Hopped a Few Fences

It doesn’t matter if you’re a V2 climber or a V9 climber, at Stone we’re all just trying to lift each other up.

Blake (left), the author, with James, Kendall, and Miles in the Rock Palace of Stoke.

I came from a running background. I ran in college for a few years and dipped into triathlon a bit. After a hip injury and eventual surgery, I had to stop running. I had a feeling that I needed to be involved in something and a friend brought me into Stone back in February; ever since then, I've been hooked.

Prior to climbing at Stone, I’ve hopped a few fences, but that’s the extent of my experience. We didn’t have a rock climbing gym in Sarasota, my hometown. When I moved to Northeast Florida in September of last year, I started seeing them within the community. That’s probably been my favorite thing about climbing at Stone — the community. I’m sure that’s what everyone says, but that’s because it’s true. The countless friends I’ve made through Stone and just the positivity within the gym goes unmatched.

When you walk into the gym there aren’t cliques or groups that are formed, especially not based on grade. You’ll see V2 climbers climbing and socializing with V9 climbers, which is comforting and a cool thing to be a part of.

Blake in New River Gorge, deep-water soloing.

I’ve been on three outdoor trips since I started climbing; Rumbling Bald, Rocktown, and New River Gorge. My first trip was at Rumbling Bald and it was a change of scenery from the gym. The next trip I went on was to Rocktown with the Stone “Member Meetup”. That trip was a blast! We had a large group and just the location in itself was breathtaking. One of the best parts was being able to camp so close to the trailhead. New River Gorge in West Virginia was my most recent trip, and I went with my friends Grant and Tanner. The rocks were too wet to boulder but the deep-water soloing was a unique experience. Every trip has shown me climbing from a new angle and I’m grateful for that.

Getting accustomed to outdoor climbing in itself didn’t allow me to send anything worth noting my first time outside. That’s what your second trip is for, right?

As a new climber you don’t hear much about the pros. Those who have been in it for a while have their idols, while those who are just getting into climbing aren’t always as educated about the pro climbing scene. Ever since I got into climbing the people within Stone have been super welcoming and supportive. So guys like James, Chris, and Wes have become the ones I look up to. When you first get started you’ll notice that it’s easier to find people to look up to a little bit closer to home, especially when you’re seeing them on a daily or weekly basis. I think that’s the beauty of our Stone community, we’re consistently surrounded by people who want to see you stoked. Like I said before, it doesn’t matter if you’re a V2 climber or a V9 climber, at Stone we’re all just trying to lift each other up.

My number one recommendation for climbing in the gym is to get involved with a group of climbers with similar goals. Even though the Stone community as a whole is one unit, I have a group of climbers I’ll typically meet and project things with who really bring out the best in me. Shoutout to the 6a Tuesday/Thursday guys, Brett and Blake, and my evening send crew, Grant, Jordan and Tanner.

— Blake