Social climbers: a party at Vertical Dreams

Newformants kicked off the third quarter of 2009 with an outing to Vertical Dreams, an indoor climbing facility in Manchester's Mill District. Here's how it looked through the eye and camera of Bob Batcheler:


Front row, kneeling, left to right: Scott Bradley, Joe DiCicco, Dana Beck, David Dark.
Middle row: Christine Kallock, Alan Bachman, Alan Gifford, Brigid McGowan, Vic Sanchez, Joe Cornaglia, Randal Embrey, Lorenzo Gigliotti.
Back row: Todd Kozikowski, Tim Bates, Zak Ruck, Dan Conery, Jeremy Williams (partially obscured by Vic), Bradley Hartnagle, Mike Sabol (in the dark blue shirt), Steve Burri, Tony Page.


The session starts with technical and safety training by Vertical Dreams staff.


Dan Conery watches Todd Kozikowsky practice lateral movements. The wall is low enough to permit climbing without a belay rope.



In this picture, Batch conveys what it can feel like to walk across a wall instead of on the floor. Here, Todd and Dan watch Vic Sanchez make his way across the wall.



Randal Embrey takes to the wall, with Alan Gifford on belay.


Tony Page starts his ascent.


Jeremy Williams and Dana Beck go for the ceiling.



A balcony affords a top-down view.


This perspective of Alan Gifford's climb gives a feeling of what it's like to be up this high!


A view from the balcony.



The person holding your belay rope is the closest person in your life for a while.


Now, what is Todd doing with that rope?