I returned from a short climbing trip to Joshua Tree, CA with my friends Brigitte and Szu-ting. 20 years ago I used to be a good slab climber, able to trust my feet on the smallest most insecure footholds and competently run it out to the next bolt. This past week in Joshua Tree, even though I climb several number grades harder than I did 20 years ago, I found that I had lost most of my slab climbing ability. Even with my super comfy and sticky Evolve Defy SE and edge climbing masters the Pontas lace up shoes I couldn’t trust my feet. Too much overhanging Maple Canyon cobble grabbing and Momentum gym routes has reduced my footwork to that of first year climber it seems.
Luckily my crack climbing skills have not suffered the same fate as my footwork and I enjoyed the crisp jams of several JT classics