By Mark Anderson In my youth I made many work-based trips to Kauai, vacationed on Oahu a few times (including running the 1998 Honolulu Marathon), and even visited the “Big Island” of Hawai’i. I never made it to Maui despite strong recommendations from several friends. Earlier this month I finally made it. This wasn’t supposed…
By Mark Anderson The alarm sounds. I scramble to shut it off before I wake the kids. I grab my bolt kit and slink out of the house into the eerie darkness. After 45 minutes of driving I shoulder my bulging Crag Pack and trudge through the brush. My knees aren’t what they once were,…
By Mark Anderson When Kate and I were debating European vacation options last spring, a big factor in the decision was Via Ferrata. During our last trip (to France) I introduced Logan to the activity and it was one of the highlights of the trip. What I love about it is that it provides a practical…
Tuesday, November 6 2018, is Election Day in the United States. Please vote! In the last national election (in 2016), ~60% of eligible voters cast ballots. If you’re young, it gets worse–less than half of those aged 18 to 29 voted last time! Amazingly, it gets even worse! Tuesday’s election is a “Mid-Term” election, meaning the President…
By Mark Anderson As we wandered over the many passes and marveled at the gob smacking peaks of the Dolomites, I definitely got “the itch” to climb something big. I’ve become a true sport climber over the last decade, especially since my kids arrived, but it hasn’t always been that way. I was first drawn…
By Mark Anderson Last year I stumbled upon a rad little north-facing cliff I’m calling the Gaudi Wall (for famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi). In fact the wall is not exactly “little”, with pitches up to 38 meters. The rock is super high-quality Gneiss–I would argue some of the best in Colorado. I put in about 20 routes…
By Mark Anderson Now that I had figured out which characteristics to look for in Dolomite sport crags I was much more psyched for the upcoming crag days. One crag that piqued my interest is called “Rio Gere” and was merely 4 Km from our Condo in Cortina. Though the book raved about it, a quick…
By Mark Anderson Despite its staggering collection of world-class, bolted multi-pitch lines, the Dolomites aren’t known for sport climbing. In fact I’d argue the sport climbing in the Dolomites is pretty much completely unknown, evidenced by the heck of a time I had finding information about it when I first set out. But I…
Last night, the Rock Prodigy Training crew of Mark, Mike and Janelle Anderson stormed the Trango Social Media Headquarters and took the Trango Instagram hostage! Our plan is simple: over the next 10 days we will lay out a completely free, 8-week Introductory Training Program that will get YOU crushing at a whole new level…
By Mark Anderson In 2015 I crossed paths with prolific route-developer Tod Anderson (no relation). Tod has been a major player in Front Range route development for decades, but he is probably best known as the Devil’s Head crag patron—discovering countless crags, opening hundreds of routes, establishing positive relationships with land managers, replacing old hardware,…
The Rock Climber's Training Manual 