12 Month Anniversary - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**LostFarmboy** · 09-08-2009, 12:03 PM

Saturday the 5th of September marked 12 months since I left Australia for Canada.

I haven’t done too much touring around and sightseeing since I’ve been here, but that was never the purpose of this trip. Nope, the main purpose of this outing has been climbing, and of that there has been plenty.

Of the 368 days I have been in North America, I've spent roughly 150 of those climbing rock and/or ice with amazing people from all over the world.

This is what I came for!

So, here's to hoping the next 12 months are just as good (with climbing trips to Cuba, Colorado, and California in the planning, they may just be even better).

**simply_angelic** · 09-08-2009, 01:15 PM

Well since you came to Canada to climb, it's pretty sweet that you got to spend your anniversary climbing! (and with a pretty wicked TPunk if I do say so myself...

)

I'm pretty sure I already said this, but congrats!

**Dig** · 09-08-2009, 04:46 PM

On top of the world!

**offhegoes03** · 09-09-2009, 07:01 PM

Congrats! That's awesome to hear you are doing exactly what you want and are enjoying every moment!

**travelpunk** · 09-10-2009, 06:17 PM

Congrats! Are you working in Canada?

**LostFarmboy** · 09-11-2009, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simply_angelic

Well since you came to Canada to climb, it's pretty sweet that you got to spend your anniversary climbing! (and with a pretty wicked TPunk if I do say so myself...

)

Haha, it was the perfect way to spend the day!

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelpunk

Congrats! Are you working in Canada?

Yeah dude, I've been working for the last 7 months. I'll figure out how to do this without the need for work someday.

**mish99** · 09-11-2009, 02:43 PM

Congrats man! Sounds awesome, maybe one day I will get out there for longer than 2 months.

**TERI** · 09-11-2009, 06:48 PM

Congrats Mister!!!! i'm glad you're loving Canada so much!!! now come back to Toronto to visit so I can see ya again and this time we'll save more time for Niagra (without crossing the boarder), haha

**LostFarmboy** · 09-15-2009, 02:39 PM

Well, it is almost time for me to do a little more travel, so who knows, I may end up over that way again soon. If I do head back over that way, I'm pretty sure your digestive system would appreciate staying on the Canadian side of the border

**ScarlotteDorian** · 11-21-2009, 12:32 PM

Congrats!

I wanna hear more about the sh*t you've climbed dude. You don't really post alot about it. (modesty?) b/c according to your Facebook pics, you can climb some serious sh*t.

Are you ice climbing again this year? Last year when I first got into climbing and mountaineering, I thought it looked cool. Now that i've summitted a few glaciated volcanoes in the dead of night and hoping crevasses and as well as rappelling off of a few summits in snow and ice, i just think you're crazy.

Ice climbing looks tough dude. Saw a few people doing practice on huge crevasses at Mt Baker's Easton Glacier over the summer and they were using every inch of strength and will in their body to get up the ice. Much different then climbing rock.

So, what's on the agenda for the year? I'm dying to know.

**LostFarmboy** · 11-25-2009, 02:34 PM

Haha, cheers dude!! But, I don't climb anything too serious. Mountains are serious, rocks are usually pretty safe.

Yeah, ice climbing is awesome! It's technically and physically much easier than rock climbing, but requires some serious mental strength.

As for the lack of updates on here about what I’ve climbed, well, I mostly just do short technical stuff, so I didn’t think there would really be much interest. Mountains are impressive and exciting to everyone, but I figured cliffs less than 30m in height are really only impressive to climbers.

None the less, this year I climbed up to 5.11c trad, 5.12c sport, WI4+ ice, and M7 mixed stuff. I had a decent shot at getting 5.12a trad and 5.13a sport, but a finger injury stopped that idea. Outside of chasing grades, I was lucky enough to experience one of the best alpine rock climbing destinations in the world – The Bugaboos (BC, Canada). This has been the highlight of all my climbing. That place is amazing. I have just begun ice climbing again for this winter and the finger is holding up nicely, so I think I’ll be able to get up some reasonable ice routes before too long. Grades wise, I'm aiming for WI5 ice and M10 mixed before the end of the winter climbing season.

The climbing plans for the next 12 months are pretty uncertain. I had big plans for steep limestone sport climbing in Cuba, huge multipitch trad routes in California, difficult single pitch trad climbs in Colorado, and some long ice/alpine routes in the Canadian Rockies. But, this finger injury has put the brakes on these ideas. Also, there’s a chance I’ll be heading back to Oz fairly soon to go back to uni. If I head back home my climbing will be all about hard steep sport climbing and sea cliff trad climbing. However, in the coming couple of months I’ll be attempting to do some of the longer WI4/5 ice classics of the Canadian Rockies, with the ultimate goal being Polar Circus (700m, V, WI5).

And that’s about it.