Yesterday, Kevin and I had to drive over to Cody, Wyoming to meet with our tax professional (it’s that time of year). To make the day completely worth our while, we of course set up a bouldering date with a bunch of friends, some (Mike, Meg and Clint) who call Cody home, plus a couple, Christine and David, who will be calling our house in Ten Sleep home for the next few months. I realized before we left that it’d been two years (!) since I last touched the fine sandstone that Cody has to offer — two years too many, actually.
Despite the colder turn of the weather (it had dropped about 20 degrees from the day before) and the classic nasty-Cody-cold wind, we enjoyed a fine day down at the wind-sheltered Carcass crags. Mike sent an eight-year V8 project of his, which was awesome to see, and despite my continued jet lag and lack of full energy/try-hard (I just got back from a two-month climbing trip to Spain), I sent a Cody classic that I’ve never had the guts to top out before called Learn to Swim (V4).
About Alli
Stats
Height: 5’6”
Birthday: September 14th, 1974
Current Location: Ten Sleep, Wyoming
Day Job: Writer / Climbing Coach
Years in the Game: Since 1992
Personal Blog: http://www.allirainey.com
About Me
I started climbing at the end of my senior year of high school, in 1992. We laughed at my friend, Dave, when he bought one of the first bouldering pads ever made for the mass market, maybe in 1993 or 1994. I think it was called The Spot and made by Black Diamond. Still, I bouldered early on in my climbing at a couple little areas in Rumney, as well as at Hammond Pond in Boston. It just wasn’t a sport unto itself quite yet in the eyes of the climbing community at large.
Years later, I’m still a sport climber at heart, but I spend at least four months almost every winter bouldering. It’s a welcome break mentally, it’s easier to stay warm, its way more social, and it’s a great way to build explosive power and train dynamic movement.
In my other life, I’m a professional writer. I write whatever people pay me to write. It’s not very glamorous, but its fun and a great activity for rest days. I also read a ton, with no particular bias except that it has to be interesting to me and of decent quality. I’m totally okay with putting a book down after 50, 100, or even 200 pages if I lose interest. Life’s too short and precious to fritter it away on self-imposed tedium. I like to cook, and I meditate almost every day. My favorite people to climb with are the ones who laugh the most.
