I like exploring the mountains, and climbing is just a means to that end. The actual climbing part is fun but not the goal. Soooo remote, random, long, and in a cool place.
Hence my draw to obscurities and repulsion from yosemite (1.5 hours from where I sit).
Not that any of it ever mattered, nor that anything I have to say about what I used to do means anything…
For what it's worth.. to answer the question:
In the beginning it was anything crispy and slabby.
Then it was anything vertical and crimpy.
The it was anything with pockets.
And ended with outdoor multi-pitch solos, and indoor plastic yankin.
Holy Sh#t Edit:
Thin finger cracks too, which is weird because I have fat digits. Go figure.
I forgot to mention the constant love of the crack. How, in the right crack I felt like I could go for days. The good cracks never seemed long enough.
Ground up first ascent face climbing, followed by ground up first ascent long free routes, then first ascents of steep sport routes including carefully placing power drilled stainless anchors.
Offwidth is last on my list because I like to see what my feet are doing when I climb, and I like to move around in the air, rather than wiggle up a crack - sorry guys don't take it personal. Plus the gear's so damn clunky.
For some guys wide's a fetish, for me it's just fetid.
Give me the open face with perfect rock and a wild variety of features, thank you.
But to narrow it down I like climbing granite rocks with cracks in them!
4 more weeks of school until winter break....I'm going crazy!!!!!!! Then one more semester and then my ass is moving to the valley so instead of just thing about climbing all the time, I can climb all the time!!!
I am constantly on the search for the most fun 5.2d r/x on the planet.I mean seriously, who hunts for that kind of glorious FA? of course, I might need to actually travel. Or maybe climb. Jordan looks fun.
Let's see... definitely cracks... fist to hands. Chimneys, and easy OW (does that exist??? Ha ha!). Learning to make friends with face and slowly improving. Aretes and ridges, fer sure. But I like it all in general... sport, bouldering, plastic. All in it's context... and my given context at the time!
Then there are solid snow climbs when you know what lies underneath is tortuous scree and talus!
It is all good when shared with friends and family! Being in a beautiful place and sharing an experience with people you like is at least 1/2 of the fun of climbing for me.
That being said, I usually prefer plugging gear in cracks over clipping bolts, and prefer almost anything over runout friction slabs. I am just beginning to develop a fetish for the wide to go along with my crack addiction, so I would be remiss to leave out OW climbing from my list of favorites.
Let us know!