Mikey

Bio:

Mikey Williams is a full time climber and guide at the New River Gorge, his approachable personality and wit disguises his intense drive to push himself on the rock. His 8a.nu scorecard has become legendary. The entries, although meager in the shadows of the climbing elite, convey more about each ascent than most route descriptions in guidebooks. Mikey’s life as a traveling climber has changed a bit since he has vacated his dilapidated Vanagan for some attic space above the local bike shop at the New Rive r Gorge. There he has decorated the wood framed interior with a campus board and several skeletal reconstructions of animals he has found dead on the side of the road, which has earned him the nickname Roadkill.

Sponsors:

Climb It
Elissa Colley
Outdoor Research
Scarpa

Mikey Williams' Blog

Blog #4

The holidays always make me nostalgic. It's a time to reflect back. To think about rigs past, rigs present, and rigs future. It's uncertain what the future holds for us but there is one thing that has always been a constant in my life. Hunting gimmes.  READ THE FULL ENTRY

Blog #3

I couldn't help but notice that I am the weakest climber with a blog on the internet. I find this fascinating. So I asked myself: "Why am I the best climber I've ever seen?" It really is baffling. I share none of the traits of other good climbers. I can't do a one arm pull up, I rarely train, I can't climb v10 and I don't smoke weed. The answer my friends: Tactics. READ THE FULL ENTRY

Blog Entry #2 - The Red Tag

For those of you unfamiliar with the deeply embedded culture of the sport climbing underworld, a red tag is a way for a climber to lay claim to a piece of rock real estate. An insignificant chunk of rock is found, cleaned, bolted, chalked, and a red ribbon is attached to the first bolt. This is like a ‘no trespassing’ sign. It lets other climbers know that the route has not yet been redpointed by the prospective first ascentionist and that they should stay off until the route has been ‘opened’ to the public. READ THE FULL ENTRY

Blog Entry #1

Despite popular belief, midsummer is not the climbing season at the New River Gorge. It’s hot and so humid that chalked holds acquire a toothpasty consistency. It’s hard to breather on the hike in and out and even harder when you’re struggling to recover on a sloping, pasty jug halfway up Lactic Acid Bath. But if you can push through and climb a bit anyway, you’ll find yourself feeling double strong in the fall which is the actual good climbing season. READ THE FULL ENTRY

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