Tour….I’m now southward bound (in a hotel close to Portland) on my way down to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA.

 

BC is such a beautiful province! On this tour I have performed eight Trials of Life presentations in Smithers, Houston, Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, and Prince George; I have one more tomorrow in Kamloops before I have to start heading down south to California for the Sea Otter Classic mountain bike event in Monteray. 

I had a six hour drive today, and was listening to my ipod on random, and thought I’d bring up a certain phenomenon both my wife Caryn and I experience. We’re both convinced it does not perform a true random; if a certain artist is played, it seems to more often than not ‘randomly’ select the song that we most often play from that artist.  Anyone else notice this?!

Judging by their youtube views, you may have seen the Flight of the Conchords, if not, check this vid out for a laugh.

 

 

 

I have officially been added to the David Suzuki Foundations Play it Cool campaign.

I am completely responsible for the large amount of CO2 being emitted in to the atmosphere because of my travel schedule. Buying carbon offsets is a way to neutralize this CO2 by preventing the same amount from being emitted elsewhere. Reducing is always the first priority, but after that offsetting has emerged as an invaluable step we all can take for a healthier planet.

Last year I offset over 30 tonns of CO2, and for the 2008 season I have pre offset 25 tonns. This essentially makes my travel emissions neutral.

I wrote a blog post recently exploring the responsibility of traveling for work, called “is the footprint of my career justified”.