CODY SHIMIZU

A look into my life, a journal to look back on, a blog for others to see.

Finally! I had a weekend off, the entire month of August I was pretty much working except for the Sunday, Monday weekends I had. So it was nice to have a full weekend off right before school started. I had been looking forward to this weekend for a while now since meeting up with my old co-worker Wyatt a little while earlier he had told me that he’d be in Canmore this weekend as well rock climbing. So the plan was made, the last weekend before school started I’d be checking off another thing from my summer bucket list, rock climbing outside.

Saturday morning, I drove down to Bragg Creek from Edmonton, since I was racing in the afternoon I didn’t have to wake up too early. It took me a bit longer then I had hoped for and I rolled into the venue less than an hour from the start. I quickly signed on, changed into my kit and spun around to warm up. I had been feeling a bit under the weather the last week, but I felt pretty confident. I was hoping the interval sessions I had been doing with the YegCX group (organized by the amazing Robin Baillie) would show. Unfortunately for me since there was a cyclocross race on Sunday in Edmonton not many people showed up for provincials. As the commissaire yells GO! We sprint off the line, I managed to have a decent start sitting mid pack going into the first climb. Now, I hadn’t raced in Bragg Creek in close to 2 years but as I was going far too much into the red trying to keep up with the group I was in I remembered how this course is pretty much a big climb to the half way point of the course, then a big descent to the line. Not even half way up the climb I got dropped fairly quickly. As my legs tried pedaling in agony I just couldn’t keep pace. I had slowed almost to a halt it felt like. By the time I crested the climb I was dead last, very far off the back.

The descent was the only thing that kept me riding, oh and the $100 race entry fee. For the rest of the race I just rode solo, 6 laps, 1hr 45min of solo suffering. It felt pretty demoralizing to be riding solo so far off the back. But my legs just didn’t have it and I had tomorrow to look forward to. At least I didn’t get lapped. Wasn’t the confidence booster I was looking for going into cyclocross season. Note to self, half ass training doing intervals once a week does not work.

The next day was what I was really looking forward to, I just slept in the back of my car at Heart Creek parking lot, woke up, made some ramen in the back of my car with some awkward gazes coming from hikers going into the trail. I met up with Wyatt and Ryland. I was super excited. Since I took a rock climbing course as part of my degree in the spring and doing a lead climbing course I’ve been itching to get out climbing, but I just didn’t have anyone to take me out and show me the ropes (literally!).

My very first climb was on a 5.9 route called Riparian P1, it felt a little awkward but mostly badass climbing with all of the quick draws hanging from my harness. Wyatt gave me a quick rundown on how to safety rappel after I’d reached the top and clean the route to not risk losing any equipment. Climbing outside was a completely different world, I spend half the time just feeling out the rock trying to find good holds, unlike climbing inside they aren’t neatly coloured for you to pick out. I’ve climbed a few 5.9 routes inside before but it felt much harder climbing outside. More technical, more physical. When I got to the crux of the climb I remember all my weight was on a fairly small left foothold and my leg was just shaking absolutely uncontrollably. It was a weird mix of being scared, excited, and adrenaline just pumping through your body. I managed to flash the climb and made it down safely.

For me the highlight of the day was the next climb I did at the very far end of heart creek called Late Shift (5.10a). The route was 30m the max limit for our 60m rope, the route also required 14 quick draws but we only had 12 on us. I decided to skip the first 2 draws, well not completely, I clipped in for the crux move right by the clip and then just clipped right out afterwards. I was on the wall for a good 45 min, with lots of rest here and there it was absolutely exhilarating! At one point, there was soo much rope drag that I felt like I was doing squats at every foothold just to pull the rope through. Reaching the top felt amazing! I was incredibly stoked!!

After we set up a top rope on a small section of rock which had around 4 routes 5.9 and 5.10 we got in a few more climbs. It was awesome to be climbing on real rock. We hiked out as the sun dipped behind the mountains. We decided to go to Domino’s for some dinner and brought it upto the quarry to eat by the lake. The sky was clear and it was absolutely beautiful. The next morning we had talked about doing a quick climb or a hike before I had to drive home, but it was absolutely pouring rain so I ended up driving home, only after a quick stop in Calgary to check out a café called Philosafy.