Climbing 2014 08

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OFFICIAL

PARTN ER

A      n    d       r      e     s     M       a     r      i n           I       I       n     d       i a           n     C       r      e     e     k      I       C       r      a    c     k      A      t      t      a     c     k      5       . 1      1      F       .  M       a     r      m     s     a     t      e     r     

 D  L  O  B  B E  r   l le t. f  i   m .  w w w

 o n.  a  r u c t i  g a n u l  tr  G  t  s  n  o  L  c   n   i  X   r  r  u i  t e  G Á  / 1 0  a m e  i o n s r e q  V O  LP D Q  e.  i  9  d  l  L E ®  s i v e d u a  i n g s e s s  U Z K L F K D  e s i n o n  X IA  I R  c l u  a i n A  r o p  I   th e x  s f r o m t r  H F X W  LR Q  s e t w o  T R  i  w  E ,  T  p e  r a n g e  V R I H [  e s t h e  O S I  i c r o  i n  O P P  l e d y n a m t c l  im b i n g D Q F H I R F X 0  c o m b   1   a  r /  i   P  o  9  x  U  p  R   ia A T r  c a l  ib r e s  W K H S H U I  s i  te T R X   o  R  W  h  p    g  p  i  H  H  R S  T h e O  U  W  V .  U R E X  i s i d e a l  r o p e

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FLASH  THE  APPROACH

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Editor’s Note

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Letters Archives

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Re-Gram A season with Yosemite Search And Rescue.

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Off the Wall A band that climbs rocks and rocks out.

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GUIDE  26

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32

Advice Stylish car-living with dirtbag extraordinaire James Lucas. Epicenter North Conway, New Hampshire, and its many crags. Instant Expert Make laybacks a breeze with tips from Valley local Cheyne Lempe.

34 Training 10,000 feet of vertical and 19 miles in two days—no problem. 36 Nutrition Flavor and psych in a nutritious two-bite pie.

GEAR  39 Primer From cutting off circulation to cushy, the history of harnesses. 40 Big Review Treat your seat with this year’s best new harnesses. 42 Tested The latest gear obsessions from our testers. 43 The Kit Six key items to take every time you venture above treeline.

CLINICS  45 Begin Here Fear no alpine pitch with these rope-management tech tips. 46 In Session Don’t panic. Here’s what to do when your rappel rope gets stuck. 48 Guide’s Tip Get authentic flavor with these high-country cooking tips.

VOICES  51 Ask Answer Man What’s up with climbers’ hunchbacks? 52 The Wright Stuff An exploration of “Stanley style” in a remembrance of Sean “Stanley” Leary. 54 Semi-Rad Sloproping, and why you should feel guilty about it—or not.

  FLOW

88 TH E 

Cover photo by Thomas Schermer: Daniel Olausson takes in the morning light on Mon Gout (V9/7c), Förstasidan, Sweden.

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Ari Menitove laybacks a granite dihedral in classic style on The Power of Lard  (5.12+), Snowpatch

Spire, the Bugaboos, Canada.

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The High Life Everything is better above treeline, and that includes bouldering. High-country pebble wrestling has been on the rise for several years, and with crystal-clear lakes, dense forests, and talus aplenty, boulderer Alex Biale takes us on a tour of the five best alpine areas, from California to Wyoming.

70

Roped Up in Arabia The Middle East is a treasure trove of secret surprises, including the climbing oasis Wadi Rum, with its giant sandstone walls. Adventurer and writer Nancy Prichard-Bouchard reveals this vertical paradise with an in-depth look at the routes, the community, and the rise of climbing in one of the world’s most volatile regions.

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Editors’ Choice Classic There’s a class of gear that rises above the rest. As a matter of fact, some of us are still using models of belay devices and climbing shoes that originally hit the market more than 20 years ago. Here is a testament to those time-tested, muchloved pieces of gear that every climber should have in his arsenal.

Issue 327. Climbing ( USPS No. 0919-220, ISSN No. 0045-7159) is published ten times a year (February, March, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December/January) by SkramMedia LLC. The known office of publication is at 2520 55th St., Suite 210, Boulder, CO 80301. Periodicals postage paid at Boulder, CO, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Climbing, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast FL 32142-0235. Canada Post publications agreement No. 40008153. Subscription rates are $29.97 for one year of postal delivery in the United States. Add $20 per year for Canada and $40 per year for surface postage to other foreign countries. Canadian undeliverable mail to Pitney Bowes IMEX PO Box 54, Station A, Windsor ON N9A 6J5. Postmaster: Please send all UAA to CFS. Retailers: Please send correspondence to Climbing c/o Retail Vision 815 Ogden Avenue, Lisle, IL 60532-1337. List Rental: Contact Kerry Fischette at American List Counsel, 609-580-2875 kerry.fi[email protected] Climbing magazine is a division of SkramMedia LLC.

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MOST OF THE ACTIVITIES DEPICTED HEREIN CARRY A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH. Rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, backcountry skiing, and all other outdoor activities are inherently dangerous. The owners, staff, and management of CLIMBING do not recommend that anyone participate in these activities unless they are experts, seek qualified professional instruction and/or guidance, are knowledgeable about the risks involved, and are willing to personally assume all responsibility associated with those risks. ©2014. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without consent of the copyright owner. The views herein are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of CLIMBING’s ownership, staff, or management.

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FLASH 

Rob Pizem Datura (5.12-)

Zion National Park, Utah Climbing within a comfort zone is not something Rob Pizem is known for. As a matter of fact, he’s famous for the opposite: Wide cracks, scary runouts, rarely traveled routes, and bad pro are just a few of his fortes. This climb is no exception: “Choosing this route really was about picking something that I thought most climbers would avoid like the plague,” he says. This 900-foot route involves 400 feet of questionable and chaotic crack climbing followed by a 500-foot chimney filled with obstacles of all sizes and difficulties, including massive tree stumps wedged between the two walls. Yes, you read that right: 500 feet of an arboreal plant–filled chimney. Sound like fun? According to Pizem, many of the leover tree stumps are

8 |  AUGUST 2014

relics from Zion’s logging days, which date back to the 1850s, when they were tossed over the wall’s edge. This old aid line was established by Jim Beyer, who graded it 5.9 A2, a fact first ascensionist Pizem (along with Mike Brumbaugh and Andy Raether) didn’t discover until he rappelled the line and found old bolts deep in the wide crack. On that same day in March of this year, the trio managed the first ascent of another 900-foot line about 150 feet to the right, calling it Dr. Spaceman  (5.12-). Pizem says the best part about the route was “getting to free the two aid pitches without having to add any new protection to the route.” The worst part? “As with any new Zion climb, getting sand in your eyes while belaying.” Here, he frees the last pitch of Datura .

JEREMIAH WATT

CLIMBING.COM

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FLASH 

Frédéric Moix

(V8/7b) Bafa Lake, Turkey Arches of Time

Surrounded by idyllic olive trees and historic ruins, Bafa Lake is more than just a world-class bouldering destination. Due to its historical significance—it was a trading port a few thousand years ago—it was declared a national park in 1989, covering 65 square kilometers and home to at least 224 unique bird species. Many religious groups, including both weather-worshipping cults and Christian sects, made their homes here at different times, and each group has le

some trace of their existence. Coarse-grained granite boulders dot the landscape and intermingle with 2,000-yearold crumbling walls, and despite blocks that seem somewhat featureless, there are dozens of high-quality climbs. Frédéric Moix found and established this problem at the top of the hill: a 33-foot roof crack that splits the middle of this arching tunnel. “I was blown away when I saw it the first time, but it wasn’t so hard,” he says of giving it the 7b grade. “But it’s probably 7a [V6] for Americans because Europeans can’t jam!” PIERRE CHRISTE

Chris Sharma

Into the Light (5.14a) Majlis al Jinn Cave, Oman Aer you’ve climbed the most difficult features on the Earth’s surface, where do you look for your n ext challenge? Below ground. Despite focusing on two completely different climbing disciplines—alpine big walls vs. sport—unlikely partners Stefan Glowacz and Chris Sharma did exactly that in March of this year. What appears to be a large hole in the

ground on the remote Selma Plateau (which sits about 4,500 feet above sea level) opens up to a gaping maw of a cavern that drops 525 feet to the floor. Aer nine months of planning, training, and obtaining permits, the duo rappelled down and started working the climb. The route, appropriately named Into the Light , is 984 feet of climbing on quality limestone, broken into 13 pitches ranging from 5.13a to 5.14a. In this photo, Sharma climbs out of the cave on the last pitch, and while it looks

like crack climbing, Sharma says it was mostly face climbing. Even though the two had never roped up together, they got along famously. Sharma said that learning from Glowacz was one of the best parts of the adventure, and Glowacz praised Sharma, saying, “I am fascinated with the young generation. Most of all I am inspired by Chris because of his way of thinking about climbing and life.” RED BULL CONTENT POOL / KLAUS FENGLER

FLASH  Hayden Kennedy Tague Yer Time (5.12)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado Yosemite isn’t the only American big wall destination. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison in western Colorado features pegmatite-banded gneiss that plummets more than 2,000 feet straight down to the river winding through the canyon. The area is known for its steepness, hard climbing, tricky protection, wandering lines, and sketchy rock. Even its nickname, “The Black,” conjures up a sense of doom and intimidation. The Black is not a beginner-friendly area: Out of about 140 established routes (all trad), less than 30 are rated below 5.10, and even those are characterized by loose rock and diffi cult route-finding. This climb, named aer the late Cameron Tague, who established many routes in The Black and died climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park in July 2000, is 15 pitches, 1,500 feet, and clocks in at a solid 5.12. Here, Hayden Kennedy leads the stellar eighth pitch while Nik Berry belays. ANDREW BURR

FLASH 

Hazel Findlay Unknown Musandam Peninsula, Oman Despite a tricky political situation, Oman is becoming a hot spot for climbers itching for something new. A team with The North Face, including Hazel Findlay, Alex Honnold (pictured in the dinghy), and Mark Synnott, visited Oman to go crag-hopping by catamaran. With an estimated 100 miles of cliff line on the Musandam Peninsula in the Gulf of Oman, it’s no wonder that the group chose this region for first ascents and deep water soloing. Just because there’s a lot of rock doesn’t mean it’s good rock, however. The group experienced falling blocks and choss on almost every route they touched. One such climb chopped a cord that le group members Mikey Schaefer and photographer Jimmy Chin stranded on a cliff face high above the village of Sibi. Luckily, Synnott and Renan Ozturk were climbing nearby and were able to get another rope to them. JIMMY CHIN

Martina Cufar Potard

Arête Cosmiques (5.13b/8a) Mont Blanc Massif, France

Nothing like an alpine ridge approach to get to a 5.13 sport route! This route, which nine-time Slovenian National Champion Martina Čufar Potard nabbed the third ascent of, is on the Grande Gendarme, a tower that juts out of the middle of the Cosmiques Arête  ridge traverse, which combines snow and mixed climbing with a 5.8 rock crux. While this ridgeline that runs from the Abri Simond hut to the Aiguille du Midi-Vallee Blanche cable car station has been climbed since 1911, this route wasn’t established until 2013. Most climbers traverse around the Grande Gendarme, but Martina’s husband, Frenchman Nicolas Potard, made the first ascent in July of last year, with the French climber Victor Estrangin getting the second ascent. This isn’t the first route on the Grande, though; Digital Crack  is a 5.13b that runs directly up the middle of the spire. It’s famous for possibly being Europe’s highest 5.13 at 3,800 meters (12,467 feet). Although Nico graded the climb 8a (5.13b), his wife claimed that the high elevation and lack of holds made it feel much harder and more physical than Digital Crack . FRANCISCO TARANTO, JR.

T H E 

  A P P R O A C H   CONTRIBUTORS 

ANGIE PAYNE “The more I write, the more I see similarities between writing and climbing. I could easily obsess for days, if not weeks, months, or (gasp) years about getting tiny things just right,” says pro climber Angie Payne in regard to her essay on alpine  bouldering. As you’ll see on page 65, her obsession pays off. NANCY PRICHARDBOUCHARD Our longtime friend Nancy Prichard-Bouchard, Ph.D., is a prolific writer and former pro climber, based in Bend, Oregon. She was the executive editor of  Rock and Ice  in the early 1990s, during what she refers to as “its golden years,” and her byline has appeared in Backpacker , Men’s Journal , Outside, and  Playboy, among others. In this issue, she writes about the climbing scene in Jordan (p. 70). “It’s history in the making,” she says.

EDITOR’S NOTE 

Work for It BY SHANNON DAVIS

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 After rowing 1,000 meters for time and completing an unholy series of high pulls, back squats, curl-and-presses, pushups, Romanian dead lifts, and kettlebell slashers, the floor is splattered with the sweat-rain of eight exhausted climbers and skiers.  Workouts like these are a special brand of fun. I mean it; I love escaping my desk for a midday session that feels like a whole day’s worth of action packed into 60 minutes. It’s a blast. But there are better things. “Nice work, everyone!” says Connie Sciolino, owner and head coach at the Alpine Training Center, which is down the street from our Boulder, Colorado, headquarters. “Where’s everyone off to this weekend?” Answers range from late-late-season ski laps (it was a great snow year) to an area 10k to braving Boulder Creek Tyrols (likewise an epic snowmelt  year) for some multi-pitch trad. It’s these things, the activities that inspire and define us and our goals within them that truly matter, not a new one-round max. Training is fun, but it isn’t the end. It’s the means to an end of ticking new goals and growing as a climber. Senior Editor Julie Ellison and I will soon be heading to Wyoming’s  Wind River Range to attempt the Cirque Traverse, a link-up of each of the peaks in the Cirque of the Towers. Our specially designed Cirque Tra  verse training program starts on page 34, and it’ll get you on your way to  your alpine goal, too. Give me 50 burpees, then turn the page.

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KEL ROSSITER  A Washington state native, Kel’s first alpine experience  was an all-cotton ascent of 12,280-foot Mount Adams. He has since become an AMGA-certified rock and alpine guide, and now operates Adventure Spirit Rock+Ice+Alpine Experiences (adventurespiritguides.com). He’s also quite the high country chef. Get his best advice on tools and technique in “Alpine Cooking School” (p. 48).

Rocking out

“Sloproping”

Eating pie

Thriving up high

The world’s greatest fake glam-band climbing duo shows us a sure-fire way to have more fun (p. 20).

“On toprope, I will try that desperate heel hook, or huck for a hold above what would be a nasty ledge fall on lead. Why not? Might as well try some shit.” We usually toprope to work routes at our absolute limit, but darn it if Brendan Leonard’s perspective doesn’t sound more exciting (p. 54).

There are many reasons (p. 36).

From training for big objectives at altitude, to save-the-day rope tricks, to experience-based gear and cooking advice, to an in-depth look into one of climbing’s hottest trends (alpine bouldering), this issue is stuffed with ways to live the high life.

CLIMBING.COM

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UNSOLICITED BETA

MEMORY LANE Æ Your

May issue concerning Dennis Horning (“Dirty Dingus McGee and the Reese Mountain Gang”) brought back fond memories of the late 1960s. I was one of the four climbers who introduced Dennis to rock climbing in the Black Hills of South Dakota. My climbing friends (Tom Higgins, Bob Kamps, and Dave Rearick) and I were preparing for a first ascent of a modestly difficult pinnacle (5.6/5.7) when Mr. Horning appeared on the scene. His friendliness, engaging personality, and eagerness led us to invite him to join the climb. Upon reaching the summit, we  built a cairn and named the pinnacle—you guessed it— Horning In. —Mark Powell, Woodland Hills, California

 we’ll sell our house and move into a very small cabin. Even at 36 and with a 4-yearold daughter, it won’t be too late for us. Thank you tons for the extra nudge of inspiration. It’s never too late! —Tina LaDeur Carter, via Facebook

IN DEFENSE OF ZIP-OFF PANTS the author (“Ask Answer Man,” May) has never boarded a plane in 20° weather and landed in 90° weather. For traveling or the backcountry, I consider function over fashion. I save weight and space in my pack with two garments in one. Fast and light. Isn’t that what you guys are always touting? Wearing “manpris” in public has garnered stranger looks than my zip-off pants. —Comfortable “Dork,” via email 

DIRTBAG DREAMING

BIG MODERATES, BIG ADVENTURE

ÆCedar

ÆI likely do not fit the demographics the

Wright’s “Dirtbagging Is Dead” (July) hit home on many levels. I even got choked up at the end. It was inspiring without being too critical, and asked questions that made me think about my own life. I have never been a dirtbag, but I have always dreamed of it. My husband (a former dirtbagger) and I, own a little cafe (Red River Rockhouse) in the Red  where I feel like dirtbagging is still alive and well. Even though I am caught up in the rat race right now, I can live vicari ously as we help keep today’s dirtbags fed and sheltered by employing them. Soon

magazine was designed for. I’m 71, and I started climbing four years ago. I climb 5.9, and I’m beginning to break into 5.10. I climb for the fun, joy, and thrill of it, not to achieve any first ascents, super extraordinary challenges, or to spend my time working a “project.” The May issue had a great surprise in “Get that Freedom of the Hills: 7 Easy Routes for  Your Summer Tic k List.” What a joy for me to have moderate routes I can look forward to. —Roger Sweeney, via email 

KEEP IN TOUCH 

letters@c limbi ng .com

/climbi ngma gazine

@cl imbingmag

@climbingmagazine

OVERHEARD  “Who’s to say Mr. (Sean) McColl hasn’t been to Hueco before and tried these problems over and over until they are all b ut memorized? Wouldn’t this give him an unfair advantage? From now on, let’s keep it fair, and have rock c limbing competitions where they belong: gyms.” —Wesley Summers, on his blog Rock Climbing Life. The jury is still out on Summers’ authenticity. He may be the climbing world’s greatest troll yet. “Yeah, that’s popping up everywhere now. He’s famous for falling in a hole.” —Woman belaying in Boulder Canyon’s Sport Park, regarding the mainstream news coverage of John All’s crevasse fall and subsequent rescue. “I used to climb at Movement [climbing gym], but it just seemed too artificial.” —Boulder, Colorado, climber at a local brewery event, upset because his man-made climbing gym is too man-made.

18 |  AUGUST 2014

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ÆPerhaps

ARCHIVES  On The Cover An anonymous climber on Ben Nevis in Scotland. Photographer Rob Taylor would later achieve notoriety for an expedition that went awry with Henry Barber. The pair were attempting an ascent of the then-unclimbed Breach Wall   on Mount Kilimanjaro. Taylor suffered a bad break in his leg, requiring rescue. Barber hiked out to get help, leaving Taylor to wait—cold and alone on Kilimanjaro— for five days before help arrived. The story is recounted in Taylor’s book The Breach: Kilimanjaro and the Conquest of Self .

A Little Help from My Friends Today, spring-loaded cams are standard rack essentials. In 1978, cams, then called Friends, were brand new, and the jury was out on if they were awesome, or too  awesome. In this issue, Steven Levin and Jim Bridwell debated if the use of cams was cheating or a natural evolution of the sport. “The placement of a Friend takes much less time and effort than does the placement of a traditional chock. If you will agree with me that a major factor in doing a difficult crack climb is endur-  ance, and that climbing fast is of utmost importance, would not the use of Friends then significantly aid in the climber’s chances of success? Put into other words, would the climber be able to climb a certain pitch without the use of Friends? Is the climber relying on Friends to complete the pitch?” –Steven Levin  “[Levin] fails to see the sophisticated technology represented in nylon rope, wired stoppers, and EBs. Technology provides us with a safer, more enjoyable climbing experience. Friends are possibly the biggest technical breakthrough since the nylon rope. The door to a new realm of climbing potential has been opened up. They make a lot of climbs easier granted, but we move on.” –Jim Bridwell Le: A climber prepares for Mount Huntington wearing the standard Alaskan mountaineer’s uniform of 1978.

OBVIOUS LINES 

VIRTUAL DISCUSSION 

What’s your favorite piece of pro?*  A big, dependable cam Solid nut placement Other

Other: ÆCrashpad

Nylon runner around a natural feature

ÆBolt ÆHelmet

Tricam in a horizontal crack  Solid hex placement

Æ A

(No love for the hex)

strong hold but hexes

Æ Anything

35 *Source: Climbing reader survey. Join at climbing.com/readerpanel .

In our May 2014 feature “The Mentorship Gap,” Chris Noble links the rise of climbing gyms and a dearth of true mentorships with growing problems at the crags. While some considered the piece a rational look at a modern issue, others weren’t so sure. Read the full story at climbing  .com/mentors .

Comments

RE-GRAM 

YOSAR’s Cheyne Lempe (@cheynelempe) Those seeking to inhabit Yosemite through the climbing season spend their days find ing ways to subvert the park’s meager camping limit, but that’s not the only way to live in the Valley. The dedicated, fit, and experienced can enter the ranks of Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR). Cheyne Lempe (who also lends invaluable laybacking tips on p. 32) is one such individual. Here, he gives us a peek inside Yosemite’s elite rescue squa d.

Best to convince the gym kids that what they do is “real climbing.” Keep them stashed indoors. Gym-tocrag classes are a disaster in the making. Anyone who belongs outdoors will find their way there without a gym owner profiting off one more ridiculous class. Jed - 05/22/2014 5:27:56 I’ve been climbing since 1982. It is an absolute beer-spraying-out-yournose, pee-your-pants joke to say that climbers of any generation are good stewards of the land. Recreating outside does not an environmentalist make (e.g., snowmobilers, ATV riders). Ever since the dawn of the Access Fund, our cry has been, “Let climbers police themselves.” And ever since that day, we’ve made it very clear that we can’t—or won’t. Brian - 05/13/2014 12:43:23

“Ominous clouds whip around Mount Watkins and Tenaya Canyon the morning aer a large storm.”

“The big dogs lower over the edge during a very challenging El Cap rescue.”

“Nothing beats the exposed feeling during an El Rapitan mission!”

“Helicopter 551 prepares to land for a troop shuttle off the top of El Capitan.”

“No electricity, no water, no heat. An incredible, simple lifestyle in Camp 4.”

“Lying here either gives me relaxation or anxiety. As the season ends, all is calm.”

Professional climbing athletes are oen times the worst perpetrators, hogging climbs they’ve done hundreds of times, particularly if someone wants to point a camera at them, which seems to be all the bloody time. Their sense of entitlement stems from the fawning attitudes of the gear companies that sponsor them. As little climbing-gear mannequins, they infest the crags like Mountain Hardwear/OR/  Patagonia–clad pubic lice. Rob - 05/09/2014 3:23:15

CLIMBING.COM

| 19

OFF THE WALL 

Shred All Fear

BY KEVIN CORRIGAN

Mullets, mustaches, and mountains  We first learned of Shred All Fear from their video, “Moab Madness!!!” ( climbing.com/shred ). In it,

the “band” climbs Ancient Art with magnificent mustaches on their faces, masculine mullet wigs on their heads, and electric guitars on their backs. It’s ridiculous and amazing. When we reached out to Shred All Fear about an interview, they responded with this list of demands: 1. Everyone always wants to know about the thousands of nameless groupies we party with on tour, but we will NOT comment on our sexual adventures. Let’s be professional here.

2. Any mention of the words “mullet” or “mustache” will be preceded or followed by the a ppropriate adjectives, e.g., magnificent, glorious, overwhelming, sensual, masculine, etc. [ ed.: see above.]

3. If any exclusive photos are requested for the article, we will need you to fly Kenny f ***ing Loggins to us for the shoot. If Kenny is not available, Tom Cruise will do.

4. And finally, a mixtape of all of your favorite high school heartbreak songs we can jam to on the next tour!

Rex “BonerJamz” Mckenzie and Brock “Freedom Ain’t Free” Steel were nice enough to waive demands one and three, but the following interview was paid for with an eight-song emo CD plus postage.

Describe Shred All Fear for people that aren’t already familiar.Rex: If  you aren’t familiar, you must be living under a rock, because every body’s heard of Shred All Fear— Brock: [interrupts] A f ***ing goddamn rock! Rex: Shred All Fear is a climbing duo from Saturn, whose sole mission on Earth is to climb rad rocks, support the super stoke, and spread it throughout the solar system. And where are you currently based? Brock: We are currently held out in the Midwest, specifically Kansas City, Missouri, doing odd jobs so we can make money for the next trip. Tell us about your guitar setup. Brock: They’re two beater electric guitars, but instead of normal guitar straps, we put bolt hangers on each end, and then custom-sewed runners—almost like rabbit runners—to the guitars. It goes: bolt hanger, carabiner, rabbit runner. They’re full-strength. Rex: When we did Stolen Chimney (5.10) on Ancient  Art, we climbed everything with the guitars. I led the last pitch with a guitar. A hold broke on me on the corkscrew, and I took a really big whip. We decided that if we were gonna be jerks, we weren’t gonna be the  jerks who dropped a f***ing guitar on someone. That’s a popular route. Was there a big line behind you? Rex: We knew we were going to be assholes going slow  with the guitars. We got up super early and hiked up there really quickly to be the first ones out there. By the time we rapped down, the next parties were just starting. What’s it like whipping with a guitar on your back? Rex: Like any other whipper, you don’t really have time to think about it until you’re done whipping. We both  just kind of looked at each other, and my first thought  was, “Is the camera on?” And it wasn’t! Brock: I saw him getting kind of sketched out up there, so I turned the camera off and actually attempted to give him a good belay. 20 |  AUGUST 2014

Rex: I still think I would’ve preferred the camera being on.

Any plans to get a drummer? Rex: Our motto is that we’re two lead guitarists and that’s all you need. Brock: We’re battling for lead guitar. Can’t let the other one have full lead. What’s your craziest tour story? Brock: After topping out Ancient Art, we were hiking out toward the parking lot, and there was an H&M photo shoot. Twenty people and two models. The photographer flagged us down and said, “You guys have to come and shoot with these models.” And we’re like, “Yes!”  We’re not idiots. Rex: Brock walked straight up to the models, turned around, looked into the camera, and said, “Kiss my bicep.” The model, who’s been on the cover of GQ , acted as if she’d been waiting for this her entire life and kissed it.  And we got the photo. It was perfect. Any advice for our readers? Rex: In magazines and videos, you always see super-crushers, pulling V16—  whatever the hell that is—crimping on minuscule things, and you wonder, “Is this the only way?” We want to put it out there that climbing is not all about super-crushing; it’s just about going out and having a good time. If you’re doing desert towers, have a good time. If you’re going to the gym, have a good time. Put your ego aside, put on a mullet, and go climb. Brock: And just take guitars because  you’re gonna have way more stories to tell at the end of the day anyway. Rex: Your beer tastes a lot better when  you’ve been climbing with a guitar all day.  Follow the ongoing adventures of Rex and  Brock at shredallfeartour.blogspot.com.

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 VOLTA 9.2 Tie in to a new level of performance.

9.2 mm multi-standard lightweight rope.

The VOLTA 9.2, part of Petzl’s completely redesigned rope line, is the cord for the most demanding users. Lightweight yet durable, and rated for use as a single, half, or twin, it provides for exceptional performance at the crag and in the mountains. Learn more about our all-new line of ropes on www.petzl.com/ropes

UNBELAYVABLE! 

Scary (and true) tales from a crag near you Last weekend, I was climbing on a large ledge above the road in Boulder Canyon. A new trad leader started up an easy route. The  belayer was not anchored, which is forgivable since it’s quite a large ledge. However, after the leader placed his first piece, he started  bounce-testing it! —Abram Herman, via Climbing.com LESSON: Leave the bounce-testing to

aid climbers unless you down-climb to a safe place first. If the pro failed and the climber were lucky, he’d deck on the ledge. If not, he’d fall past the ledge, yank his belayer off with him, and they’d

don’t put all your weight on it. You don’t

technique to know for rolling but still “no-

want to rip it—and yourself—off the wall.

fall zone” alpine terrain. A good hip belay is all about stance; your legs absorb a fall’s impact. If you’re standing casually, a

Two climbers were on  After Seven (5.8) in Yosemite. The leader started climbing, but the belayer was talking to some girls. When he was 15 feet up, the belayer sauntered over and put the rope around his back. He was attempting to hip belay, but he wasn’t braced against anything. My friend and I asked, “Why are  you hip belaying?” He shot back, “Because we’re old!” They were no more than 35. The kicker: he had an ATC hanging from his harness. —Billy SLC, via Climbing.com

both plummet down onto the street. If there’s any chance a fall will be bad

LESSON: Hey, 35 isn’t old! It’s defi-

news for your belayer, then he should be

nitely not old enough to use hip belays

anchored. It’s certainly good to test pro

by default, since the first belay devices

and lock it in place with a solid yank, but

came out in 1970. The hip belay is a good

fall would pull you out of your stance and

rap off. Instead, they found they couldn’t reverse it and were stranded 800 feet above the ground. —Hanina Kali, via Climbing.com

rip the rope from your hands. Sit down, brace your feet against something sturdy,

LESSON: Poor preparation can be

straighten your legs, and prepare to be

 just as dangerous as bad practices.

pulled toward the climber. (Learn more at

Black Magic is a 12-pitch trad route—a

climbing.com/hipbelay )

serious undertaking. The climb should be planned before leaving the ground. Keep track of the pitches and bring the

 A party on  Black Magic (5.10) in  Wadi Rum, Jordan, was recently rescued. They either misread the topo or lost count of the pitches. They thought they were at the base of the last pitch, an easy slab, when, in fact, they were at the base of the second-to-last pitch, a difficult corner. They left their ropes at the rappel station and soloed the pitch, intending to return after the top to

guidebook (or photocopied page) up the wall in case you find yourself unsure. It’s also a good idea to carry emergency bivy gear on big climbs. You never know when you’ll be benighted. A puffy, emergency blanket, lighter, hand warmers, and some GU packets will make an uncomfortable night on the wall less uncomfortable.

See something unbelayvable? Email [email protected].

Download Our Free Training Programs We’ve partnered with Climbing magazine to bring you two free training programs, available for download today! REACH YOUR PEAK TRAINING GUIDE

TRUBLUE GYM TRAINING IPAD APP

Reach Your Peak is an eight-week training program that utilizes the TRUBLUE Auto Belay as an essential tool for climbers to improve their skills and reach their personal fitness goals.

We worked with some of the top climbing trainers in the country to come up with these 13 targeted workouts designed to keep you motivated and boost strength and endurance. The best part? This isn’t a daunting multi-month program—just pick a muscle group and get going.

Find a TRUBLUE near you, download the training guide, and get started!

Download for free now at www.autobelay.com/climbers Why Trublue? TRUBLUE Auto Belays are appropriate training tools for climbers of all ages and abilities—whether you have never climbed before or you’re just about to send that 5.14b, the TRUBLUE can help you develop the necessary skills to be the best climber you can be. TRUBLUE Auto Belays are easy to find—just scan the QR code to find the TRUBLUE Auto Belay closest to you and get climbing!

To find your nearest TRUBLUE, scan the QR code or visit www.autobelay.com/contact-us/trublue-locations

Elevate Your Experience. Athletes like Mayan Smith-Gobat use Sterling ropes to undertake some of the most astonishing and challenging adventures on the planet. Because every climbing experience is different, we strive to make ropes that perform flawlessly under any conditions. We have the world’s most well respected climbers using and evaluating our products to improve their performance.  That’s why Sterling developed DryCore™. DryCore is Sterling’s innovative and proprietary method of treating the core yarns to reduce yarn-on-yarn abrasion and moisture absorption. The core provides the strength and power of your rope. If your rope gets wet, it loses critical strength and elongation will increase. In fact, tests have shown that a wet rope can lose up to 30% of its strength. In tests conducted at Sterling, wet ropes constructed with DryCore had less increase in elongation than standard ropes. DryCore™ is one way our products elevate your experience. Where you choose to take them is up to you.

Evolution Velocity™ | 9.8mm | 62 g/M

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2 6 

G U I D E // 

3 9 

G E A R // 

4 5 

C L I N I C S // 

5 1 

T H E  24 |  AUGUST 2014

VOICES 

C 

There’s nothing like a sweet alpine view to ignite the psych! In this issue, we go up into the high country for adventures at altitude. Here, Mike Brumbaugh climbs the lower section of Beckey-Chouinard  (5.10) in the Bugaboos, British Columbia. Put up by—you guessed it—Fred Beckey and Yvon Chouinard in 1961, this route is 2,000 feet and 15 pitches of pure fun on South Howser Tower. Summer is time for the high life, so check out page 56 to forgo the crowds for cooler temps and beautiful blocks at the best alpine bouldering spots in the country. Plus, we’ve got skills for moving fast up high and the gear to keep you safe.

L I M B  ANDREW BURR

CLIMBING.COM

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G U I D E 

 

ADVICE 

James Lucas climbs the thin Easter Island  (5.12-), Tuolumne Meadows, in the original dirtbagging heaven: Yosemite, where Lucas lives part of the year.

Live Free, Climb Hard BY JAMES LUCAS

What it takes to live the life of a modern dirtbag

For the past 13 years, I have been dirtbagging. I’ve lived out of a tent in Santa Cruz, in caves in  Yosemite, and the back of my station wagon in Rifle. There have been brief periods of financial prosperity, times when I could afford fancy fruit smoothies without checking my balance first, but there have been more days of rubbing nickels together to make a quarter. However, the struggle pays off in miles upon miles of granite, thousands of routes, and an endless string of fun days climbing with friends. But back to the struggle. In 2004, a half-dozen monkeys and I lived in the dirt below the Bridger Jacks. We spent our time grinding our skin away on the sandstone cracks of Indian Creek. My thin wallet and burning desire to climb wide cracks required me to consume large quantities of protein. Free protein. One afternoon, we drove to Moab and found an entire case of expired eggs in the dumpster behind the

grocery store. We took them and stored them in our “refrigerator,” a cardboard box in the shade of a small juniper tree. After two weeks of eight eggs a day, I managed to fight my way up Big Baby, a 5.11 offwidth at Battle of the Bulge. I dry-heaved for an hour after the ascent. The next day my friend puked. He stopped eating the eggs, but the rest of the group soldiered on. I’ve evolved since then. Now the payoffs. A few years ago I tried to free climb  Moonlight But tress (5.12d) in Zion. After a friend and I failed, we took a break for a few days to sport climb. The cracks worked us. Then a professional climber I’d met there called and asked if I wanted to give  Moonlight   another shot. I sent the route with Brittany Griffith. Then earlier this year, I was sport climbing a few hours west of Zion when Brittany’s husband Jonathan Thesenga (Black Diamond employee and former editor of Climbing ) called, looking for a Moonlight  partner. We freed the route as well. Meeting and climbing with those two was a wonderful opportunity that  wouldn’t have happened without dirtbagging. I wouldn’t have had the time or the ability to climb with them. And as I wri te this, I’m deep in my 13th season at Yosemite. Not too bad.

How I’ve Stayed on the Road so Long

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1

2

3

LESS DREAMING, MORE DOING If you want to climb all the time, the best thing to do is to start doing it. Get in your car right now and drive to the crag. No car? Bike. No Bike? Walk. Being a dirtbag isn’t about eating somebody else’s leftovers. It’s about realizing your goals. In the immortal words of heavyweight bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman, “Everybody wanna be a body builder, ain’t nobody wanna lift no heavy-ass weights.”

EATING WELL We’ve all heard tales of the gourmet score from a Trader  Joe’s dumpster, but food is usually out of pocket. Vegetables, fruits, and nuts cost a bit more than an ice cream sandwich from the Yosemite Lodge, but the better, longlasting energy will keep your body from breaking down over the course of so much climbing. Eating well is like preventive health care: Spending a bit more on good grub is saving in the long run. You are less apt to get sick, your body will be stronger, and ultimately  you will climb harder.

REMEMBERING MY MOTIVATION Earlier this spring, my Saturn station wagon died just outside Yosemite. I lost my wheels and my home. Werner Braun, one of the original Stonemasters and a member of Yosemite Search and Rescue, pronounced my rig dead after a few days of working on it. Having no money, no car, and no home is a legit reason to weep. But that’s not why I’m out here. It motivated me to climb harder than ever. When you have nothing, you go climbing. The rock knows no difference.

4 LOOKING GOOD You don’t have to look or act homeless just because  you don’t have a home. It makes other climbers avoid  you, and the authorities will look at you with more scrutiny. I shower and shave every couple of days. It makes it easier to fly under the radar. As notorious dirtbag Chongo wrote in The Quotable Chongo, “If you wash your hands frequently, then you get more babes... and you live longer (a fact)... which means that you can get even more babes.”

5 KNOWING KARMA IS REAL Earlier this year, I pulled 600 feet of fixed line off El Capitan, and I replaced a number of the fixed lines to Heart Ledges. The physical toiling worked me, but Yosemite climbing ranger Ben Doyle offered to belay me on my project halfway up El Cap as a result. Being a crag steward fully paid off. Replace webbing, switch out bad biners, and clean up trash. Good stuff happens to good people.

C L I M B I N G . C O M | 27

GUIDE 

 

HOUNDS HUMP RIDGE (EAGLET, ETC.)

ARTIST’S BLUFF 

CRAGS 

11 routes 

5 routes 

ECHO CRAG

PROFILE BOULDERS 

31 routes 

Epicenter: North Conway, NH

3 problems 

HANGING GARDENS

JAM CRACK BOULDER 

2 routes 

2 problems 

CANNON CLIFF 

BONDCLIFF 

75 routes 

1 route 

2. DUET AREA ETC.

With our partners at mountainproject.com, we’re creating ultimate primers to the country’s premier climbing towns. Here, we dive into the undisputed capital of New England rock.

25 routes 

116

MT. LIBERTY, FRANCONIA NOTCH 

0. HENDERSON’S  BUTTRESS 

6 routes 

10 routes 

THE FLUME  1 route 

CRAG MAP  INDIAN HEAD CLIFF ON MT. PEMIGEWASSET

FRANCONIA NOTCH  BOULDERING

6 routes 

4 problems 

MOUNT HOGSBACK  3 routes 

OWLS’S HEAD CLIFF  (OLIVERIAN NOTCH)

LINCOLN

28 routes 

KINSMAN NOTCH 

BRYANT LEDGE 

6 routes 

2 routes 

INDIAN LEAP FALLS 

93

1 route 

TRIPOLI ROAD CRAG 1 route 

25 118

WELCH AND DICKIE BOULDERS 15 problems 

WELCH MOUNTAIN  18 routes 

WATERVILLE VALLEY

25C

LOWER BAKER POND ICE ARENA

199 routes 

CONE HEAD LEDGE

WARREN

7 routes 

9 routes 

49 3

DOWNING MOUNTAIN  (EAGLE CLIFF) 12 routes 

WELCH AND DICKIE AREA 69 routes 

25A 175

WENTWORTH

YELLOWJACKET AREA

GEM HUNTER 

59 routes 

12 routes 

CAMPTON

INFINITY WALL

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4 routes 

THE NORTH WEST TERRITORIES 

THE BAKERY 

13 routes 

3 routes 

RUMNEY 

THE JOBSITE  3 routes 

888 routes  25

93

POWERED BY

28 |   AUGUST 2014

STANDARD ROUTE AREA 5 routes 

BACK STAIRS  1 route 

AMPHITHEATER AREA

ARETHUSA FALLS 

ICE CLIMBS 

2 routes 

29 routes 

PICK OF THE

6 routes 

LITTER 

STAIRS 

13 routes 

FRANKENSTEIN 

WHITE’S LEDGE 

CLIFF 

MOUNTAIN 

CMC CRAG

3 routes 

15 routes 

CAVE  MOUNTAIN 

THE UP STAIRS 

4 routes 

1 route 

3 routes  16

SACO CRAG

THE CAPTAIN 

NORTHEASTERN 

10 routes 

CRAGS 

2 routes 

7 routes 

HUMPHREY’S  LEDGE  42 routes 

GREENS CLIFF 

302

32 routes 

North Conway

ATTITASH  CRAG BARTLETT- 

MEADOW  BROOK 

CATHEDRAL LEDGE 

23 routes 

HAYSTACK 

173 routes 

7 routes 

SLABS 

RAINBOW 

46 routes 

SLABS 

WHITEHORSE 

5 routes 

LEDGE 

112

83 routes 

KANCAMAGUS  CRAGS  OWL’S CLIFF 

TABLE 

46 routes 

MOUNTAIN 

GREELEY PONDS

SLAB 

1 route 

17 routes 

141 routes 

16 113

CARTER  LEDGE 

CONWAY

4 routes 

MT. HEDGEHOG

WHITEFACE 

1 route 

MOUNTAIN 

ALBANY  SLABS 

1 route 

4 routes 

YELLOWJACKET

BIG ROCK  CAVE 

BOULDERFIELD  39 routes 

113

1 route 

153

UPPER CLIFF AREA 113A

11 routes 

WHITE

BALD KNOB CLIFF 

LEDGE 

2 routes 

21 routes  16

SANDWICH  NOTCH 

THE SCENE 

16 routes 

Granite State of Mind

113

This little town has more routes within a couple hours’ drive than it has residents in the city limits. Mountain Project lists more than 3,500 routes in the vicinity, while the U.S. Census tallies 2,349 townies, and North Conway lies smack in the middle of the highest concentration of climbing in the state—if not all of New England. New Hampshire’s nickname is the Granite State, but its rock comes in many forms, from the rounded boulders of Pawtuckaway in the south to the clean, fractured granite of Cannon Cliff in the north. North Conway has two of the best trad cliffs in the country: Cathedral Ledge and Whitehorse Ledge, minutes from town. All of this packed inside a state that is small enough to fit inside some national parks out West.

109

TRAD

 

TOPROPE

SPORT  

BOULDERING

ICE/MIXED CLIMBING.COM

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G U I D E 

 

CRAGS 

LOCALS KNOW 

Where climbers: [stay] Take NH 112 out of Conway (this stretch is known as the Kancamagus Highway) to find six state park campgrounds (fee; mostly first come, first served) and national forest land. You can camp for free off any hiking trail, or the “Kanc” as it winds through White Mountain National Forest. Prefer a roof? Head to the White Mountains Hostel. It has 10 rooms, 28 bunks, and five private rooms. ($27– $58, whitemountainshostel.com) [eat/drink] To satiate the three holy climbercravings (coffee, pizza, and beer),  you couldn’t be in a better place. Hit Frontside Grind (frontsidecoffee .com) for your morning caffeine jolt (or if you need a partner—it’s usually packed with climbers). Shuffle to Flatbread Pizza Co. in the evening (flatbreadcompany.com) for an organic wood-fired pie—we like Mopsy’s Kalua Pork Pie. Then sample the best local craft beer at Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery  (moatmountain.com). The Moat Iron Mike Pale Ale is crisp with a citrusy Cascade hop finish; more important, it’s canned in tallboys. Grab a sixer for camp!

Leslie Timms takes in the sweet view on Rapid Transit  (5.10a/b), Cathedral Ledge, New Hampshire.

[gear up] Founded in the 1970s and run by longtime locals Rick and Ceila Wilcox, International Mountain Equipment is a required stop, even if you don’t need anything. “We dispense climbing info all day long,” says employee and guide Max Lurie. “We’ve even had people call from the base of a route asking for beta. And we gladly oblige!” Still, we’d advise browsing their vast library of guidebooks or even taking a climbing lesson or joining a guided trip if you need to be pointed in the right direction (head upstairs to inquire). Already dialed? The consignment shop in the basement is worth a quick rummage—it’s loaded with used backcountry, climbing, mountaineering, and telemark gear. (ime-usa.com, 603-356-7013) [spend a rest day] Hammock-lounging in camp might sound sweet, but you’re a stone’s throw from the Presidential Range and thousands of dreamy swimming holes. Hike Mount Washington via a 7.6-mile loop (backpacker.com/whitemountains), and then check out First Bridge or Davis Beach, both on the Saco River  just outside of town.

ROUTES 

North Conway Classics The 10 best 4-star routes as ranked by Mountain Project users Fun House (5.7) Cathedral Ledge, 2 pitches “So much fun! Is that how it got its name? The second pitch is just plain fantastic, with easy/enjoyable cracks and ledges, all with good protection. The rock is incredible, dry, and frictiony.” Moby Grape (5.8) Cannon Cliff, 6 pitches “An eye-opening experience! Way different than any trad I’ve done. More harrowing. And hero-ing! It was a blast! I can’t wait for my next Cannon adventure. And that’s exactly what it was—an adventure!”

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They Died Laughing (5.9) Cathedral Ledge, 1 pitch “I think they died laughing due to the ridiculous amount of gear  you can place in this crack. 5.9 doesn’t come any safer!” Underdog (5.10a) Rumney, 1 pitch “Underdog is the best rock I’ve ever climbed. The triangle hold is the coolest hold I have ever seen. The view and rock are excellent and surprisingly sustained. Absolute classic!” Lonesome Dove (5.10a) Rumney, 1 pitch “A beautiful line to finish up a long Rumney day. The exposure

is awesome. Climb it at sunset, and when you clip the chains, turn around. You’re guaranteed to be blown away by what you see!”

decently long 5.10. Either way, the movement and rock quality are stellar. This is a very reasonable lead for those looking to break into 5.10+.”

Millenium Falcon (5.10c) Rumney, 1 pitch “I’d be hard-pressed to think of a more enjoyable 5.10. Incredibly fun and varied. But don’t underestimate the need for crack skills on this one. It’s awesome!”

Airation (5.11a) Cathedral Ledge, 2 pitches “The first pitch is only 37 feet, but given that I was finger jamming about every nine inches, I did more than 40 jams in that length. No wonder it seems taller!”

Waimea (5.10d) Rumney, 1 pitch “Absolutely outstanding route. If you link it with All the Way-A, it makes for a

Flying Hawaiian (5.11b) Rumney, 1 pitch “This is, without question, the testpiece at the grade for Rumney. It is such a

*Stats are for the immediate North Conway area. Get route beta, photos, and topos at  mountainproject.com/newhampshire 

varied and well-defined line, with several cruxes that take power, finesse, and a willingness to go a little farther ‘out there.’ Flying Hawaiian definitely has a well-deserved aura about it.” Apocalypse Later (5.11c/d) Rumney, 1 pitch “One of my favorite routes at Rumney. On chilly days the face is drenched in sunshine. The route is the best of both worlds, long moves up steep rock at the bottom, then you pull onto the face, and suddenly you’re scrambling for technique.”

POWERED BY

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 An early attempt of the nose.

Brand of the Brave

G U I D E 

INSTANT EXPERT 

Layback and Relax Style your way through layback sections with these expert techniques BY JULIE ELLISON

LAYBACKS COMBINE difficult aspects of several climbing styles into a challenging mélange of movement. Technically, laybacks are a type of crack climbing, but they also include the smeary feet of a slab route, the pump factor of an overhanging sport climb, the oppositional pull and push forces of a techy face section, and the finicky gear placements of an R-rated trad line. This tricky hybrid is most useful on flakes and in corners where straight-in jamming isn’t an option, but newbie crack climbers have also been known to employ it on cracks before they’ve mastered the elusive foot- and hand-jamming skills. We’ve gathered experience-driven tips and tricks to create a foolproof recipe for success on pumpy layback pitches. THE BASICS Corners and flakes are the features on which laybacking most often comes in handy. The former, dihedrals with a crack in the middle, where the angle or crack size prohibits straight-in jamming. The latter is a large feature that overlaps a face, leaving space to fit  your fingers between th e flake and the wall. Laybacks work because of the opposition of push and pull forces: Smear your feet against the face to push your body out, while pulling with your hands in the crack to keep your body in. Place your hands in the crack in a sidepull position (usually top hand thumb-down, bottom hand thumb-up), keeping them at a comfortable height to maximize pulling force. This will usually be from about chest height to slightly above your head. Walk your feet up so that you can push your butt out, and in turn, pull against the rock with your hands. Move both hands up by shuffling them (keep the same one on top, don’t alternate the high hand), and then walk both feet up. Some sections might warrant hand-foot, hand-foot, but the hand-hand, foot-foot method is more secure and efficient.

THE CHALLENGES Pump Factor You’re relying on your forearms and biceps. Even if you can straighten your arms to utilize  your skeleton, you still nee d some finger strength to grip the rock like a sidepull. Keep your arms and hands as relaxed as possible, taking care not to over-grip the rock. Training on long, pumpy sport

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HIGHER-LEVEL LAYBACKS with Cheyne Lempe

Desiree Cole gives a clinic on Puzzle Factory  (5.12), Cliffs of Insanity, Indian Creek, Utah.

HANDS

Find fingerlocks or hand jams in the layback position. These allow you to actively pull outward on the crack and to passively use your skeleton to hang on your arms. FEET

Don’t get your feet too close to your hands; this creates maximum horizontal force and wastes energy. On the other hand, if your feet are too low, the opposing forces won’t create enough friction. Find the sweet spot based on the angle and your height. Find footholds to push up (or rest) on and put more weight on  your legs. TRANSITIONS

Getting into and out of a layback is hard, so try to find a bomber lock or jam in the crack. This lets you transition from pulling down to out, and vice versa. It also helps to start the transition moves with high feet. STEEPS

climbs at the gym provides good conditioning for laybacks. No Rests The scrunched position engages  your core, legs, and arms, so look for rests before and after the layback section. Conserve energy before, move consistently through the layback, and then get a rest when it’s over. Constantly scan for footholds on both faces so you can pull into a stemming position and stand purely on your feet to get a good break. One good foot on the face and a foot jam in the crack could be just enough. If it’s

a corner with a large crack, try wedging your whole body into the crack. Placing Gear Your head is being pushed away from the crack, so it’s difficult to see the crack, choose the correct piece, and place it. Talk to locals, read guidebooks and Mountain Project, and eye the line at the base to get a good idea of what sizes will fit best. There will be a side of your body that scums against the rock; position  your gear on the other side. This will make the climb more comfortable and keep gear accessible.

If the crack begins to steepen or angle sideways, the position of your hands will change. Instead of a sidepull, switch to underclings with both palms facing upward. At this point, it’s important to find small footholds so you can put more weight on your feet. GEAR 

A recent rescue involved a laybacking climber who was blindly placing gear. He slipped, his pro blew, and he hit the ground. Find a rest stance before placing gear, and always look to make sure it’s solid. Otherwise, estimate the size of the crack with your hands and from scoping it out previously. Pull in on both arms, lock off with the arm that has the best grip, place gear, and check to make sure it’s bomber.

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SERIOUSLY 

LIGHT!

NEW METOLIUS

ULTRALIGHT

CHALK BAGS

FOR THE WEIGHT CONSCIOUS

CLIMBER!

 www.metoliusclimbing.com

Bill Morse suits up for a larger than life burn on “California 5.12”, a steep and thuggy 12c at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada Photo: Ben Moon

G U I D E 

 

TRAINING 

Advanced Conditioning BY ROB SHAUL

Train like a professional athlete for long climbs with heavy packs STEEP APPROACHES, weighty loads, and full days make climbing in the alpine a serious affair. Likewise, climbers with big alpine goals should take their training seriously. In August, Climbing editors Shannon Davis and Julie Ellison are headed to the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range of Wyoming to attempt a two-day Cirque Traverse. Covering 19 miles, 10,000 feet of vertical gain and loss, and dozens of pitches of technical climbing and rappelling, the Cirque Traverse is a link-up of nine technical peaks. We worked with Rob Shaul, a strength and conditioning coach who has trained pro skiers and climbers, and The North Face’s Mountain Athletics program, to design an appropriate and ass-kicking training plan for big days in the alpine.

START H ERE This program is seven weeks long and should start in accordance with the dates of the trip: For example, our traverse dates are August 22 to 24, so we will start the plan on July 7. To begin the plan, you’ll need a high level of minimum fitness: You must be able to run 12 miles total and do 1,000 box step-ups with a 25-pound pack nonstop. That sounds daunting, but it’s completely doable with what Shaul calls “on-ramp” training. He suggests a four-week plan that includes running and core strength. Run intervals or hill sprints ( climbing.com/skill/strength-for-al-  pinism ) two days, rest one day, and run another day of intervals. Do a moderately paced eight-mile run for the fifth and final day. On all five of those days, including the middle rest day, do a 25-

to 30-minute core-strengthening routine. This program directly reflects the fitness demands of the chosen event (uphill/downhill hiking, scrambling and trail running under load, climbing stamina, etc.) and will take physical discipline and a significant time commitment to complete; this is training like a professional athlete. The plan is progressive, so it gets harder as it goes on. Commitment to training demonstrates a respect for the mountains and the sport of climbing. Equipment: climbing gym or access to a wall; small backpack with 25 lbs. (same pack for traverse); approach shoes (same ones for traverse); heart-rate monitor (HRM); GPS or GPS watch to measure running distances; foam roller; box, bench, or stairs.

LACTATE THRESHOLD FIELD TEST Warm up according to calendar at right, then do 1,000 step-ups as detailed below. 2. Complete 200 step-ups as fast as you can with your HRM tracking your average heart rate and total time. 3. After completing 200, set a new interval to track a new average heart rate. 4.  Complete 800 step-ups as fast as you can. 5.  Record your average heart rate for the final 800 step-ups. That is your lactate threshold (LT) on which all of the training in this plan will be based. 6. Use the following percentages of your LT to find your target heart rate for each zone listed on the calendar: Zone 1 is <84%; Zone 2 is 85-89%; Zone 3 is 90-94%; Zone 4 is 9599%; Zone 5 is 100-106%. 1.

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Strength and conditioning mastermind Rob Shaul started Mountain Athlete ( mtnathlete.com ) in Jackson, Wyoming, in February 2007 to cater to skiers, climbers, and extreme outdoor athletes. Since then, he has trained dozens of  professional athletes, and most recently, he teamed up with The North Face’s Mountain Athletics program to design training plans for the everyman outdoor athlete to complete big objectives.

GUIDELINES ÆSunday and Monday are

rest days. ÆOn days that are highlighted red, wear approach shoes and a 25-lb. pack for the training (not the warm-up), unless otherwise noted. ÆFoam roll your legs and lower back everyday. ÆFor climbing sessions, choose four bouldering problems two grades below  your max; make sure you can transition quickly. Non-boulderers should aim for V0 or V1. Each “set” should be four problems back to back with no rest in between climbs;  you will rest one minute after each set. If the gym is busy, pick two problems and climb each twice for a total of four climbs. ÆPlan your Saturdays around these mini-events, or long days designed to prepare for the actual traverse. Run and do step-ups under load, and climb at the gym. ÆFor mini-events, do 1, 2, and 3 without resting. Do the first run from your rock gym. Finish at the gym, and do the step-ups and climbing (in approach shoes). Then do the next run. ÆWeekday sessions will last 60 to 90 min. The Saturday mini-event will last 3+ hours. ÆChoose the best rest days for your schedule and adjust accordingly; be consistent. ÆIf you can’t make a day, pick up where you left off. The plan gets harder, so don’t skip around. ÆUse a 16” to 18” bench, box, rock, stair, etc. for step-ups. ÆAim to make all heart-rate zones. If your heart rate is ever too high, dial back  your intensity. If it’s later in the program and your heart rate is consistently too high or too low (despite making numbers earlier), you might be overtraining, so look for other symptoms: no motivation, difficulty sleeping, and poor appetite. If these are present, stop training and take a week off. ÆFor exercise videos, check out climbing.com/cirque-  traverse-training .

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TUESDAY ENDURANCE, STRENGTH

WEDNESDAY CLI MBIN G STAMI NA

THURSDAY LEG STRENGTH, COR E

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

TEMP O, EN DUR ANCE

LON G MI NI-EVENT

4 sets: 185 step-ups @ Zone 3, 800-meter run @ Zone 2

Use hilly terrain for all mini-events if possible. 1. 6-mile run 2. 3 sets: 750 step-ups, 4 V1/V2 boulder problems (no pack) 3. 6-mile run

4 sets: 200 step-ups @ Zone 3, 800-meter run @ Zone 2

1. 6.5-mile run 2. 3 sets: 775 step-ups,

4 sets: 100 step-ups @ Zone 3, 1,200-meter run @ Zone 2

1. 7-mile run 2. 3 sets: 800 step-ups,

4-mile run @ Zone 1-2

1. 8-mile run 2. 3 sets: 825 step-ups,

Week 1

WU (warm-up): 3 sets of 25 step-ups, 5 pushups, 10 sit-ups 1. Complete the Lactate Threshold Field Test (see sidebar at left).

1. 4 sets: 4 problems,

rest 1 min. 2. Rest 5 min. 3. 4 sets: 4 problems, rest 1 min. 4. Rest 5 min. Repeat (16 sets total)

WU: 3 sets of 8 air squats, 8 pushups, 8 sit-ups, instep stretch 1. 8 sets: mini leg blaster, 6 pushups 2. 3 sets: 30 sec. sit-ups, 30 sec. EOs, 30 sec. front bridge, 30 sec. rest 3. 4-mile run @ Zone 1-2

Week 2

WU: 3 sets of 200-meter run, 20 step-ups, instep stretch 1. 5 sets: 3 min. step-ups @ Zone 4, 1 min. hip flexor/pigeon stretch 2. 8 sets (no pack): mini leg blaster, 6 pushups 3. 5 sets: 3 min. run @ Zone 4, 2 min. run @ Zone 1

Same as Week 1

Same as Week 1

4 V1/V2 boulder problems (no pack) 3. 6.5-mile run

Week 3

WU: same as Week 2 1. 5 sets: 3 min. step-ups @ Zone 5, 1 min. hip flexor/pigeon stretch 2. 2 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 8 pushups 3. 4 sets (no pack): mini leg blaster, 8 pushups 4. 5 sets: 3 min. run @ Zone 5, 2 min. run @ Zone 1

Same as Week 1

WU: same as Week 1 1. 2 sets: full leg blaster, 8 pushups 2. 4 sets: mini leg blaster, 8 pushups 3. 4 sets: #2 from Week 1 4. 4-mile run @ Zone 1-2

5 V1/V2 boulder problems (no pack) 3. 7-mile run

Week Week4 4

WU: 2 sets of Week 2 1. 5 sets: 4 min. step-ups @ Zone 4, 2 min. pigeon stretch and lat/pec stretch 2. 2 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 8 pushups 3. 4 sets (no pack): mini leg blaster, 8 pushups 4. 5 sets: 4 min. run @ Zone 4, 2 min. run @ Zone 1

Same as Week 1

1. 4 sets: 200 step-ups @ Zone 3,

1-mile run @ Zone 2 2. 3 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 10 pushups 3. 2 sets (no pack): mini leg blaster, 10 pushups 4. 4 sets (no pack): #2 from Week 1

5 V1/V2 boulder problems (no pack) 3. 8-mile run

Week 5

WU: 4 sets of Week 2 1. 5 sets: 5 min. step-ups @ Zone 4, 2 min. pigeon stretch and lat/pec stretch 2. 3 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 10 pushups 3. 2 sets (no pack): mini leg blaster, 10 pushups 4. 5 sets: 5 min. run @ Zone 4, 2 min. run @ Zone 1

Same as Week 1

1. 4 sets: 225 step-ups @ Zone 3,

1-mile run @ Zone 2 2. 3 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 10 pushups 3. 4 sets (no pack): mini leg blaster, 10 pushups 4. 5 sets (no pack): #2 from Week 1

3-mile run @ Zone 1-2

1. 9-mile run 2. 3 sets: 850 step-ups,

6 V1/V2 boulder problems (no pack) 3. 9-mile run

Week 6

WU: same as Week 5 1. 5 sets: 5 min. step-ups @ Zone 5, 2 min. pigeon stretch and lat/pec stretch 2. 4 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 12 pushups 3. 5 sets: 5 min. run @ Zone 5, 2 min. run @ Zone 1

Same as Week 1

1. 4 sets: 250 step-ups @ Zone 3,

Rest Day

1-mile run @ Zone 2 2. 4 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 12 pushups 3. 5 sets (no pack): #2 from Week 1

1. 10-mile run 2. 3 sets: 900 step-ups,

6 V1/V2 boulder problems (no pack) 3. 10-mile run

Week 7

WU: same as Week 5 1. 5 sets: 5 min. step-ups @ Zone 4, 2 min. pigeon stretch and lat/pec stretch 2. 3 sets (no pack): full leg blaster, 10 pushups 3. 2 sets (no pack): mini leg blaster, 10 pushups 4. 5 sets: 5 min. run @ Zone 4, 2 min. run @ Zone 1

Same as Week 1, but only 8 sets total

Rest Day

Rest Day

Rest Day

CLIMBING.COM

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GUIDE 

 

NUTRITION 

Power Pie

BY JULIE ELLISON

Improve endurance with this sweet, portable snack EVERY CLIMBER IS QUITE FAMILIAR with getting served a slice of humble pie, but that frustrating dessert won’t give you the steady stream of energy and hydration boost that this Banana Walnut Two-Bite Pie will. Carbohydrates in the bananas, crust, and brown sugar provide energy, while potassium helps your body absorb the water  you drink. That potassium also prevents cramping, restores muscles, and maintains blood-sugar levels. With a built-in pie crust container, these treats offer a convenient and fairly durable way to get this superfood to the crag. Plus, the walnuts offer the healthy type of fat, which will give you long-lasting energy. Following this basic recipe, you can stuff it with whatever you want for an easy, tasty snack. If  you’re not bananas about, uh, bananas, try apples and cinnamon, or peaches and brown sugar.

Ingredients

Premade pie crust

2 large diced bananas

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions ÆMix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl. ÆGrease a muffin pan thoroughly. ÆPress dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, so it fills each muffin cup halfway. ÆPut about two tablespoons of filling into each pie. ÆUse the remaining dough to make small, flat discs. Place those over each pie, then press the sides of the top down, sealing the crust together. ÆBake according to the directions of your specific pie crust (10 to 20 minutes), subtracting a few minutes since each pouch will be small. ÆRemove from the oven when the crust is a golden brown. ÆLet the pies cool completely after baking so the filling firms up. Nutrition Facts per serving (1 pie) Energy  165 cal Fat 3g Sodium 24mg Carbs 32g

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or your favorite baking spice

36 |  AUGUST 2014

Gluten-Free

PILLSBURY GLUTEN FREE PIE AND PASTRY DOUGH Gluten-free doesn’t have to mean taste-free, and this Pillsbury version is evidence of that. When given a pie with a regular crust and then the gluten-free version, one tester actually preferred this one. It was dry compared to regular dough, so it requires extra kneading and special care when forming the mini-pies.

Budget Option

JIFFY PIE CRUST MIX This boxed mix requires a few more steps than refrigerated crusts, but adding water, stirring, and kneading is a small price to pay when you can get two nine-inch pies worth of crust for about $1. “Flaky, buttery, and yummy—just like Mom’s pies growing up.”

Fiber 2g Protein 15g Water 40%

FILL UP! 1 tablespoon brown sugar

BEST PREMADE CRUSTS

Republished with permission of VeloPress from Feed Zone Portables ($25, skratchlabs. com). Try more recipes at feedzonecookbook. com.

Healthiest

WHOLLY WHOLESOME ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT Diehard bakers will probably scoff at the idea of a whole-wheat pie crust—until they take a bite of this. Even with the denser whole wheat, this crust has just the right flaky to moist consistency—and more fiber than a traditional pie crust makes it feel extra filling.

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Pie in the Sky One dirtbag’s love affair with the dessert pastry Despite not having a permanent address since 2001,  James Lucas, professional dirtbag (see p. 26) and pie lover, has b aked these tasty pastries all over the country, even entering pie-baking contests against veteranbaker mothers and grandmothers.

The old ladies of the pie contests are a secretive, competitive lot. They employ their husbands to get them fruit and the best butter, help them taste, and wash dishes. Couple this with a few decades of practice, and they are formidable opponents.

How did your love affair with pie st art? In spring 2005, I wanted to impress a girl, and an injury kept me from ripping off my shirt and dynoing on slabs, so I needed something beyond climbing. I pictured myself on the cover of Martha Stewart Living, wearing  just an apron and holding a pie. The girl swooned when I arrived at her house with a cherry pie. Then in summer 2011, I injured myself in Rifle, Colorado, and drowned my sorrows in butter lattices and crisp, sugar-coated Granny Smith apples. The Carbondale Mountain Fair offered a chance to test my pie skills while taking a break from punting off my sport project, so I entered.

Perhaps a stretch, but do pie-baking contests have any similarities to climbing? You’re judged by your performance, and in climbing, people judge you a little less. The similarities include being hyper-focused on the smallest things: rolling out an even thickness of crust, weaving the perfect GLUTTONY lattice, etc. These all require the same precision as back-stepping on a small nub or rolling your fingers on a razor-edge crimp.

What’s your wi n-loss record for pie-baking contests? I’m 0-2. Judy Harvey, a local favorite, beat my apple pie with a boysenberry/huckleberry pie in 2011. In 2013, a newcomer demolished my Kentucky Derby Pie, a chocolate bourbon pecan, with her lemon meringue.

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Is pie the ultimate climbing fuel? With a lot of fat and sugar, I would guess that traditional pies do little for climbers nutritionally, but they do offer a large amount of emotional support. A good pie will transport you to another place or time with good memories. To quote Colorado climber Mike Pennings: “You can’t put a price on morale.” Pies are amazing for keeping the spirits up.

Details That Matter

What does a hiking boot company li ke LOWA know about climbing shoes? We don’t have any rock stars, we don’t have any first ascents, we haven’t given away tons of product, but here’s what we do have: 90 years of boot-making experience that, among other things, has taken climbers to the summit of every 8000 meter peak in the world. Our new X-BOULDER carries our legacy forward.

HANDCRAFTED IN EUROPE NEW X-Boulder

To see LOWA’s new line of rock shoes, visit www.lowaboots.com

© 2014 LOWA Boots, LLC. VIBRAM ®, the Octagon Logo, and the Yellow Octagon Logo and the color Canary Yellow are registered trademarks of Vibram S.p.A.

PRIMER 

G E A R 

Harnesses We’ve come a long way, baby—from the (literally) gut-wrenching swami belts and painful chest harnesses of old to sleek, comfortable models weighing less than a pound. To see how good we have it today—with upgraded features and materials like comfortable padding, breathable mesh liners, and laser-cut webbing—peep these antique (but state of the art in their time) rigs on display at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, Colorado. Then get psyched to turn the page and find your next upgrade.

1

2

3

4

5

6

1. Eastern European copy of an Edelrid chest harness: homemade, can take apart to  use rope and cord. 1967-68

2. Whillans Sit Harness: made by Troll of England, designed for the first ascent of Annapurna South. 1970

3. Bill Forrest Waistbelt: sold separately from leg loops (#4) for precise sizing. 1968

4. Bill Forrest Leg Loops: these and the waistbelt were always used together. 1968

5.

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Clan Robertson Harness: made by Brian Robertson in Boulder. early 1970s

6. Troll ABS Harness: has a wide range of adjustment buckles that can’t be fully undone for safety. late 1980s

Special thanks to Gary Neptune and Neptune Mountaineering. CLIMBING.COM

| 39

GEAR 

BIG REVIEW 

Best Seats in the House BY JULIE ELLISON

5 comfortable all-around harnesses for every climber

Harness

The fact that most harnesses on the shelves perform well, feel comfortable, meet strict safety standards, and last a few years at the very least makes picking the best of the bunch a rigorous exercise in sussing out details, ergonomics, weight, and all-day comfort. To make our readers’ retail decisions as easy as possible, the diligent test team went to work on a variety of terrain, from scary desert towers in Utah to whipper after whipper in the limestone paradises of Wyoming to eighthour romps on the granite domes of California. In the end, these five sleek and affordable setups led the pack for comfort, versatility, durability, and overall performance.

Edelrid Solaris

Black Diamond Ozone

$125; scarpa.com/edelrid 

$100; blackdiamondequipment.com 

Performance

“You won’t find a more comfortable harness,” said one tester after her first multi-pitch route in Boulder Canyon, Colorado, wearing the women’s-specific Solaris. The super-wide waistbelt and leg loops have the largest contact zones of any tested. This not only disperses pressure, but it helps the individual straps keep their shape and stay in place. Leg loops don’t ride up uncomfortably into your nether regions, and the waistbelt won’t fold over onto itself and cut into  you. Two separate straps at the waist help you fine-tune fit: Loosen the b ottom strap for wider hips; tighten the top for a narrower waist. This customizable contour is unique—and brilliant— for women’s harnesses. Plus, the separate straps connect in a loop; one quick pull and the harness is snug in a micro-second. Testers loved the front gear loops that pushed gear aggressively forward, and the 3D-Vent technology that combined five straps with mesh, keeping testers cool even in 75° and full sun at Wild Iris, Wyoming. Nitpick: It was bulky to pack. (Men’s version is the Orion.)

In the weight-obsessed discipline of sport climbing, this no-frills harness gets the job done at a light 10.5 ounces (men’s medium). Designers cut weight by including buckle-free leg loops and a sleek design, keeping material to a minimum. The leg loops and waistbelt are narrow in the front and wider in the back, offering a larger contact zone where you need it. Testers appreciated the simplicity of the rig, too. “Slip it on, pull the waist strap, and you’re good to go.” This harness forgoes traditional webbing for the internal structure and instead uses Vectran fibers. This adds stability to the shape of the waistbelt and leg loops; it was comfortable even when one tester hung for 15 minutes to analyze moves. Packability was topnotch, with the Ozone scrunching down to slightly smaller than a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle. Testers were able to use it for trad climbing, but preferred to rack on a gear sling instead of the gear loops. More than a few pounds on the harness caused discomfort and made it feel like the waistbelt was sliding down. (Women’s version is the Aura.)

Conclusion

Attention ladies: This is the be-all, end-all harness for women. Whether you’re a sport climber taking huge falls, a traddie carrying pounds of gear, or a big waller hanging for hours, you won’t find a more comfortable, durable, or versatile setup.

The simplicity and straightforward design of this sport climbing rig make it ideal for weightconscious climbers, without sacrificing comfort or performance for big falls, hangdogging, or standing belays.

Bottom Line

MUST-STOP GEAR SHOPS 

These five outdoor stores are knowledgeable about gear, generous with beta, and welcoming to their local climbing communities. 40 |   AUGUST 2014

Wilson’s Eastside Sports Bishop, California In business for 37 years and  just a stone’s throw from Bishop bouldering, Owens River Gorge sport climbing, and the tons of trad routes on the Eastside, Wilson’s is a destination all its own. Stop

Ladies’ Best in Show by to rent a crashpad, fill up on chalk, or get a local’s recommendation for the best V5 or free camping in the area. Pagan Mountaineering Moab, Utah This shop encompasses the

Svelte Sport

unique soul it takes to live in a place as beautifully desolate as Moab. They’re also a U.S. distributor of Mueller Euro tape, which pro climber Steph Davis says is the stickiest, longest-lasting, and an absolute must for nearby Indian Creek.

Neptune Mountaineering Boulder, Colorado Our hometown gear haven has an unmatched climbing museum with everything from old equipment used during well-known ascents to short-lived missteps in the evolution of gear. Plus,

BELAY LOOP FAILURE

In October 2006, legendary climber Todd Skinner and partner, Jim Hewett, were rappelling down Leaning Tower in Yosemite. Hewett was above Skinner when he heard a snap, looked down, and saw his friend falling. Skinner fell several hundred feet and was killed on impact, his locked carabiner and belay device still hanging from the rope. It was clear that his belay loop had failed. What wasn’t clear, was why. A few days prior, Hewett had noticed that Skinner’s belay and leg loops were frayed; Skinner said he had a new harness on the way. Investigation of the belay loop remnants by the National Park Service eliminated chemical contamination and animal tampering as the cause of failure. However, a sling was found girth-hitched to the belay loop. Hewett said it had been in place for a while. This would have prevented the belay loop from rotating, and created a concentrated wear point. Plus, a broken keeper strap on the leg loops would have led to them sawing against the belay loop in the exact same spot over time. Moral of the story: Don’t leave any soft goods girth-hitched to the belay loop or tie-in points of your harness. Whenever you take off your harness, remove all the soft goods as well. Do regular inspections of your equipment, looking for any signs of wear. If any part of your gear is questionable, replace it. —Caroline Meleedy 

Wild Country Blaze

Edelrid Jay

Beal Rebel

$65; wildcountry.com 

$55; scarpa.com/edelrid 

$60; libertymountainclimbing.com 

Wide straps and monster gear loops make this a trad climber’s dream, according to our Southeast testers who used it for six months on the granite and quartzite of Looking Glass Rock and Linville Gorge, both in North Carolina. “It’s sturdy, comfortable, and racks a lot of gear,” one smitten user said. The Blaze felt stiff on the first couple wears, but after that, it softened up and “molded to my specific body shape like a high-quality insole.” Two testers gave it a 9 out of 10 for comfort. Gear loops kept a full double rack within reach; testers didn’t have to twist awkwardly to retrieve pieces from the rear gear loops, and the front loops pushed gear conveniently forward. This rig also shined in the durability department; multiple offwidths, chimneys, and butt scums proved this harness and its new DWC500 outer fabric will stand up to any abrasive abuse you can throw at it. And all those features don’t add too much weight; the medium comes in at only 14 ounces. Consider sizing down, as testers found their usual sizes slightly large. (Women’s version is the Aurora.)

Whether you’re a 5.13 sport climber or first-time trad leader, the Jay will fit your needs—and budget. This all-around harness scored above-average marks for comfort (7.5 out of 10) and durability (8 out of 10) during single- and multi-pitch days across Colorado’s Front Range. Mesh padding keeps the waistbelt and leg loops cushioned but breathable; testers didn’t sweat out even in sweltering gyms. A large, automatically doubled-back waistbelt buckle with a wide webbing strap makes the midsection fast to cinch and loosen. “This is my go-to harness for every type of adventure,” one tester said. “It performs solidly in every arena and holds a rack of quickdraws or cams and nuts equally well.” A plastic cap on the lower tie-in point prevents abrasion on a high-wear area, and made it easier to glide the rope through, especially when testers had to re-tie a figure eight with the harness weighted while cleaning routes. Adjustable leg loops means you can don the Jay for ice climbing, too, when multiple layers up your stem size significantly. (Women’s version is the Jayne.)

“This harness looked too svelte to offer any real comfort on hanging belays and big falls, but when I weighted it for the first time, I forgot I even had it on,” one tester said, after a weekend of projecting Wind and Rattlesnakes (5.12a) in Wild Iris, Wyoming. “That’s the sign of an easy-to-wear harness.” Beal is using what they call Web Core technology, which bar-tacks two smaller pieces of webbing (the straps you pull to adjust) on either side of a wider, mesh-lined, laser-cut piece of webbing (the part that wraps around your torso). This simple process keeps the manufacturing costs cheap, the price tag low, and the weight and bulk of the harness to a minimum. Testers found the Rebel had enough comfort for hangdogging on sport projects and wearing all day on long trad climbs. The four large, articulated gear loops racked pro neatly and kept it organized, so finding the right piece wasn’t a struggle, and the two buckles in the front allowed testers to fine-tune fit—no more climbing with the belay loop off to the side because the harness doesn’t fit just right.

All-day gear-pluggers will love the pure comfort and large racking capacity of the Blaze, and widecrack connoisseurs will be hard-pressed to find a more durable setup.

Comfort and versatility in a budget-conscious package is how testers summed up the Jay. Despite the low price, performance was stellar on short and long days throughout a variety of terrain.

It combines the sleekness of a slimmed-down sport harness with the adjustability and versatility of an all-around rig, so you can wear the Rebel in all seasons for any type of climbing.

Burly, Comfy Trad visitors will more than likely purchase gear from someone whose name shows up a few times in several local guidebooks. Rock and Snow

New Paltz, New York Founded by Gunks’ first

ascensionist Dick Williams and currently owned by respected route developer Rich Gottlieb, Rock and Snow opened in 1970 (the same year Climbing  started!), and every staffer is a climber—who probably pulls down harder than you. Kick-ass slideshows are part

Budget All-Arounder of the daily routine here, with past presenters including Lynn Hill, Chris Sharma, and Jim Bridwell. Rock/Creek

Chattanooga, Tennessee Named 2009 Retailer of the Year by our sister magazine

Sleek Versatility Backpacker , Rock/Creek not only prides itself on providing quality gear for a variety of outdoor sports, but they also sponsor the popular Triple Crown Bouldering Series and work with groups like the Southeastern Climbers Coalition.

Got a favorite  gear shop? Nominate yours at letters@ climbing.com .

C L I M B I N G . C O M | 41

G E A R 

TEST ED

THE KIT  

Field Notes The latest and greatest from our diligent testers BY JULIE ELLISON

Keep the girls happy -LUCY

making these experiences...

EVEN BETTER

PERFECT CORE BRA II

The big shoulders, muscular backs, and smaller waists of lady climbers can make bra shopping absolutely miserable for the female crushers among us. The Perfect Core answered the call with a racerback design that lets you adjust each strap individually. “Big climbing shoulders fit easily in this bra, which is the ultimate sell for me,” said one tester, who wore it for almost a month straight. “Plus, it still offers support for busty gals.” Testers found the fabric thicker and more durable than other sports bras, but the Powermax material plus mesh allowed it to breathe in high-sweat zones (like the middle of the back) and wick well everywhere else. Possibly the best part: “I can go from crag clothes to street duds for dinner without having the dreaded uniboob.” $55; lucy.com 

Prevent and treat tendonitis -ARMAID

SQUID

the unclip stick

We gave this self-massaging tool to three multi-discipline climbers who were each in various stages of elbow and  joint health: one injuryfree boulderer who trains hard three to four times a week, one climber who has experienced forearm tendon strain for a few months, and another who has had elbow tendonitis off and on for 10  years. All three testers were blown away by the relief they found from using the

Armaid for only a few weeks, from relieving long-standing pain to general maintenance after training to increasing forearm blood flow in the middle of a session. One tester used it at a national climbing competition, rolling for a few minutes between problems, and credited it with de-pumping her arms enough to keep climbing hard. The perpetually injured climber found that three months of regular, proper use completely eliminated his nagging pain. “It massages the muscle and keeps that hard little ball of tension from forming again,” he said. Each device includes several instructional videos (also available online) that are very important to understanding how to use it properly for prevention, treatment, and maintenance. It comes with three attachments that have varying degrees of density; the softer (black and gray) ones are excellent for maintenance and general massage to increase circulation and decrease pump, while the three-ball white attachment is dense and digs deep throughout the whole forearm. The favorite for all three testers, however, was the orange ball attachment (sold separately) that isolated trigger points and released the pressure on strained tendonattachment points. This accessory has the most intense pressure to successfully knead climbers’ muscly forearms. Plus, the Armaid is lightweight, durable, and easy to carry on the road, so if  you have any wrist, elbow, forearm, or hand pain, this nifty gadget will relax tightened muscles, relieve joint strain, and keep you climbing hard. $70 (device), $20 (orange roller); armaid.com 

OUTDOOR RESEARCH HELIUM HYBRID

“Just in case” is the mantra for high-elevation pursuits. The Helium Hybrid wind jacket is perfectly suited for just-incase scenarios. The nylon body

and sleeves are wind and water resistant, while the hood and shoulders have waterproof Pertex Shield fabric to protect  your most exposed assets. “It kept me dry during 15 minutes of full-on downpour,” one

tester said. It’s comfortable to wear under a pack or a harness, and it weighs a scant 5.7 ounces (men’s large). A bendable wire brim kept sideways rain out of testers’ faces, and a cinch cord on the hood enabled a custom fit. Stuff it into its pocket—the size of a large orange—and clip it to 3

2

 your harness. $125; outdoorresearch.com  SNOWBERRY ACTIVE OUTDOOR SPF 30

Sunburn can end a day just as well as a surprise storm. This all-natural sunscreen from New Zealand’s Snowberry has no harmful chemicals, and it uses zinc oxide and plant extracts to block UVA and UVB rays. What really made it stand out was how it felt: “It goes on soft, absorbs quickly, and doesn’t leave that greased-up feeling that makes crimping granite a challenge,” one tester said. The oils and shea butter help treat dry skin.  $41; snowberrybeauty.com  SMITH FRONTMAN CHROMAPOP

1

4

5

6

The sun is more intense up high, and that’s compounded by snowfields. Shades are essential for protecting your most valuable sense. With the ChromaPop, our testers found that they got the protection of a high-end polarized lens without dulling colors and rock features. “It’s like putting a high-definition filter on my eyes,” one user said. The Frontman frame has a sporty wraparound look (which also reduces the amount of bad rays that get in) with just enough flair to keep you from looking teched out. Scratch-resistant lenses provided a clear view even after rough-and-tumble abuse in the talus fields of Rocky Mountain National Park. $209–$239 (lenses vary); smithoptics.com  HILLSOUND TRAIL CRAMPON ULTRA

Elevation Essentials BY JULIE ELLISON

    N     O     T     R     E     L     L     U     F     N     E     B

5 absolute necessities for alpine climbing

 Just because the high country is dry enough to climb doesn’t mean trails and approaches are free of packed snow and ice. For low-angle jaunts,  you won’t need technical mountaineering crampons, but approach shoes will leave you slipping and sliding. Enter the Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra. It’s halfway between a technical ’pon and those mini-spikes soccer moms use to walk the dog in winter. The 18 stainless steel points gave testers just the right amount of purchase

on hard snow and ice. They’re light at 14.8 ounces (per pair), so you can always carry them when trails are questionable. Plus, they slip easily over any approach shoe, trail runner, or sneaker, so no need for big, heavy mountain boots. $70; hillsound.com  ADVENTURE MEDICAL KITS ULTRALIGHT & WATERTIGHT . 3

Think like a Boy Scout and “always be prepared” with this nifty first aid kit. It includes anti-septic wipes, ointment, and bandages for cuts and scrapes; medication for pain and inflammation; and blister treatment. It’s small (5.3” x 5”), packable, lightweight (2.3 oz.), and waterproof to keep everything useable after a downpour. Although this doesn’t replace actual first aid training or knowledge, it’s perfect to throw in a pack or a crashpad without taking up much space or adding weight. It’s a good foundation to build a larger kit from, if you need it. And the price is real nice. $9; adventuremedicalkits.com  PETZL TIKKA XP

Long approaches, inclement weather, and quickly changing conditions can keep you out longer than expected, so you should always bring a light. With an airy weight and a compact, rugged construction, the newly updated Tikka line remains a climber and alpinist favorite. We liked the XP model because of its three beam options: wide and dispersed, long and focused, or a combination of both. The highest setting is a bright 160 lumens, and it features Constant Lighting technology, which keeps it burning at the same rate for the battery’s duration. Most headlamps have unregulated life, meaning the light dims as the battery drains. When the batteries are low in the Tikka XP, it automatically goes into reserve mode, giving you just enough light to finish the task at hand. The strap is ergonomically shaped so it’s comfortable, and it’s removable and washable. $55; petzl.com 

C L I M B I N G . C O M | 43

www.primuscamping.com

OMNI LITE FOR THE SOLO TREKKER

Lightweight. Convenient. Powerful. Multi-fuel.

“The world’s smallest multi-fuel stove: it can burn gas as well as all kinds of liquid fuels from gasoline to diesel. What an ingenious invention!”  -OutDoor Industry Award, 2011

www.primuscamping.com

BEGIN HERE 

C L I N I C S 

ALPINE ROPE MANAGEMENT By Julie Ellison

point, and, keeping them in order, he should move the bundle so it’s touching his tether. At this point, you should take the other side of the coils and flip them over onto his tether, so longer strands are on bottom.

 fig. 1

RAPPELLING

THREE ROPE TECHNIQUES FOR FASTER AND SAFER MOVEMENT Managing the rope at belays and rappels on multi-pitch routes can  be a smooth operation that leads to quick transitions and more climbing. Or it can be a headache-inducing rats’ nest of chaos that means  wrestling with yourself every time  you try to feed out slac k. Instead of spending your summer alpine season untangling a rope, learn a few simple methods that will help you spend more time sending. Try out these tricks on shorter routes so that  when you’re faced with 15 pitches or 10 long rappels, you’ll have these techniques dialed in and ready to put to use.

In high winds. The “alpine torpedo” is a great trick for not getting the rope blown off course by strong winds when you toss it; it’s best when rapping from a ledge. Stack the rope from the anchor  by starting starting in the middle middle and and workworking out toward the ends of the rope, making two tight, neat stacks. Take the last three feet of rope from both ends and ball it all up together into  your hands. hands. Make Make sure sure the rope stacks have a clear path to get down, and throw this ball of rope straight down as hard as you can. This should cause the rest of the rope to pull out of the stack, hanging untangled and straight down from the anchor.

BELAYING

    N     O     T     R     E     L     L     U     F     N     E     B

With a ledge. Making sure the rope coils or stacks nicely as you belay the follower is the key to fast changeovers. If the stance is on a ledge, stack the rope just as  you would would on the ground, ground, but but be careful of loose rocks an errant coil could knock down. Keep in mind who is leading the next pitch, too. If your follower is taking the lead, his end of the rope will already be on top, so you don’t need to do anything. If you’re going on the sharp end again, you’ll need to get your end on top before  you take take off. The classic classic “pancake “pancake flip”  works well: Grab the the whole whole stack stack of rope, one hand on bottom and one on top. Flip it just like you would a pancake, so the correct end is on top and it won’t turn into a tangled ball. Without a ledge. No ledge (a “hanging belay”) means  you’ll have have to coil coil the the rope over

 whatever you’re  whatever you’re tied into into the ancho anchorr  with. Lean out out slightly slightly from from the wall so that your tether is taught. The key here is to make the loops gradually longer or shorter (this is contingent on who is leading the next pitch), instead of making them all the same. Loops of the same length will tangle faster than you can say “off belay.”

If your partner is leading the next pitch… Make the first loops the longest, so the shorter coils will be on top. Make the longer coils as long as you’d like,  but not not so length lengthyy that they’r they’ree getting getting caught on rocks or features below. Each subsequent coil should be shorter by a few inches, so the long coils on the bottom won’t get twisted

up with the shorter strands. With the short coils on top, the rope will feed smoothly when you switch from pulling in slack to paying out rope as your partner goes on lead.

If you’re leading the next pitch…  You’ll want  You’ll want the bela belayer yer to have have the same setup listed above: long coils on  bottom  bot tom,, short short coils coils on top. top. That mean meanss  you’ll coil the rop ropee prope properly rly for for your your partner as you belay him, and you’ll need to do it in reverse, so start with short coils that hang at least a foot down on each side. Each coil after that should be several inches longer. Once he reaches the belay and clips into the anchor, work together to flip the coils onto his tether. Have him pick up the  bundle  bund le of of rope rope stra straight ight off your your tietie-in in

With people below you.  Whether you’re  Whether you’re rapping rapping a popular popular descent line or the route you just climbed, tossing the rope becomes an issue when there are people below  you. Rappel Rappelling ling with with “saddlebag “saddlebags” s” is an excellent option to keep handy for situations when you might not want to blindly toss the rope, including  broken  broke n or flaky flaky terrain terrain where where the rope can easily get jammed on the toss ( fig. 1). 1). You’ll need to extend your rappel (climbing.com/skill/pre(climbing.com/skill/prerigging-rappels)) so the rope feeds rigging-rappels smoothly. Make the rope coils about four feet long (two separate coils if it’s a double-rope rappel, one coil/saddle bag for for each side) side),, clip a biner biner to to a gear loop on your harness, and then clip a sling or some cord to the biner.  Wrap  Wr ap the sling around around the middle middle of of the rope coils and clip the other end of the sling onto the biner on your harness. As you rappel down, the rope should feed smoothly from your saddlebag. Since it might be difficult to tell how much rope you have left,  you should should knot knot each each rope rope end, too.

C L I M B I N G . C O M | 45

C L I N I C S 

IN SESSION 

STUCK STU CK RAPPEL RAPPE L ROPES By Andy Kirkpatrick

PREVENT AND SAFELY RETRIEVE STUCK RAPPEL ROPES

 When I look back on my 30-year tenure as a climber, climber, I realize that I’ve spent as much (or more) time descending than ascending. After all, knowing when to turn around is what keeps us climbers alive and climbing. All that “downtime” easily adds up to several thousand hours of dodgy anchors, scary raps, and uncertain ends. That stuff would make any grown man nerv ous, but by far the scariest e xperiences of all were the few times I’ve gotten the rappel rope hopelessly stuck. This scenario can cause even the hardest of climbers to  break out in a cold sweat. When your rope is stuck, you ain’t going nowhere. Here are my hard-won tips for getting your rope unstuck and—even better—preventing it from happening in the first place.

Preventing it PULL-TEST If you don’t know what this is, then don’t do another rappel until you read up. You should make carrying out a pull-test as second nature as using a rappel backup (you do use one, I hope; learn how at climbing.com/  ). To do this,  skill/rappel-t  skill/ rappel-to-ascend  o-ascend ). the leader (the first person down the rope) simply pulls the “pull rope” for a few feet to check that it will run smoothly when it’s being pulled from the lower position. When the climber at the top anchor sees the rope move, he should hang tight because the rope is being tested. If the rope doesn’t move smoothly and freely  when pulled pulled from down low low,, then the climber at the top can do something to fix it.

SHORTER RAPPELS

ADJUST BEFOREHAND

PROPER KNOTS

The two main reasons for a rope refusing to budge are either too much friction over the length of the rappel, or a knot that is blocked by an obstacle close to the anchor. Always include a rappel ring or carabiner in the rap anchor, even if you have to add one yourself. This reduces friction and wear on both the webbing and the rope. On complex terrain, you may be better off making single-rope rappels (typically 30 meters). Having no knot joining the ropes means there’s no knot to get caught, and the shorter rappel distance means less overall friction.

If you must use double-rope rappels, make some adjustments before the first person leaves the anchor. After  you set up the rappel, pull the knot so it’s positioned lower than the belay ledge, which is a common place for the knot to get stuck. Keep in mind this will make one side of the rope shorter, but knots in the ends of the ropes should be there as a backup. Pay close attention to where the rope is running, and keep it clear of any cracks that could swallow it up; this might mean adjusting the anchor to redirect the rope. On snow and ice routes, you can also fill cracks with snow to block the rope’s entry. The  best skill is to be aware. aware.

Using the European Death Knot (aka the EDK or flat overhand knot) to join two ropes greatly reduces the chances of a hang up, as the knot tends to roll onto its flat side when encountering objects. (Learn to tie it here: climbing.com/skill/rappel-knots.) If you use a double fisherman’s or a square knot, then you’re creating a knot with about 50 percent more surface area to catch. Plus, the y can be very diffi cult to untie after being weighted. The EDK is the only knot any climber should use for joining ropes when rapping, and if it gives you the willies, I suggest you take up golf.

TIPS  Always carry prusik s whe n doing multip le rap pels, as you never know when you might need to ascend the rappel rope to unwedge a knot or get back to a higher anchor. Another option for really long rappel descents is to bring small mechanical ascenders. They can make ascending a rope much smoother and faster than prusiks. The benefit of prusiks is that they can be used on two ropes at once, while a mechanical ascender can only be used on a single line. Some climbers say that you should speed up pulling the rope through the anchor at the very end, as this causes the rope to whip through the anchor and fall away from the wall, but I’ve seen too many skinny ropes knot themselves this way, so keep it smooth until the rope clears the anchor. Alert your partner and other nearby parties by yelling “Rope!”

46 |   AUGUST 2014

 ANDY KIRKPATRICK 

andy-kirkpatrick.com ) is a British  Andy Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick ( andy-kirkpatrick.com climbing author with a reputation for stubbornness in the  face of reality, high-risk objectives, a keen sense of humor, and bad teeth.

    G     N     I     L     R     E     T     S     P     I     K     S

Dealing with it Start here ¼ You’re safely down at the next anchor and ready to pull the rope from the previous rap anchor. You engage the rope slowly and smoothly, getting a feel for what it’s doing. Don’t give up the end until you’re sure the rope is moving well. If at any time you begin to feel the effort to move it increase, then slow down. If you feel a tug, meaning the knot is caught on something, STOP.

Are both ends still with you?

 Pull the other end a few feet, then reverse and pull the  first end again. The rope should start moving. Once  you let go of the other end of the rope, you are far more exposed and less able to deal with problems, so take it easy and keep up a nice steady pull on the rope.

 Yes.

No.

Did that work?

 Yes. Rad.

Did that work? No.

 Yes. Awesome.

Can you cut the rope and safely descend on what you can salvage?

No.

 Yes. OK, then do that.

No.

It’s time to ascend the ropes! The good thing is  that you know the anchor is solid, and ascending  both lines means  you don’t have to  worry about the rope becoming unstuck while you’re ascending. Tie into  the rope ends, use  two prusiks on both ropes together, and start moving up. Tie back-up  knots occasionally and clip them to  your harness. Be prepared to pass  the joining knot. Once you reach the  higher anchor and unstick the rope, rappel back down.

Try to flick the rope free, moving your  position if necessary. The farther away  from the wall you are, the more effective  you’ll be, so you might have to extend your connection point to the anchor. Put some slack in the rope and flick the rope hard up, down, or to one side.

Did that work?

 Yes. Sweet.

No.

 Now you need to use some force. When descending, you should have checked out the path to spot any potential problems, such as a tree limb or a rock spike, so that you have an idea of what could have happened. Once you begin to pull hard,  you increase the chances of pulling down rocks, so reduce the risk by staying away from the fall line. To increase the force, you can simply use a belay device to yard in the slack, or place jumars or prusiks on the rope and use the weight of more than one climber. One technique is to use a Grigri to pull in the rope until it’s under maximum tension, then let all the rope explode from the device, causing the rope to spring up and whip the rope out of its obstruction.

 Ascend the single rope. You’ve already tested its holding power, so it  should  take a climber’s weight. The unlucky climber should tie into the end you’ve been pulling and be put on belay. Hopefully, he can free or aid climb, placing pro along the  way, until he reaches the obstruction. If he can’t, he should prusik up the rope,  with minimal bouncing, placing pro if possible. If the snag is high on the rappel or at the anchor, he may run out of free rope for a belay, but he should soon reach  the other strand of rappel rope and can use that as a backup. Once he gets to the stuck portion, he should build an anchor, fix the problem, get lowered back down or rappel, and clean the gear he placed.

CLIMBING.COM |

47

C L I N I C S 

GUIDE’S TIP 

HIGH-COUNTRY COOKING SCHOOL By Kel Rossiter

EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN TIPS AND TRICKS FOR COOKING IN THE ALPINE

 You might be able to onsight 5.10 at 12,000 feet, or keep a cool head while looking at a 25-foot runout, but you’re not a master of the alpine until you’ve learned to whip up nutritious and tasty meals for bottomless appetites in a cramped, dimly lit nylon- or snow-walled kitchen, all  while battling relentless winds. Add in the fact that you’ve got to carry all your food, fuel, and kitchen gadgets on your back, and you’ve got a recipe that would have any reality show chef weeping in his souffl é. While it takes a while to work your way up from alpine line cook to highaltitude executive chef, here are the basics to put you on the fast track.

Stoves Liquid-fuel stoves are the alpine  workhorse, with greater functionality in extreme cold and at high altitudes—canister and alcohol stoves are generally better suited for smaller groups or solo missions  below treeline. Plus, liquid-fuel stoves (e.g., MSR WhisperLite) are ideal for cooking for large groups, melting snow, and handling many sizes of pots and pans. They take a  variety of liquid fuels, such as white gas, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, and jet fuel, and you can usually find at least one of these at your locale. (Check manufacturer’s instructions.) Canister stoves (e.g., Jetboil) are better suited for small teams and simple, just-add-water cooking scenarios, like freeze-dried food, and they use pressurized fuel canisters,  which can be difficult to find off the  beaten path.  Alpine Advi ce: When your canister is getting low in cold temps or at higher altitudes, squeeze extra life out of it by placing it in a pan of water. Fill a pan with warm water about 1 or 1.5 inches deep, and  place the canister in th e water while  you’re cooking. Thes e canisters cool as the gas burns, and the tepid water bath helps to keep it warm.  Periodically replace the cooled water in the pan with warm water from the stove. Throw the canister in the bottom of your sleeping bag so it’s warm and ready to go at breakfast.  For liquid stoves, bu ild a stable work space for your fuel, stove, and prepping area. Removing the handle from a shovel and using the blade is a good option.

Prep Climbing all day is hard enough, so don’t complicate things with intricate meals, and the only thing

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tougher than cooking in the alpine is cleaning. Just-add-water meals keep cooking and cleaning to a minimum.  Alpine Advice: Just-add-water meals are the easiest to pack, cook, and clean up, but pre-packaged  freeze-dried options are expensive, hard to digest at altitude, and they are notorious for giving climbers  gas—not the kind of challenge you want in a tiny tent. A good solution is to throw together your own instant meals, which will be suited

to your personal tastes and just as easy to prep, cook, and clean. Think about options using instant soup mixes, dried mashed potatoes, ramen noodles, or stuffi ng. Deck them out nutritionally with nuts, dried  fruits, vegetables, and proteins like tuna. Pre-package them at home in  zippered sandwich bags so that you can just plop dinner in your bowl, add boiling water, relax, and enjoy.  My favorite basic ingredient recipes are potatoes and stuffi ng (instant

 potatoes, textured veggie protein,  gravy mix), the alpinisto (instant rice, dried refried beans, taco seasoning), and high-altitude Asian (ramen noodles, peanut butter, and soy sauce mix).

Cooking Sometimes conditions are so bad out that you have to cook in your vesti bule or tent, but way too many climbers have done this and sealed up the

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Just-Add-Water Meals 1. MSR Dromedary; 6.9 oz. (4L version) Great for hauling and storing water  when melting snow. 2. 32 oz. Nalgene Jar; 6.7 oz.

Nests with fuel canister, acts as a camp bowl, and holds leftovers.

4. Plastic spork; 0.3 oz. Light, cheap, and multi-functional.

3. MSR Reactor with 1L pot; 14.7 oz. (stove and pot) Packable, light, durable, and cooks lightning-fast.

5. Stuff sack; 1.6 oz. Gathers and hauls snow for melting, and you are probably already packing one.

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Cook-in-Pot Meals 1. MSR Dromedary; 6.9 oz. (4L version) Melt snow the night before and store here for the next morning.

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2. Plastic spork; 0.3 oz. The only utensil you’ll need; look for a foldable model. 3. 1-liter pot; 6 oz.  Any lightweight model.

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4. Stuff sack; 1.6 oz. Use one you’re already packing.

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5. Half a Brillo Pad; 0.3 oz. Scrub off burned-on food.

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6. 1 c. measuring cup; 1 oz.  With ample handle for ladeling  water.

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7. MSR PanHandler; 1.9 oz. If your pot doesn’t have a handle.

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8. Handle-free spatula; 0.7 oz. Pre-clean bowls or scrape off gunk. 9. MSR Dragonfly; 14 oz. (stove), 5.7 oz. (20 oz. fuel bottle) Excellent all-around high-altitude cooker.

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tent to preserve heat. Some of those climbers never got to eat their dinner.  All stoves release carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless, deadly gas. First  you get sleepy, and then you never  wake up. Make sure your tent doors and flaps are generously opened if  you must cook inside your tent, and don’t let the hot stove get too close to  your nylons (clothes, rope, sleeping  bag, tent walls, etc.), which will melt like a candle if exposed to a small amount of heat. If you feel like the stove is warming your tent, you probably need more ventilation.  Alpine Advice: Altitude lowers boiling temperatures, which in turn, lengthens cook times—so if you cook  your pasta the same as you do at home, get ready for a very al dente meal. Once you’re over 3,000 feet, boil times will need to be increased by at least two to three minutes; add another minute or two for each 1,000  feet over 3,000. Water evaporates  faster, so cook with a tight-fitting lid and add a bit more water. Combine that with decreased stove efficiency at altitude, and this means packing

more fuel. Liquid fuel: 3 ounces per  person per day; 6 to 8 ounces per  person per day when melting snow. Canister (only for non-melting situations): one 8-ounce canister is good  for two people for four days.

Clean-Up If you kept your cooking simple, the only things you’ll need to clean are your spork, a bowl, and maybe a cup. Don’t use soap; clean the pan  with your spatula, and then use hot  water from post-dinner drinks to get tough spots. For burned-on gunk, try steel wool and some gritty soil. Toss dishwater away from camp (really far away if there are bears!), and dispose of chunky stuff in a six-inchdeep cathole. When considering your own cook kit, think about the range of uses for each piece. Sure, a shallow plate might be nice for tortillas and beans, but what about a bowl of noodles? You can also streamline clean-up by minimizing items: Use something that can function as  both a bowl and mug to save space,

 weight, and time. Also, consider ease of cleaning and sanitation. Find  bowls and mugs with rounded edges so gunk doesn’t collect in hard-toreach corners. For cleaning pots and  bowls, pack a standard spatula for scraping. This minimizes the amount of water needed.  Alpine Advice: Water is the oil of the climbing machine, from a morning cup of coffee to the evening’s kitchen clean-up, but liquid water can be scarce in the alpine, so you’ve  got to melt snow. Always save a small part of your day’s water to start your snow melting, otherwise  you risk scorching the pot. Put the water in the pot, heat it at a low tem perature, and slowly add more and more snow. Because snow acts like a sponge, make sure to add it very slowly or you’ll end up with no water and just a bunch of scorched snow in  your pot. Converting snow into water is incredibly fuel intensive, so be vigilant about keeping the lid on and using a wind screen on liquid-fuel stoves, which will direct heat where it’s supposed to go.

KEL ROSSITER 

 Kel Rossiter is the owner and an  AMGA-certified alpine and rock  guide for Adventure Spirit Guides ( adventurespiritguides.com ). He’s cooked an estimated 2,400 meals above treeline.

CLIMBING.COM |

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FIND A GUIDE »  BECOME ONE

 A M G A . C O M

CLIMBER WISDOM

V O I C E S  I climb in the arid West, and I don’t think I’ll ever ice climb. Is it worth the extra scratch to get a dry-treated rope? —Adam C., Billings, MT 

Uh, yes. How many gear guides have you glossed over and still not picked up on this essentially a priori truth? I’m going to go over this quickly to make room for other, more pressing questions (I mean just look at poor Lauren’s problem...). Dry-treated ropes help prevent dirt and other muck from attaching itself firmly to your cord, which would con tribute to a more rapid deterioration of the very fibers that suspend you above certain splattery death every time your ill-equipped forearms eject you from the wall to which you helplessly cling. Plus, they feed better through your belay device and feel smoother in your hand. The only instance in which you should be buying a nondry-treated rope is if your bank account only allows for  whatever crap-deal you find on The Clymb, you van-living hippy. Get it? Everyone? Stop asking about this.

It’s not that I hate children, but they’re everywhere in my gym and typically cause problems. What should I do about this? —Lauren A., Hartford, CT 

 Ask Answer Man He knows climbing. And he knows it. Why do so many strong climbers have hunchbacks? —Evan R., Kansas City, MO 

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He can’t help it! He was “Born This Way!” Like one of Lady Gaga’s little monsters or that freaky dude from that movie with Cher. Or Cher. The phenomenon to which you are so insensitively referring is caused by a contracted ligament down the front of the spine, according to Dr. Lisa Erikson, DC, of LifeSport Chiropractic in Boulder, Colorado. “It’s not enough stretching, particularly of the anterior longitudinal ligament—and  bad posture,” she says. “Muscularly speaking, the pectoralis muscles and, most common in climbers, the overly contracted latissimus dorsi—which help rotate the arm, extend the shoulder, and bring the upper arm down to the side—create the forward shift and rounded shoulders. Climbers are more muscle-bound as well, and these tighter and shorter muscles accentuate the problem.” Lucky for you, though, Dr. Erikson says the issue is entirely preventable and treatable. Seek a physical therapist or chiropractor who can assess the problem and apply pressure with a specially designed orthotic to loosen the area. Got any other weird climbing injuries? G et Dr. Erikson’s book Climbing Injuries Solved . AND OTHER TOPICS...

Most people don’t like to cause others stress or pain. (Some do. My safe word is “potato.”) But that doesn’t mean this doesn’t have the potential to get awkward with mama bear and her cubs. Try a proxy. If you’re half the woman Ann Coulter wishes she was, complain to the gym manager in person. Conversely, if subtlety is more your thing, try the suggestion box. Scribble furiously all the ways in which children incense  you without seeming like a truculent pedophobe. Honestly, though, it’s probably best to deal with it  yourself, or you’ll just be angry the rest of your miserable sesh. Try this: “Hey [name of inattentive mother],  your little one, [name of hell-spawn], keeps wandering into the fall zone of this problem I’m working. I really don’t want to hurt him/her if I fall! [Feign sorrow for snapped kid-bones.] Would you mind making sure he/ she doesn’t dart under me when I try it? Thanks!” If all else fails, apply your own Montessori Method and let the kids learn the gravity of these mistakes for themselves. However, on the advice of my overpaid attorney, I’ ll leave it to you to interpret that option.

Got a burning question about climber etiquette, customs, or values? Email [email protected].

How can I score some free shoes? Steal them, of course.  //  What’s the term for sending a route with pre-placed pro? Well, it’s certainly not “sending.”  //  Can you recommend a good method for marking my gear? Locks of human hair (doesn’t matter whose) tied in elaborate knots.

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V O I C E S 

THE WRIGHT STUFF 

Cedar Wright, Alex Honnold, and Sean Leary in the Palisades of California, on the 2013 Sufferfest.

Stanley  Style BY CEDAR WRIGHT

More than 70 ascents of El Cap. The  Nose in 2

hours, 36 minutes. A speed record on the  Salathe. Three El Cap routes in less than 24 hours. El Cap and Half Dome all free in a day. Big wall first ascents in Patagonia, Baffin, and Antarctica. Hundreds of wingsuit jumps from most of these formations. Any one of these accomplishments would be a crowning lifetime achievement for most climbers. Who is this badass? It’s not one of the “big names” in climbing, though it should be. My friend Sean “Stanley” Leary flew under the radar while accumulating one of the most impressive Yosemite climbing resumes of all time. This past spring, Sean leapt off a cliff in Zion National Park like he had done hundreds of times before. He flew in a wingsuit at more than 100 mph into a notch, then, it is presumed, entered a shadow, lost visibility, clipped a tree, and as BASE jumpers somewhat callously put it, “He went in.” In that viciously unfair, bullshit moment, I didn’t just lose a climb ing partner and friend, I lost my climbing mentor, the one person, who more than any other, shaped the direction of my life.

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I was a full-on gumby and had only been climbing three months  when I met Stanley for the first time, at a fungus-filled, full-moon,  bonfire beach party on Moonstone Beach near Humboldt, California.  A friend introduced us as “both climbers,” and later that evening I was pseudo-belaying Sean as he toproped up a swirling, melting face. This was the beginning of perhaps one of the sketchiest climbing mentorships of all time. With few motivated climbers to turn to, Sean really had no choice but to take me under his wing. The tutelage that followed won’t be found in  Freedom of the Hills, and it would probably give the AMGA cold sweats. My first lesson from Stanley occurred on our first full day out. He “guided” me up my first “lead climb,” a free solo of an 80-foot 5.9 on Moonstone Beach. “You’ve got this dude; just relax,” he coached me, as I fought a wicked pump and deadpointed for jugs more than 40 feet off the ground. That day, I learned to breathe and relax in the face of danger, a highly underrated skill. By the time I started leading with a rope, it actually seemed pretty mellow. Stanley introduced me to each aspect of climbing in about the most unorthodox way possible. It was often too rainy in Humboldt to climb, unless you were willing to climb in the rain, so that we did—ALL THE TIME. I learned that just because conditions aren’t perfect, it doesn’t mean something is unclimbable. I’ve put this lesson to good use in places like Baffin and the Karakoram. Sean instructed me that it was prouder (and more efficient) to skip as many bolts as possible while sport climbing, and even better to solo the route. As I learned to trad climb, he taught me that it was more honorable to place only stoppers. He methodically threw me onto dangerous and difficult climbs. Slowly but surely, I took on “Stanley style,” a risky approach to climbing defined by heart-racing thrills and near misses.  A year into my “dementorship,” we bolted a ground-up first ascent on a local limestone crag, using only one very small hook and a hand drill,  because “rap-bolting is for pussies.” We both took 60-foot whippers in the process. I slowly learned to trust my abilities, to recognize the difference between just being scared and being in true danger, and to be quite comfortable on runouts and sketchy gear. This was not your inherently safe, homogenized, “belay card” gymclimbing education. Sean introduced me to an adrenaline-filled gladiator sport where every day could be your last. Soon I was soloing 5.10 on a daily basis because… that’s what Stanley did! Really, the lessons were as numerous as they were dubious. I learned that you could save good money on climbing shoes if you only used them when you absolutely couldn’t do the route in your bare feet. The same went for chalk. I learned that toproping was much more exciting if the rope was pulled up in 15-foot increments. I learned that if the climber is about to deck, the belayer must run at full speed to keep that from happening. Somewhat miraculously, I survived Stanley’s tutelage. All the sand bagging, soloing, and runouts had shaped me into a fast, bold climber. Later, I would put that patented “Leary boldness” to good use, setting my own speed records on El Cap and pioneering scary first ascents on the Sentinel. I almost certainly wouldn’t have a professional climbing career today if it hadn’t been for this warped dementorship.

I took on “Stanley style,” a risky ap-  proach to climbing characterized by heart-racing thrills and near misses.

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Even more important than climbing lessons, Sean educated me on the dirtbag ethic, or as he once put it, “the bullshit-free lifestyle.” He taught me that doing what you love was true success. He took me to Joshua Tree and Yosemite, and instilled in me a deep respect for these sacred places. He introduced me to countless climbing characters, and encouraged me to follow my big wall dreams. “Just move into your truck and climb,” he suggested, after I graduated from Humboldt State  with a bachelor’s in English. That’s what I did. Stanley convinced me that this was an acceptable and normal course of action for someone  who loved to climb.

 way to Moab, the car rolled, and she died in his arms. I raced to see Sean in Moab. Understandably, he was a complete mess and no fun to be around. Totally dark. I cooked him food, got him out climbing, and tried to keep him occupied. At times, I thought he might kill himself. He’d lower off a pitch and start sobbing. At one point he had an outburst. “What’s the fucking point?!” he screamed, as he threw his phone and wallet into the desert, then took off in his car. I fretted for hours, confronting the reality that I might not see him alive again. Slowly, Stanley clawed back to life, and soon took an obsessive inter est in BASE jumping. He channeled his loss and grief into learning a new and dangerous sport. It wasn’t long before he had jumped El Cap and Half Dome. Sean was still an emotional mess. I didn’t really like the idea of BASE jumping, but I couldn’t deny that it seemed to be therapeutic for him. “Every time I jump, I have to pull the cord and save my life,” he confided in me. Sean had promised Roberta that, if she died before him, he would scatter her ashes in Patagonia, where she loved to climb. Sean carried those ashes and the pain of her death with him for two years, unwilling and unable to let go. Finally, he made it to Patagonia with Renan Ozturk and myself. Despite crap weather and endless winds, we managed to put up a first ascent, and Stanley became the first person to wingsuit off El Mocho. He packed Roberta’s ashes in the chute. When it opened, Roberta returned to the mountains she loved. In Patagonia, Sean finally let go of his pain. He began to laugh and then even love again. I was so happy to see him marry a sexy and whipsmart medical student named Mieka. Stanley married a doctor, and I married a lawyer. “Dirtbags like us need sugar mamas,” I joked with him. Right before he died, Sean was enjoying a personal renaissance. He  was starting to get some of the recognition and support he deserved, including trips to Baffin and Antarctica with Leo Houlding, and some  well-earned sponsorships. He was pioneering numerous legal BASE exits in North America and working on a cutting-edge free climb on Mount Watkins with Jimmy Hayden. He was also going to be a father. I’ve lost some of my best friends to climbing, and if I’m honest, I’m still confused and conflicted by that. We were supposed to be old farts talking shit and trading war stories some day. Sean’s death made me furious. Fuck BASE jumping , I thought. But as reality set in, I had to accept the fact that if Stanley had played it safe, he wouldn’t have been the guy I loved and respected. Stanley lives on in the countless climbing and life lessons I learned from him, and I continue on the trajectory that Stanley created for me. Before he died, Sean helped Steph Davis with her healing process after she lost her husband, Mario, to BASE jumping. “Right now your grief is this giant gaping hole with sharp edges, but as you move for  ward in life, the edges soften and other beautiful things start to grow around it, flowers and trees of experiences. The hole never goes away,  but it becomes gentler and sort of a garden in your soul, a place you can  visit when you want to be near your love.” I miss you and love you, Stanley. Here’s to raising hell in the garden.  // 

At some point along the path, I was no longer the pupil. I had become Sean’s equal in sketchiness, and when we teamed up, it was a guaranteed epic.  At some point along the path, I was no longer the pupil. I had become Sean’s equal in sketchiness, and when we teamed up, it was a guaranteed epic. Ironically, one of the standout examples of our unique partnership took place on one of the easiest routes in Yosemite. Sean and I had spent the day wallowing in a lethargic Yosemite summer stupor, all too common when you live there. A controlled burn had injected the “ditch” with a dark, caustic, and apocalyptic haze. But Stanley had an idea. A cloud of mosquitoes buzzed hungrily around our heads as we jogged toward  Nutcracker , a five-pitch 5.8 and one of the most popular climbs in the Valley. “I can’t believe a bear  broke into my car,” I lamented, as I swatted a mosquito. “You did have an empty can of herrings in your car,” Sean pointed out. “Details, details,” I retorted. “Alright, on three-two-one.” Stanley clicked his stopwatch, and we relinquished to the spastic maniacs within. We darted up through the swirling smoke with blistering speed. The 5.8 layback on the first pitch  went by in 30 seconds. Stanley’s feet skated and scratched as he halfclimbed, half-dynoed up the route. This was a ridiculous, alarming, and lung-blasting pace, but I wasn’t going to let him dust me. I huffed guttural gasps and felt like I might vomit at any moment, but I stayed on his heels. If Sean fell, I would almost certainly be ripped off the face. This only egged Sean on to go faster. Sweat and sunscreen stung my eyes as I launched onto a mantel. We were climbing pitches faster than most people set an anchor. This was stupidly dangerous and absurd! But you know what? It was fucking awesome. Sean turned  Nutcracker   into a race course. I was hyperventilating and dizzy to the point of passing out and teetering backward off the cliff. Less than six minutes later, we lay at the top of the route, coughing and gasping the thick smoky air. For a fleeting moment, we were heroes (or at least felt like heroes). For several weeks after that, I had a chronic cough. The lessons with Sean continued, and that day drove home the fact that a shitty day can easily be transformed into an awesome one in a matter of minutes. It’s your call.  A couple weeks later, we accomplished the first free ascent of the Porcelain Wall , onsight in a day, at 5.10d X. What stands out in my mind is that Stanley padded his way up a 140-foot 5.10 friction slab with no protection for the entire stretch! “That would be a classic pitch if we had bolts,” he joked. Sean was one of the boldest climbers I have ever climbed with, right up there with Honnold and Potter. Eventually I got the chance to repay Sean for the life of adventure he had gifted me, but not in a way I would ever have wished. That winter, Sean lost the love of his life, Brazilian climber Roberta Nunes. On their

Cedar Wright is a professional climber and contributing editor for Climbing. Beware of him honing his Stanley style at a crag near you.

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V O I C E S 

SEMI-RAD 

The BY BRENDAN LEONARD

Joy Of  Sloproping I was lucky enough to see the premiere of C hris Alstrin’s 2008 film  Luxury Liner: The First Ascent of Supercrack at Neptune Mountaineering, where three of the four members of the first ascent party were present: Ed  Webster, Stewart Green, and Bryan Becker. Only missing was the late Earl Wiggins, who led (on all passive gear, mind you) the visionary climb that opened Indian Creek as a world-class destination. 54 |  AUGUST 2014

 After the film, when Webster, Green, Becker, and filmmaker Alstrin took questions, Becker mentioned that he hardly ever led anything at Indian Creek anymore. I remember him saying something like, “I just  walk around asking, ‘Can I get a toprope?’” to much laughter from the audience. Bryan Becker is no slouch—although he didn’t lead the first ascent of Supercrack (5.10), he put up tons of ballsy routes in his career: the FA of The Hallucinogen Wall  (5.10 A3+ R) in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the FA of the  Denali Diamond (M7) on North America’s highest peak, and the first solo of The Dragon (VI 5.9 A4) in the Black Canyon, to name a few. Basically he’s done more hard, scary climbing than most of us will ever have nightmares of. But nowadays, he likes a good toprope at the Creek and was more than happy to announce it to a room full of climbers. Which I thought was great, because I have a bit of a complex about toproping.

He’s done more hard, scary climbing than most of us will ever have night-  mares of. But nowadays, he likes a good toprope at the Creek. I sometimes tell myself that if I didn’t lead a pitch, I didn’t really climb it. Where this idea comes from, I’m not sure. I rarely toprope sport climbs, preferring to pull the rope and at least lead the route  with hung draws (which is still psychologically easier than hanging the draws myself, I think). I have returned to multi-pitch routes that I’ve previously done, in order to lead pitches two and four, which I followed the first time around. Because in the back of my mind is a little voice saying, “Come on. Do you really think you could have led that pitch?”  And I give in to that voice. Should you feel guilty about toproping, about working the moves of a route until you have it dialed and are confident to lead it—or just pushing yourself on a climb a couple grades above your current lead ing limit? Of course not. Perhaps some of us feel bad about toproping  because some of us know w e toprope badly. I will be the first to admit that I climb sloppily when I have a toprope guaranteeing my safety from above. Do you? I will try that desperate heel hook, or huck out of control for a hold above what would be a nasty ledge fall on lead, or just flat-out make dumb moves that would have bad consequences were I on the sharp end. Why not? It takes the edge off, right? Might as well try some shit. Usually I will announce in the first 20 feet of a climb, to myself or my belayer: “Man, toproping is awesome.” Then I give in to all my bad habits. Perhaps this technique should  be called “sloproping.” Hell, we have redpointing, pinkpointing,  brownpointing, why not sloproping? Let me send an email to the folks at 8a.nu. If you take it seriously, it’s toproping. If you don’t, it’s sloproping. If  you feel gui lty wh ile y ou’re doing it, y ou’re probably sloproping, and  you m ight ask your self: Is this really doing me any good? Of co urse,  you also might not ask yourself that, and then try an all-points-off  dyno to that jug way up there.  // 

 Brendan Leonard is a contri buting edi tor for Climbing.

tarifa  FALL 2014

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IGH LIFE America’s best bouldering is above 9,000 feet, and conditions are perfect—now! Here’s what you need to know to hit the country’s finest alpine areas. By Alex Biale A climber enjoys the beauty and serenity that alpine bouldering offers on a V3 at Area D of Mt. Evans, Colorado.

BOULDERERS  ARE MIGRATORY. Spring finds us anxiously emerging from the gym to (fingers crossed) send projects we didn’t manage to finish up before fall turned into winter. We explore all elevations and different regions of the country, chasing those perfect, friction-increasing dry and crisp conditions that make the rock feel like Velcro. Come summer, though, there is no chase. We know exactly where to go: It’s alpine season. For some boulderers, the entire year is spent in preparation for summer alpine bouldering season. There is definitely something special and unique about bouldering in the high country: The flowers are brighter, the air is cleaner, the friction is stickier, the stone is (more oen than not) high quality, and the scenery is always grander. Oentimes you might find yourself spending more time taking photos in the meadows, on the trail, and in the talus than actually climbing. Oh well. There is enough sending to fuel a passion for climbing the rest of the year—and enough flailing to have plenty of projects to come back to. Alpine bouldering is solidifying itself as a real genre in the wider world of climbing. Try it, and you’ll be hooked. Because each alpine bouldering area is a new world, it can be a lifelong pursuit. Whether it is the local community, the scenery, the type of rock, the style of climbing, or the weather patterns, each area stands alone. This sets the stage for adventure and experiencing something new every time you 58 |  AUGUST 2014

Top: Many of the approaches and surrounding talus fields hold year-round snow, making the alreadygrueling hike to Upper Chaos Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park a good bit longer and more difficult. Bottom: Alton Richardson works out the beta on the crimps of Clear Blue Skies  (V12), Mt. Evans, Colorado.

visit. Most alpine bouldering areas in the U.S. are relatively new, and every year new problems go up across the country. There is so much potential up there and so few people willing to hike that you can easily get a shot at a first ascent! Whether you’re a weekend warrior, living in your van, or simply someone who enjoys being outside, alpine bouldering has something for everyone. Add these spots to your summer tick list, and it’s guaranteed that you’ll have some of the most memorable climbing experiences of the year.

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Lush greenery surrounded by beautiful stone is common in the wonderfully untouched areas of the high country. Ben Vernon on a fun V4 in Area D of Mt. Evans, Colorado.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK , CO Experience the most popular alpine bouldering area in the country  THE SCENE Quality gneiss

colored with splotches of green, yellow, black, and gray, a seemingly unlimited amount of development potential, breathtaking vistas of some of Rocky’s most scenic peaks, hundreds of four-star boulder problems (of all grades), and a rich history all make this place one of the most visited summer climbing areas in North America. Can’t-miss zones: the Bear Lake Road circuit, Emerald Lake, Moraine Park, and Lower and Upper Chaos Canyon. THE APPROACH To get to

Emerald Lake and the Hallett Boulder, park at the Bear Lake parking lot (10 miles from the park entrance on CO 36). Take the Emerald Lake Trail (a paved path for most of the way), passing views of Glacier Gorge and Longs Peak. The 1.5-mile hike gains 605 feet, and the bouldering area sits at 10,080 feet. Targeting Chaos Canyon? Park at the same lot and take the Emerald Lake Trail until you reach a junction with the Lake Haiyaha Trail. Turn le and hike uphill through several switchbacks and river crossings. Eventually the trail will spit you out at the mouth of Chaos Canyon. Trend right for Lower Chaos; trend le for Upper.

NOTABLE PROBLEMS  AT EMERALD LAKE THE KIND , V5 Rumored to be the best V5 in Colorado, this classic moves out a gentle overhang on absolutely perfect rock. The wall itself might even seem like it’s changing colors as the sun moves across the open sky. An absolute must-do for all capable.

THE STRIPES , V7 FIREBALL , V10 WHISPERS OF WISDOM , V10

IN CHAOS CANYON MIDDLE WARM-UP , V1 POTATO CHIP LAYBACK , V3 POTATO CHIP , V6 Good holds and nice movement.

This beauty takes home the “most coveted V10 in Colorado” award. Everything about this problem is ideal. It’s tall, steep, proud, aesthetic, hard as balls, and just plain fun. Not to mention you get the most spectacular view in all of RMNP from on top of this boulder. Whispers of Wisdom is the only line on the face and has a 25-foot slab for the finish to guard it from the faint of heart.

TOMMY’S ARÊTE , V7

THE KIND TRAVERSE , V11

It’s only a few moves, but it ain’t no gimme.

A butt-draggin’ low-baller with two cruxes. To avoid rolling into a tree, a tight spot is essential on the second crux.

STORM SHADOW , V12

A four-star problem said to be so for the grade.

GANG BANG, V8

DEEP PUDDLE DYNAMICS , V9

Nadia Pinna stretches out on the colorful gneiss at the relatively easy-to-access Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

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Daniel Woods tries hard and nabs the first ascent of Never Cry Wolf (V13) at the Devil’s Kitchen near Lander.

 WYOMING  Venture into the frontier of alpine bouldering THE SCENE The

Wind Rivers, near Lander, Wyoming, and the Laramie Mountain Range, host some of the country’s most underdeveloped and promising bouldering. Lander is home to roadside sandstone, alpine granite, and plenty of wilderness dolomite, and Laramie is just as diverse, with more rock than you could ever imagine. Local Davin Bagdonas says, “Developing new problems and areas is the driving force behind the climbing community here.” If you have any interest in finding new rock, having areas to yourself, or first ascents, this is your spot. THE APPROACH For Lander:

Bouldering in the Wind River Range , by David Lloyd and Ben Sears. For Laramie: wyomingbouldering.blogspot.com.

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NOTABLE PROBLEMS ALCA, V5 CRYSTALIS , V6 GREEN MACHINE, V6 THE SOLITUDE , V9 Sometimes V9 can feel way harder than V10. THE ARKENSTONE , V11 A true finger-strength testpiece. NEVER CRY WOLF , V13 Established in 2012, this problem (temporarily) holds the title of being the hardest problem in Wyoming.

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BURST ROCK, CA   Visit the best-kept climber secret in the Sierra Nevada  THE SCENE Burst

Rock, which sits at about 8,000 feet above sea level and an hour outside the town of Twain Harte in the Eastern Sierra, is on par with the world-class Colorado spots— with none of the people. Littered with towering granite blocks, this talus field has unimaginable potential with very few takers, despite locals encouraging development. The boulders are tall, and the landings are rocky and uneven. Bring your pads and some friends. THE APPROACH You’ll

Ryan Moon warms up on a V1 in the lower talus field .

need two things: a vehicle with off-road capabilities and an affinity for hiking. Head east out of Twain Harte on CA 108 and aer about 30 minutes, you’ll hit the small town of Cold Springs and then Crab Tree Road. Turn right and drive for about 15 minutes (it will go from paved to dirt). Continue on this road until you arrive at the Gianelli Trailhead. Park here, hike for one mile until you hit a small wooden sign, and then hang a le to follow a climber’s trail. When you arrive at the rim of the talus field, pick your poison and make your way down.

NOTABLE PROBLEMS THE RIBBON, V4 CONVERSATIONS WITH MARMOT, V7 WE DON’T NEED TO WHISPER, V7 The most obvious line in the whole canyon. You can see the lightning bolt feature that defines this highball boulder from the top of the canyon before you make the descent. Brute force won’t get you to the top of this gem; you have to whisper. SWEET SIXTEEN, V8 An amazing highball that ascends little edges up a perfect overhang. Bring the spotters and the pads! LEXICAL AMBIGUITY,

V10 Climb a perfect overhanging face on crimps and edges.

SKYPE, V10 Max Zolotukhin put this problem up in 2011 aer it thwarted many a ttempts.

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RULES OF THE ALPINE  What every boulderer needs to know about life up high BE AWARE OF WEATHER.

Quickly moving storms, lightning strikes, and exposed positions mean weather is more than just a threat to your climbing session—it’s a

threat to your life. Check NOAA and other sites to cross-reference hourly weather graphs and see when and where the storms will be hitting. Always pack layers and rain gear.

IT’S PHYSICALLY DEMANDING.

Everything is harder at altitude: hiking, breathing, climbing, etc. Drink plenty of fluids throughout your day. Pay attention to your body,

and don’t push yourself too hard. Descend immediately if you have a headache, appetite loss, dizziness, or nausea, which are common symptoms of altitude sickness.

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Jon Glassberg on the first ascent of Lightstorm  (V8) at Mt. Evans.

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BY ANGIE PAYNE

Ode to the Alpine This will be my fourth season of projecting the same boulder problem. I have invested upward of 50 days to climb this single piece of rock, and the frustration is brain-twisting at times. But when I am consumed by anger and self-doubt and on the verge of a total meltdown, I take a few steps back to see the bigger scene surrounding this little rock—the 13,000-foot peaks reflected in clear alpine lakes. It slaps some sense into me and slows my racing mind. And when I walk back up that trail this year to my favorite place on Earth, it will be more beautiful than I remembered—because it always is. I finished my first long-term project above treeline years ago, but one project led right into the next as my love of the alpine continued to grow. I can’t stay away. I have vivid memories of one of my first bouldering outings to Rocky Mountain National Park. I was a 19-yearold, doe-eyed tagalong in a group of three guys who were Park regulars. The day went something like this: drive 45 minutes to Estes Park, wait just as long for a storm to pass, hike for more than an hour to reach a single boulder, unpack just in time to watch a storm roll over the ridge, run two miles back down to the car. Standing in the park ing lot with rubbery legs, burning lungs, and an altitudeinduced headache, I hardly knew which way was up, but I was sure of one thing—Colorado boulderers are crazy. But just as the burn of bourbon fades with each sip, my alpine bouldering jaunts got smoother. Soon enough, I began to acclimate to the altitude and the attitude of alpine  bouldering, and realized that a day like that was par for the course. I joined the ranks of crazies and came to embrace that climbing in the mountains requires patience. In the early season, you must wait for the boulders to crawl out of their snowy hibernation. And once the preciously short summer rolls around, climbing is at the mercy of the weather. When it cooperates, the days are long, with many miles of driving and hiking and some climbing speckled in between. Actual time spent on  boulders is typically a very small fraction of total time invested. So I’m sure you’re wondering why a boulderer  would bother. There’s plenty of rock down low, right? Some would say that high-quality alpine rock is moti vation enough for going to all that trouble. Piles of swirly gneiss and sticky granite offer a plethora of established problems, potential for further development, and a lower human-to-rock ratio than closer to town. When I first moved to Colorado, that was my rationalization for making the trek. I had tunnel vision and a long list of boulder problems on my tick list. After a few years of being relatively oblivious to the incredible beauty around me, I had finished most everything in my difficulty comfort zone. So I began projecting a problem at my limit. It was at that point that my motivation for investing so much time and energy really grew beyond the

 boulders. I spent more time going to the Park alone, and though I continued to fail on my project, I came to crave the escape to the mountains as much as I craved the send. I fell in love with the routine of it all—driving, hiking, trying, failing, waiting. The joy of alpine bouldering is not only about the climbing. It’s in the whole journey. The driving and hiking and weather-dodging. The burning legs and lungs, and the feeling of utter exhaustion at the end of the day. The moments between failure-induced fits of anger and frustration when you look up and realize that you are in the prettiest place you’ve ever been. It’s in the delicate wildflowers, the rare patches of vegetation scattered among the rocks, and the feeling that disrupting the balance of either is just a misstep away. The joy is in the serene harmony of the blues, greens, and grays, or the grating dissonance of a fast-moving storm. It’s in the fleeting clash of the two extremes and the apocalyptic clouds that come rolling over the ridge, throwing hail and lightning at a cowering group of friends stuck under a small stone roof. It’s in those crisp fall days when the rock feels the per fectly sticky. Lying on the crashpad alone in silence looking at the stars. It’s in the sunsets over the peaks that set the sky on fire and the early- and late-season sessions of postholing in the snow through a scene fit for a painting.  And sometimes, the joy of alpine bouldering is even in a hard-fought battle that ends with a send. As you stand atop that boulder, you realize that your elation isn’t really about that particular moment at all, but rather all of the moments that led to it. The joy of alpine bouldering is in the process.  Angie Payne was the first woman in the world to climb V13 and has been a fixture in U.S. comp climbing since the days of the PCA. She was born and raised in Cincinnati but currently puts up with Boulder so she can simultaneously indulge her addictions to plastic and rock.  Her love of iPhone photography is only surpassed by her obsession with frosting and sprinkles.

RICH CROWDER; ANGIE PAYNE (4) CLIMBING.COM

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LEAVENWORTH, WA  Fatten your tick list in the climbing capital of the Northwest THE SCENE The

faux–Bavarian village of Leavenworth is located in central Washington and surrounded by Alps-quality scenery. With a mix of whitewater boaters, alpine climbers, mountain bikers, and tourons, you won’t be alone. But with the highest density of bouldering and rock climbing in the region—not to mention a fun vibe and plenty of great breweries—who’s complaining? Find out more about this climbing epicenter at climbing.com/leavenworth . THE APPROACH There

are thousands of impeccable granite boulders scattered along forest roads and hidden in the surrounding trees, but the majority of the bouldering is located along Highway 2 and can be broken down into two general areas: Icicle Creek and Tumwater Canyon. Follow Icicle Creek Road south out of town to get introduced to the area (and find camping). Tyler Weiss going big on The Prism  (V9).

NOTABLE PROBLEMS BEACH ARÊTE, V2 THE SWORD, V3 R DARTH MAUL, V4 A true gem of the area. Most climbing areas are defined by their harder boulders, but this one stone puts all the other blocks to shame.

THE SHIELD, V7 PIMPSQUEAK, V9 PRISM, V9 COTTON PONY, V10 Gymnastic movement, comfortable holds, and a stout reputation make this one a coveted ascent for those climbing at the grade.

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Jenny Abegg delicately climbs the smeary traverse of Andy’s Arête  (V5) at the Mountain Home Road Boulders near Leavenworth.

MT. EVANS, CO Hike through vibrant flowers and meadows to world-class boulders THE SCENE Mt. Evans hosts some of the most sought-aer problems in all of Colo-

rado, of every grade. The bouldering here varies wildly in climbing style, which creates a unique experience every time you visit. You can find nearly everything here. Technical granite slabs? Yup. Dynos on steep overhangs? Absolutely. Slopey compression thuggery? Uh-huh. You can find anything from V0 to V15 at Mt. Evans. THE APPROACH From I-70, take CO 103 south from Idaho

Springs for about 14 miles to Echo Lake Park. Echo Lake is the trailhead for Chicago Lakes Trail No. 52, which leads to Areas A through D. Area A is about three miles from the trailhead. Area D adds another two or three miles (depending on how lost you get).

NOTABLE PROBLEMS TIMELINE , V1

PEASANTS INTO

Timeline is a 25-foot-tall granite slab that sits right in the main area of Area A. Unless you want to be carried out by friends, I suggest you practice your mantel technique beforehand. It really doesn’t get much better than this.

LEADERS , V7

LAST OF THE

SEURAT , V8 BIERSTADT , V9 THE DALI , V9

The Dali Boulder’s namesake is short and fun with a big move.

OHITIANS , V1 SILVERBACK , V10 THE LADDER , V2

It’s arguably the best V2 in all of Colorado; this “ladder” climbs up a 10-foot vertical face on perfectly sculpted slopers and edges. Climbers might spend 30 minutes running laps on this one before moving on—it’s that good.

CLEAR BLUE SKIES , V12

Steep, straightforward, and crimpy, plus it’s surrounded by other challenging classics. NO MORE GREENER GRASSES , V12

PUDDLE JUMPER , V2

Hello, balance!

The last problem on a block that is fully stacked with hard climbs.

Connor Griffith keeps it together on The Nothing  (V8) at Area D, Mt. Evans. Several strong locals have nominated this highball as one of the best boul-

68 |  AUGUST 2014

ders in Colorado.

RULES OF THE ALPINE

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 What every boulder boulderer er needs needs to know about about life life up up high THE ALPINE ENVIRONMENT IS FRAGILE.

Plants and animals are delicate and need to be respected. Stay on trails, don’t feed the wildlife (seriously, not even the squirrels), pick up all the trash you find, pack everything out, and follow the next rule. Climbing in these wild, beautiful places is a privilege, so treat it like that. DON’T STASH PADS OR OTHER GEAR.

If you don’t have the fitness/energy/motivation to hike your pads in and out every time, you shouldn’t be visiting the se areas in the first place.     )     E     T     I     S     O     P     P     O     (

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ACCESS IS NOT GUARANTEED.

Developers have worked closely with park rangers and the Forest Service to allow climbers access, so don’t do anything to threaten that tricky relationship. Be courteous to other climbers, tourists, and rangers. There’s a lot of rock, but it’s not all open to traffic, so check before developing. WEAR SUNSCREEN AND SUNGLASSES.

Being at elevation means harmful rays are more intense, a lack of tree cover means there’s little to no shade, and surrounding snowfields will compound the problem. Protect your skin with layers and sunscreen, and wear a hat and sunglasses to shield your peepers.

Julie Ellison reaches through on  (V2), a stellar warmThe Ladder  (V2), up at Area A of Mt. Evans.

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Climbers on Raid Mit The Camel  (5.11c/d) an 11-13 pitch route on the east face of Jebel Rum, near Rum Village. Opposite: The view across the desert to a private camp the author visited on her journey.

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arabia

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Nobody goes rock climbing in the Middle East except sponsored athletes, right? Nancy Prichard-Bouchard did, and she discovered world-class routes, a community of strong Arab and Bedouin climbers, and the finest cup of tea she’s ever had—all in the region’s emerging climbing capital. capital.

Wadi Rum, a vast, echoing labyrinth

of brick-red sand and castellated cliffs in southern Jordan, lies deep in the cradle of civilization. It feels like the epicenter of the universe—in both a spiritual and a climbing sense. The climbing I can explain; you’ll j ust have to trust me on the spiritual thing. It’s the ultimate in adventure climbing—a blend of Canyonlands cracks, Yosemite big walls, and Black Canyon commitment, with a vibe that’s totally Arabia. The climbing here is mainly trad on big sandstone formations (the longest routes are more than 600 meters and nearly 30 pitches), and is characterized by a bold, committing style. There are long runouts and airy traverses, and the rock quality can go from hard to soft in a matter of moves. Protection can be tricky. This is desert alpinism, with intricate scrambles up low-angle ramps to spectacular 1,800-meter summits via traditional Bedouin routes.  And the collection of 5.5 to 5.11 cracks may be one of the finest in the  world. There are steep, 12-pitch 5.12 and 5.13 testpieces, some bolted, some not. The clean-climbing ethic is strong here, although most of the classics now have fixed anchors. Route-finding is tricky, and descents can be complex and technical. But the climbing is spectacular. There are corners, dihedrals, arêtes, and towering faces all made accessible by endless cracks, hidden chimneys, pockets, and knobs. The mountain eering and climbing are world-class and the bouldering unexplored. The Wadi Rum Protected Area is about four hours south of Amman and an hour north of the Red Sea port of Aqaba. It extends south to the Saudi Arabian border. The Bedouin village of Rum is located in the center of this vast maze of domes and cliffs, at just 950 meters above sea level. From both sides of the village, the massive ranges of Jebel (mountain) Rum and Jebel Um Ishrin rise to a height of over 1,700 meters, casting cathedral-like shadows across the sun-scorched sand. The climbing community in Jordan is surprisingly strong. Perhaps it’s due to the difficult conditions in the surrounding countries that have led Jordan to develop a legit climbing culture that’s coming into its own. Surrounded by hot spots like Syria, Iraq, Israel, the Palestine Territories, Iran, and Egypt, Jordan has developed arguably the strongest (and certainly the friendliest) climbing community in the Middle East. In Wadi Rum, you’ll find climbers from Dubai and Israel, some who are refugees from Iraq or Syria, and some who drive down from Amman. The area is shifting from the realm of multi-month expeditions and elite climbing teams to a viable destination that has something for

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everyone. In Jordan, climbing is a common language of peace, fun, and adventure ripe for exploration—just bring your own pro, sunscreen, and camel harness.

Amy Jurries, a fellow climber, writer, and founder of popular site thegearcaster.com, and I trailed Mohammad Hammad out of his home in Rum Village. The village is as close to the Star Wars planet Tatooine as you can get. Tents, camels, goats, and houses are surrounded by walls that separate properties from one another. There are a lot of children— some families have as many as 20. Many of the locals are related—cousins, siblings, aunts, and uncles—and most work in the local tourism  business. From camel, horse, and jeep tours to hikes, scrambles, and climbing, there is plenty to do in Rum. Local outfitters also provide trekking and camping services—from tents behind the Rest House to luxury “private” camps tucked far into the desert.  We’d spent a half hour convincing Mohammad of our climbing prow ess, trying on ill-fitting helmets and assuring our press-trip handlers that a five-pitch desert climb was not dangerous. In contrast to the other Bedouin men in the village, with their crisp ankle-length robes, traditional Jordanian red and white headscarves (black and white are Palestine’s colors), and sandals, Mohammad sported white soccer socks, plaid Bermuda shorts, and a blue polo shirt. He wore his scarf tucked up into a tight-fitting turban (keffiyeh) wrapped Bedouin style. My Cheshire grin masked some concern. In more than 30 years of climbing, I ’d never relied on a guide. Amy and I had never roped up together. And Mohammad was clearly sick with serial fits of coughing. Our plan was to climb the fourpitch Goldfinger (5.9). The East Face of Jebel Rum towers 1,700-plus meters above the village of Rum. The walk to the base takes 15 minutes—much of it along a narrow stone wall that traces the edge of Nabatean ruins dating back to at least 300 B.C. Amy and I helped carry the gear, and as I started to flake out the rope, Mohammad looked on apologetically. “The rope is  bad,” he said, shaking his head. “It got wet in the canyons. It’s only good for a camel harness.” Amy and I stared up the sheer face, and then looked at each other with saucer eyes. We eyed Mohammad closely as he tied

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in. The sheath was impressively frayed and the cord goldline stiff, but what we didn’t know was that the local Bedouins are known for their keen sense of humor. He took off climbing—moving  with confidence, talent, and fluidity. Goldfinger   is a beautiful route following an obvious crack system on the finger-shaped towers clinging to the East Face of Jebel Rum. The climb  begins with a scramble up to the white rock band and the start of the crack system. The third pitch is the crux, a The second works through a short, chimney that demands classic pushairy traverse on the final pitch of La Guerre Saint  (5.12b). and-pull technique. The well-featured rock made climbing fun, with plenty of pockets, knobs, and small crack sys tems, including abundant opportunities for natural protection. To my left was a monster splitter that rivaled Supercrack in Indian Creek. Mohammad placed nuts as adeptly as if he’d been raised in Yosemite. He slung chickenheads and threaded runners through rock channels left by wind and water. I was surprised to see no fixed anchors. The rock was stellar until we reached the top where a mammoth-sized  boulder guarded the path between us and the belay. Suddenly the route  went from casual jug-hauling and stemming to those tricky, hold-your breath levitations I’d learned on fragile rock in Canyonlands.

 Pillars of Wisdom and watched David Lean’s film  Lawrence of Arabia so often that my daughters were speaking like Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif. Most of the movie was filmed in and around Rum Village—you can’t help but notice the sumptuously carved walls of rock. “Welcome to  Wadi Rum!” says Sheikh Auda Abu Tayeh (played by Anthony Quinn).  As the Bedouin troops move off across the wide, magnificent valleys of Rum and Um Ishrin, you are treated to a bird’s eye view of the East Face of Jebel Rum (you can see Goldfinger ) and of the proud towers of Nassraniya.

I first heard of Wadi Rum during the first Gulf War when I had

We flew non-stop from New York to Amman, Jordan’s capital

 just started as a junior editor at Rock and Ice. One of the earliest stories I’d worked on was by a U.S. soldier stationed in Iraq who climbed in  Wadi Rum during his leave. I don’t know what happened to the soldier,  but I never forgot his snapshots. Fast-forward to 2013. As a writer, I travel in search of stories. This time, I was invited on a media trip to Jordan. Jordan? I was intrigued and nervous. Most U.S. media coverage on the Middle East is consumed with the riots in Egypt, civil war in Syria, conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and various refugee crises. Roughly half of the Jordanian population is Palestinian—more than two million of them refugees. Jordan,  which had its borders drawn by European colonial powers after World  War I, is a political haven. In addition to giving sanctuary to Palestinians, Jordan has also hosted large numbers of forced migrants from other countries in the Middle East, such as Lebanon during the 1975 to 1991 civil war, and Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War and after the 2003 removal of Saddam Hussein following the Anglo-American military intervention.  And more than half a million Syrian refugees have crossed the border in the past few years. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a nice house in a rough neighborhood. But was it safe? I texted a special agent in the FBI and former Marine  who was stationed in Mogadishu during the 1990s. “It’s probably safer than Chicago,” he said. I thought about that for a while. Yes, I’d be brave enough to visit Chicago. The U.S. and Jordanian governments work well together—we provide aid and they provide stability in the Middle East. King Abdullah II is a 41st-generation direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad who was educated in England and attended Princeton. He and his beautiful wife, the Palestinian-born Rania, are strong supporters of women’s rights, education, health care, and human rights. His father was the movie-star handsome King Hussein. His mother was British—the daughter of a high-ranking Army officer. His grandfather, King  Abdullah I, worked with T.E. Lawrence during the Arab Revolt. I said yes, and in the same breath, asked if we would be climbing in  Wadi Rum. I ’d pored over the descriptions by T.E. Lawrence in  Seven

and a bustling city of about three million. You can catch a red-eye, settle in for 14 hours, arrive in time to have dinner, and be climbing the next day. Or spend a day exploring the a ncient cities of Jerash, Petra (with the famous narrow canyon entrance that Indiana Jones rode through in The  Last Crusade), and Madaba. There were barricades around our hotel, the first class Grand Hyatt Amman, and a scanner and X-ray security at the entrance. The Grand Hyatt was one of the places bombed in 2005, and now big hotels in the high-traffic tourist areas—Petra, the Dead Sea,  Aqaba, and Amman—have security. We walked to dinner—a hip spot called Wild Jordan that’s run by the Royal Society for Conservation of Nature, with the goal of developing social and economic sustainability for Jordan’s nature reserves. King Abdullah, an avid sportsman—he scubas and skydives—is dedicated to protecting Jordan’s natural resources. My  jitters dissipated as we passed by well-kept apartments, chic shops, and neighborhood gardens. It was exotic yet familiar. There were families, college kids, couples, and lots of single men of all ages talking or playing cards. Arabic is the official language, but English is taught from grade school onward. “Will I be able to climb?” I asked again, trying not to sound pushy. Our tour guide, a clever man named Kamel Jayusi had spent a lot of time in Rum, but didn’t climb. Neither did our Jamaican-born Jordanian Tourism Board liaison, Janine Jervis. But she had a friend who did, and he planned to meet us around 9 p.m. back at the hotel. We sipped $20 mai tais in the hotel courtyard, sitting next to sheikhs wearing keffiyehs and immaculate white robes who were sipping tea and smoking fruit-flavored hookahs. In walked Hakim. He’s a big guy, 6’ 2” or 6’ 3”, wearing jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt, with soulful brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair tied back like a pirate. “I can’t take you climbing,” he said regretfully. He had to be in Petra. He’d been hired to climb on the ancient facades to check for cracks and loose rock. The National Geographic Society was sending a film crew. British climbing legend Joe Brown had helped with access work there in the 1960s, and this time Hakim

CLIMBING.COM

| 73

could use a drill to establish some anchors. “I know one guide who can, though,” he said, “but he can take only two climbers.” Hakim’s words  were met with silence—at least six other writers in the group wanted to climb, too. In Lawrence of Arabia, Abu Tayeh describes himself as a “river to his people.” That’s a good description of Hakim. Nearly single-handedly, he has developed a community of Middle East climbers—the first ever. They’ve had two Wadi Rum climbing festivals and are working on route development on a limestone crag near Syria. There are climbers from Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, and Iraq. Hakim’s company, Tropical Desert Guiding Service, introduces people to hiking and canyoneering in Jordan, but he’s also taught a lot of people to climb for free. UNESCO had been alerted about a monstrous  boulder that was coming loose from the base of a  big wall in Petra. They called Tropical Desert and set about a massive project to reattach the rock. Then they turned their attention to the Siq (the impossibly narrow slot canyon with 100-meterhigh walls that are the main entrance into Petra). Hakim helped to install more than 70 devices that  would allow geologists and archaeologists to monitor rock movement. “It was a majestic feeling when they said they needed a device on the rock next to the famous Monastery and Treasury,” said Hakim. “Climbing there was one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life.”

the Dead Sea (at 1,400 feet below sea level). While Amman is densely populated, with big buildings, an extensive souk (open-air market), and antiquities that date back 20,000 years, the rest of the country is vast desert and mountains punctuated by amazingly fertile valleys and river  beds. The canyoneering in this area is amazing—deep slot canyons with  waterfalls and cascading pools, with oases of pink and oleander and palm.  As you near the edge of the escarpment of Ras en Naqab, big-featured mountains loom in the distance. There’s the pyramid-shaped peaks of the Barrah Mountains, and the porpoise-back arch of Jebel Rum. While prehistoric man lived in this area 200,000 years ago, and there are 2,000-yearold Nabatean ruins, this section of the Middle East  wasn’t explored by Westerners until much later. The classic film,  Lawrence of Arabia, introduced  Wadi Rum to the Western world (it won seven  Academy Awards in 1962). T.E. Lawrence (brilliantly played by Peter O’Toole), derided for his obsession over the Jordanian desert, explains, “It is clean.” And that’s one of its attractions, but he also called Wadi Rum “magnificent, vast, echoing, and godlike.” But it is also achingly beautiful, exotic, and strangely intriguing. During WWI, T.E. Lawrence’s love affair with the Middle East (nurtured by the sensationalized reporting of American journalist Lowell Thomas) helped to bring the region to the world’s atten tion. His book Seven Pillars of Wisdom cemented the relationship—especially after it was made into an epic film in 1963. In 1984, British climbers Tony Howard, Di Taylor, Al Baker, and Mick Shaw watched the film. Howard was determined to climb there. He sent faxes to the Jordanian Ambassador in London, to the Tour ism Ministry, and to King Hussein himself. Finally he got a reply. “We  welcome you and your team to explore Wadi Rum for climbing and trekking.” And so it was written. In 1984, there was only an old fort marking the old Saudi border, six houses given to the sheikhs by King Hussein—a magnanimous gesture and effort to bring them into the system—a couple of concrete block

 Nearly sin gle-handedly, he developed the  first community of  Middle East climbers.

To reach Wadi Rum,  we drove along the King’s Highway— a pre-Biblical trade route between Egypt and Damascus. The road is roller coaster wild—big sweeping curves with one lane tight against the mountain, the other often looking out over thousands of feet of air. It traces the eastern rim of the dramatic Jordan Rift Valley and Wadi Mujib. Wadi (which translates into Canyon) Mujib is the Grand Can yon of the Middle East—it’s narrower than the real Grand Canyon, and in places, more than 3,000 feet deep as it slices a 150-mile path to

traverses/summits

on one of the most attractive

only! There is nothing harder

mountains in Wadi Rum.

than low fih class; just tricky scrambling, walking, and one

NORTH-SOUTH CROSSING

NORTH-SOUTH TRAVERSE

75-foot rappel. This can also

OF JEBEL GEDER  (5.4)

bedouin

OF JEBEL RUM (5.5)

be done from south to north

If you want a rest day activity

This 5,754-foot route is gen-

(and thus without any rappel).

or a short itinerary to take

bivouac on the mountain. It’s

JEBEL KHAZALI (5.8)

4,101-foot dome of Jebel

tick list

not difficult, but sustained

Tag the summit of Jebel

Geder crossing from north

and long. If you don’t ha ve

Khazali (4,658 feet) by as-

to south. It starts with low

prior experience at Jebel Rum,

cending Al Lassik (5.8) east

fih class climbing, followed

you must visit with a guide.

to northeast, then turn east

by a fairly long walk on the

Excellent route-finding skills

to descend Sabbah’s Route .

domes toward a remote,

and a gentle touch will deliver

This generally done-in-a-day

massive summit. Winding

one of the most beautiful

affair has many short class

around hanging terraces in

experiences on “The Lord”

three and four passages.

the middle of a wall on the

of Jordanian sandstone

The crux pitch is fun 5.8. An

descent provides the most

summits, the Jebel Rum. For

amazing, doable adventure

intricate introduction to the

 Most of these Wadi Rum routes can’t be found online or in guidebooks and are appearing in Western climbing media for the first time.  By Wilfried Colonna

74 |  AUGUST 2014

experienced mountaineers

erally done in two days with a

in some scenery, tackle the

houses, maybe a dozen black goat-hair Bedouin tents, and a dusty shop piled high with a confusion of clothes, kitchen utensils, and vegetables. Howard remembers waking at dawn to see smoke curling up from the fires of the Bedouin tents as they roasted coffee beans before grinding them in large bell-like brass mortars. Then chimes rang out, welcoming people to the tent. There was a well near the fort, but no electricity. They were the only foreigners in the valley. They were welcomed into Rum by the son of Sheikh Atieq and invited to his desert camp where they explained they were looking for climbs, and if the climbing were good, others might come. If they didn’t want that, Howard made it clear, the Brits would go. Sheikh Atieq agreed to the proposal, but as the Bedouin had climbed everything, why did the British need all that equipment when the mountains had all been climbed with nothing! Howard quickly discovered that his hosts were excellent mountaineers. They lived and traveled with the Bedouin for two months, naming all the mountains, finding the Burdah Bridge, and climbing Jebel Rum by  various Bedouin routes. The Bedouins proved sly sandbaggers—they’d point out routes and let the climbers have a go—sometimes not explaining that the seemingly straightforward route might require a bivy or two. The British team also established some new climbs, including a route to the baroque-shaped 1,580-meter summit of Jebel Kharazeh through splitter cracks, hidden chimneys, and solid, black patina rock, one of the few peaks not climbed by the Bedouin. Its Vanishing Pillar was staring them in the face every day, so it had to be climbed. The next year, Wilfried Colonna, a charismatic French guide who resembles a young Sean Connery, met Howard and Taylor in Morocco. Wilfried joined the Wadi Rum exploration team and became one of the region’s top advocates. In 1992, he helped to reintroduce Arabian horses back into Wadi Rum, as the population had dwindled after the Arab Revolt. The village has grown since Howard first arrived—there are now three overspill villages out of Rum Valley, north of the Nature Reserve Visi tor Center. There are two schools, one for the boys and one for the girls. Some of the local Bedouin population and guides worry that despite the fact that Wadi Rum was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, a plan from the ASEZA (Aqaba SpecialEconomic Zone Authority) to approve 700 building plots adjacent to the village (opposite the Rest House) may impact the area’s unique geography, wilderness, and charm that earned it UNESCO designation in the first place. Debate about the

As Klemen Becan onsights this route, he can taste the Glory  (5.13c).

area’s crazy topography. “No

If you only have time for one

GOLDFINGER  (5.9)

way it goes here! Wait, yes,

route of this difficulty, this is

East Face of Jebel Rum’s

here it is!” It takes one or two

the one! It’s a varied route,

East Dome

MOHAMED BOUAZIZI  (5.9)

45-foot rappels.

combining steep cracks at the

4 pitches

Um Rashid North

GIRAFFE WITHOUT

start and beautifully carved

A great introductory route to

5 pitches

NIQAB  (5.9+)

slabs in the second half. It’s

the area on the small central

A fairly easy route, with only

East Face of Jebel Geder’s

all on excellent rock aer the

tower at the base of the Main

one hard and steep passage

South Summit

second pitch (however, use

East Face of Jebel Rum, just

in the middle of a black wall,

5 pitches

caution with the loose blocks

above Rum Village. The two-

but it’s well-protected with

A short aernoon route (with

THE HADJ  (5.8+)

on the middle terrace), and it

pitch “approach” to the main

wires and small cams. The

shade!) on the beautiful south

South Face of Jebel Sweibit’s

has excellent protection. The

finger crack is on poor rock

rest is 5.6 max on low-angle

part of the massif. It’s on the

South Summit

exposure and body positions

but easy (5.4). Then it moves

rock, and ends in local “alpine

way to The Hadj  (see le).

7 pitches

make it feel amazingly more

onto 115 feet of perfect

terrain,” which allows you to

The rock is fairly so on the

moderate

Troubadour  (5.10b).

climbs up the obvious corner le of the black wall.

This is one of the most

difficult than it actually is!

sandstone with great protec-

scramble easily to the summit

upper part of this obvious cor-

    A     D     N     O     F

southern climbs in the region,

The descent is an easy alpine

tion (5.9). The top pitch is a

via the west side. Then get

ner, but solid on the top crux

a 45-minute drive from Rum

walk-off on the opposite side,

bit sandy (5.9+). Descend by

back to the sands by a beauti-

section. Use caution during

    A     K     U     L

Village and not far from the

down to Ghôrm Jarish canyon.

four rappels on glue-in rings

ful Bedouin path that travels

the required ledge scramble

Saudi border. A true area

Get there early: It only gets

with chains to the le of the

southeast into the hidden val-

that links the two parts of

classic on a beautiful summit.

morning shade.

tower along the route called

ley behind. A harder variation

the route. It’s full of loose

CLIMBING.COM

| 75

potential impact that more houses (and cars) would have on the tranquil community and pristine nature of the landscape is fierce in town and around campfires.

The windy road

takes you through the desert to a small rise and the Visitor Center. The view overlooking the Valley of Rum is grand—Ansel Adams would have gone wild. On either side there are a half-dozen miles of highly featured, colorful 1,500-foot cliffs. The shadows on the rock, framed by red sand and blue sky, captivate us. Several camels wander into view. By now, most of us have changed our ball caps for traditional scarves. From here, you can catch a bus into Rum Village, or better yet, get picked up by your guide. Chances are you’ ll ride on cush ioned seats in the bed of a pickup, or you could go by camel or horseback; either way, you’ll have a 360-degree view of the desert. Hakim’s friend in Wadi Rum is Mohammad Hammad, arguably the  best Bedouin climber around. His father, Hammad, was in the Jordanian military and pioneered many of the first technical routes on the cliffs.  Hammad’s Route to the summit of 1,754-meter Jebel Rum, is one of the classics. The route starts out on low-angled sandstone steps and follows a 5.9 crack, with face climbing through huecos reminiscent of Smith Rock’s  Five Gallon Buckets. You can make it to the summit and back in a day, but there are some sweet places to camp on the summit. By his 10th birthday, Mohammad was climbing with his father on ibex-hunting parties in the mountains. By 16, he and his friend Omar  Aoudah had acquired a collection of climbing gear given as thank-you gifts in return for providing transportation across the desert. There were no specialized shops in Jordan, and the boys relied on visiting Europe an climbers and guides to learn how to belay and build anchors. He’s climbed on the limestone north of Amman with Colonna—the two set up the first bolted line of Ajloun limestone (at Sami’s Cliff )—as well as on the conglomerates in the south, which still haven’t been repeated.

While the idea of being a climbing guide is widely accepted in Jordan today, there are only a handful who guide technical routes, and only three real professional mountain guides in Wadi Rum (as recognized by other professional guiding associations from abroad).  Climbing has grown in popularity in Jordan. Climbat, the climbing gym in Amman and the biggest in the Middle East, has about 5,000 members. The gym is first-class—it hosted a World Cup in 2011.

There are now several bolted limestone crags north of Amman. About 500 climbers visit Wadi Rum each year for technical climbing and the Bedouin routes. The traditional Bedouin routes are more about mountaineering and alpinism than pure technical climbing, even if some parts of Wadi Rum cliffs look like sport climbing crags. There are still only a few fully bolted climbs. Most of the climbing here is about trad: nuts, cams, wedged knots, and threads on soft sandstone. On my second trip, this time with  Backpacker   magazine, I flew in early to hang out with some of the local climbers in Amman. Mai Turki picked me up from the airport; she’s an active part of the local climbing community. My ride back to the airport was with Safa Muhi, the first sponsored female climber from Iraq. I asked her what it was like being a female climber in a Muslim country. “I grew up in Iraq,” she said. “When you live your life expecting death any second like kids  waiting for snow on Chris tmas, and then you get the chance to live a normal life—one when you kiss your mum goodbye as you leave the house because it’s customary, not because you might go out that door and not come back alive—a life where you get to feel bored once in a  while, i t makes you grab every chance y ou get to feel alive and never miss a moment because the idea of dying any second still hunts you down. I love climbing; I never let myself f eel bored because it’s shame ful to feel that way after I was given a better life to live.” She refers to Hakim as the godfather of climbing in Jordan, and Wilfried as the great-godfather. Both Mai and Safa are Muslim, but neither wears a headscarf (however, women can and do climb while wearing sleekfitting hijabs). Safa comes from a traditional Iraqi family. She and her sisters fled to Jordan during the war, but her father and brothers re mained in Baghdad. Her father originally discouraged climbing; he  worried she’d get hurt. He sugg ested that it w as forbidden in Islam. Her mother calmly replied that Khadejeh, the wife of Prophet Mohammad, used to climb Jabal al-Noor (mountain of the light) to bring him water and food. I asked Mohammad Hammad about the proliferation of female climbers in Jordan. “Many of the visiting European climbers in Rum are women,” he said. “And there are girls from the North (Amman) who climb—but none from the traditional South.” But he guilelessly told me, “Some shepherd girls are pushing very far in terms of Bedouin routes with their goats.” Amy and I plan to return to Rum and see if we can get the girls in harnesses. I asked him if he’d teach his daughter to climb, and he said of course, but that she’d be

boulders. A perfect taste of

approach in the depths of

day, try the neighboring route,

drive right to the route. Belay

and varied climbing with

the local “so-touch” climb-

the mountain, excellent

Alan and His Perverse Frog 

from the footboard of the

good protection. Descend by

ing style! The route has good

rock, and each pitch with its

(5.10b/c).

 jeep! De scend by four rappels

Hammad’s Route , the regular

protection; rack smaller wires

own character. Laybacks,

along the route.

way from Jebel Rum summit

for the final crux wall, which

stemming, technical slabs,

MERLIN’S WAND  (5.10B)

looks harder than it is. To

and a surprising finish on the

Barrah Canyon

THE PILLAR OF

some down-scrambling and

descend, join the Jebel Geder

“banana crack” where a No.

5 pitches

WISDOM  (5.10B)

seven or eight rappels.

Crossing itinerary on the way

5 cam and at least one No.

A magic line that spends

East Face of Jebel Rum

down through the final red

4 are crucial for protection.

nearly all day in the shade. A

15 pitches

THE STAR OF ABU

sandstone flank.

The first ascensionists used a

continuously straight crack

It has an irresistible appeal

JUDEIDAH  (5.10D)

single No. 3.5, just in the last

in excellent, strong rock on

to the heart of any climber.

Barrah Canyon

THE BEAUTY  (5.10A)

five meters. The very top of

a shady wall of Siq Barrah.

It was one of the first lines

8 pitches

West Face of Jebel Um Ejil

the mountain is worth a visit

Only the first 50 meters are

discovered by the first

Local climbers just call this

5 pitches

(optional scramble aer the

crack climbing. The upper

Anglo-French to climb here

route, a 40-minute drive from

An hour walk from Rum Vil-

last pitch). Descend along the

part offers fine technical

and quickly became a classic

Rum or Diseh villages, “Star.”

lage, this, uh, beauty is the

route. All belays and rappels

moves on perfectly clean and

at the intermediate level,

Some see it as one of the

most-climbed route in the val-

are on glue-in rings. You’ll

steep sculptured sandstone,

with a spectacular crux in

world’s most iconic sandstone

ley! It has all the ingredients

need a complete set of cams

with gouttes d’eau  (transla-

the last few meters. The

classics. And it’s certainly one

to make it a perfect half-day

and a handful of medium to

tion: water drops) limestone-

rock is generally so but

of the best climbs in Wadi

adventure—a sumptuous

small wires. For the rest of the

like curved holds. You can

solid enough to offer fine

Rum! Varied, sustained, and in

76 |  AUGUST 2014

toward Rum Village, with

exposed to many sports and will make her own choices.

 Wadi Rum strictly follows the traditional climbing ethos, and even the use of chalk is frowned upon by locals. The bold routes of Austrian cleanYou can walk to hundreds of climbs from climbing legend Albert Precht have by far the Rum Village, and some of the most classic are purest ethic and present the greatest challenge— LEBANON  just a few minutes to an easy hour away. One fathough not many climbers attempt the necky IRAQ SYRIA mous is  Jihad   (also known as  La G uerre Sainte), runouts. Only three bolts were used to complete a wild multi-pitch sport route located on the eastthe 10-pitch, 350-foot  Pillar of Wisdom, first ern side of Jebel Um Ishrin, east of Rum Village. climbed by Colonna, Howard, and Taylor in 1986. Jerash AMMAN This 400-meter desert beast was bolted by French Subsequently, Colonna and the Jordanian Tour Dead Sea climber Arnaud Petit and graded at 7b+ (5.12c). ism Board have worked to put safety rappels on ISRAEL SAUDI The first few pitches are very exposed; bolts can popular descents. And outside the Protected Area, ARABIA JORDAN  be four to six meters apart, but the sandstone is sport-specific crags are continually being develPetra solid there. Near the third pitch is some crimpy oped. There are now some superb routes on Nassraniya in particular. climbing, but farther up, the rock gets sketchier, EGYPT Wadi Rum Rum rock is sandstone, mostly good but some and with such distance between bolts, you want to move cautiously to avoid a 12-meter fall. not. It can go from really hard to the consistency Red Sea On my second trip, I did the four-day hike from of a frozen snow cone. And as always with adventhe Feynan Eco Lodge (Dana Biosphere Reserve) ture climbing, it’s a matter of learning to read and GET THERE You can climb year-round in to Petra. I had a few days in Wadi Rum and “disrespect the rock. Like in Indian Creek, the DoloWadi Rum, but the real season is late Sepcovered” the quintessential rest day. From the mites, the Black Canyon, and Zion—the color of tember through mid-November and March  village, you can retrace T.E. Lawrence’s footsteps the rock can tell you a lot. Route-finding on Bedthrough May. There are flights to Amman across the desert while scouting the best climbing ouin routes is almost always tricky, and descents from Chicago, New York and Detroit ( flying  walls. The dramatic landscape has narrow gorges, are rarely obvious. The general rule for Bedouin through Montreal) on Royal Jordanian natural arches, towering cliffs, ramps, and caves routes, as Colonna told me, is to avoid difficulties Airlines. You can also fly from any airline that shelter more than 25,000 documented rock if possible and think like a Bedouin, who is thinkthrough Europe and catch a short flight carvings, with 20,000 inscriptions that trace the ing like an ibex. And ibexes are brilliant climbers. to Amman. There are buses available at evolution of human thought and the early devel Newer routes do generally follow the obvious lines the Queen Alia Airport, but the best bet opment of the alphabet. The area is 720 square and crack systems. Wadi Rum has some bolted is to hire a driver via a guide service (hire kilometers—nearly 300 square miles. We walked sandstone walls (with glue-in rings preferred over Mohammad Hammad himself at bedouinfrom where the Nabateans settled in 300 B.C.; this  bolts), and there’s also some easier multi-pitch guides.com). Find a comprehensive list of was the first place olive trees were domesticated. stuff where people hone their trad skills before resources at climbing.com/jordan . The village is on the site of an important Nabatean launching up the big stuff. The commitment level trading route between Arabia and Syria. We hiked about a mile to Lawchanges quickly, and the nature of the sandstone forces you at first to rence Springs, where T.E. Lawrence was hiding during World War I. climb one or two grades lower than usual. Even at a higher level. Most of the scenes in Lawrence of Arabia were shot there in 1963. Then, Beneath the Rum sandstone there is a plinth of granite, which offers across a couple of miles of unbroken desert—the heart of the reserve excellent bouldering and a few 20-meter climbs. Outside Rum, there and then to Al-Khaz’ali Canyon—where there’s a beautiful slot canyon are the granite and basalt mountains of Aqaba, striated with igneous to explore. intrusions. Only two or three scrambles have been done there—but the

beta

very beautiful surroundings in

reach the start of this excep-

RAID MIT THE CAMEL

pels down the route, but much

parts, especially in the upper

the middle of a canyon where

tional climb up an impossible-

(5.11C/D)

better to follow the raps of

pitches where curious ve-

climbs are lined up like a pa-

looking pillar. It’s fascinating

East Face of Jebel Rum’s

Rock Empir e. Otherwise, from

neers can leave one doubtful.

rade. With the exception of a

for its committing character,

East Dome

the East Dome summit, down

One can also opt for the

few meters on pitch three, the

entirely on trad protection

12 to 14 pitches

Eye of Allah  and the abseils

less radical method of the

dark sandstone is just excel-

without a piece of metal in

This is one of the climbs that

of I.B.M .

pioneers: aid climbing.

lent. There is also one short,

sight. This is the calling card

has opened the way to a new

well-protected section of

of the famous Austrian team

trend in the valley, keeping

TOWERING INFERNO 

of various lengths were used

offwidth on pitch six. Descend

who developed it. No bolts,

a certain character of trad

(5.12A/B)

at the time. A handful of pins

along the route, which gets

never! Exactly the opposite

climbing but with adequate

East Face of Jebel Rum’s

should be enough, along with

aernoon shade.

character of Jihad (a bolted

bolting in some places. Mixed,

East Dome

the essential micro-cams and

5.12c). It’s definitely a “big”

as you call it in the States.

12 to 13 pitches

numerous small wires.

climb and for competent par-

Raid  is unanimously ac-

Elegant climbing along a very

Some gear has been le in

ties only. Nothing technically

claimed by the climbers who

direct system of superficial

place (pins), besides the

harder than 5.10d, but the

enjoy this comfortable com-

cracks and open corners.

excellent peg-bolted and

crux pitch is very sustained,

promise. It is one of the finest

Very popular for the first four

glue-in belays on the lower

MUEZZIN  (5.11A)

pushing the grade to 5.11a.

routes of its level in Wadi

pitches, constituting the

part. Confidence in small

East Pillar of North Tower

Plan for a seven- to nine-hour

Rum. The first four pitches

Shortclimb Inferno (5.10b).

wire protection is the key to

15 pitches

climb. Descend on the rappels

are very nice and sustained.

The rock is mostly perfect,

success. Descend from the

Climb up the sand dune to

of Jihad .

Descent is possible by 10 rap-

albeit with some short soer

“fourth floor” by rappels,

stout

Knifeblades and angle pitons

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| 77

Le: Although climbing at Petra is illegal, guide Hakim Tamimi climbs next to the Treasury to help the government assess damage to the monuments. Above: Descending from the East Face of Nassraniya North Tower. Below: The village of Wadi Rum sits in a low, flat valley, with monstrous walls, like the Jebel Rum massif, looming right outside the city limits.

or if you choose to summit,

Escape the corner by a

its establishment, it was

TIRA IL DIAVOLO PER LA

crack climbing higher up. It’s

descend via Eye of Allah’s or

bolted traverse (goes free at

considered unclimbable.

CODA (5.12D/5.13A)

very steep and sustained, but

on the new rap stations on

12d, otherwise A0) to the

That climbers found an

West Face of Jebel

very well-protected and on

I.B.M .

right arête of the flank, then

ongoing line of holds through

Barrah North

nearly perfect rock. It’s part

continue up more corners to

the headwall is a miracle!

12 pitches

of a new generation of routes,

PROVIDENTIAL AL’UZZA

the top. All belays in place.

The already-solid rock has

The ragni  of Italy certainly

where difficulty doesn’t mean

(5.12D OR 5.11C A0)

Descend by rappelling down

been cleaned even more by

does not mean much for the

ultimate commitment, with

West Face of Jebel Khazali

the route or via Martha Steps 

numerous parties throughout

American climber. But re-

bolts where they need to be,

10 pitches

on the west side.

the years. Compared to any

member Riccardo Cassin was

and trad protection where it

other trad routes around,

the most famous member of

is obviously safe enough. A

One of the hidden gems of Wadi Rum, since it’s con-

LA GUERRE SAINT  (5.12B)

Jihad   (the route’s English

that group of “spiders.” They

wonderful gi from the ragni ,

cealed in a little side canyon

East Face of Nassraniya

translation) exudes a so at-

still exist today, and some of

who developed it. Descend by

at the end of the main West

North Tower

mosphere of “quiet holidays”

them have been active all over

rappelling the route.

Face of Jebel Khazali. An

12 pitches

because of its well-protected

the world, and of course, in

exceptional and intimidating

The most well-known climb

sport climbing character.

Wadi Rum as well. The route

GESCHENK GOTTES 

line up a smooth dihedral.

in Wadi Rum and for good

A rope, quickdraws, and

(which translates to “pulling

(5.10D A1)

Steep and strenuous crack

reason. Not because it is

slings—that’s all you need!

the devil’s tail”) goes from a

West Face of Um Ishrin Tower

climbing brings the pump

entirely protected by glue-in

Descend by rappelling on the

fully bolted option on the first

23 pitches

up high on the dihedral.

bolts. Rather that prior to

route itself.

pitch (5.12d) to traditional

This ranks as one of the great-

78 |  AUGUST 2014

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potential is obvious. To the north, the sandstone appears at its color ful best in Petra. North again there is some conglomerate near Dana.  And as you head farther north, there are some sandstone canyons with  basalt intrusions. Northward from here, the rock is mostly limestone, providing some trad climbs and many sport climbs, particularly at Al  Ayoun, north of Ajloun Castle.

Considering that Rum is a serious mountain area, there have actually been very few accidents in the past 30 years. The worst  was undoubtedly the death of three French climbers, two women and a man, this spring on Goldfinger , the route I climbed with Amy and Mohammad. They were experienced climbers, but reputedly didn’t have sandstone experience. They had threaded a bridge for an anchor on the third (crux) pitch; two were clipped in, and the leader fell. Local climbers report that their belay wasn’t the standard one—but off to the side of the traditional route. They fell more than 200 meters. The next week, Colonna and Howard helped the locals  with the body recovery of a  young Amman photographer  who’d fallen in one of the can yons. It was a grim week. There are more than 200 routes listed in the guidebook Howard wrote in 1994, and a lot of development since. There are multi-pitch routes from 5.8 to 5.13, and lots of 5.10s and 11s. Expect routes from five to 25 or 30 pitches that require significant commitment and route-finding. Colonna is writing a new book; it should be out by this winter. Climbing in Jordan is still wilderness climbing, but it is poised as the next adventure playground. With so much of the Middle

With so much political turmoil nearby, Jordan is the anchor of the climbing community.

East closed to climbing due to political turmoil, Jordan has become the anchor of the climbing community. With the development of a strong local climbing community in the past year, a pro-Western culture, and increased media attention, Wadi Rum is moving from an exotic dream to a must-do on every trad climber’s bucket list. One of the harder climbs in Wadi Rum is the bolted Glory, a fivepitch sport route put up by Ofer Blutrich, a very strong Israeli climber. It goes at 8a+ (5.13c) and sports a hard, spectacular, and ultra-technical third crux pitch. The rest of the pitches (10a, 12a, 12b, 12a, respectively) are all beautiful, technical friction climbing on steep, dark rock. This spring, Klemen Becan, a Slovenian climber, did the first 8b+ (5.14a) of  Wadi Rum. It might be the least-steep 8b+ in the world—even less than  vertical—a testament to the technical level of the testpiece. Mohammad and Wilfried came to visit at our campsite. Rather than the group desert camp where there are big, individual sleeping tents,  bathrooms, and even showers, this time we were carrying our own tents and stretching out under the stars on the still-warm desert sand. I’d brought a new rope for Mohammad and climbing shoes for them  both—it is still nearly impossible to find technical climbing gear in Jordan. My group had made chocolate mousse for dessert, which Mohammad and Wilfried loved. Wilfried accepted a glass of wine, and we spent the next couple of hours talking about climbing—a universal language. Sitting around the campfire, shooting stars overhead, we spoke about religion and politics, culture, and climbing. We sipped outrageously sweet tea that Shuayb Twassi, a terrific guide from Petra, had prepared on a nest of three rocks. T he next day, I went camel riding—something I’d do everyday if I lived there. I took the reins from a young boy who  was helping his father and uncles. I’m comfortable on a camel, and I smiled as it sprinted off across the desert, threatening to toss me off like a scene in Lawrence of Arabia. I grasped the reigns more tightly. Look ing down, I saw they’d been made of an old climbing rope.  // 

 Nancy Prichard-Bouchard, Ph.D., is a longtime climber, writer, and risk-management expert. She has written about climbing, gear, and adventure travel for more than two decades and has established the firstever Middle East Climbing Team (sponsored by Five Ten). She thanks  Mohammad Hammad, Hakim Tamimi-Marino, Safa Muhi, Mai Turki, Tony Howard, Wilfried Colonna, Bassam Kubba, Sushi Firas, Elad Omer, Amy Jurries, and Shuayb Twaissi for their contributions.

est climbs of Wadi Rum’s big

lowing the upper hanging part

 just with a good-natured

A 30-minute hike from Rum

a few pins, as well as a hand

walls. Makhman Canyon, not

of Makhman Canyon. I tell

feeling. Overall, it’s quite

Village in morning shade.

drill, in case of some damaged

too far from the village, is one

you, here it’s not just about

strenuous despite some easier

Its name is a French pun,

pins or bolts, and numerous

of the main sanctuaries for

climbing, it’s about penetrat-

sections. Be prepared for

meaning “with the wind.” It

slings. Descend by Hikers

such powerful challenges.

ing the deepest mystery of

exposed passages, especially

was pioneered by two French

Road, 10 minutes away from

Very long and sustained,

the mountains! Descend

for the following climber, due

climbers from the Pyrenees

the finish, or by the more

this route offers a serious

along the route by rappelling

to numerous traverses. The

mountain range between

straightforward rappels of

undertaking with a certainly

and down-scrambling.

quality of the rock is good.

France and Spain. It’s a very

Jihad  on the east side aer

Slings and pins are in place.

beautiful and powerful climb

a summit hike of 35 to 40

unavoidable bivouac. It boasts some of the best rock quality

JOLLY JOKER  (5.11A)

For competent parties only. It

of great caliber, and an incred-

minutes. There are some

in Wadi Rum. All pins, fixed

West Face of Nassraniya

has been climbed in less than

ible contribution to the world

cairns to locate the start of

slings, and knots are in place,

North Tower

four hours, but you should

of climbing. It’s serious and

the rappels.

though the grading has not

20 to 22 pitches

plan on at least twice that.

sustained with some exposed

been confirmed yet. Halfway

It’s a journey, not just a climb.

passages in the middle of a

Colonna’s guidebook Rock

up, the route meets the ex-

If you’re looking for something

AU GRES DU VENT  (5.12B

huge wall that offers nearly

Climbing Guide to Wadi Rum

traordinary and fairly easy line

new and exotic, go for it!

OR 5.11B A1)

every quality of the local

and Jordan (the second for

of Rund um die Welt (5.9),

Another great line on a very

West Face of Nassraniya

baroque sandstone. Some

the area) will be available

which comes from the east

big wall with a really serious

North Tower

specific gear is required: two

this winter for the upcoming

side of the mountain by fol-

atmosphere—and sometimes

18 pitches

large skyhooks, hammer, and

climbing season.

CLIMBING.COM

| 79

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THERE IS A NONSTOP PARADE OF NEW GEAR EVERY YEAR—

and we’ll be the first to say that we like that. Innovation is cool. Without brilliant minds chasing solutions to the challenges and risks of climbing and the outdoors, we wouldn’t have the spring-loaded camming device, sticky rubber, or dynamic nylon ropes. We’d be wetter, colder, hungrier, and more weighed down. Many bold ascents, whether 5.15a sport or a grade VI alpine wall, wouldn’t have happened at all. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t recognize the certain class of gear and products that have more staying power than others. This is the stuff that invented new categories, reinvented old ones, broke weight barriers, and defined what quality and performance really mean. Not to mention that some of these products have consistently beaten the competition for more than 20 years. To celebrate that best-loved gear, the stuff that’s in a class all its own, we created a new award: Editors’ Choice Classic. This year, we’re inducting 11 top picks into this hall of fame.

 PATAGONIA

 NANO PUFF  Most versatile puffy jacket ever ¬We weren’t sure what to make of this wispy, synthetic-fill  jacket when it came out in 2009; puffy jackets were supposed to be just that—puffy—and this iteration looked too thin for real use. But it soon found its way into our packs and onto our backs every season; it’s a midlayer in extreme cold and an outer layer when the temps start to dip. Might as well be our uniform. It’s light (10.1 oz. for the men’s medium), packs small (grapefruit size), and pleasantly warm for the weight; plus, the 6 0 grams of PrimaLoft One insulation will still keep you toasty even after it’s been dampened in an afternoon storm. “It brings me peace of mind when the sun sinks low and I’m still on the wall.” The pullover version with a half-zip is the original model that kicked off the now-popular super-light puffy category, and a full-zip  jacket came out in 2010. Designers were forward-thinking from the get-go, as the only changes over the years have been small updates to its overall fit. Many members of our expert panel have the same jacket they got almost five years ago, and they still use it and abuse it year-round. “I’ve had half a dozen jackets that try to mimic the Nano Puff,” one user said, “but I reach for my beloved Nano for every objective, every season, every  year.” It delivers the perfect balance of warmth for the weight. The slim profile layers well underneath a shell, or you can wear it as your outermost piece for windproof protection and solid water resistance, thanks to a DWR coating. Pack it into its own pocket, clip it on your harness, and go. Plus, with Patagonia’s stellar lifetime guarantee, you can return it at anytime if it rips, tears, or otherwise degrades.

$199–$249; patagonia.com

 PETZL

GRIGRI  Most popular assisted-braking belay device— and the best “Duh” was the common response from our expert panel when asked why the Grigri was deserving. With the promise of additional stopping power after its 1991 release, the Grigri changed the sport climbing world, and it created a brand-new category: assisted-braking belay devices. When the climber falls or the rope is jerked upward, an inner cam engages and pinches the rope to stop it from moving. It was no replacement for a good belayer, but now sport climbers could hang on the rope as much as they wanted without fear of overly fatiguing their belayers. “It brought a whole new level of safety to climbing,” according to one 30-yearveteran climber. Although it shines in the bolt-clipping department, you’d be mistaken not to try it out for other disciplines. One nominator said he doesn’t go multi-pitch climbing without his Grigri, whether he’s belaying a second off the anchor, jugging, or ¬

82 |  AUGUST 2014

lowering out on an aid pitch. That includes every big wall first ascent and climbing expedition (50+) he’s ever done. After 20  years of success, Petzl updated the original design in 2011, making it 25 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than the original version, with the same braking power; the new version, cleverly dubbed the Grigri 2, is also compatible with ropes from 8.9mm to 11mm, to keep up with ever narrowing cords. Of course, the development of a new product coincided with the development of bad habits and climbing accidents due to improper use, so a few years before the release of the Grigri 2, Petzl stepped up its efforts to educate the public on the correct usage through videos and posters hung in climbing gyms. Check out climbing.com/skill/grigri-  basics  for tips. $100; petzl.com

 MSR

 REACTOR The benchmark for cooking efficiency “Simply put, it’s the best stove for the vertical alpine.” Big wallers, alpinists, and guides have been singing the praises of the Reactor and its “unparalleled efficiency, smart nesting of b urner/pot/canister, perfect size for a small alpine party, and ideal performance in strong winds” since it came out in 2007. The Heat Exchanger Pot nestles around the burner for maximum stove-pot contact and minimal w ind interference, which makes it very fast and efficient. One guide who has more than 2,000 alpine meals under his belt said, “My only complaint is that sometimes I don’t even have time to get my dinner pouch open and poured into my bowl before the water is boiling!” The biggest change since it hit the market seven years ago was a 2008 update in the manufacturing process of the original one-liter pot, which shaved about two ounces, but recent accessory additions of a hanging kit and a French press adapter (called “absolute godsends” and “pure genius” by fans) mean this little cooker now does even more. Some stoves might have slightly faster boiling times than the Reactor’s 3.5 minutes (one liter), and others might have the ability to use more types of fuel, but none of those setups has the time-tested performance in all types of conditions that the Reactor has had with our testers. With the addition of two more sizes—1.7 liters and 2 .5 liters—this stove has earned its place in history. ¬

$190–$220; msrgear.com

CAMP 

 PINK TRICAM The missing link that fits where nothing else will Greg Lowe invented Tricams in 1973, and even 33 years after they finally hit the market in 1981, they are still one of a kind. Although Tricams are technically passive pro (no moving parts), their shape and design enable them to cam into a crack when downward force is applied. They have proven themselves invaluable in horizontal cracks, shallow pockets, and otherwise funky placements, and they quickly gained a following in places like the Shawangunks of New York and Looking Glass Rock in North Carolina. The most popular size is the 0.5 pink, but what is it about the pink that gets trad climbers so riled up? Maybe it’s the versatility: “Very few routes I climb don’t see the placement of this small dude.” Maybe it’s the price: “And it’s so cheap!” Or maybe it’s just intangible devotion: “I love that little guy.” Whatever it is, people love the pink Tricam, like love it. So much so that one devotee wrote an entire poem dedicated to the half-inch passive pro, including the line: “They sink where other gear won’t go. When all you’ve got is manky pro, this Tricam saves your butt from woe.” One committed user summed it up well, saying, “It  just fits where nothing else will.” ¬

 LA SPORTIVA

 MYTHOS  The one shoe every climber should own Climbing shoes have a huge turnover rate within the gear market; every year there are at least a dozen new sticky-rubber kicks to choose from. So for a rock shoe to stick around for more than 20 years—with no major updates or changes or dropping out of the line entirely—that’s a strong testament to its tried and true performance. While we don’t have any solid statistics on this, we feel comfortable saying that the majority of climbers we know have owned at least one pair of La Sportiva Mythos in their lives. Designed by the genius Italian cobblers of La Sportiva, the Mythos offers versatility, comfort, and performance in a package that fits almost every foot. “The only thing I don’t use the shoes for is climbing overhanging sport routes, but I’ve still seen people crush 5.12 roofs with the Mythos!” said one tester. By keeping your foot in a flat position and wrapping it in cozy, unlined leather, the Mythos are ridiculously easy to wear all day while keeping your feet happy. The unique lacing system actually wraps the laces around the back of the foot to keep it in position within the shoe, without needing a skin-tight fit. A narrow, pointed toe means you’ll still get a moderate amount of performance on face climbs, and rubber that comes up about two inches all the way around the foot means these are absolutely ideal for crack climbing. In 2011, La Sportiva produced 1,000 pairs of a 20th Anniversary Gold Edition Mythos for the truly dedicated. Despite Climbing’s original review in September 1991 that said, “Half [the testers] liked them, the other half didn’t,” we wouldn’t be surprised if we’re still celebrating this shoe 10 years from now. ¬

$140; sportiva.com

$24; camp-usa.com

CLIMBING.COM

| 83

ORGANIC

 FULL PAD The only crashpad you’ll ever need

 BLACK DIAMOND

CAMALOT C4  Climbers’ choice for top all-around cams They weren’t the first. They’re not the lightest. They’re not the newest. But sometimes being the best isn’t about those things. And our numbers don’t lie: The Camalot C4’s were unanimously voted in as the best midrange cams by our panel of experts. “Everyone knows the sizes and corresponding colors, unlike other brands,” one devotee said. “Most racks are built w ith the Camalot C4.” Designed by Tony Christianson, Julio Varela, and Honk Kyu Kwak in the mid-1980s, the Camalot had a distinct advantage over earlier spring-loaded camming devices in the form of a double-axle design, which greatly increased the camming range of each individual unit, meaning one piece could fit more crack sizes. Chouinard Equipment, which became Black Diamond, began marketing them as Camalots (so-named from various employee suggestions) in fall 1987, and three major updates later, Camalots are still the gold standard for trad climbers. Camalots have easier, smoother trigger action, slot into placements faster, hold better in shallow cracks, and both the metal of the lobes and wires and the nylon of the slings last longer. We do love the flexible stems of Aliens, the narrow heads of Metolius Master Cams, and the groundbreaking innovation of Wild Country Friends, but the C4’s have the best all-around performance and durability. Twenty-seven years after their first appearance, one climber says he’s still “having a love affair with these Batman tools for the vertical world.” ¬

$60–$120; blackdiamondequipment.com

In 2003, sponsored climber Josh Helke and his wife, Liz, were climbing full-time in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. When their favorite gear companies started to outsource production outside the U.S., they noticed a huge drop in quality, especially with the amount of daily abuse they were putting on their pads. With zero sewing experience, Helke started constructing pads in a spare room in their rental house in Laramie, Wyoming, and after a few gear awards from various climbing p ublications (including Climbing), the orders were coming in faster than the small team could fill. For seven years, climbers have loved the high quality, durability, and performance of the Organic Full Pad: “It has become the pad by which all other pads are measured.” The 36” x 48” landing zone offers a sizeable coverage area, and the four inches of foam spreads and cushions the impact in a perfect balance. With a comfortable hipbelt and shoulder straps, it’s easy to carry, even on steep approaches to the best alpine areas, and simple hook-and-loop buckles make packing and unpacking a breeze. Color and design customization is a muchloved option, ranging from just picking out the colors to you-create-it graphics. “Every boulderer I know swears by their Organic mats,” one fan said. “Many of them wouldn’t even think of buying—or landing on—anything else.” ¬

$185; organicclimbing.com

 FIVE TEN 

GUIDE TENNIES  An approach shoe in its purest form A small slip on the descent from Sentinel Rock in Yosemite in July 1985, was enough to launch Five Ten as a company, approach shoes as a gear category, and sticky rubber as a necessity for climbing. Charles Cole revolutionized the climbing world in 1986 with his creation of Stealth high-friction rubber, and then he did it again when he slapped it on the bottom of the Five Tennie to give climbers better traction when traveling to and from climbs. Although the Five Tennie was relatively successful, the uppers fell apart easily, so climbers would take the rubber from them and put it on their climbing shoes. Since that model lacked the burl and brawn that climbers truly needed, Five Ten answered the call with the Guide Tennie in 1995. “I have worn them religiously since they came out,” ¬

84 |  AUGUST 2014

one climber said. “Who doesn’t?” The dot pattern on the sole was the first of its kind, and it proved to offer the highest friction and most purchase on slick, slabby rock, while the flat zone up near the toe provided a climbing area for edging. A snug fit and rubber up over the toe means you can climb moderate routes, jam cracks, and do technical scrambling with ease, and a thick but breathable upper protects your feet without succumbing to abuse. And they’ve gotten better with age—now they come in a canvas low-top, leather low-top, and a leather high-top. “You simply cannot get a better approach, scramble, easy-climbing, big wall, and everyday shoe.” $120–$140; fiveten.com

 MOUNTAIN PROJECT 

 PETZL

 APP 

 METEOR

The most powerful beta database ever

The original lightweight helmet continues to innovate

¬It weighs nothing. It can be zapped to  your phone in seconds and viewed offline. It’s stuffed with beta for more than 113,000 sport routes, boulder problems, trad, ice, and mixed climbs, complete with photos, current conditions, access, and approach details. And it’s free. Not so long ago, the very idea would have been laughable. The Mountain Project App transformed the climbing-guidebook world when it launched for iPhone in 2011 and then Android in 2012. The constantly growing database started as an online resource for the climbing around Boulder, Colorado, and quickly grew to include climbing areas across the country and world. Reader-contributed comments and photos offered unique beta, forums connected our tribe from Maine to Alaska, and the site quickly grew to be the onestop shop for all things climbing. That was all well and good when sitting at home or in a coffee shop, but the moment you headed out to climb, all that beautiful data became useless. The app solved that by allowing you to download the info you need when you do have service, and then it lives on your phone so you can access it when you don’t. Pure genius. Route descriptions, rack info, photos, approach and descent beta, and even reader comments are all included. The app was free when it launched, but as the user base grew, Mountain Project started charging a small $5/year subscription fee. With the recent sponsorship by Black Diamond, the app is free again, and you can download specific areas as you go, deleting others if necessary so you don’t eat up your phone’s memory.

In 1997, the Meteor was the first helmet on the market to use expanded polystyrene (EPS) as its primary means of absorbing impact. The big benefit for climbers? Comfort gains and weight savings—two key influencers for climbers wearing a helmet. It’s been through several evolutions since, and remains one of the best-performing and most popular lids out there. While the original version looked like a child’s bike helmet, the current version is sleek and easy to wear, with more than a dozen vents for breathability. It weighs only 7.8 ounces—not the lightest, but it’s close—and it has a nice array of features. “When a helmet is this comfortable and airy, there’s no reason not to always be wearing it.” It offers ample top, front, back, and side protection, and the sliding-ratchet harness system makes the Meteor super-simple to adjust for a variety of head shapes and sizes. The newest iteration has a magnetic buckle that makes strapping it on quick and easy, even with just one hand or big gloves. Compatible with both a headlamp and Petzl’s Vizion eye shield, the Meteor is ideal for any type of climbing, from sport cragging to mountaineering. For more info on the current state of helmet usage within the climbing community, how helmets are designed and tested—and what needs to change— check out our in-depth story: climbing.com/news/no-brainer-helmet  .

Free; mountainproject.com

$100; petzl.com

¬

 BLACK DIAMOND

 ATC-GUIDE  A burly, ultra-light, do-it-all belay device There’s a reason you can just say “ATC,” and every climber will know you mean a tube-style belay/rappel device. Sorta like how you can ask for a “Coke” and people know you mean soda. It’s so widely used that its proper name has nearly taken over the entire genre. The original Air Traffic Controller was an immediate hit when it was released in 1993, and its offspring, this auto-blocking tube-style belay device, added the ability to belay a follower directly off the anchor. This increased versatility resulted in the ATC-Guide becoming a part of damn near every trad climber’s rack since it was released in 2005. Because the original design was so successful, it has seen very little updating, other than losing a few grams in 2009; the current weight is 3.1 ounces. There are plenty of competitors, but the ATC-Guide leads the category in performance and durability. Climbers we polled prefer this model over others because it’s beefier, lasts longer, and loads ropes easier. “Ultra-top-notch-deluxe sums it up right there!” is what one psyched gear expert had to say. Another called it “the device that all other tubers copy.” A side-by-side comparison of popular auto-blockers showed that the Black Diamond version had more bite on the rope, and it was easier to lower a climber when belaying off the anchor on a multi-pitch. ¬

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$30; blackdiamondequipment.com

CLIMBING.COM

| 85

THE FLOW 

Should You Bail? BY KEVIN CORRIGAN

SOMETIMES THINGS DON’T GO QUITE AS PLANNED. For whatever reason, you may find yourself in a situation where you’re considering cutting your losses and getting off the wall or backing down from that summit. While this is usually the safest bet, it’s also the least fun, and you may have to leave behind gear in the process. Here’s how to make the call. Note: This guide can’t cover every situation (the summit has free pizza [don’t bail], new episode of “Game of Thrones” is on in an hour [bail], climbing partner has terrible gas [complain, but keep climbing], etc.,) so develop and use your own good j udgment.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? It’s getting dark.

Storm’s a brewing.

I’m injured. Do you have time to make it to the ground before it hits?

Yes.

What does that mean?

No, it’s pretty much here.

I can’t do this move.

I’m scared.

Why?

I got a flapper on my fingie.

No.

Getting benighted is a climber’s rite of passage, which is a nice way of saying it sucks. Bail.

Do you have headlamps?

No.

Have you tried it before?

Climb by headlamp!

Yes.

No. It’s a runout, above a ledge, on bad gear, or I’m free soloing.

I’ve whipped five times.

Bail. You have no choice but to go to the bar. Kiss it. Is it all better?

One more try. Then you can bail.

Find a sheltered spot on the wall to wait it out and get cozy with your partner. You may need to cuddle for warmth. It helps to pretend they’re someone more attractive.

Yes.

No. Is it in a safe spot to fall ?

Stop being a baby. Tape it up and climb. Gaping head wound and/ or broken bone(s).

BAIL AND GO TO THE HOSPITAL!

88 |  AUGUST 2014

I’m scared because I’m high above the ground, hanging on a sheer rock wall with my bare hands.

I’m way out of my league. I don’t know what I’m doing up here.

That’s your body’s natural response to rock climbing. Suck it up a nd climb on.

Yes.

Bail. Come back and try again when stronger.

Yes.

No.

Do you have your copy of Freedom of the Hills on the wall with you?

No bailing until you’ve tried it! You might surprise yourself. And if you don’t, you’ll have a good whipper to brag about at the bar later.

Bail. You’re in no place to be figuring this stuff out.

P   a i    g  e  C  l    a  a  s  s  e n  o n  a r   a r   e f    e m  a l    e  a  s  c   e n t    o f   t   h   e A  m  e r  i    c   a ’    s f   i   r   s t    5  .1  4   , T   o B   o l   t    o r  N  o t   t    o B   e  ,  a t    S  m i   t   h  R   o  c  k   ,  O  R  P  h   o t    o :  R  i    c  h   C  r   o w  d   e r 

crux

big lockoff reach

delicate feet

worst crimp RF step thru

2 finger gaston

undercling

high stem RF gaston

giant lockoff smooth surf match

SUPERNOVA 

gaston match

keep feet low

thumb undercling

RF way out

1st 10 bolts beta

step thru smear match

bump thumb undercling

A harness designed by a woman for women. The Supernova is the brainchild of athlete Paige Claassen who worked with CAMP R&D for two years to merge the elements of fit and features for elite female climbers. In the end, the Supernova is packed with exclusive features like a specially contoured waist belt that cups to the female form, modified edge-load construction to perfectly distribute the load, and our patented No-Twist belay loop and Flat Link elastic connecting the waist belt and leg loops.

Available at specialty outdoor retailers nationwide. camp-usa.com