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Posted by on Jun 15, 2015 in Featured, Features, Home Sweet Home | 1 comment

Comparing two homes: Smith Rock and Costa Blanca, Spain

Comparing two homes: Smith Rock and Costa Blanca, Spain

By Aimee Roseborrough Currently, I have two “home crags” – Costa Blanca, Spain, and Bend, Oregon. Four years ago, my husband and I moved to Bend and built our “forever home” but last year, while visiting Costa Blanca, we fell in love with the region. We decided to live in Spain for 6 months with our two daughters. These two crags share some traits and differ on others. First, let me tell you about Costa Blanca. The Costa Blanca coastline undulates between Alicante to the south and Valencia to the north. Virtually unknown to Americans, we stumbled upon miles of small limestone crags in this area. The rock drips with tufas and ranges from mildly to drastically overhanging. The routes are gymnastic and powerful. The approaches range from roadside to 20 minute hikes. Grades start at 5.5 and go up to 5.14c. The highlight of the area is the sport climbing, but trad and multi-pitch climbing does exist. Armed with a bit of Spanish and a respectful demeanor, we...

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Posted by on Jun 8, 2015 in Featured, Features, Home Sweet Home | 0 comments

Entranced by the North Shore

Entranced by the North Shore

By Taryn Phaneuf I moved to Minneapolis for college, where I never got into local music or art or food. It just wasn’t a priority. A couple years into my schooling, however, I started escaping with friends to the state’s North Shore to camp, hike, and (eventually) climb. The state’s rocks and trails were fundamental in my climbing orientation and introduction, and climbing became a way for me to spend more time outside in beautiful country. Minnesota is known for a lot of things, but not rock climbing. It’s there – has been since the 1970s – and loved by many people, but it’s not like Kentucky (where I lived for two years) where the average person has never climbed, yet the Red River Gorge is famous. The time I spent there climbing and hiking changed my life. At the time, I was pursuing a high-stress, never rest version of my career, and during my time in Minnesota’s wild places, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted. I would...

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Posted by on Jun 3, 2015 in Featured, Features, Home Sweet Home | 0 comments

June: Tell us about home

June: Tell us about home

It seems only fitting to start our monthly features with introductions. At Rock Climbing Women, we hope to meet people that live and climb all over the world. Destinations offer new glimpses into the sport, but I think we can agree there’s a difference between a place you travel to and a place you know. For the month of June, we hope to feature stories of those places you know. You don’t have to be an expert or impress us with beta – unless you want to. You don’t even have to live there any more – unless you do. How does that place make you feel? What does it make you remember? What hooks you? Is it the people, the views, the quality, the variety? You can tell us about accomplishments, discoveries, route-setting, falling, leading – anything you want as long as your story centers on the place you call home. If you have questions about submitting, start by visiting our contributors page. If you already get the gist, just fill out...

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