Various Climbing Adventures

This post is a bit late but here it is none the less. We've been doing a lot of travel in the past few weeks between work and responsibilities and such. Some of the climbing has been here in the Utah Valley and some down south when the weather gets cold and snowy. It's always a deilema for me because I love to snowboard and when it snows I'm torn between riding the slopes or heading to the sun warmed rock of St. George. Watching the Olympics has only made things worse by making me want to quit my job and learn to shred the half pipe. But thats not realistic nor am I even close to Olympic standards but also because it means i'd have to quit climbing altogether and I love climbing way too much for that. I also LOVE to cook and invent awesome creations in the kitchen. Sometimes I feel like there is just never enough time to learn how to make the perfect ginger lemon creme cookie (my current cooking obsession). There are just too many adventures in life to follow so I try to find a happy medium and that way I'm able to enjoy as much as possible. Life's pretty fun right now and ultimately I'm a super happy girl:)

Besides if I'm listening to the right song and the snow is just right, what might appear to the casual observer to be only a foot of air as I pop into a jump to me in my fantastical memory was really a 360 board grab over the heads of no less then three punk kids at the terrain park!

Here are several random shots of our various weekends...

Most people enjoyed the Superbowl not too long ago, and we did as well but probably not in the same way. We have a wall in Rock canyon called the Superbowl wall and both Christian and I have several projects that we're both psyched to work on. Christian has completed 3 awesome 12a's and I have finished my first 11b since my tumor baby. Many more projects seem to keep popping up in this area so we might climb here for awhile.

Christian at the beginning of his send fest...

Rejoycing when he finishes!

Me.

Sometimes I get frustrated and make grumplepottamus faces... Bret likes to encourage me with his favorite phrase "Julie you just got to suss it out!"

Then I climb better...

and make happy, yet slightly sinister faces:)

Now if you look really closely just past Bret's face you can see the face of Rock Canyon. This odd shape in the side of the mountain always catches our eye so we took a picture of Bret imitating it. Can you see it?

Bret and I leaving Rock Canyon

Random day of climbing the Great White Icicle in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It's 6 pitches of awesome super stellar ice.

Here is our trip to St. George.

Contrary to popular belief making mean faces does in fact make you climb harder.

Bret.

Sometimes we get tired and need a break from climbing so we fly kites...

And shot some guns... we're in Utah it's part of the culture:)

And for evening entertainment Bret taught us how to make Sobe bombs! You drink a Sobe fruit drink and then fill the bottle with gasoline. You then light a fire and set the recapped Sobe bottle in the center of the fire. Stand back and enjoy the show! In both of these shots Bret is the one just to the left of the explosion. The rest of us all stood back much further.

This one is my favorite cause Bret is looking on with such excitement and awe.

Bret does Curry in a Hurry

Sunday evening Bret and I decided to do something exciting. We decided to make Indian food! I have attempted it in the past with some mediocre results but I knew that with Bret as my kitchen compadre we could not fail. We delved into some Indian cookbooks until our stomachs guided us to the perfect recipe.

We know that in the Indian culture cows are very sacred. And Bret and I agree that cows are sacred too... Sacredly Delicious! Therefore we replaced the lamb in this recipe for some good American Angus beef. The food turned out almost too good and we both ate entirely too much. We fell onto the couch slipping into a complete Indian food coma and contemplated our next Indian culinary masterpiece. We will make Tandoori Chicken Masala! How you ask? You don't have a Tandoori oven? These negative questions have no place in the Indian kitchen of Bret and Julie. We will find a way! But that will be another blog post. For now, take a gander at our recent creation... and let the salivation commence!

We toasted the spices and peppers first and then ground them up into a fine powder. Bret is stirring the spices.

Chopping onions can sure make you crazy!

The sacred beef has been added and things are smelling mighty fine.

The final product!

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Maple Ice Climbing

Maple Canyon is one of the coolest places to visit in the winter. On Saturday Morning we left bright and early to meet up with our friends in the Utah climbing club for some winter ice climbing. Maple Canyon gets some pretty amazing ice formations this time of year and if you strap on some Crampons and know how to swing an axe you can climb them. Climbing ice is really different compared to climbing rock but definitely a good way to get out some aggression as you swing the ice axe and pound it into the glistening frozen waterfalls.

Christian was a pro at climbing ice... that boy can sure swing an axe!

This was probably my favorite waterfall because it was just so pretty.

Swinging the axe... not quite as proficiently as Christian but I can hold my own!

Climbing all day sure takes it out of you so it's fun to relax and take a break with friends. Here we are all bundled up trying to look hard core.

This route just about killed me after I climbed it because it was just so long! I ran out of steam about three quarters of the way up which unfortunately is where the business section begins. The smile on my face is of course before I climbed it... after the climb I was laying prostrate on the ground making snow angels for awhile.

I even snuggled a really pretty dog!

Some animals don't feel the need to run away from me in terror:)

Christian is a goof ball!

Something about his face just creeps me out but it was cold so I drank from his cup... I survived and it was quite delicious.

Such a beautiful day!!