This is kind of a cool part of MRG. There are two routes side by side that are just about mirror images of one another.
Category: Maine Rock Gym
Maine Rock Gym is located in Portland Maine. They have bouldering and top roping available indoors. Walls heights are estimated between 12 and 25 feet. They have approximately 20 ropes inside the gym.
5.9 | Purple (MRG)
This is the first attempt on a new route and what a fun one it was. It started out with a left lean on one of my least favorite holds. Its three small holds to the first solid jug. Read more
5.8 | Routeless (MRG)
This unmarked route starts a bit tricky but it is smooth sailing all the way to the top after the first two holds. This was as much fun the first time around as it was the second. A great warm up if ever there was one.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:27 — 197.6MB)
V3 | Orange (MRG)
I was working on this problem at the same time as two other people but didn’t top out first. The problem is pretty straight forward up to the last two moves. Read more
5.9b | Purple (MRG)
This route quickly became known as the jerk route. The name fits because it is right next to the white witch route with similar attributes and frustration. It probably took 20 attempts before I “nailed” this one down. Read more
V4 | Purple (MRG)
Not sure what is up with all the purple routes lately but they’ve brought me some luck. Tonight I climbed my first ever V4. Since it is my first, I’m not sure how accurately it is rated. Read more
V1 | Purple (MRG)
After nearly two weeks off climbing, it was time to get back on the wall. This is a new route on the bouldering pillar. Read more
5.11b | Black (MGR)
Even though this route is likely over rated, I’m still calling it my best ever for the time being. Read more
V2 | Black (MRG)
Nailed this one first try out of the gate after a boulder reset. The black routes in this corner are always tricky balance problems. This one starts with a hard left lean but once you get your center of gravity up and over the center, it is pretty straight forward.
Podcast: Download (137.7MB)
5.10c | Green (MRG)
This 5.10 is my most difficult climb to date. I practiced the beginning a few times but was never able to get my right hand on the small yellow to time out the rest correctly. The result is a wacky hang change above the transition. I was surprised I made that honestly.
Podcast: Download (287.0MB)
V3 | Green (MRG)
I just had a really great night at the gym. If you’ve seen some of the earlier posts, you know that I’ve struggled with the current MRG bouldering set. Read more
5.9d | White (MRG)
You may have noticed a few videos starring Brandon. Well for weeks now, we’ve had a nickname for this white route. This is a clean show, but lets just say it is five letters and rhymes with ‘the twitch’. Time after time we both tried it and both failed. Usually in the same spot. Last week, this route broke Brandon’s new beaner. Well he has since defeated it, but until today, I hadn’t had a chance to send this mean old bitty.
Podcast: Download (264.0MB)
V3 | Teal (MRG)
This route was taunting me. There were two dudes watching me try this and watching me fail this route. I caught two fails on camera and about six off camera. Read more
5.9c | Arthur Page (MRG)
This route is a tough one in the back corner that requires a lot of wall play and lateral movement at the bottom. Once you get up to the transition, it’s a quick grab of a few small chips and then you’re at a solid top hold. For about a week, Read more
5.9d | Arthur Page
This was a bit of a technically tricky clip. I succeeded on the fourth attempt but the beginning part of the video was corrupted so I had to borrow footage of the first three holds from a before failed attempt. You should notice a different belayer at the end from the beginning (Thank you Scott and Brandon). At 975 (5.9+), this is to date the technically most difficult climb that I’ve attempted.
Podcast: Download (305.7MB)