ABS 14 Regional Championships
Satureday, December 8, 2012
Region 503 - New England East

WHERE
MetroRock North - Newburyport
40 Parker Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
978.499.7625

This past weekend Newburyport hosted the second round of the Dark Horse 2013 series and it was a doozy!

The walls were hopping, the chalk was flying and the climbers were all super psyched by the energy in the room. In the end, the field was narrowed down to 16 Young Gun finalists and 9 men and women in the pro finals. The crowd stuck around to watch the drama unfold as the finals problems presented some stiff challenges. Men’s #2 went unfinished by all the competitors while only the winner, Josh Levin, flashed #3. Meagan Martin sailed through the women’s finals in dominating style—not bad for her first Dark Horse!

Final results for this comp, and all others, can be found here. While you’re there, register for next months round in Everett on December 15th!

On December 1st in Everett, Urban Peaks will be hosting it's second annual Climb-a-thon, the Climb for Kids. Last year was a great time--a bunch of hearty climbers did as many routes or problems as they could in 6 hours while the Urban Peaks folks cheered them on and fed them pizza and snacks. Each route counted for points based on height and difficulty and the more they racked up, they greater their achievement. Like a charity run or walkathon, sponsors pledged a dollar amount for each point, route or foot of elevation gained.

This year's event will feature the same format but with a few fun side activities to keep things interesting. A couple of the staff have volunteered to set up a "floor is lava" style obstacle course in the back. We're not sure what it will look like yet, but we know it will be super fun! Imagine traversing into rope swings to the slackline to a rope ladder back to the wall, which is covered in the biggest, craziest holds we have. Yeah, it's going to be a wicked good time!

To take part, see the Urban Peaks website for information. Start lining up your sponsors today and get your lava boots out of storage!

We’re busy with a whole bunch of things lately and a lot of those things get photographed. In those photos are a lot of you. I think you might want to know how to access these pics so please pay attention.

The first stop should be the galleries page on the MetroRock website. Here you’ll find a lot of stuff from comps, events and camps over the years. Speaking of comps, the Dark Horse website has a gallery page of it’s own so that might help you narrow things down. Finally, there’s the facebook page for the gym which will keep you up to date on when new pics are posted, random shots taken and posted for various reasons or for very little reason at all. Feel free to tag yourself or your friends in them if you’re in the shot.

We thank all the photographers who contribute to our galleries. Some of them are on staff who dabble on the side. Others are pro photogs who dabble with working at the gym on the side. And still others are outside folks who just love photography, climbing and the wonderful things that happen when those two passions meet.

Strange, isn't it that there aren't any pictures included in this post? Too bad I'm not a photographer myself!

Come to MetroNorth on Nov. 10th between 4pm and 10pm and join the Urban Peaks fund raiser.

The 4th season of the Dark Horse Series kicked off last month in Everett with a crazy amount of strong climbers, sick problems, roaring crowds and folks from age 4 to 40 something kickin’ butt. Local Vasya Vorotnikov and out-of-towner Isabella Faus took the big prizes home in dramatic fashion in front a roaring crowd while climbers of all ages took prizes at every level.

Did you miss it? Don’t worry, there are still 3 rounds left and the grand prize is still up for grabs. We are beyond happy with the way this comp has become such an event in the local and regional climbing scene. In addition to a bunch of regulars who know our walls from countless sessions in our gym, we saw some big names travel a long way to compete. In fact, there was a French Canadien team that made the trek, filling the air with “allez!” and giving the event a cool international With so many climbers competing for prizes, for pride and to challenge themselves, it’s a great vibe and a fun way to spend the day.

The next round will take place in Newburyport on the 17th of this month. That’s almost a week away! After that, we’ve got round three on December 15th and the big finale in January, both back in Everett. This thing has been gaining momentum since it started 4 years ago, we can’t wait to see what will happen this year!

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana- Pigeon Pose

If tight hips limit your high stepping, pigeon pose is a perfect addition to your climbing routine and yoga practice. Pigeon pose stretches and lengthens the deep muscles of the hips and hip flexors. A deep hip opener such as Pigeon Pose may feel intense, so make sure that the body is warmed up before moving into this pose. There are plenty of variations of Pigeon Pose for the beginner to advanced student. Take it step by step and with patience, Pigeon Pose may just become a welcoming and inviting place.

The results are in for the 3rd Annual Blackout Boulder Brawl! And here is a highlight reel sure to wet your appetite for the DarkHorse in Newburyport on November 17th.

Between now and mid-January, we will host a bouldering competition at one of the two MetroRock gyms every 2-4 weeks, a total of 5 events in 4 months. Unlike a racetrack or an arena, where the playing field need only be maintained, a climbing competition requires a whole new set of challenges each and every time. We set all new problems--everything from the v0s for the novices to the v10+ for the pro finals—for each event. Wiping the slate clean gives each comp gets its own set of routes or “problems” to insure that climbers have something new to work on. If you estimate 10-15 holds per problem and about 75 qualifying problems and 18 finals problems per event, that’s more than a thousand holds which need to be taken down, washed, put back on the walls, tweaked, tested and repositioned before we’re ready for competition.

It may just look like plastic bolted to an angled wall, but putting the right hold in the right place is an artful craft. It is a labor of love brought to you by a team of chalky warriors armed with sick beta, twisted notions and power tools. The work begins the weekend before each event when the boulder areas get stripped and prepped for the new sets.

Bakasana- Crow Pose

If you're interested in taking flight and venturing into the exciting world of arm balances, Bakasana is one of the most beloved and accessible arm balances for new practitioners. I like to think of Crow Pose as the foundation upon which other arm balances are built. Once a student understands the mechanics and balance in Crow Pose, other arm balances become more accessible. For more advanced practitioners, there are plenty of fun transitions to play with like Crow to Headstand or Crow to Chaturanga.

To begin, come to Malasana (Yogic Squat) to set up.