50 SPORT SKILLS
TRAIN SMART, CLIMB HARD FOCUS & BREATHING ROOF TECHNIQUES REST & NUTRITION CONQUER STEEPS
TECH TIPS INCREASE YOUR REACH
CALM YOUR NERVES REFINE REDPOINT STRATEGIES
CLIMB A GRADE HARDER IN 4 WEEKS
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YOSEM ITE’S YOSEMIT E’S WILD GOLDEN DAYS
KEB TROUSER | RUCKSACK NO. 21 LARGE | HANWAG ROTPUNKT APPROACH SHOE
“We’ve been trekking for 50 years, hopefully we never get there.” - Åke Nordin, Fjällräven founder
www.fallraven.us | www.fallravencanada.com @fallravenusa
CONTENTS 6
FLASH THE APPROACH
17
Editor’s Note
18
Letters
34 Training Clip the chains on your steep sport project with this four-week program. 36 Nutrition This chicken fried rice recipe is the perfect post-climb meal.
Archives 19
20
Re-Gram Meet Fitz Caldwell, the cutest climber baby. Off the Wall Climbing-themed beers to celebrate your send.
GEAR 39 Fall Apparel Guide We tested more than 100 products to bring you the 18 warmest, driest, coziest, most durable duds for fall sending season.
TH E CLIMB
GUIDE 26
28
32
Advice Reinhold Messner tells us how to live a life of adventure. Epicenter Alpine. Sport. Boulders. Trad. Lander, Wyoming, is a climber’s paradise. Instant Expert Master steep sport with techniques and tips from Sasha DiGiulian.
CLINICS 45 Begin Here Utilize pinch points for super-quick anchors on short, technical sections of alpine terrain. 46 In Session Break through your performance barrier with these tips from top pros. 48 Health Improve your offi ce ergonomics to maximize rest days for faster recovery.
VOICES 51 Ask Answer Man What’s the best way to find a climbing partner? 52 The Wright Stuff Pro climber Cedar Wright does his part to prevent climate change. 54 Semi-Rad Climb more wangs with Brendan Leonard. 88 TH E FLOW
2 | SEPTEMBER 2014
Cover photo by Glen Denny: Warren Harding and Bob Swif on Lost Arrow Chimney (5.10), Yosemite Valley, Caliornia.
Y S E T R U O C ; N R O C R E P U S ; I T N U R F F A T T E R B ; ) 2 (
N O T R E L L U F N E B ; Y E L S S O R C L E U M A S ; R R U B W E R D N A ; E V I H C R A S A D I D A Y S E T R U O C ; L L E W D L A C A C C E B ; Y N N E D N E L G : T F E L P O T M O R F E S I W K C O L C
ISSUE 328
Sarah Moore makes a big reach to a deep pocket on Turn Your Head and Cough (5.10c) in Missouri’s Trappers Camp crag.
70
Island Time Does your idea of a tropical island vacation include nonstop sport climbing? Then look no further than Cayman Brac. Jeff Achey travels to our new favorite Caribbean paradise to clip bolts and dodge sea spray.
56
R R U B W E R D N A
81
Myanmar Only a couple of years ago, a trip into this corrupt country would have been off limits. Molly Loomis journeys into this recently opened destination in Southeast Asia to climb and measure what may be the region’s highest peak.
Missouri Loves Company You read that right. Midwest-born Jeremy Collins takes a journey up the rivers of the Show-Me State to introduce us to a surprising amount of quality rock in an unlikely destination.
Issue 328. 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) -
LEADING SINCE 1970
EDITORIAL
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[email protected] Contributors: Visit climbing.com/contribute Retailers: To carry CLIMBING magazine and CLIMBING magazine publications in your shop, contact Bonnie Mason: 1-800-381-1288 x95175. 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
Dave Diegelman Separate Reality (5.11d), 1979
REEL ROCK’s much-anticipated eature-length film, “Valley Uprising,” brings us up close and personal with the legendary climbing history o Yosemite National Park, rom the epic partying in Camp 4 to ranger run-ins to unbelievably bold first ascents. The ollowing sneak preview will give you a glimpse into the evolution o the place and its people, including pioneers like Royal Robbins and Warren Harding, as well as present-day badasses Alex Honnold and Dean Potter.
6 | SEPTEMBER 2014
This 50-oot crack climb just o Highway 120 was first put up by the legendary Ron Kauk in 1978, and it quickly became world-amous thanks to the wildly exposed and nearhorizontal roo that comprises the second hal o the route. Originally given the grade o 5.12a, it was downgraded to 5.11d afer several ascents. Eight years afer it was put up, the bold and super-strong German climber Wolgang Güllich nabbed the first ree solo afer rehearsing it on a rope several times that same day. Other notable ree soloists o the route include Alex Honnold, Dean Potter, and Heinz Zak, who did it in 2005, 19 years afer photographing Güllich’s ropeless send. A quick hike rom the car and a short rappel will get you down to the slabby staging area, but the moves over the lip put the climber out over some serious exposure. Here, Dave Diegelman uses jams and pre-placed gear while Bill Price belays. GEORGE MEYERS
CLIMBING.COM
|7
FLASH
Royal Robbins North America Wall
(A2 5.8), 1964 Perhaps the most recognizable eature o the granite behemoth that is El Capitan is the gigantic diorite streak running right up the middle o the southeast ace. It’s shaped like the North American continent and is this route’s namesake. Although this birthmark is visually striking, the brittle black rock it contains and the lack o a clear, natural line kept climbers ocused on the more aesthetic and relatively easier southwest ace. It wasn’t until October 1963 that Royal Robbins and Glen Denny began hunting around on the wall and eventually aided up to about 600 eet. In all 1964, a oursome including Robbins, Chuck Pratt, Yvon Chouinard, and Tom Frost laid siege to the wall. Afer 10 days o storms, broken holds, tricky traverses, dwindling ood supplies, and terriying exposure, the team claimed the first ascent o this 2,400-oot, 28-pitch monster route. Robbins summed it up in describing one o the pitches just below the Igloo, a cave 300 eet below the top: “One o the hardest leads o my experience, it was just another pitch on this wall.” GLEN DENNY
8 | SEPTEMBER 2014
John Bachar Outer Limits
(5.10c) California-climber poster boy John Bachar heads up the second pitch of Outer Limits , a masterpiece first climbed in 1971 by Jim Bridwell and Jim Orey. With a perfect hand-sized crack and flaky holds on the edges, this route is one of the most popular and best-loved climbs in the Valley. Belayed here by fellow Stonemaster Gib Lewis, Bachar later soloed this route in the 1980s. Around that same time, Bachar posted what would become an infamous note in Yosemite, offering $10,000 to any person who could follow him climbing for one full day. His reputation for dangerous routes and bold free solos preceded him—no one took the offer. GEORGE MEYERS
CLIMBING.COM
|9
FLASH
10 | SEPTEMBER 2014
Alex Honnold Chouinard-Herbert
(5.11c), 2011 As one of the only rock climbers to become a true household name, Alex Honnold brought Yosemite climbing into the national limelight a few years ago with the premiere of the 2010 film “Alone on the Wall” and the following “60 Minutes” interview that had mothers around the world shuddering. This 15-pitch route climbs 1,400 feet up Sentinel Rock, and although Honnold nabbed the first and only solo, it pales in comparison to some of his other feats in the Valley. In June 2012, he soloed the Yosemite Triple: 2,000 feet on Mt. Watkins, 2,900 feet on El Capitan, and 2,200 feet on Half Dome. He did all of this in a little less than 19 hours. He’s also soloed technically difficult routes like Heaven (5.12d) and Cosmic Debris (5.13b), among others. PETER MORTIMER
CLIMBING.COM
| 11
FLASH
Werner Braun Reed’s Pinnacle Direct
(5.10a), late 1970s About 25 years before the iPod, Werner Braun rocks out while soloing Reed’s Pinnacle Direct , a popular ropeless ascent for the certified Yosemite hardman. Braun is known as being one of the longest-standing members of the esteemed Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR), having served for more than 40 years. He’s also known for unofficially having more ascents than anyone else of the popular and diffi cult Astroman , a 1,000foot 5.11c on Washington Column. BOB GAINES
12 | SEPTEMBER 2014
Chuck Pratt
Vernal Falls, 1968 With a relatively recent surge in slacklining, balance has become a common skill for climbers to practice on rest days, but 40 years ago it wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Chuck Pratt is credited as the first Valley climber to train for balance, and here, he simultaneously tests his coordination by juggling. Pratt was a Yosemite legend, with dozens of notable first ascents on formations like Fairview Dome in Tuolumne, Washington Column, the Salathé and North America Wall on El Capitan, the South Face of Mt. Watkins, and Arch Rock. Friend and partner Royal Robbins described him in a trip report about the first ascent of North America Wall : “Chuck’s fantastic native talents and unassuming demeanor make him the finest of climbing companions, while his infinite patience and sense of humor make him an excellent teacher and guide.” GLEN DENNY
CLIMBING.COM
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FLASH
Warren Harding Dawn Wall 1970 ,
Warren Harding, nicknamed Batso or his ability to spend endless nights on the wall until the route was completed, as well as his boisterous personality, finishes the last pitch on the first ascent o the Dawn Wall on El Capitan afer 28 days. Harding bagged first ascents all over the Valley, including the Nose on El Cap, the North Face o the Rostrum, and the Direct Route o Lost Arrow Spire. GLEN DENNY
Werner Braun, Jim Pettigrew, Ron Kauk, and John Bachar Four o Yosemite’s notorious pranksters goo o in the Valley.
PAUL SIBLEY
14 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Gary Colliver and Chris Jones 1969 Before guidebooks and apps, hand-drawn topos, like this one used to plan an ascent of the Salathé Wall , were passed from climber to climber until they fell apart. GLEN DENNY
Bill Westbay Zodiac (A2 5.7), 1977
Bill Westbay enjoys the comfort of a Navy surplus cot, the use of which started a trend of big wall climbers sleeping on flat, collapsible beds. These were the inspiration behind the current big waller’s bed, the portaledge. GEORGE MEYERS CLIMBING.COM
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s n o i t c u d o r p e n i l e m i t
. c n I , t n e m p i u q E e g A e n o t S f o k r a m e d a r t a s i H T L A E T S . p u o r G s a d i d a e h t f o s k r a m e d a r t d e r e t s i g e r e r a k r a m s e p i r t S 3
e h t d n a o g o l s r a B 3 e h t , s a d i d a . G A s a d i d a 4 1 0 2 ©
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T H E
A P P R O A C H CONTRIBUTORS
JEFF ACHEY Colorado climbing legend Jeff Achey has held more staff positions at Climbing mag than anyone. From his current post as senior contributing editor, he files a misadventurous dispatch from tropical climbing paradise Cayman Brac (p. 70). “Most would find it hard to get into as much trouble as I did.” JEREMY COLLINS When Collins, a self-proclaimed “lover of good company, loose rock, and floodplain sunsets,” called our offi ce, stoked to tell us about an amazing climbing area we’d never written about, he had our attention. When he said, “Missouri!” we almost choked on our King Cobras. But we’re glad we heard him out. His story (“Missouri Loves Company,” p. 56)—and the accompanying photos by Andrew Burr—will have you thinking differently about climbing in Middle America.
EDITOR’S NOTE
The Answer BY SHANNON DAVIS
Y S E T R U O C ; R R U B W E R D N A ; Y S E T R U O C ; R R U B W E R D N A ; Y S E T R U O C ; R R U B W E R D N A : T F E L P O T M O R F E S I W K C O L C
You don’t have control over where or when you were born or what genetic dispositions you were born with, or much of the stuff that comes after. Doesn’t matter, just climb. Maybe you scored and grew up in one of the climber towns on pages 28 and 88, climbed your age in V-grades, and learned to build an anchor before you knew the multiplication tables. Maybe not—no big deal. There’s more rock out there than you can imagine (and fantastic gyms everywhere); Answer Man has advice on finding a good partner; and Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou, one of the country’s best climbing trainers, designed a four-week strength and endurance program for you. Maybe you just sent your summer project and are seeking a new challenge for the fall. Maybe not, but you’ve trained your ass off and feel like you’ve hit a wall—well, no big deal. We talked to six elite climbers who felt the same way, and they’ve got some ideas for you. Maybe you’re the most psyched guy on the planet, offering belays and beta with a genuinely hopeful smile and providing bits of historical climbing knowledge. Maybe not, and you need that occasional psych boost—no big deal. In a partnership with REEL ROCK, the coolest climbing film tour on Earth, we’ve created the antidote to any mental slump—a gallery of some of the most inspiring shots from Yosemite’s golden days. Life has speed bumps here and there. Just keep climbing, and the rest will fall into place.
S T E Y H H E T N G I L M R H O U R O G I F J H
MOLLY LOOMIS As a mountain guide and park ranger, Molly has put her Colorado College degree to good use working in the mountains and writing about them. Her work has appeared in more than 50 publications, including The Wall Street Journal , Discover , Backpacker , The Boston Globe, and even O! The Oprah Maga zine. A fan of “long rambles and uncertain outcomes,” she writes of her first ascent in Myanmar for this issue (p. 81).
Getting thirsty
Thinking seriously about the climate
Learning about this place
Recovering right
Mmmmm, beer. We rounded up the best climbinginspired beers to qua afer your next send (p. 20).
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth presented some ugly news in 2006. What did we do between then and now? And what can climbers do going orward? As Cedar Wright says on page 52, brushing aside your own green guilt and initiating a conversation is step #1. Also, showering less.
It’s sorta like the Verdon!
Take on our our-week training program or steep sport routes (and dial in technique with help rom Sasha DiGiulian), and you’ll be a tired cowboy. Until you slam our perect recovery meal (p. 36) and learn how to get better rest—at work! (p. 48)
CLIMBING.COM
| 17
THE APPROACH UNSOLICITED BETA
DIRTBAG DAYS Charming story, Cedar (“Dirtbagging is Dead,” July 2014). I miss star-filled nights sneaking up to the boulders to dig out our bedding stash, unbeknownst to the rangers, or camping for weeks on end in the Cochise Stronghold, living in the back of dustcovered Toyotas. None of it would have been possible if not for the close camaraderie of the Monkeys. I was very fortunate to be a part of one of the last crews to dirtbag in Camp 4. It’s a pleasure to reminisce. —Donna McKusick, via Climbing.com PIRATE POWER Ammon McNeely is an inspiration to me! Last week I had my left foot reconstructed. This is the fourth reconstruction between both of my feet. I am grateful and proud to recover with the wisdom shared by Ammon (“An Unbreakable Spirit,” May 2014). Thank you. —Robbie Smith, Prescott, Arizona MENTOR APPRECIATION Words cannot express how excited I was to see Aleksey Shuruyev in “The Mentorship Gap” (May 2014). He was my brother’s and my first climbing coach. Training with Aleksey at the gym opened up a world of opportunities and experiences for us. It made climbing a fixture in our lives instead of just a weekend event, inspiring our lifelong obsession. —Meg Georgevits, via email
CRITIC MAN It’s been two issues since Answer Man started, and I’m already fatigued by the sarcasm. I’d much rather see another awesome photo or read legitimate answers to people’s questions. —Chris Miller-McLemore, via email Answer Man responds: Climbing magazine has about as many words in each issue as Ulysses, and nearly every one of them is helpful, informative, and positive. I provide a tongue-in-cheek respite and at least a tiny bit of actual good information in each answer. Our non-curmudgeon friends might even refer to it as humorous. Stop drinking Haterade and have some fun.
THE WRIGHT BELAY Am I crazy or is Cedar holding the wrong strand while taking this selfie (“The Wright Stuff,” May 2014)? Perhaps normal rules don’t apply when belaying Alex Honnold? —Jason, via Climbing.com Cedar Wright responds: Yes, you are crazy. And yes, it would appear I am holding the wrong end of the rope. I am trying to give Alex the heightened sense of awareness that a soloist of his caliber needs! Actually, I’m holding the other side of the rope with my selfie hand. Ha!
KEEP IN TOUCH
0 7 9 1 Y A M
ARCHIVES On The Cover An unknown climber ascends the North Ridge of White Twin Spire (5.7 R) in Garden of the Gods, Colorado. This stark, monotone style would front the magazine until it was taken over by Bil Dunaway in January 1972, when full-color photos were introduced.
Mission Statement In our first, 24-page issue, Climbing began by declaring its reason for being in what was considered at the time a crowded market: “Yes, we are, i you will, another mountaineering journal. We undertake this aim only because we believe it is not being done adequately by anyone else and we believe the sport could be enriched by improved communication and dispersion o ideas. CLIMBING wants to become the kind o periodical which climbers need and should have.”
The Good Old Days Today, Yosemite climbers gripe about the Valley’s meager twoweek camping limit. In 1970,Climbing lamented the fact that Camp 4 was to become a developed campground at all.
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Terra Incognita
OVERHEARD “If [truckers] lose concentration for a few seconds and veer off the highway at 80 miles an hour, they will die, but do people consider that extremely risky? No. Because the risk is quite small.” —Alex Honnold equates his big wall ree-solos to driving an 18-wheeler or ABC News correspondent Neal Karlinsky on “Nightline.” Karlinsky did not appear convinced. “Isn’t nature peaceful?” “Nature is f***ing METAL, dude!” —Group o climbers blasting music at a beautiul and serene alpine boulderfield. “No money. No car. No home. I’d free solo El Cap, but I’m too afraid of falling—and surviving.” —Proessional dirtbag James Lucas afer the sudden, unexpected demise o his car and home, a Saturn station wagon.
18 | SEPTEMBER 2014
“Rumors are that [Camp 4] will re-open this spring with the ad- dition o numbered campsites and parking places. Apparently the old Camp 4, open to anyone who could find the space to roll out his sleeping bag, is to become a thing o the past.”
In this issue, we highlight an unlikely destination: Missouri (p. 56). In 1970, Climbing documented another unknown destination: Hetch Hetchy, adjacent to Yosemite, which even today sees little traffic and has no guidebook. “As I looked across at the steep clis, I thought that this could just as easily be Yosemite. Upon looking down, I realized how dierent things were. I saw *Offer no longer valid. no roads, buildings, or campfire smoke. I heard no motors, shouts, or horns honking. I only gazed at a large dark pool o water, rippling quietly in the respective location where thousands swarm in Yosemite.”
VERTICAL LINES
VIRTUAL DISCUSSION
If you could live in any climbing town in the U.S., where would it be?* Most popular write-ins: Asheville, NC Salt Lake City, UT Bozeman, MT
Boulder, CO Other Bishop, CA Moab, UT Leavenworth, WA Chattanooga, TN Lander, WY North Conway, NH New Paltz, NY Fayetteville, WV
Other write-ins that are not towns: In a van in Yosemite On El Capitan
Not sure?
GREAT VIEW.
Take our test on page 88 to
TERRIBLE
find out where you belong!
COMMUTE.
35 *Source: Climbing reader survey. Join at climbing.com/readerpanel .
RE-GRAM
Fitz Caldwell: The Cutest Climber Baby on Instagram (@beccajcaldwell) Maybe it’s his incredible strength-to-weight ratio, or maybe it’s his superior genes. Whatever the explanation, there’s no denying that baby Fitz Caldwell, son o Tommy Caldwell, is crushing it on Instagram. That’s why we’re awarding him the title o Cutest Climber Baby, and by deault, the most adorable climber o an y age. Photos and captions by h is mom, Rebecca Caldwell.
In our May 2014 issue, advice columnist Answer Man (p. 51) derided the use of zip-off pants. The opinion struck a nerve with our readers. (See the original story at climbing. com/zipoff )
Comments Zip-o pants are great or the North Cascades where it shifs rom clear skies to apocalyptic in a single day. Index Dirtbag 06/17/2014 2:13:54 I deeply resent the implication that zip-o pants are anywhere near anny packs or LARPing on the dork scale. Jacob - 06/172014 3:53:49 Zip-o pants are amazing. People who think they aren’t should STFU and go back to getting pumped on 5.6 slab. Seasoned Chicken Kebobs - 06/17/2014 4:30:59 Somebody better let Mountain Hardwear know that zip-o pants aren’t in style. Also, The North Face. Also, every other outdoor company. JD - 06/19/2014 2:24:40
“Fitz loved to jump at this age, so Tommy rigged up the Merry Muscle jumper at the base o Meltdown in Yosemite Val ley.”
“This photo eatures two o Tommy’s avorite things: Fitz and El Cap!”
“Fitz learns to stand on his own. Like many others, Solutions solved his balance problem.”
“Tommy came up with this brilliant idea so we wouldn’t have to bring an extra pack. Fitz was psyched or a bit...”
“Fitz with ‘Uncle’ Alex at La Chocolateria in El Chalten, Argentina.”
“14-month-old Fitz sends his first slab climb bareoot outside o Chamonix, France.”
My partner and I invented the ideal all-conditions setup, which is shorts over long johns. Looks cool. Total comort all the time. Climb grades harder. You could try zip-o pants over long johns, but that would be or really extreme conditions where looks don’t matter. Roadkill Phil 06/19/2014 6:05:52 Zip-o pants are only dorky when you wear the top hal climbing or a week until they are dirt brown, then zip on the clean bottoms and head back to civilization. Mark Droy 06/23/2014 7:20:05
CLIMBING.COM
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THE APPROACH
OFF THE WALL
Climber Beers 7 perfect brews for post-send celebrations BY KEVIN CORRIGAN
Fire and Eisbock Mammoth Brewing Company
It’s no secret that climbing and beer (in that order) are the perfect recipe for a good day. And while beer has fully integrated itself into the climbing world, it’s rare for climbing to show its face in the beer world. So we tracked down three breweries either owned or staffed with climbers to fi nd this selection of climbing-inspired beers and bottle labels: California’s Mammoth and Tioga-Sequoia breweries each employ climbers in their brew rooms, and strangely enough, Indiana’s Figure Eight Brewing is entirely climbing-themed.
Offwidth
Where Lizards Dare
Snake Pro
Half Dome
Figure Eight Brewing
Figure Eight Brewing
Figure Eight Brewing
Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company
The Perks of Being a Brewer We spoke with brewer and climber Adam Floyd (right) o Mammoth Brewing Company, which prides itsel on embracing the outdoor liestyle, about what it’s like to make beer proessionally in the paradise o Mammoth Lakes, Caliornia. Describe your job. I make the beer. I filter the beer, and I take care o it as it erments. How does one become a brewer? I started as a home brewer. I was just making beer or mysel. And I was also a welder or a long time. The head brewer wanted people that knew brewing but also had other skills. Stu is always breaking down. Taking care o the machinery is part o the job. An odd path perhaps, but it worked out or me.
20 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Midnight Lightning Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company
Pirate’s Pils (Yup, that’s Ammon McNeely) Figure Eight Brewing
Is this a typical 9 to 5 job? No. That’s the thing I like about it most. The schedule is pretty amazing. I get to work our days a week rom 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. or midnight. It leaves all my days ree. And how ar is your “offi ce” rom the nearest cli? You could run to Warming Wall in probably 10 minutes, and Owens River Gorge near Bishop is only 30 minutes away. Do you get unlimited ree beer? I do get ree beer, but not an unlimited supply. The amount is more than I could personally drink, but it’s not more than my riends and I can drink together. Does climbing influence your brewing in any way? Not really. But to me, climbing and beer go together in a certain sense. That’s when I enjoy drinking beer the most, afer a hard day o climbing.
) 7 ( Y S E T R U O C ; ) P O T ( T T E R R A G A C C E B E R
DITCH THE GUIDEBOOK EXPLORE WITH A LOCAL Are you missing out on the best part of your trip? Local, professional guides can lead you to secret, sought-after spots and design an adventure to match your skill level. Hire a climbing guide and head straight to the goods.
Backcountry.com Athlete: Steph Davis
Browse guided adventures at detour.backcountry.com
THE APPROACH UNBELAYVABLE!
Scary (and true) tales from a crag near you I had someone set up a toprope anchor for me, to save me a walk up the cliff. They set it back from the edge, so I couldn’t visually inspect it, but I assumed it was fine. Our first climber fell sev eral times before lowering from the top. I went second and (fortunately) didn’t fall. As I said “take!” at the top, I noticed a burning smell. Before weighting the rope, I looked over the lip. My rope was threaded directly through a 25mm nylon sling, only it wasn’t 25mm anymore. It had melted down to 2mm. If I’d weighted the rope I would’ve taken a 25m backward ground fall. —Stretch, via Climbing.com LESSON: This is what can happen when
you trust a random person to build your anchor. It’s worth the peace of mind to
mistakes like
be belaying, but his shoulder was bothering him. —Jason, via Climbing.com
do it yourself or send someone you know
LESSON: Catastrophic
up there so you can be sure your anchor
these can be avoided by simply testing
is safe. And if the rogue anchor builder
your system while you’re still in direct.
is reading this: Nylon should never rub
Every time you rappel, start by pulling
against nylon. While nylon has an in-
yourself up tight on the rope and weight-
LESSON: This is so crazy that we’re
credibly high tensile strength, it will melt
ing it before you unclip yourself from the
astonished he even caught one fall. Safe
at about 470°F, a temperature easily
anchor.
rope-soloing requires specific gear and
reached from rope friction alone. Throw
confidence with fairly complicated sys-
two locking carabiners between the
tems. Seek proper instruction. Counting
rope and the webbing and you’re good to go (assuming the anchor is otherwise bomber).
I was at the top of a route, waiting for a woman to set up a rappel. She pulled up the rope, put the middle in her belay device, and tossed the ends. She was about to unclip from the anchor when I stopped her. She’d forgotten to put the rope through the anchor! —Zach Coburn, via Facebook
We passed a guy on the second pitch of his route lead belaying himself with a tube-style belay device. He was free climbing from an anchor he’d built and was placing quite a bit of gear. He told us that he just had to grab the brake strand really quick if he fell. He proudly proclaimed that he’d caught himself this way before (and tore up his hands in the process). At the base, his friend, who was wearing a tree-climbing harness, explained that he would
on yourself to catch the brake strand in mid-air during a fall is like waiting to put on your helmet until you see falling rock. Idiotic. Either the tree-climbing friend should suck it up and give him a belay, or he shouldn’t climb at all. For a primer on solo toproping systems, check out climbing.com/topropesolo , but we still recommend that you go out with an experienced buddy or guide before going to solo by yourself.
See something unbelayvable? Email
[email protected].
Details That Matter
What does a hiking boot company like 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 performance boot-making experience that has taken climbers to the summit of every 8000 meter peak in the world. Our new RED EAGLE LACE carries our legacy forward: it’s a high performance, low volume rock shoe that excels on anything vertical or overhanging. Top quality materials, branded components like VIBRAM ® XS-grip rubber, an extra-stiff midsole, a good solid heel pocket and 6th toe area, and an anti-microbial lining – it’s details like these that h ave earned LOWA’s reputation for building the world’s finest outdoor performance footwear – now including rock shoes.
HANDCRAFTED IN EUROPE
To see LOWA’s new line of rock shoes, visit www.lowaboots.com NEW Red Eagle - Lace © 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.
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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
VOICES
T H E 24 | SEPTEMBER 2014
C
Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Oliana, Spain. Kalymnos, Greece. Rifle, Colorado. Geyikbayiri, Turkey. What do all these world-class destinations have in common? The vein-bursting, forearm-bulging, and aggressively angled steep walls that our tribe seeks as climbing challenges. Found in backcountry caves and on undercut canyon walls, this is the land of the big send and the even bigger whipper. Here, Jorg Verhoeven nabs the first ascent of Nordic Flower (5.14c/d) in Flatanger, Norway, a proving ground for lovers of the steep. You can’t muscle, tech, or fake your way through these demanding overhangs, so we’ve compiled some of the best techniques, tips from the pros, and a four-week training program that will have you clipping the chains on your fall sport climbing project before the leaves even start to change. Follow it up with our perfect recovery meal, and you’ll be crushing even harder the very next day.
L I M B PHOTO BY REINHARD FICHTINGER
CLIMBING.COM
| 25
THE
CLIMB
GUIDE “We’re all children of our time,” says Reinhold Messner. “I did what I could do in my time, but I’m far away from what is done today.” Pictured here on Everest, Messner has many impressive and wellknown ascents that were well ahead of his own time, including climbing more than a dozen 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen.
ADVICE
Old Ways, New Days Reinhold Messner, who turns 70 this month, likes what he sees in today’s new alpinism For a man who’s been called the greatest mountaineer of all time, Reinhold Messner is surprisingly reserved and humble as he looks back on his 70 years on the planet. He’s explored and survived some of the most challenging and unforgiving terrain on Earth. Most famously, he completed the first solo ascent of Mount Everest as well as summiting all 14 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, often choosing routes that were more challenging. He’s crossed deserts, including the Gobi, and traversed the Arctic and Antarctica. His exploits are legendary and well-known. Messner followed his climbing career with five years (1999 to 2004) in politics, serving as an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) for the Italian Green Party, while also working on the Messner Mountain Museum project ( www.messner-mountain-museum.it ), a series of museums in various mountain locations, including the Dolomites. The sixth museum, Corones, will open this year in Kronplatz, Italy, on his birthday, September 17th. But Messner is more likely to talk up the achievements of contemporary climbers than his own. He especially admires Ueli Steck’s solo ascent of Annapurna’s South Face and British couple Sandy and Ri ck Al-
BY GRAEME GREEN
len’s Mazeno Ridge traverse of Nanga Parbat. People who, like Messner, didn’t choose the easy route. “I would never have been able to climb Cerro Torre in Patagonia free, without using bolts, like David Lama did,” Messner says. “I am very impressed and interested in seeing w hat’s happening today because mountaineering is in a period of great change. Ninety percent of the people going to the mountains today are tourists or sporty people. They climb in the gym, and they do some very difficult climbing, but this is not what I’d call alpinism. Traditional adventure alpinism is a very limited activity in these times. I have the greatest respect for these young climbers who go back to tradition and true alpinism.” Like any septuagenarian, Messner thinks often about death and loss. He feels fortunate to have made it this far. Messner lost his brother, Günther, and many friends on early expeditions. “There are thousands and thousands of people who’ve died in the mountains,” Messner says, solemnly. “I can’t defend an idea that has had so many deaths as a consequence. We cannot defend it, but we still go to the mountains. We must be aware that danger is everywhere and in every second. Going to the mountains is not conquering something. It’s so we can feel like we’re being reborn when we’re back in civilization.”
Secrets to an Adventurous Life
1 PREPARATION ) T E S N I ( N O T R E L L U F N E B ; E V I H C R A S A D I D A Y S E T R U O C
I always made a testament before I went on an expedition: I knew I could die, but I would fight like a lion to not die. If I were to stay at home forever because it’s dangerous to go to the mountains, I would not be who I am anymore. I need this activity. And if the fears are too bleak before going because I’m not perfectly prepared or my equipment isn’t just right, I adjust it. I only go if I feel like I’m fully prepared.
2 BOOKING A ROUNDTRIP TICKET
When I was a young climber, I looked for the most difficult routes, especially rock climbing in the Dolomites and the Alps. Later on, when I climbed the highest peaks, I tried to do it with minimum equipment. That ethic was more important than the actual summit or the route. Before and during the activity, I strive to be awake and aware of dangers. The real art of climbing is to come home safely.
3
4
5
PUSHING LIMITS
GOING SOLO
EMBRACING DANGER
Testing your own limits is only a synonym for knowing about human nature. If we expose ourselves to the maximum—cold, lack of oxygen, exposure, being high up on the mountain, far away from security—then we know about our fear and limitations. Going for that limit means, oddly, that we acknowledge our limitations. But I would not accept being limited in my possibilities and capabilities.
I did solo trips because I needed to know if I was capable of making it alone. To be alone means not only to have responsibility, b ut also to be removed from the world. Now if I have a personal or work problem, I go into the wilderness alone. It’s also a way of meditating. I listen to myself. In this special moment, having my ears and all my senses open to nature, I understand what I have to do and what my path ahead is.
Most European alpine clubs behave in a way that they would like to make the mountains more secure. They build roads or rails so you can’t fall down anymore. They build metal structures to avoid avalanches. This is not a mountain anymore; a mountain is danger. You could die there. Because of this, mountaineering is a very interesting activity. It’s not a sport. It’s serious interaction with nature. The danger is an essential part of it.
—As told to Graeme Green of curiousanimal.com C L I M B I N G . C O M | 27
GG UU II DD EE
CRAGS
Epicenter: Lander, WY Teaming up with our friends at mountainproject.com, we’re creating the ultimate primers to our ountry’s premier climbing towns. In this issue, we spotlight one of the West’s most alluring and uncrowded areas. BY LESLIE HITTMEIER
26 189
FIRE PIT BOULDER 2 problems
20
RODEO WALL 12 routes
TITCOMB BASIN AREA 10 routes
LITTLE SENECA LAKE 2 routes
26 26
MOOSEHEAD BAY 11 routes
KAGEVAH PEAK 1 route
189
PINEDALE 5 problems
CLIFF JUMPING AREA 2 problems
SINKS CANYON 321 routes
STADIUM BOULDERS 18 problems
89
789
SUICIDE POINT 5 routes
BOULDER LAKE DAM 1 problem
GRADE II WALL 3 routes
Lander STONEHENGE 4 problems 189
789
EAST FORK VALLEY 14 routes
CIRQUE OF THE MOON 5 routes
191
CIRQUE OF THE TOWERS 31 routes
WILD IRIS 185 routes
WIND RIVER RANGE 99 routes
OK CORRAL 62 routes
GUN STREET 16 routes THE MAIN WALL 78 routes
TRAD
TOPROPE
SPORT
BOULDERING
THE SCENE
Rock Climbing Nirvana With a warmer-than-you’d-think climate and three world-class areas within a couple hours drive, you might spend time looking for a place to rent while on a “short climbing trip.” Located within a sea of ranches in central Wyoming, the remote town of about 8,000 residents has a fresh and progressive climbing scene that includes a current boom in first ascents. Local badasses like Tom Rangitsch, B.J. Tilden, and Sam Lightner are bolting and re-bolting routes so fast that guidebooks and even online resources can barely keep up. The town has also hosted the International Climbers’ Festival every July for the last 20 years. At this year’s fest, you could casually chat with Conrad Anker, participate in a good ol’ fashioned pull-up competition, and see presentations by top climbers like Sasha DiGiulian, Lynn Hill, and Alex Honnold. The area’s rock is mainly limestone and granite with some dolomite and sandstone on the side. Nestled in the Rocky Mountains at 6,500 feet, Sinks Canyon offers more than 320
trad and sport routes that can be climbed year-round. Most of them can be reached within minutes of getting your caffeine fix at Old Town Coffee in the middle of downtown. Wild Iris, perhaps the most famous of Lander’s crags, is about 30 minutes away and offers sport climbing on classically pocketed limestone cliffs that rise above a blanket of white aspens. This favorite spot was discovered and developed in the early 1990s by Todd and Amy Skinner. And don’t forget the nearby Wind River Range, where climbable peaks, b ountiful alpine trad, and per fect granite boulders never cease to disappoint. Locals say the unsung area gem is Sweetwater Rocks, comprised of granite domes just west of town, where an estimated 1,000 routes await. “There’s everything from eight-pitch 5.7 to single-pitch 5.14,” local climber and author Steve Bechtel says. Plus, the globally renowned Tetons and Vedauwoo are each only a three-hour drive away. POWERED BY
28 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
S A N O D G A B N I V A D
G U I D E
CRAGS
LOCALS KNOW
Where climbers: [stay] Camp free for up to three days in Lander City Park at 4th and Fremont streets on the banks of the Popo Agie River. The park has 28 tent sites and seven RV sites (first come, first served). Tip: Bring a bike for runs into close-by downtown for groceries or beer. There are also two state park campgrounds as you drive up Sinks Canyon ($15/night, (sinkscanyonstatepark.org , 307-3323077). The Popo Agie Campground in the canyon also has three 16-foot yurts for $40/night; each has a twin and a queen bed. Or, keep driving about 20 miles up the canyon on Loop Road and you’ll hit the national forest boundary where camping is free.
Sophia Kim works through the fingery crux of the technical testpiece Moe (5.12b), Main Wall, Sinks Canyon.
[eat/drink] The Lander Bar (landerbar.com, 307332-7009) is a mandatory stop for any climber. It’s owned and operated by local climbers, and every cold beer is served with a side of good beta. “Almost every grill cook is a climber. Our head bartender has been climbing in the area for 20 years, and both managers climb and were born and raised in Wyoming,” says owner Jill Hunter. “And there’s always someone interesting hanging around. Sasha DiGiulian was here recently watching the World Cup.” Grab a Jack Norman Pale Ale brewed right next door, order a Muy Bueno burger, and eavesdrop on stories about
back in the day when Todd Skinner was putting up 5.13 first ascents at Wild Iris. [gear up] Local legends Todd and Amy Skinner established Wild Iris Mountain Sports in 1990 to pay for their dirtbag lifestyle and provide employment for other climbers, and it’s still the go-to place for all things climbing. (wildirisclimbing.com, 307-332-4541) [learn the ropes] Both Exum Mountain Guides and Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, each headquartered in nearby Jackson, Wyoming, offer instruction and guiding at Lander crags and in the Wind Rivers. (exumguides.com, 307-733-2297; jhmg.com, 307-733-4979) [spend a rest day] Sling flies (and catch dinner) on the three different forks of the Popo Agie River. The Sweetwater River is also a hot spot for brown and rainbow trout in surprisingly large size and number. Pick up a fishing license at Wind River Outdoor Company or One Stop Market in town ($14/day for nonresidents). More terrestrially inclined? Mountain bike in Sinks Canyon or at Johnny Behind the Rocks, a recently developed area with terrain for all skill levels about 15 miles south of Lander (mtbproject.com).
METRICS
STYLE Sport crags and alpine trad reign
QUALITY DIFFICULTY
Nearly 2,000 routes at 3 stars or higher
The harder you climb, the more you can climb 800
Trad
4 stars
39% 3 stars
600
Sport
400
57% 200
2 stars
TR 0
400
800
1,200
4%
0
s s l e r o 6 5 .
7 5 .
8 5 .
9 5 .
0 1 5 .
1 1 5 .
2 1 5 .
3 1 5 .
A B U D E L Y K
30 | SEPTEMBER 2014
ROUTES
Lander Classics The 10 best 4-star routes as ranked by Mountain Project users East Ridge of Wolfs Head (5.6) Wind River Range, 10 pitches “Unreal! One of the most interesting alpine routes I have done, especially at 5.6. Big exposure. Although if you are a 5.6 leader, some of the exposed traversing moves may feel a lot harder than 5.6.” La Vaca Peligrosa (5.8) Wild Iris, 1 pitch “A very fun pocket climb—this is what super-fun limestone rock climbing is all about.” More Funky Than Gunky (5.9) Sinks Canyon, 1 pitch “The roof on this one feels great. It’s well-protected but still big enough to make you feel like a rock star. Get your feet over the lip; flexibility is one of your best assets here.” Take Your Hat Off (5.10b) Wild Iris, 1 pitch “Amazing route. A technical start leads to ridiculously fun and huge juggy pockets on vertical to slightly overhanging stone. The rock is completely bulletproof white limestone, and the beautiful scenery of wild flowers in the valley below is as good as you could hope for.”
N O D N R E H N E B
Sandman (5.10b/c) Sinks Canyon, 1 pitch “Best 5.10 sport route in the universe. Great variety of climbing: a tricky layback flake down low to pockets on the upper section. Cruxy move up top felt hard for the grade. Climb in spring or early summer to avoid wasps.”
The Devil Wears Spurs (5.10d) Wild Iris, 1 pitch “The best 10d or even the best 10 period at Iris—perfect pocket pulling. This is as good as it gets for a moderate. Very big moves if you don’t get your feet in the right spots.” Wine and Roses (5.11a) Fremont Canyon, 1 pitch “This is one of the single best pitches I’ve ever done, any time, any place. Mountain Project needs to add a fifth star just for this one.” Tribal War (5.11b) Wild Iris, 1 pitch “One of the greatest routes at the Iris of any grade and the best 11b hands down. Love the two styles of climbing to be had on it, a technical crux and a pumpy finish. The highest quality! Get on it!” Wind and Rattlesnakes (5.12a) Wild Iris, 1 pitch “I loved this route. It’s surprisingly pumpy pulling through the last pockets on the final headwall. Recently re-bolted with glue-ins, too.” Killer (5.12c) Sinks Canyon, 1 pitch “Big, fun pocket moves. Start by aiding to the first bolt. Launch into the crux via technical and powerful enduro-pulls on the left-angling seam followed by edges and pockets. Crank the roof and hold on for a wild ride through the killer pump to the anchors. Classic hard moves on the biggest holds you’ll ever fall off.”
POWERED BY
Alex crossing the northwest glacier at 5900 m on Shishapangma (8013 m)
“ THE SOULO has been my “go to” shelter on my recent Himalayan projects.
It’s light enough to carry on challenging ascent s, it’s remarkably roomy, and I’ve found it to be a veritable Basti lle. It has the same well thought-out design Hilleberg is known for – strength and func tionality, easy set-up, and a light pack weight. On solo multi-day ascents this is the tent I carry. It increases my margin of safety and doesn’t weigh me down!
”
Order a FREE catalog online at
HILLEBERG.COM or call toll free 1-866-848-8368
*Stats are for the immediate Lander area. Get route beta, photos, and topos for the whole state at mountainproject.com/wyoming .
follow us on facebook.com/HillebergTheTentmaker
G U I D E
INSTANT EXPERT
Secrets of the Steep Fight the pump and move fluidly through overhanging sections BY JULIE ELLISON
AS YOU’RE EYEING THE NEXT CLIP ONLY A FEW FEET AWAY, your swollen forearms throb even harder at the thought of just one more move. You take a deep breath, dig your toe in a little deeper, drive your body up, and grab the next hold with a feeling of pure elation—only to experience a moment of stillness, a feeling of defeat, and the rush of air as the wall rapidly fades into the distance. Welcome to steep sport climbing. When the wall kicks back past vertical, the pump clock starts ticking and it’s all about getting to the chains before that alarm goes off. Steeps and overhangs require determination, focus, technique, and creative thinking. Below, we’ve dissected the most important skills to develop. Then turn the page for a killer four-week training program designed especially for steep rock climbing.
Rest > Strength. Learning to rest is the key to sending. Good roof climbers have strength and endurance, yes, but what they’re best at is managing and fighting off pump. They know how to reach a rest and then use it to recover strength and restart the pump clock. Practice resting as much as you practice climbing.
1-2-3. Think about moving through roofs in a 1-2-3 pattern: 1. Grab the holds with arms straight (don’t over-grip) and upper body centered underneath. 2. Reposition your feet so they’re in the optimal spot to drive you to the next hold. 3. Move with confidence to the next hold. Repeat over and over until you’re clipping the chains.
Utilize clipping stances. This might involve climbing into a certain position, clipping, then downclimbing to a good rest so you can breathe easier and focus on the upcoming sequence. Or, you might need to include a few extra moves in a sequence to clip from a larger hold, avoiding clipping off a smaller hold that would get you more pumped.
32 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Your core is your best asset. Think about squeezing your abs and pushing your hips into the wall (a mental mantra helps: stay tight, stay tight, stay tight ) to keep your butt from sagging, which will put more weight on your arms. Having hips close to the wall means more toeing-in power and more driving force from the large muscle groups in the legs.
OVERCOMING OVERHANGS with Sasha DiGiulian
Height I find my small stature can be better on steep climbs because my torso and limbs aren’t as long, which can require more strength to keep under control. Regardless, being dynamic is important, so train for power and b ig moves. Falling and Fear Taking whippers in caves is fun! You’re falling into air, with no threat of hitting ledges below or cheese-grating down a slab. Embrace it!
Weird is good. Drop-knees, heel hooks, toe hooks, heeltoe cams, kneebars (pictured), and bicycles are your best friends because they take weight off your arms. Find and use them as often as possible. See climbing.com/ skill/climbing-dictionary for explanations of each.
Move your feet, not your arms. Keep your arms as straight and still as possible while your feet fluidly and precisely contact every foothold necessary to get your body in a position that makes the next move efficient. This means using the power from your legs, not your arms. Also, consider moving your feet around to get into a position that makes the handholds better (e.g., changing a sidepull into an undercling).
Pushing Through When I’m pumped and need to force myself to keep going, I focus on breathing. A slow and even breath will lower your heart rate and distract you. I convince myself that I’m not tired and that the next good hold or next clip is the anchor. Push for that one extra move, and you’ll improve quickly because you’ll be constantly maximizing your engine. Hanging Upside Down Reading routes and staying calm can be difficult. Look at the climb beforehand and make a plan for each section. Find the good rests and climb from rest to rest. Get to a rest and look up at the next section. While resting, keep arms straight, shoulders relaxed, and heels down to toe in. Just breathe. Technique Apply a lot of pressure to every foothold, especially bad ones. Use the tip of your shoe, with the hold under your powerful big toe. Heel hooks, toe hooks, and bicycling are crucial. For your hands, center your upper body directly beneath the hold. Upper body and legs should be in line with your hips; shift left and right by driving with your hips. Squeeze your abs and engage your core to stay tight.
G N I L R E T S P I K S ; ) T F E L ( R R U B W E R D N A
scarpa.com/vitamin
You only get 26,320 days, more or less. How will you spend them?
G U I D E
TRAINING
GUIDELINES
Get Strong for Steep Sport
This four-week program is
BY JULIE ELLISON
Follow this 4-week plan to float the most wicked overhangs AS WE MOVE from summer alpine season to the crisp days of Sendtember and Rocktober, it’s time to trade cams for draws and focus on fall sport climbing season. While most people might jump right on the wall and crank out lap after lap at a comfortable grade, that type of training by itself won’t really help you tick harder grades or improve at steep sport climbing. Ten laps on a 5.10 will help build endurance at that grade, but when it comes time to work that 5.12 project, you’ll be left wanting. We collaborated with expert trainer, world-champion climber, and famed climbing coach Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou to create a simple, effective four-week training program that’s designed to have you ready for the fall season in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky, a destination known for its killer caves and steep walls. The plan will focus on technique, endurance, core strength, power-endurance, and perhaps the most underestimated but important part of climbing overhangs—resting.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Climb: Power-
Climb:
Climb:
Climb: Power-
Climb:
Climb: Rest
Climb: Power-
endurance Focus: Core
Endurance
Rest Focus: Core
endurance Focus: Resting
Endurance
Focus: Core
endurance Focus: Resting
Focus:
Technique
Focus:
Technique
RESTING 1. Pick out
a steep route that’s slightly easier than your redpoint max. Climb it once, and figure out where you can get at least two rests. This will help you identify what a good rest is and how to maximize it, as well as how to pace your climbing in between rests. Now re-climb the route, and you must use those two rests for at least 20 seconds each. Arms should be straight, shoulders relaxed, and feet in the best position to take weight off your arms; heel hooks and the like are especially helpful. Focus on using minimal energy, getting your heart rate down, shaking out, alternating hands, and relaxing. Be mentally present when resting: How pumped are you? How does shaking out feel? If you move your foot slightly up or down can you find a better position? Do this with two to three routes; if you fall off at any point, just get back on and complete the route. 2. Create a 20-move boulder problem loop on the steepest part
of the bouldering wall. Have it start and end on the s ame big holds with good feet. Do the problem, and when you get back to the start, rest there without coming off the wall for a set amount of time; three minutes of resting is a good start. Focus on staying relaxed, breathing evenly, shaking out, keeping open hands, not over-gripping, etc. Try to complete the loop at least three times. The next week, create a new problem with a start / end position that has good hands but slightly worse feet. The set resting time might feel too long, but this will get your brain in tune with your body and help you figure out not only how to use rests, but how long you should rest. Create two to three separate problems/loops for each session, aiming to complete each loop three times. 3. Choose an overhanging route at your absolute limit. Climb the route until you feel the
pump start to creep in. Keep moving, and right before you feel like you’re going to peel off, find a massive jug—even if it’s not on your route—and milk that rest like there’s no tomorrow. Get into the best resting position you can, using whatever holds are available, whether they’re on your chosen route or not. The idea is to push yourself to your physical limit and then get a break while not dropping off or coming down. Stay there as long as needed, and see how much strength you can get back. It’s fine if you fall two moves later; that’s two more moves than you would have done otherwise. This will build mental fortitude when resting, create confidence, and help you develop a positive attitude about the fact that resting does actually work. Try this with four routes, making sure to rest about 10 minutes between each.
34 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
ideal if you’ve been climbing regularly and are in good shape. If not, start with four weeks of general climbing training to get back in shape. Aim to climb at least three times a week, bouldering, sport climbing, or a combination, either inside or out. Once you have this baseline fitness, begin the specific training outlined here. Shoot for climbing-specific training four days a week, in a two days on, one day off pattern, but if you’re feeling really tired, you must take more days off. Rest is just as important as training when you’re going hard. Listen to your body. Since this is a shortened, discipline-specific plan, you should be going hard in every session. You should be working at 85 to 100% of your max everyday. Raboutou says, “Why go light? If you’re really tired after one rest day, that’s why you take two.” Don’t sacrifice a day at the crag for training inside. Go outside as much as you can, but make it count by mimicking the climbing workout and focus of that particular day. Clean up your diet. Don’t count calories, but focus on foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, which are best for intense training periods. Cut out excess sugar, fat, and processed foods. Eat carbohydrates about 30 minutes before training, and then another small serving 15 to 30 minutes right after. See page 36 for ideas on what to eat and when. If you’re already an enduro-fiend, focus more on power-endurance and consider adding a campus board workout one day a week on an endurance-focused day. Each day has a climbing workout (power-endurance or endurance), followed by a specific focus for the day (technique, core, or resting). Pick one workout for both climbing and focus. Warm up everyday with 20 minutes of easy climbing.
ENDURANCE 1. Laps
are a great way to gain endurance quickly, but with a limited number of routes in a typical gym, they can get boring really fast. Use this exercise sparingly so you don’t burn out too quickly. They’re just what they sound like: Pick a route a full number grade below your max redpoint and climb it. Lower, pull the rope, and get back on the wall as fast as you can. You don’t have to climb it fast, and you can (and should) rest on the route, but don’t dilly dally about getting back on. Try to gain energy back while on the wall. Run three to five laps on a few climbs, doing a minimum total of 12 pitches. 2. Downclimbing is an underrated training exercise. Not only does it help with footwork and technique, but it also works your main c limbing muscles i n the op posite d irection, like doing “ne gatives” in weightlif ting, w here you focus on the lowering portion more than the upward motion. Pick a route that’s a full number grade lower than your redpoint max and climb up. Immediately downclimb the whole thing, and without coming off the wall, start climbing back up. (Using an auto-belay is great for this.) When you get to the top the second time, just lower to the ground. Do this with at least four routes. 3. Pick
an overhanging route that’s at least a full number grade below your redpoint max, the juggier, the better. Every time you want to reposition your feet, you must purposely cut both of them, swing them out, and bring them back to the wall in the position that’s necessary to move upward. It should be something like this: Move right hand, move left hand, cut feet, swing them backward, and as you bring your feet back to the wall, place them where they need to go to make the next set of hand movements. Do this on at least six routes, more if you’re an advanced climber.
CORE 1. Do all exercises in a row, then repeat
2. Do all exercises in a row, then repeat
3. Do all exercises in a row, then repeat
each set three to five times, with a 2 min. rest between each set.
each set three to five times, with a 2 min. rest between each set.
each set three to five times, with a 2 min. rest between each set.
1 min. forearm plank 30 sec. side plank (each side) 1 min. mountain climbers 2 min. hip bridge 10 leg raises on pull-up bar
1 min. bent-leg boat pose 1 min. bicycle crunches 10 full sit-ups 1 min. flutter kicks 20 airplanes (alternate sides)
1 min. straight-arm plank 1 min. Russian twist with medicine ball 15 back extensions/Supermans 1 min. leg climbers (alternate sides) 30 crunches
ROBYN ERBESFIELDRABOUTOU
As one of the leading authorities on coaching climbing for kids, Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou has trained dozens of youngsters who have sent 5.14 and climbed on the international level. She is a five-time U.S. National Champion and was the third woman in the world to climb 5.14a. She’s also the founder, owner, and director of ABC Climbing in Boulder, Colorado ( abckidsboulder.com ).
TECHNIQUE 1. Bouldering
is one of the best ways to gain good technique quickly. Since the problems are short, you can focus on each move and the subtle nuances of footwork, body position, and how to grip slopey or small holds. You’ll also be simultaneously building power, which is often overlooked in sport climbing training, but just as necessary to be successful on challenging routes. Spend 30 minutes projecting hard boulders at your limit . 2. Work
POWER-ENDURANCE 1. The G N I L R E T S P I K S ; ) 7 ( N O T R E L L U F N E B
classic workout to gain power-endurance is a 4x4. On a bouldering wall, find four problems that are about three grades below your redpoint max. Climb the first problem four times without resting, then rest two minutes and climb the second problem four times. Continue until you’ve completed one set. Rest at least five minutes and repeat the 4x4 with four new problems. Rest again and repeat with new problems for three total sets.
point. Choose problems that are at least three grades below your max, a nd then time yours elf doing four rounds (s ame problem repeated or different problems, it doesn’t matter). After the four rounds, rest 1.5 times the length of time it took you; so if i t takes you four minut es to do four rounds, rest six minutes. Do at least four sets of this. As you get stronger week by week, try to make the wall a little steeper. 3. Choose
2. The
treadwall is one of the best climbing inventions since sticky rubber. Kick the angle back so that you can still do four rounds in a row without coming off; 20° is a good starting
15 boulder problems in the g ym that are about three grades below your max, and climb them all in 30 minutes or less—you should have to hustle. Rest 15 minutes, and then climb them all again within 30 minutes.
with a partner on the systems board. Create problems (usually five to seven moves) that incorporate all different types of movement, holds, and body positions. Focus on your weaknesses, whether it’s a certain type of hold or movement. Since a systems board is mirrored with the same holds in the same spots on each side, make sure to do every problem twice, once on each side. Spend 30 minutes creating problems for each other on the systems board.
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GUIDE
NUTRITION
Recovery Rice Cook this takeout classic at home for the perfect post-climb meal BY LESLIE HITTMEIER
After a long gym session, you’re tired, sore, and just want to chow down on something—anything—as soon as possible. It’s easy to reach for your stack of takeout menus, but that General Tso’s packs a surprising wallop of fat and sodium without much redeeming nutritional value. Sure, you’ll be full, but your body won’t get the proper fuel it needs to bounce back from the toll of climbing hard. No worries. We have a chicken fried rice recipe that you can throw together three times faster than it takes the delivery guy to get to your door. The cook time is less than 15 minutes, and it’s so easy to make you’ll have it memorized after one go. It also has a healthy dose of carbs, protein, and sodium, with a half serving of vegetables. Rice has carbs that are good for fueling recovery. It’s high on the glycemic index, which means it will digest quickly and give your muscles the immediate energy they need to start the repair and recovery process (see opposite page for more info on the glycemic index). Protein from the chicken rebuilds muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and the ample sodium will help your body absorb much-needed water to stave off dehydration and accelerate recovery. Dr. Allen Lim, founder of Skratch Labs, says, “The benefits of this meal are rather simple: It tastes great, it’s easy to make, keeps well, reheats easily, and it’s got a great ratio of carbs, protein, and fat. Mostly though, it’s just super-delicious real food.” Ingredients Top with:
2 cups rice, cooked
3 eggs
Sriracha
Sesame oil
FILL UP! Directions Cook rice according to package instructions. Bring lightly oiled sauté pan to medium-high heat. Add garlic and green onions and sauté for about one minute. In a small bowl, beat eggs and soy sauce together and then pour them into the hot pan. The pan should be hot enough to cause the eggs to fluff. Stir quickly to cook. Add cooked rice and cooked chicken thighs, then fry mixture for five to six minutes. Add peas and corn and cook until vegetables heat through and are vibrant in color. Season to taste with Sriracha, soy sauce, or sesame oil.
2 to 3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup boneless chicken thighs, cooked (2 to 3 pieces)
1 cup frozen peas and corn
) 0 1 (
Nutrition Facts per serving (half total amount) Energy 605 cal Fat 17g Sodium 727mg
36 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
*Republished with permission of VeloPress from the The Feed Zone Cookbook ($25, skratchlabs.com). Try more recipes at feedzonecookbook.com.
Carbs 68g Fiber 4g Protein 39g
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
N O T R E L L U F N E B
Glycemic Index Explained What the heck do those numbers mean anyway? The glycemic index (GI) is a scale that rates carbohydrate-carrying foods from 0 to 100 based on their direct effect on blood-sugar levels. Foods that are high on the GI scale are digested quickly and spike sugar levels in the blood; low-GI foods take longer to digest and allow sugar to leak slowly into the bloodstream, providing a more constant and even source of energy. Most veggies, fruits, nuts, legumes, and healthy grains are low to medium on the scale, while white bread, white rice, and sweetened foods (like candy or soda) are much higher. Typically, high-GI foods are given a bad rap because of the energy ups and downs, but for an athlete, there are times when you ne ed that rush. They can be lifesavers for endurance athletes, including climbers. The rule of thumb is to eat foods with low to medium numbers before exercise, and then medium to high foods during exercise, varying from a
broccoli (10)
cherries (22)
lentils (29)
apple/orange
brown rice (50)
(39/40)
0
chocolate chip cookie to a low-sugar sports drink. The most i mportant rule is to eat something high on the scale 15 to 30 minutes after your workout because this is when the enzymes that help the body replenish muscle glycogen are most active, and the longer you wait, the longer i t will take those muscles to recover. Keep a bagel and almond butter (or some leftover chicken fried rice) on hand so you can give your body what it needs on the drive home from the crag or the gym. Keep in mind that it’s ill-advised, if not impossible, to base your entire diet on GI numbers. For example, eating a steady stream of foods like pizza, beer, and ice cream every day, while fun and a good mix on the GI, won’t likely help your performance—or harness size. Use these numbers as guidelines, especially when you know you’ll be needing an extra boost during a long day in the mountains or after a hard workout.
25
whole wheat bread (68)
50
bagel (72)
75
potato (85)
cornflakes (93)
100
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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 t s n o n c i r r i m e t e n s r e q u . / 1 0 a i 9 d l o i L E ® s i v e d u a i n g s e s s e s i n o n e X IA a i n A r o p x c l u I T R i th e s f r o m t r e s e t w o w E , T p e r a n g e e s t h 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 0 c o m b 1 a r / i o 9 x p ia A T r c a l ib r e s s i te T R X o h p g p i H T h e O . i s i d e a l r o p e
THE
Fall Apparel Guide Our team wear-tested more than 100 items to find the best of the best in cold-weather climbing duds to bring you the 18 winners on the following pages. Here are the qualities we look for in:
N O T R E L L U F N E B
Baselayers: Feels good against the skin, wicks sweat, dries quickly, provides a touch of warmth, doesn’t stink. Midlayer: Warm, breathable enough to allow baselayers to dry, provides an element of wind resistance, responds well to temperature and exertion fluctuations. Puffy: Provides instant warmth in extreme conditions, packs fairly small, is durable enough to handle the elements, fits over multiple layers, adjusts easily. Shell: Gives peace of mind against wind and rain, breathable enough to wear on the move, quickly adjusts over layers, enough but not too many pockets and doodads. Pants: For every day— light, weather resistant, durable, flexible and/or stretchy for wide range of motion, athletic fit with few pockets. For protection—waterproof/ breathable, resists wear and scuffing, packs small. For both—fit!
CLIMB
G E A R
APPAREL GUIDE
Dress to Send The best 18 products to stay warm and dry until next summer BY JULIE ELLISON
PACK IT DOWN, WARM IT UP MIDLAYER
Brooks-Range Azara Hoody Although they’ve only been making apparel for a few years, Brooks-Range hit it out of the park with their first attempt at women’s clothing in the Azara Hoody. “It’s warm, packable, comfortable, and I had zero fit issues—pretty much unheard of for a first run of women’s clothes!” one tester said who rocked it while bouldering in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and on long mixed climbs in the French Alps. The 20-denier Pertex Quantum shell with DWR finish staved off a consistent 30-minute drizzle, but after the water eventually soaked through, our
tester was still warm and toasty, even when just hanging out in between bouldering burns. A cozy micro-fleece on the chin and around the face keeps it comfy next to skin, a helmetcompatible hood fits snugly over a brain bucket, and zippered pockets (two hand, one chest) keep small sundries safe and accessible. Available in a non-hooded jacket for $50 less. $250; brooks-range.com
BREATHABLE INSULATION
Patagonia Nano Air Imagine the cozy, contented warmth you feel when you throw on your favorite sweatshir t to cut th e chill of a late fall day. That’s how the Nano Air felt through several days of alpine climbing above Chamonix, France, says our tester. “Through a dozen pitches of mixed terrain and snow, I found this stretchy insulator warm enough for belaying and breathable enough to dry sweat while climbing.” The result is a rare experience: much less adjusting layers and hence little removing and digging in your pack. In other words, increased efficiency. The secrets: 60g of synthetic insulation that Patagonia dubs FullRange, sandwiched between four-way stretch nylon that’s more permeable than any of Patagonia’s softshells. “The added stretch allows the jacket to move with me.” Bonus: A DWR coating sheds precip (or a cup of coffee—oops), and lowprofile handwarmer pockets are positioned for access with a harness on. $299 (hood), $249 (no hood); patagonia .com
40 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
OLD SCHOOL– NEW SCHOOL HYBRID WORLD-CLASS WARMTH-TOWEIGHT RATIO
Mammut Go-Far Jacket If you’re looking for big warmth in a small package, look no further than the Go-Far Jacket. With Polartec Thermal Pro throughout, this full-zip midlayer packs a serious insulating punch, which our testers compared to that of a midweight down puffy, and it only takes up the size of a small grapefruit in your pack, weighing in at just under 11 ounces for the men’s medium. Thumb loops kept the sleeves in place whether wearing it as a midlayer or an outer layer, and a very trim, athletic fit was excellent for wearing under a harness. The women’s version, the Get-Away Jacket, has an offset zipper that is positioned to the side of your chin when zipped all the way up. Note: Testers felt breathability was limited, making it best for the chilliest days. $119; mammut.ch
Fjällräven Keb Pants Combine the durability of canvas with the wearabiltity of your favorite softshell pants and you get the Keb. “It’s like really comfortable armor,” said one tester. Large swaths of G-1000, an organic cotton and recycled polyester hybrid, fortify high-wear zones on the thigh, lower leg, and seat. The rest is a stretchy, breathable nylon softshell. “After four months of steady use, they barely show signs of wear. If you’re bushwhacking to routes, developing new lines, or just looking for a pair of pants that won’t fall apart after heavy abuse, these are the pants for you.” Downside? Heavy (17 oz.), and cold season only. Despite four vents, they can feel clammy in temps above 60°F. $200; fjallraven.us
DEEP-FREEZE MOUNTAINEERING
Marmot Misto Jacket Seeking new summits (and possible descents) in the highest, harshest alpine you can get to? Check out the Misto, a shell that combines two of Polartec’s most innovative materials: Alpha, a lightweight and breathable synthetic insulator, and NeoShell, a
waterproof membrane that has proven to be among the most breathable on the market in our past tests. The result? “Rarely a moment of discomfort while splitboarding to and from a remote ice climbing objective in belowzero temps,” says our tester. While climbing, dripping
water caused no concern, and our tester found he could layer less underneath, thanks to the added insulation. What you get in added performance you pay for in weight—it’s a hefty 1 lb., 11 oz. and doesn’t pack small. But you’ll likely never take it off. $375; marmot.com
ULTIMATE ICE CLIMBING ARMOR
A CLIMBER ESSENTIAL
BETTER THAN A SECOND SKIN
Arc’teryx Alpha Comp Hoody
Black Diamond Deployment Hoody
Rab MeCo 140 Long Sleeve Zip Tee
After a season of ice climbing in Colorado’s Front Range and Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as the Alps in France, our tester declared the Alpha Comp “the only jacket you’l l eve r ne ed fo r ic e or mixed clim bing in all but the most severe cold.” A fully waterproof-breathable jacket can cause you to overheat while battling the pump on a long pitch of ice, which becomes quite a bummer (if not a dangerous hypothermia risk) when you’re drenched and it’s your turn to belay. Arc’teryx married three-layer Gore-Tex and a stretchy, breathable nylonelastane blend in a composite construction that protects shoulders, arms, and waist from exterior moisture while allowing your chest, underarms, and back to breath. This softshell-type zone also provides some wind protection. A helmet-compatible hood, single pocket, and hem and cuff adjustments round out the simple, effective package. Bonus: The Alpha Comp Pants “are the best-fitting ice climbing–oriented pants I’ve ever worn,” says our tall and thin tester. $375; arcteryx.com
It’s easy to obsess about performance characteristics and the merits and metrics of various materials and membranes when building your clim bing- appare l ar senal . Col d-weat her or high-altitude climbing demands scrutinizing functionality. But for everyday cragging, what our editors and testers find themselves wearing the most are the simple pieces that just plain feel good, the ones that cross over from the gym or crag to the office and town, like this merino/nylon hybrid. “It’s a classic zip-up hoody that’s been made crag-worthy with a super-durable nylon-weave exterior and warm merino inside,” said one tester, after days of chilly rock climbing in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. But don’t go thinking the Deployment is just another sweatshirt. “It’s a technical piece hiding inside a casual jacket that I can wear out to dinner or even to work and still look good.” The dense nylon exterior cut wind, while the hood zipped up to near scuba tightness to protect testers’ heads from the chill. Gripes: a bit pricey and heavy (1 lb., 6 oz.). $199; blackdiamondequipment.com
Baselayers have a simple job to do (wick sweat, dry quickly, lightly insulate), but finding a great one is unfortunately somewhat difficult. The MeCo 140 steps up to the plate with its field-friendly combination of 65 percent merino and 35 percent polyester. “They really hit the mark with this one,” said a Colorado tester who took it from California to Utah to Chamonix. “It feels light on my skin, wicks sweat, and dries fast, with the durability of polyester and the cozy feel and anti-stink properties of merino.” Although it is designed as a baselayer to be worn next to skin, our testers really loved it over a tank top or T-shirt in semi-chilled fall weather, functioning as a super-light midlayer. One thing that really stood out on this piece were the offset seams that are positioned so they wouldn’t be directly under a backpack’s shoulder straps. Plus, the flatlock sewing method means you won’t feel irritation even where your body does contact the seams (e.g., sides of torso under harness). A quarter-zip on the men’s offers venting options, too. $100; rabusa.com
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G E A R
APPAREL GUIDE
NOT YOUR GRANDPA’S LYCRA
Athleta Chaturanga Tight One formerly resistant tester became a full-on convert after a fourday trip to Joe’s Valley, Utah, with the Chaturanga leggings. “They’re warm, easy to wear all day, unbelievably flexible, and more than flattering,” she said. “I’m completely sold. Plus, I slept in them, wore them as a baselayer under other pants on another winter trip,
and basically never took them off!” From dozens of gym days to desert sandstone to the granite of Bishop, California, she’s put these tights through their paces. “You don’t have to baby these, as I’ve dragged my butt down tons of boulders and there’s not a single pill or pull. Plus, you can wash and dry them with everything
THE ONLY ROCK SHIRT YOU’LL EVER NEED
REDESIGN INCREASES PERFORMANCE AND VERSATILITY
Icebreaker Departure Short Sleeve Shirt
Outdoor Research Lodestar
From crushing single-pitch trad climbs in Boulder Canyon to the downtown bars, this shirt didn’t miss a beat. It provided just the right amount of ventilation, keeping one tester cool on an 80°F day. When he did sweat during an even hotter session, the 100 percent merino shirt pulled sweat off him and wicked quickly, preventing that swampy, “gotta change my shirt real quick” situation. “I’ve worn it a half-dozen times without washing it, with no plans to get it in the laundry for at least another two weeks,” one tester said. A small chest pocket is great for lip balm and keys on long routes, and the trim overall fit means it sits well under a harness but looks stylish for work. The price is a little high, but our testers agreed that this one shirt is all you need for a full fall season of all-day climbs as well as all-day meetings. $135; icebreaker.com
42 | SEPTEMBER 2014
“The warmest softshell I’ve ever had—and it doesn’t sacrifice breathability during intense activity,” one tester said after taking it on ice climbs in Quebec and cold winter climbing days at the Gunks in New York. Polartec Power Shield High Loft combines a breathable nylon softshell outer with deep-pile fleece inside. The fleece has a grid pattern to facilitate ventilation throughout these areas in the torso. Areas that need less insulation (arms and shoulders) are lined with a thinner micro-fleece that provides warmth and even more breathability, while pit zips give you the option for full ventilation in a high-heat zone. Testers loved the high collar that zipped up to the nose and kept out sideways wind and snow, and another favorite weather-armor feature was the bendable wire brim on the helmetcompatible hood. Ding: Although the shoulders and arms had a DWR coating, testers found it wasn’t very water resistant and wetted out quickly in other areas. $475; outdoorresearch.com
else,” she said of the proprietary Pilayo fabric that maintains durability with nylon and stretch with Lycra. They were warm enough for high 40s but breathed enough for 65°F and sunny. And the body-hugging fit through the ankle means you don’t have to roll your pants o r worry about tripping on excess material. $64; athleta.com
UPDATED CLASSIC
Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Parka This 800-fill heat machine might look familiar. It’s closely modeled after Patagonia’s Encapsil Down Jacket, a limited edition (only 1,000 were made) 1,000-fill power, expedition-ready concept jacket we reviewed in our 2013 Gear Guide. Now some of that design and technology trickles down into a parka for the masses—whether you’re belaying the next ice pitch or climbing Mount Rainier. “For the weight, it’s easily one of the warmest and best-fitting heavy-duty puffies I’ve ever worn,” says our mountain guide tester of this 19-ounce parka. A DWR-coated nylon shell material (essentially impermeable on the shoulders, hood, and arms) blocks wind and light moisture while a fully baffled construction wraps your torso in an incredibly lofty down. Smart features: An extra-beefy baffle contours around your neck to prevent drafts and spindrift when your hood is down, and internally elasticized cuffs are easy to slide over gloves or up and out of the way. $449; patagonia.com
BEST IN CLASS GETS ANOTHER UPGRADE
PERFECT-FIT WOMEN’S PANT
Rab Strata Flex
Stio Dulcet Pant
Last year the Rab Strata was one of our favorite and best-performing midweight synthetic puffies, thanks to the never-take-it-off versatility and breathability of Polartec’s Alpha insulation. This year, it’s even better, tha nks to the a ddition of Polartec Power Stretch panels for even more ventilation and flexibility. “It’s great for anyone who runs hot when they work hard,” one tester said. “That increased airflow on the sides and underneath the arms is crucial to staying comfortable.” Testers loved the thumb loops, which kept sleeves in place whether they were pulling it on over a fleece midlayer or pulling a hard shell over top. A few shoulder-season trips to Vedauwoo and its infamous shredder Sherman granite were no match thanks to the surprisingly burly 20-denier Pertex Microlight. High hand pockets help you access the goods inside. $180; rabusa.com
STYLISH, SIMPLE SUN PROTECTION
“You won’t find another ladies’ pant that has the versatility, ideal climbing fit, and durability of the Dulcet,” one obsessed tester proclaimed. “In fact, I’ll bet you $100!” Credit a body-hugging design, low rise, and taper in the leg. They feel like everyday pants, but they’re stretchy and durable. The woven softshell is 90 percent nylon and 10 percent Spandex with a DWR coating and four-way stretch, and testers found they were flexible enough for the gymnastic moves of bouldering and crack climbing alike. After six months of testing, they withstood more than a dozen pitches of sandstone and granite offwidths and chimneys, as well as more than a few crampon kicks. Genius addition: The narrow leg gives them a skinny jeans look (and you won’t need to cuff them), but a long vertical zipper at the hem expands for big mountain boots or even ski boots. $150 ; stio.com
SUPER-SMART BELAY PUFFY
BOMBER SHELL THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME
Canada Goose Timber Shell “I’ll never need another fully waterproof shell,” said one tester after thriving in this burly jacket for a full six-month season of ice climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park. It stood up to miles of snaggy-tree approaches and dozens of ice pitches with countless dings and run-ins with ice tool picks and ice screw tips. “I couldn’t puncture this thing if I tried, which I did!” The slim design and lengthened sleeves and torso are ideal for wearing under a harness while climbing because they “never once pulled up and out.” A steep price might make you skip past the Timber, but considering you could easily get five years (or more) out of this beefy, well-built shell, we think it’s more than worth a second look. $675; canada-goose.com
WIND-STOPPING, PILL-FREE MIDLAYER
Howler Brothers Adidas Terrex Loggerhead Longsleeve Climaheat Ice Jacket
Millet Technostretch Jacket
The laid-back, sun-resisting Loggerhead shirt is the perfect sending top for crisp fall days (think Indian Creek in November). “It was light enough to wear as a sun-protection layer [it has a UPF 45 rating], but also ideal on cooler days as a longsleeve top that kept the chill off.” Well-designed details round out the package, with thumb loops, a stash pocket on the lower back with microfiber for cleaning shades, and a collar that was close to the neck to prevent awkward sunburn on the upper chest. $65; howlerbros.com
Love at first wear is how both our testers described this ultra-puffy jacket that blends waterresistant down and synthetic insulation. A stretch panel in the upper back increases flexibility tenfold, and a moisture managing lining prevents clammy-ness. The lengthened torso warms your booty, and offset interior baffling creates additional air channels against your body to trap more heat. Fave feature: Stretchy interior sleeves kept heat from escaping. “This is the new gold standard for belay puffies.” $350; adidas.com
“It holds up well to the abuses of climbing, fits well under a harness, moves with me, blocks wind, and retains heat without making me sweat,” said one tester after climbing in the Sierra of California and the desert of Utah. “Plus, it covers my wrists when I’m climbing, despite a +2 ape index.” Testers also loved the fabric, saying it blocked wind better than most others in our test and withstood arm-barring and offwidthing in the Needles of California without a single pill. Tip: Size up. $200; milletusa.com
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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
THE
BEGIN HERE
CLIMB
CLINICS
PINCH POINTS By Julie Ellison
fig. 2 360° of access to thread or tie a sling, as an anchor to save time and keep everyone safe and happy.
ONE
N O T R E L L U F N E B ; ) P O T ( N R O C R E P U S
LEARN THIS SUPER-QUICK ANCHOR SETUP FOR BELAY BELAY-ING SHORT SECTIONS ON ALPINE ROUTES ROUTES You’re cruising cruising a broken and blocky ridgeline that leads to the summit when all of a sudden a 20-foot technical section stops you in your tracks. Your partner doesn’t skip a beat and starts to head up, but you’re intimidated by those six or seven moves because they’re surrounded by a 1,000-foot drop on either side. Though you’ve got gear and a harness in your pack, time is of the essence. Thankfully, Thankfu lly, there’s a fast and e fficient way for the leader to use the broken nature of the rock to build a simple anchor and belay a follower—with minimal gear and no harness. Use a “pinch point,” the area of contact between two large rocks that provides
When you c ome upon t he technical section, stop and take out your rope. You won’t need the entire length; just uncoil enough for each person (this works for parties of two or more) to tie in (about six feet per person should be plenty), plus enough distance for the leader to climb the section and get to a good spot for an anchor. Keep the rest in a mountaineer’s coil that the last follower will carry as he climbs.
TWO The leader should fold the rope where he’s tying in so it creates a bight that ’s about three feet long , and tie an overhand knot here. Place that knot in front of your belly button, and wrap th e rest of the bight around your midsection. Run the end of the loop through the existing overhand, and use the tail to tie another overhand around the other strands, snugging this knot up to the first one (fig. 1). It should
be snug but not restr icting. Ke ep in mind that the leader will have to climb this section unprotected. If he is unsure or sketched out in any way, take the time to put on harnesses. The leader can then carry gear and be belayed nor mally with a device.
THREE Once the leader passes the most difficult sect ion, he sh ould locate a solid pinch point. A good pinch point means the rocks are fully contacting each other, so there’s no chance that the sling or webbing could slip through. Plus, none of the rocks should shift or move from the force of a fall. At this point, the follower, who is standing down below, can tie into the rope using the same method of two overhands on a bight.
the biner. Your follower is now on belay (fig. 2 )! Once he reaches you, set other followers up the same. For another quick belay method check out climbing.com/skill/how-to- hip-belay .
Note: This method sh ould only be used for short, low-angled, and relatively easy sections (read: 20 to 25 feet max) where a fall is unlikely, but one climber prefers to be belayed. It’s also an excellent option for protecting a short technical section on the downclimb.
fig. 1
FOUR Girth-hitch a wide sling around the pinch point, or use thicker webbing and tie a water knot (climbing.com/ video/how-to-water-knot ). ). Clip a locking biner onto the webbing, pull up all the slack in the rope (there should only be a small amount), and tie a Munter onto the biner. Lock
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C L I N I C S
IN SESSION
NEVER PLATEAU AGAIN By Neely Quinn
BREAK THROUGH PERFORMANCE BARRIERS WITH TIPS FROM THE PROS Climbing is addictive. One reason is that you can see massive strength gains and technique impr ovement from day one of your climbing career. But after a few months—or for the extremely lucky, a few years—a plateau can sneak up on you, slow your progress, and frustrate you beyond belief. During my own personal three-year-long plateau, I heard every kind of advice from doing more pull-ups to climbing every day despite the pain to even going vegetarian (not gonna happen). On a quest to find the one true way, I started to interview top climbers to see how they handled these annoying performance flatlines—both mentally and physically—and the answers I found were as diverse and interesting as the climbers themselves.
FOCUS ON: NUTRITION AND HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT Weight has always been a tricky tricky topic for climbers. There was a time when starving yourself seemed the norm, and stro ng climbers sacrificed much-needed muscle mass to be as light as possible. Today, Today, it’s common knowledge that eating too little is not only counterproductive to becoming a better climber, but it’s also detrimental to your overall health. To figure out if you’re at a healthy weight, or over or underweight, figure out your body mass index (BMI) with bmi-calculator.net . This can give you a good idea of how much fat you can stand to lose—if any. Remember that the BMI system does have its flaws; sometimes the super-fit and muscular folks can score ov erweight. The ultimate judge of your weight and food intake lies in your climbing performance and how you feel on a daily basis. The next step is to figure out how much you should be eating. Try my fitnesspal.com fitnesspal.c om, a free online diet tracking tool that uses your weight, height, gender, and activity level. Using those estimated calorie needs as a guideline, track your diet on the site to see how much you should eat ever y day. Just a few days of tracking can give great insight into how much food you’re eating, and how much of it is unnecessary. This will help you strike the fine balance between eating too little to stay light and eating enough to stay strong and energized. So, what to eat? Whole foods like lean meats, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains are crucial to maintaining a healthy weight. One trick from 5.14 climber and trainer Mike Anderson is to eat a ton of low-density foods like vegetables. He eats an enormous salad with veggies, meat, Angie Payne: Payne: “I “I went through a and healthy fats (avocado, olive oil) ‘light’ phase. I was climbing way at least once a day; it pro vides plenty too much, and and not eating enough. of nutrients and keeps him full for I knew I was losing weight, but hours, thanks to the fiber, protein, I didn’t know I was losing that fat, and bulk it provides. Fat loss much. It was a pretty vicious cycle. can be accelerated by cutting back It wasn’t really sustainable, and I on carbs. Every climber needs carb didn’t have very much energy at all. energy, but we don’t need as much as It feels good to feel light, and when what a common American diet deliv you’re pretty pretty small you you feel that ers (bagel for breakfast, sandwich at more often. But after a while, I reallunch, pasta for dinner, etc). This will ized that the feeling of being strong result in storing less of those unused is a lot cooler than feeling light, and calories as fat. they’re very different.” different.”
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STRENGTH TRAINING Most climbers hate to spend training time off of the wall, but adding one or two specific exercises, including hangboard workouts, after your climbing session can produce major results. If you’re short, wide-grip lat pull-downs at maximum weight can give you extra reach and improve lockoff strength. Find a lat pull-down machine (most gyms have them), and widen your grip as far as possible—wider than your shoulders. Experiment with weight until you’re failing on your third rep. Then do three to five sets of two reps (failing on your third) at that weight with five minutes of rest between sets. Do these after a climbing session or on an off-climbing day; don’t do them before your session because you’ll be tired on the wall and won’t maximize your climbing time. Start with three times a week, moving up in weight as you get stronger. You can do more sessions in a week, but if you find yourself too tired to climb hard during your session, scale back to three. Trainer and author Steve Bechtel is a huge proponent of weightliftCarlo Traversi: “I Traversi: “I doubled the numing, hangboarding, and campusing ber of of V13s I had climbe climbed d and did did a as specific training for rock climb few V14s V14s when when I incor incorporat porated ed maxing. He says, “I am becoming more weight, weigh t, wide-grip wide-grip lat pull-dow pull-downs ns and more convinced that if you into my training regimen four to five simply develop a base strength, times a week. week. My perso personal nal record record everything else falls into place.” was 260 260 pounds, pounds, which was almost almost Thinking about incorporating twice my weight. weight. As a short short climber climber,, running into your training? Think I often need to be able to lockoff again. Bechtel thinks it’s a waste incredibly wide, and lat pull-downs of time for climbers. Instead, focus were my my solution. solution.” on the obvious: climbing, hang boar ding , ca mpus ing, weig hte d pull-ups—and the not-so-obvious: squats and walking lunges. Try lunges or squats twice a week to strengthen your legs and core. These will improve your overall performance, but they’ ll especially give you more strength and power for dynos where the initial push comes from your lower half. Multiple professional climbers have touted the hangboard as their catalyst for bumping up grades. As you move up in grades, holds get smaller, slopier, and generally crappier, and finger-strength training will make these holds feel easier to use and hang from. Think of it this way: If you can reach a hold to touch it, you will be able to grab it, and if you can grab it, you can hold on. See climbing.com/skill/digit-dialing-2 for for some workout ideas.
WEAKNESSES
BREATHING
It’s easy to have fun by focusing on what you’re good at; it ’s much more difficult to face the fact that you’re not good at certain things, and then go out and turn them into strengths. Below are some common issues I found among the pros when it came to weaknesses.
The simple act of concentrated and thoughtful breathing can make everything feel easier. When you reach a diffi cult section on a climb, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid, which will decrease your body’s overall efficiency and can even make it hard to think straight. Start taking slow, even, and deep breaths before you leave the ground, and continue to force these breaths as you climb. Make them loud if it helps you concentrate on it. Practice will help you find the balance between breathing too rapidly and too slowly. Smooth, calm breathing is a simple solution for better performance.
Footholds. Seek out the worst possible footholds in the gym and practice using them in a variety of ways, moving in all directions. Do the same outside and find problems that are known for glassy, microscopic, terrible feet. Bad
Hands, Big Holds. Women tend to be good at crimping the tiniest nubs, but when it comes to large slopers and pinches, the ladies more often struggle. The only way to become proficient with these sizeable holds is by using them. Shannon Forsman is a short but very strong V12 boulderer and climbing coach. She enco urages women to at least t ry diffi cult climbs that aren’t just crimps: “All I’m asking is for you to try something out of your comfort zone, whether it involves slopers, pinches, or even—gasp—a jump move. Just try! It might b e difficult and embarrassing to p roject a couple of V-grades lower than you’re used to, but over time you’ll come out a much stronger climber.” She says finger strength isn’t the only factor for open-handed holds; success can depend on how well you use the rest of your body. “Slopers require patience, balance, core tension, and very subtle movement; every limb must be engaged. You don’t just grab slopers, you use the rest of your body to position yourself in a way that makes them useable. A general rule of thumb is to stay as far below slopers as possible so that you are pulling down rather than out.” Small
Jonathan Siegrist: “I could run lap after lap on sport routes just below my max ability, but power always eluded me. My training volume has gone down, but my training intensity has gone up. I do limit bouldering, so short, hard problems [that have one or two crux moves at your limit], and campusing, which is really important. I do one to three campus board sessions per week that last two hours each.”
Power. No matter how many laps you can run on techy moder ates, you will inevitably pl ateau at a more diffi cult grade if you don’t have power. Try circuits on hard boulder problems instead of just climbing around randomly. The campus board and systems board are also especially useful. Consider adding a few sets of simple box jumps (repeatedly jump on an 18” to 24” sturdy box) after climbing sessions. It will give you the explosive leg power and muscle memory you need for big moves.
FAILURE AND REDPOINTING When climbing at a world-class level, professionals are constantly faced with failure. Each pro climber has had to develop his or her own positive attitude, along with mental coping mechanisms. Studies that focus on the psychological aspect of sports show that the best athletes are those who can successfully “lie” to themselves, meaning they can internally say, “Yeah, I can do that. Doesn’t matter that I sucked just now—I can totally do this. No problem.” Even if something is beyond your current ability or strength level, it’s best to approach it with blind optimism and confidence (within reason, of course). Carlo Traversi has a refreshingly positive and simple outlook, saying, “There are so many failures in climbing. I try not to dwell on them. I climb because it’s fun.” All of these pros have spent months—sometimes years—on particular projects. This means returning to the same crag over and over with an upbeat attitude and a desire to go back for more. With any luck on a project, you’ll be falling off higher and higher up, but if you aren’t, the Anderson brothers (authors of The Rock Climber’s Training Manual ) say you should get back in the gym and do a strength- and power-focused training cycle to get stronger. They say sometimes it’s best to step away from the rock, even if it means not getting the send that season. Whitney Boland, a 5.14 climber, says she gets anxious or scared before certain moves, especially big, dynamic ones since she’s short (5’ ½”). She recommends just going for it as a way to push through. She says, “When you get to a move like that, decide you want to stick it and go for it. More often than not, you’ll surprise yourself. Even if you don’t hit the move and take a fall, you can feel proud of the fact that you really went for it, and then you can work on adjusting for the next attempt.”
) 7 ( G N I L R E T S P I K S
Emily Harrington: “After a few months in the big mountains, I returned to sport climbing, and it was demoralizing to start all over. My secret was finishing every day by giving it everything I had, even when it bruised my ego. I would fall on climbs that were warm-ups. I reminded myself why I do this sport and what makes me love it so much. All you have to do is put in the time and effort. In the end, it’s all about wanting it.”
Heather Weidner: “It takes tremendous will to persevere through repeated failure. The best advice I can offer is don’t give up. Be headstrong. My hardest routes have taken me months of consistent work, and it is often painstaking to put in another burn that ends in failure. To get through the frustration, it helps me to focus on the small victories instead of the end result. I celebrate getting a new high point or figuring out more efficient beta.”
Paige Claassen: “I leave the ground with one big breath and then maintain a steady pattern of deep, consistent breaths throughout my climb. It provides more oxygen to your muscles to ward off pump. I think about making my breathing audible and rhythmic. If I can hear it, I will focus on keeping it even and deep. All I can hear is my breath, and it has become a comfort as I climb, distracting me from fear and doubt. Plus, I immediately notice if I stop breathing.”
NEELY QUINN Neely Quinn is a paleo nutritionist and climber who works online from the road. She and her husband, Seth Lytton, created trainingbeta.com for mortal rock climbers who want useful training advice and programs that are easy to follow.
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C L I N I C S
HEALTH
EFFICIENT REST DAYS By Dr. Lisa Erikson, DC
IMPROVE MUSCLE RECOVERY TIMES BY CREATING AN ERGONOMIC WORK SPACE As much as our social media streams may suggest otherwise, most climbers are real people with real jobs, spending a fair share of time deskbound. But fear not, weekend warriors, all that time in front of a computer screen doesn’t have to go to waste: With the proper approach, working at a desk can become a highly effective form of recovery. No joke. Most of our physical gains occur during the rest phase. Muscular micro-tears, swelling, scrapes, and bruises heal quickly with the right nutrients, rest, and support. We are getting work done and paying the bills, and all the while our bodies are restructuring piece by piece. Here are a few tips on how to turn your desk into a rest oasis; they’re small changes, but add it up over several years and you’ll see a huge difference in the health of your body.
DESK EDGES Repairing tight forearm muscles requires adequate blood flow that brings oxygen and the ability to rebuild small tears created during intense work like climbing. Unfortunately both your desk and your laptop can inhibit that, and they can create more stress on overworked arms. Laying your wrist flexors on any angled surface can produce friction, resulting in more knots and injury. Check your laptop; check your desk. Fix it: Luckily, there’s a simple modification: inexpensive pipe foam from the hardware store. Just cut it to fit and tape it over the edge. More expensive options are edge protectors by Human Solution ($45, thehumansolution.com) or the Imak Laptop Cushion ($16, amazon.com). A minimalist fix is to simply file or sand sharp edges down (if you own the laptop or desk, of course!), but your best rest will come when your forearm is in contact with a padded surface.
MOUSE As you can easily push that mouse a few miles in a year, you need an intervention. The type of mouse you have is less important than how you use it. Positioning is everything. Don’t let the mouse sit as far from you as it can; pull it in close by your side and make friends with it. Same goes for your keyboard. Don’t make your body work harder than it has to. Fix it: An easy solution for a huge issue, pulling your elbows toward your midline will rest the shoulder girdle stabilizers, neck, and rotator cuff in that neutral position. It can eliminate those aches and pains in the neck and upper back, which are common in desk workers, and it will protect your shoulders, which are prone to injury for climbers. Let’s talk about friction. Repetitively rubbing the same spot on your hand or wrist on the surface of your mouse or desk could limit the ability of your body’s soft tissue to heal. Pain in any specific location that contacts the mouse is a sign that you might be putting too much pressure on that region. This aggravates pre-existing injuries and creates new ones. Fix it: Easy modifications include stick-on silicone gel padding from the shoe aisle or self-care section of your local drug store, or you can swap to a different mouse altogether (see below). If your wrist is bothering you, try a pad that has a special gel-filled section for your wrist. Just as none of us climb the same, none of us mouse the same. Streamlining your uses will decrease your abuses. Repetitively firing that clicker fatigues your already-tight flexor muscles and rubs on your pulley tendons with every click. An ergonomic mouse is excellent for keeping your arm and hand in a healthy position, which will allow your climbing overuse injuries to heal quic kly and effi ciently. As the most commonly injured fingers in climbing are the middle and ring fingers, protecting them is a no-brainer. Fix it: If you suffer from wrist, forearm, or finger fatigue, consider a mouse that puts your hand in the thumb-up position. Thumb mouses are great because they allow your arm to rest in a neutral position on the outer edge of your forearm, instead of using muscle power to force it flat. If you stick with a standard mouse, try swapping your mouse hand every few days to avoid repetitive injuries. It will take a while to get your non-dominant hand used to being in control, but you’ll finetune your motor skills and hand-eye coordination in the process.
DR. LISA ERIKSON, DC Dr. Lisa Erikson, DC, is a climbing-focused sports chiropractor for USA Climbing and The North Face Medical Tent Staff ( lifesportchiro.com ). A climber and triathlete, she’s currently working on a book about climbing injuries and prevention.
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JUST ASK Many offi ces offer an ergonomic assessment to help you avoid overuse injuries in the workplace. Ask your office manager to look into purchasing ergonomic tools so you can be comfortable and stay injury-free while working at your desk. The cost to the company can come back tenfold in producti vity, worker satisfaction, and a better overall atmosphere in the offi ce. A happy worker is a hard worker.
STANDING The shift from sitting to standing is the latest trend in workplace ergonomics. There are now standing desks and even treadmill desks. Standing up means your body is moving constantly, shifting from side to side, and these many small motions lubricate the joints and allow your muscles to receive increased nutrition, oxygen, and blood flow. Sitting is actually excellent for resting your body, but it’s crucial to get up every 30 minutes to talk a walk, stretch, and move your whole body. Fix it: To affordably modify your current desk into a standing desk, you don’t need to spend all of your cash. With a little bit of creative ingenuity and some books, boxes, and/ or stands, you can have the perfect standing desk. Try filing cabinets under your existing desk or using a wall shelving unit with various heights. The perfect height will have the desk’s surface just below your elbow, so when the forearm is resting on the desk, your elbow is at about 90°. (See above-right for the correct position of the monitor.) Keep in mind that if you just have a laptop, you will definitely need a separate keyboard or monitor for a standing desk to be helpful.
) 2 ( N O T R E L L U F N E B
20-30” 10°
Stretches to Undo Your Day Being limber and loose allows your muscles their best chance of healing, and stretching can decrease your risk of injury by leaps and bounds. Here are a few stretches to incorp orate into your day to further aid in recovery:
NECK PNF STRETCHES
MONITOR Close is good. Too far away and your eyes will fatigue and your neck will strain. Too high or too low and your neck and eyes will be locked into an awkward position that forces them to work harder than they should. The goal is to cut down on eye fatigue and relax the neck as much as possible. Imagine looking down all day at work and then up all night while belaying and climbing; it is hard for the body to cope with such extreme opposites. Same goes for looking up all day and then continuing at night; being locked in this position will give you belayer’s neck twice as fast. Fix it: The monitor should sit 20 to 30 inches from your face. The point on the screen that you look at the most should sit about 10 degrees below where your gaze falls when looking straight ahead. When the monitor is positioned correctly, angle the screen slightly by tilting the top back 10 to 20°. Unfortunately, laptops pretty much set users up for injury. They’re not meant to be ergonomic, just lightweight and compact. Most faces and necks become positioned too low, bent over and peering down at the screen. If you raise the laptop to protect these regions, your hands are up in the air, wrecking your shoulders. Fix it: When working at a desk, put your laptop on a stand and get an external keyboard. Worth its weight in gold, it unloads your neck and keeps you in an ergonomic position. If you are using a monitor at work and have the same problem, put it on a wall-mounted arm, or put phonebooks under it so you can have it as close to eye height as possible.
CHAIR
KEYBOARD
) 5 ( N O T R E L L U F N E B
Traditional straight keyboards force us to engage muscles to keep palms flat. This prevents full rest, fatigues the muscles, and puts them in an unnatural and injury-causing position. The supinator muscle goes into overdrive in this orientation, and that inner elbow attachment point is a common painful spot for climbers. Fix it: A curved keyboard is the answer. With the same concept as the thumb-up mouse, it allows hands and forearms to naturally rotate with palms facing inward toward each other. Finding a keyboard that fits this arc allows us to rest, and this increased rest allows us to conquer sidepulls, crimps, and underclings better as our elbow stabilizers are fresh and spry.
Sitting up straight at work is hard enough, even after just a few hours, and it can be even harder for climbers who already have problems with over-developed back muscles that lead to a hunchback posture. Whenever you slump over, you’re putting your spine in an unhealthy position, which can lead to aches and pains beyond normal muscle soreness from climbing. While this might seem counter-intuitive, this slouching position also activates and engages the muscles surrounding your spine, preventing quality rest. Fix it: An inflatable pillow is a fantastic trick to help you sit in the upright position in almost any chair. It places the weight of your body over your bony vertebrae, which allows the body to balance intuitively. To use the pillow correctly, make sure your chair is upright and in a locked position, at a height that keeps your elbows resting at 90°. Feet should be flat on the floor. Place the pillow against your lower back so it straightens your spine and puts your head directly between your shoulders. The closest we can come to neutral posture while sitting, even with props, the happier our body will be.
PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching is 40 percent more effective than static stretching. Sitting on your left hand, use your right hand to pull your head to the side. Stretch your neck gently, focusing on what feels the tightest or the sorest. Then slowly and carefully resist the pressure and push your head against your hand. Relax and begin the stretch again. Repeat four times per side focusing on what needs it. Moving the chin to either side will bring the stretch t o a new r egion that also might need attention.
DOORWAY FAN LUNGE STRETCH Stand in the doorway with arms up and hands against the frame to stretch your chest muscles, and then step into a lunge position, stretching the opposite hip and shoulder at the same time. Lower into and out of the lunge, starting with your hands and elbows as high as they go while maintaining a lunge. Repeat the lunge and lower the elbows and hands by an inch each time. Push on the doorway to help you stand up (another P NF-type st retch) and to come bac k down into the stretch and lunge. Do it on both sides, with a five-second stretch and a two-second push against the doorway when transitioning. Do six to 10 different hand positions on the doorway. Go through again and spend 15 to 30 seconds stretching out the tightest areas.
SUPINE HIP AND CHEST OPENER A great w ay to stre tch your groin and ch est at the end of your day. Begin on your back and put a yoga block directly between your shoulder blades. Put t he soles o f your fee t toge ther and allo w knees to drift out to the sides. If your neck or knees need assistance, put a pillow underneath. Let your head drift back, arms open wide, feeling a stretch through your chest and inner thighs. Stretch three to five minutes.
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Photography: John Glassberg I Athlete: Paige Claassen I Location: Ultimate Power, 5.12d Waterval Boven, South Africa I marmot.com
The Women’s Essential Tank Check out the Marmot Momentum Collection at marmot.com/momentum
THE
CLIMBER WISDOM
CLIMB
VOICES I’m seeing those odd-looking belay glasses more and more. Are they worth the money? —Aly N., Seattle, WA
You’re asking if you should pay $90 to avoid bending your neck a little? Actually, it’s a good question, and the answer is yes. And no. After extensive market research, I have come to the conclusion that these prism specs are worth it in the following situations: 1.) Single-pitch hangdog sessions where your partner works out moves and takes forever. 2.) Reading things on your ceiling. 3.) You have an injured neck or chronic neck pain. 4.) Excessive wallet thickness. 5.) You are sponsored or got a pro deal. Most belay glass practitioners say that they become second nature to use and do not interfere with proper belaying techniques like soft-catch timing. The fact remains, however, that if you wear them in public, you will be the subject of ridicule by those who do not possess a pair. After all, that’s what I do. But I’m just jealous, since it appears that they actually work. You just have to gauge how much your neck comfort is worth, in both dollars and pride.
What’s the final word on crag pooping? —Catherine C., Taos, NM
Ask Answer Man He knows climbing. And he knows it.
I’m airly new to climbing, and my buddies are all ocusing on bouldering. I’d rather rope up, but I’m having trouble finding a good partner. Suggestions? —Patrick R., Boston, MA
I T N U R F F A T T E R B
This ain’t no last call for alcohol, Hail Mary, let’s-you-and-me-catch-a-caband-split kinda thing, because instead of possibly ending up with an itchy bathing suit area, you could end up dead. Word? Since you’re “fairly new” I’m going to assume you want a little instruction in the fine art of Not Killing Yourself. NKY is best taught, obviously, by someone who has been climbing considerably longer than you, w ho understands the techniques, and is a patient teacher. Every great climber has had a mentor who showed them the ropes. Unfortunately, that person, while not impossible to find, seems to be a slowly dying breed. You can lurk a bout your local crag with ear-to-ear psych and offer belays i n exchange for time and knowledge and eventually find a wing to get taken under, or try a forum/partner-finder feature like Mountain Project has. But, I bet your gym of fers a class in which you can learn proper rope management alongside a group of your climbing peers who may also serve as potential—DING-DING-DING—climbing partners! Take a class, learn best practices, and find yourself a good partner. Pretty easy, right? If that’s not your bag, you can explore the charm route, but as you can tell, I have basically no intel on that method. AND OTHER TOPICS...
I typically take the Browns to the Super Bowl prior to leaving the house or camp for a day of climbing. Hey, you asked. But since I understand not everyone has my Swiss-like bowel reliability (seriously, you could set the atomic clock to it), I’ve recruited Jason Grubb, the Educa tion Programs Coordinator from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, to tell us about what’s most proper at high-traffic crags. “Who wants to have their afternoon ruined by encountering a big turd? And I’m not talking about that gelatinous gumby flailing on your warm-up,” Grubb says. “Factors such as soil composition, aridity, visitor-use levels, proximity to water, wildlife considerations, and others all determine how quickly waste decomposes, the likelihood of water contamination, and the potential of other climbers seeing or smelling it. Safest bet is to contact the land manager for localized advice or pack it out using an EPAapproved pack-out system like the Biffy Bag or Restop 2. With proper planning, there should never be an instance in which you can’t drop a deuce crag-side.” Packing it out is clearly gross but also clearly for the greater good. Take one for the team and figure out a Plan B, too. When my clock’s off, I either put together a makeshift pack-out system or dig a cathole. Go to lnt.org for more info. And no more fecal questions or your subscription gets revoked.
Got a burning question about climber etiquette, customs, or values? Email
[email protected].
Can I fly with my rack? No, cams don’t provide optimal lif. // What dogbone is best or grabbing? The one not in your dog’s mouth. Or any dog’s mouth for that matter. // Should I buy some brassies? Are you climbing thin crackies? // Will Lycra ever come back in style? For you? Definitely.
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V O I C E S
THE WRIGHT STUFF
Cedar Wright pedals hard to catch up to Alex Honnold on Sufferfest 2, a Southwest bike tour during which they summited more than 45 desert towers.
Climbers And Climate Change BY CEDAR WRIGHT
Recently, the White House (seriously, the White House, the one on Pennsylvania Avenue) reached out to a bunch of climbers to help raise awareness of climate change through the social media hashtag #ActOnClimate. In the words of the Environmental Protection Agency, “Climate change is a serious threat to the health and welfare of American families.” They want to encourage people to take “common-sense action to reduce carbon pollution and promote a cleaner energy economy.” The outreach was timed with Obama’s move to cut carbon pollution from power plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels. I’m a little jaded, so I had to laugh a t the futility of tr ying to save the world through social media. To me, that’s like sla pping a “Free Tibet ” bumper sticker on your car. What does that really accomplish aside from distracting us from doing anything of real meaning?
52 | SEPTEMBER 2014
But one of the most informed and serious guys I know, Alex Honnold, jumped onto the hashtag bandwagon with his own series of posts, so I had to ask him why and what good he thought it’d do. “I got approached by someone working on climate policy for the Obama Administration,” he said. “Just getting an email from a .gov address is a pretty exciting thing. For me, the idea of trying to be a part of something slightly bigger than climbing is very appealing, and even if the current EPA regulations aren’t quite perfect, it still gets the conversation started. I’m personally very excited about the growth of clean energy projects in the U.S., and this is one way to get more
Trying to save the world through social media is like slapping a ‘Free Tibet’ sticker on your car.
Y E L S S O R C L E U M A S
people thinking about it. I was psyched to help.” My inconvenient truth, if you will, is that I am one of the worst sinners when it comes to my impact on the warming of our climate. Would that make me a hypocrite to follow Honnold’s lead? Even with CO2 levels at an all-time high, I continue my selfish pursuit of the climbing life, come hell or high water, driving and flying around the world in perpetual motion, in a zeal ous sear ch for climbing and ad venture. Like any climber, I love this planet as a playground, but what am I really doing to keep it healthy?
We’re all part of the problem, myself included, with the amount of travel that I do. We’re always faced with tough choices, but making decisions from a place of awareness is the first step. Then, I saw photographer and pro climber Jimmy Chin’s #Act OnClimate post where he stated, “Spending time in the glaciated landscapes of the Himalaya is a constant reminder of the impacts of climate change and the alarming loss of glaciers worldwide. Climate change is a tricky topi c. We’re all part of the pro blem, myself included, with the amount of travel that I do. We’re always faced with tough choices, but making decisions from a place of awareness is the first step toward moving the needle.” Jimmy is right: Letting our imperfections get in the way of creating dialogue is worse than sitting back and saying nothing at all. So, I gave in to the trend. Why not engage and spread a message I believe in to the 40k+ folks who follow me and usually only get snapshots of my dog and climbing photos with wiseass remarks? So, I posted my own #ActOnClimate post, writing, “I’m hopeful that we can reverse climate change and global weirding. I’m a huge fan of progressive technology, like solar and wind power, LED lighting, energy-smart appliances, water-sense faucets, and on and on. There is no magic bullet, but if on a global scale we started to #ActOnClimate in our own personal lives, I believe the impact could be meaningful.” And I truly h ope and believe th at. But, again, making a difference and doing something of real meaning takes more than emotion and thought. As a commenter pointed out on my good friend Renan Oz turk’s feed, after a huge, emotional debate over whose fault climate change was (and even whether it was “real”) erupted around his post: “Reading these comments, one general truth comes to mind: If you want to change the world, start with yourself.” Most of the people popping up on Renan’s feed seemed pretty willing to point the finger any where but themselves. Clearly, we all contribute to the problem, perhaps few climbers more than me! One of my biggest motivators for becoming more environmentally sound in practice—not just thought—has been the many conversations I’ve had with Honnold on our adventures. “It’s not fair to condemn yourself, other pr o climbers, or anyone else who travels a lot as a whole,” Honnold once told me. “Flying a lot has a huge impact, sure. But that impact is quantifiable to some extent. So if you try to remove that much carbon in other ways, or support projects that prevent carbon from ever being emitted, solar let’s say, then you’ve accomplished something.”
In the last couple of years, Alex and I have done two long bike-tour climbing adventures. It’s a nice way to step back from fossil fuels instead of jumping on a plane. On our last Sufferfest, we bagged more than 45 desert towers and ended our trip on the Navajo Nation where we helped with a $40 ,000 solar projec t that was funded by our sponsors Goal Zero, Clif Bar, and The North Face, through a nonprofit that Alex has started to help put hi s money where his mouth is, and to use his unique position to influence public opinion. He’s a climber who’s doing something about the biggest problem of our time, and one that directly affects climbers and the areas we play. We should all follow his lead by taking some real steps. It’s a work in progress, but here’s what I’m doing to be less of a careless D- bag to Mother Earth: 1. Despite
my imperfections, I’m striving to create dialogue and hope fully get climbers (that’s you!) to think about how they can personally make a small difference. 2.
Half because I care and half because Honnold won’t stop nagging me, I am installing solar panels on my townhouse. All my lights are LED, and I’m looking at other ways to make my home’s energy blueprint as efficient as possible. This also hedges against rising energy costs. More money for climbing in the future? 3.
Because my hometown of Boulder is über bike friendly, I ride instead of drive for nearby errands (and bar runs), which keeps me fit for my next first ascent or Sufferfest. 4.
I enthusiastically encourage dirtbagging. Drop out of the mainstream and just climb. Living in a tent or cave adds very little to the Earth’s greenhouse gas woes, right? Plus, it deepens your apprecia tion of the natural world. 5. Not showering much. I might just be lazy, but this old dirtbag habit
saves a ton of water and th e energy it takes to heat it. Most of the West is in a drought, so I encourage you to just hold off on showering until later this winter. 6.
Participating in events like the annual Yosemite Facelift. It might not directly erase carbon impact, but building good karma can’t hurt. 7. I use my gear for its full life, until it’s unsafe. The impact of manufac -
turing and trans-ocean shipping is enormous. 8. I’ve
moved to a largely vegetarian diet. The meat industry is a huge greenhouse gas producer, and beef is far and away the worst, producing about four times the greenhouse gas of fish or poultry. Added bonus: I’m lighter for sending my next project. 9.
I’m going to road-trip in my minivan until it explodes, hopefully many years from now. The greenest car is the one you already own, not that shiny new Sprinter or Prius. 10.
Drinking beer. I’m not exactly sure how this is helping, but it’s a local brew, and it feels like the world gets better with each sip.
Cedar Wright is a professional climber and contributing editor for Climbing. You’ll smell him a few minutes before you see him.
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V O I C E S
SEMI-RAD
Long, Hard Routes BY BRENDAN LEONARD
“I think every climber needs to summit something super, super phallic at least once,” I said to a friend on a raft trip last fall, for absolutely no reason at all. As soon as the wor ds lef t my mouth, I rea lized I’ve really only climbed one desert tower and a couple other things that are somewhat schlong-like, and they were more sword-like than schlong-like, if I’m being completely honest. Am I even, by my own definition, a real climber if I haven’t climbed anything that looks like a, well, yo u know ? I s hou ld make plans to go up Ca stleton Tower or at least Owl Rock soon, right? 54 | SEPTEMBER 2014
Even if I don’t particularly excel at any form of climbing, I understand and have at least minimal experience in most of all the disciplines: sport, trad, aid, bouldering, mountaineering, ice, mixed, and plastic. But I haven’t made the effort to climb Otto’s Route (an especially sexy five-pitch 5.8 woody) at Colorado National Monument, or anything else truly wang-like, which I suppose one could define as any formation way taller than its diameter. You know, like a cucumber, or, say, a frankfurter, or a banana, or a mushroom, or an egg roll. Are you too serious of a climber for dick jokes? I’m clearly not. But, this is not just about dick jokes (although possibly the best place in climbing for them). It’s about the experience of standing on a unique summit, a sculpture high above an arid landscape, maybe the closest feeling many of
Alex Honnold celebrates atop Owl Spice.
us will have to climbing something “because it’s there,” as George Mallory famously said. You should flip through Steve “Crusher” Bartlett’s 2010 book, Desert Towers: Fat Cat Summits and Kitty Litter Rock. I have for hours at a time, and let me tell you, it’s an amazing and visually stunning volume on the history of desert climbing, with a ton of beautiful photos of early climbs on the Colorado Plateau, most of which are on towers. You can’t help but ask yourself, “Why are desert towers so compelling?” Well, of course, they’re easily the best summits in the desert, not to mention very distinct and picturesque. And there are enough of them to build a road trip—or a lifetime—around. Technical climbing is usually the only way to the top—quite often, bold technical climbing. So factor in hefty doses of fun and fear to the mix, and you have quite an attraction. But when Huntley Ingalls discovered Castleton Tower in the Utah desert in 1956, did it strike him that it was a little, you know, wang-like? Of course not. As he told this magazine in 2009, “I was startled that there could be such a thing. And that it was a beautiful tower. I immediately thought of what it would be like to climb it.” And, of course, he easily talked Layton Kor into putting up the first ascent of Castleton, among other towers, with him. We’ll ne ver know, but I like to think that at one point when they were approachi ng Standing R ock, one of them had to mention to the other that it looks a hell of a lot like a giant dildo. Hell, the SummitPost page about Standing Rock actually says, “Towers don’t get more phallic than this.” Utah, as has been pointed out by plenty of people before me, is filled with phallic rocks. Bryce Canyon is essentially a giant amphitheater brimming with glowing orange wieners (without a doubt one of the most awesome views in America). Cedar Wright and Alex Honnold completed an amazing bicycle tour of more than 40 desert towers this past spring. Any spring or fall weekend in Moab, you’d be lucky not to see another party on three of the area’s classic tower climbs: the 5.8 West Crack on Owl Rock, the 5.9 Kor-Ingall s on Castleton Tower, and the 5.10 Stolen Chimney on Ancient Art. Although this last feature is considered a tower, it’s not exactly wang-like. Well, if your wang looks like Ancient Art… Anyway, your wang does not look like Ancient Art. But it may resemble Owl Rock. Why are we drawn to these places? Is it the immature fascination of finding what looks like a dong rising out of the desert? Or is it the unique sensation of seeing the ground drop away on all sides while you’re thrust above the landscape on a formation that seems to defy all explanation. For me it’s mostly the latter, but there will always be a small part of me that triumphs over ascending the Earth’s erection. Does anyone have a tick list full of wangs—er, towers—they’re hoping to complete in a whirlwind tour in fall 2014? Would sponsorships await this person? Five Ten? Petzl? Trojan? // Y E L S S O R C L E U M A S
Brendan Leo nard is a contrib uting edit or for Climbing. His first book, The New American Road Trip Mixtape , is ava ilable a t semi-rad.com.
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High above the water, Sarah Moore goes full extension on The Whigg (5.12a), Trappers Camp, Missouri.
Missouri
Loves Company A prodigal son returns to the banks of the Mighty Mo to rediscover the best rock he’s ever climbed. By Jeremy Collins // Photography By Andrew Burr
I’m 50 feet up, and there’s a slight breeze whispering across the floodplain.
Inhale. Pine trees, limestone, humidity. Exhale. High step, layback, cam placement. Beneath me, shiny spring-loaded trinkets poke out of white flakes and protect me from rolling down the face. At the other end of the rope is Jim Karpowicz. At the other end of the rope is encouragement and belief. Twenty-five years ago, he was up here just as I am now, standing on these crisp alabaster edges, fully committed, laybacking off his fingertips from a one-inch-thick flake, with the sun beating down on his bearded face, as sweat soaked into his web bing swami belt and tube socks. Back then, the train ran just beneath the crag, called Providence after the nearby “town” (population: some). Back then, Jim had flowing brown hair reaching down to his shoulders and a bronzed body from spending his days on these bluffs. And now, white-haired and nostalgic, he watches me do the same moves with half the grace and twice the gear. Next to him is Mike Jenner, his faithful climbing partner then and now. They both still climb consistently, rarely without the other. I hesitate a moment and place the cam just right—horizontal, outer lobes down, shuffled to the spot where the rail tapers tightest. Just in case, I place another one next to it. I gather them together with a single quickdraw. Back then, Jim and Mike placed hexes here. They weren’t purists, per se, but they were pure, if there is such a thing. “Ground up, and no bolts unless we needed to to avoid dying. Honestly we had no idea what we were doing. Just surviving, really,” Jim says. I admired their ethos when I first discovered climbing 20 years ago and began my own journey here in the rust-colored hills of central Missouri. It may be easy for many climbers to dismiss this place as just another patch of green in flyover country. And I wouldn’t blame them for assuming so. I doubt its merit myself sometimes, but I keep returning—and reliving the fun and fear of my early days. Heroes were hard to come by back then. We all sort of did our own thing, climbing within our small circles, occasionally running into the random weirdo out in the woods with a rope and a pack full of weathered gear. But Jim and Mike had been at this longer than anyone I had met, and they had somehow found great satisfaction here in the Show-Me State. I wondered how then and still do. Are they blinded by their own nostalgia? Am I? I ponder this as I clip the rusted anchors on Prohibition (5.11a). Jim tells me, “Missouri has the best climbing in the world,” and then goes on to qualify himself by adding, “Anywhere you fall in love with climbing is the best in the world.” He smirks at me with a twinkle in his eye, and we rack up for another of his old, magnificent routes. He and Mike enjoy watching another member of our posse, 24-year-old Dakota Walz, grunt his way up a steep 5.10 offwidth to hand crack they first climbed in the early 1980s. I suppose he’s right that “the best climbing” is all in your individual perspective. Here we are smack dab in the absolute middle of the coun try, as far as you can be from the Rockies, or the desert, or the Sierra, or the Gunks, or anywhere the majority of American climbers dream of going. We might as well be on an island. Clearly those who adapt to island life thrive, and those who don’t, well, they move to Boulder.
Starting in the late 1990s, I began to find my own way here as a climber. I had sent most of the established limestone routes in the state, many of them multiple times over, and I started sniffing around for new rock. After many bouts with poison ivy, I figured out hiking in pants was best, and that a machete was just as important as a rope. I also figured out there was a helluva lot of unexplored rock in this mountain-starved state, if one was willing to bushwack, paddle, and hack their way to it. My friends Jesse Gross, Sean Burns, and J.P. Sankpill joined me on these explorations, and somehow none of us died in the process. Sean was our patron saint. He showed us the ropes, loaned his gear and ad vice, and eventually wrote a book on Missouri rock, Missouri Limestone Select . He showed us how to be bold as developers but make good routes for other people. He also showed us how to work the trinkets and how (and, more important, why) to respect nature. Our game then was simple: Climb from the ground up, if at all possible. The only reason it sometimes wasn’t possible was because you chickened out and scram bled up a gully to come in from above (similar to Jim’s generation). We dragged a trail line behind us for pulling up a drill. If you couldn’t get into a stance, you hung on a hook or a crappy cam shoved into a rotten, delaminating rock scab. Eventually, with work and good fortune, you made it to the top. If you were lucky, your route got two stars—on a 10star scale. And then, every once in a great while, a true three-star route emerged from the carnage. Then, I left. We all did at one point or another, scattering like roaches looking for a better meal. I lived in a 1988 Vanagon in Arizona and Colorado and climbed a ton of beautiful granite. I climbed desert splitters that shot into the sky. I tasted the sweetness of the West. But I suppose I just hadn’t received enough tick bites and bloody knees, so I ventured back every chance I got. A hundred new routes later, I still find motivation to get out there on the rivers, watch the sun rise over the plains on the drive in and the bald eagles soaring just over your head as you hang over the water, and relish in the belief that this is the best climbing area in the world. Maybe that old coot Jim has something there. This isn’t Rifle, or the Red, or Céüse, and that’s actually one of the best things it has going for it. Having something that is “yours” has a particular romance over having something that is everybody’s. I once met the great alpinist Mark Twight, and after I told him where I learned to climb, he chuckled and wrote “Loose rock keeps you sharp!” as he signed the inside cover of his book for me. In the book he says, “No matter what I did, the suffering I experienced did not satisfy me. I had to have more.” That resonated with me as I found pride in my hard-earned ability to adapt to the occasional 40-pound loose block or detached flake. Climbing in Missouri develops a tenacity not found at “normal” crags. I took the skills I learned on the (very) sharp end in my home state to the Rockies, the Sierra, and then farther and farther away until I had somehow tossed blocks over my shoulders all over the world. Loose rock also develops a dark sense of humor, and maybe that’s what Twight was imparting as well with his infinite wisdom. Crags like Missouri’s build character. This type of rock is the norm at Trappers Camp—a crag in a town called Osceola. Osceola is locally famous Dakota Walz sticks an awkward for its cheese, and at the Osceola Cheese clip below the roof on the traversfactory you can sample hundreds of dif ing route Above the Law (5.12a), ferent flavors, including jalapeno chedAndromeda, Missouri.
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Jeremy Collins belays Dakota Walz across the airy traverse of Above the Law (5.12a), Andromeda, Missouri.
First ascensionist Jeremy Collins pulls down a perfect hueco on his route The Whigg (5.12a), Trappers Camp, Missouri.
Jeremy Collins utilizes a hand-foot match on the slabby upper section of Turn Your Head and Cough (5.10c).
Bouldering missions in Missouri require mental fortitude and some bushwhacking skills.
62 | SEPTEMBER 2014
dar and a sharp chocolate (yes, sharp Just like back in the day, Jeremy Collins breaks out the drill for some chocolate cheese). At the crag the 70new-routing in Trappers Camp. foot walls rise up where two rivers meet, the Sac (pronounced “sauk”) and Osage. Both rivers run north (the only two in the state that do so), and on their banks is good hunting and fishing. Local lore says white fur trappers were camped here at the fork in 1814, when a band of Indians woke them late at night by shouting and dancing around a fire above them on the cliff ’s edge. The white men quickly packed up and moved to what would become Osceola just downstream. Along the base of this wall is a perfect strip of horizontal talus that allows for a hike or canoe ap proach, depending on the water level. On a warm, low-water day some years ago, Jesse Gross and I were walking along at Trappers, eyeballing some of the nonsensical routes we had put up here over the last decade. Some were not worth the anchors that adorn them, but some of them were, as the legendary Peter Croft might say, “tear your hair out and howl at the moon” good. I’m lucky I’m not bald—they are truly that good. One in particular was Ginsu, a 5.11 slab route that passes through a three-foot roof at its midpoint and had just enough knife-blade holds to make it hurt, in a good way. We got to the base, dropped our packs, and looked up. Where were the bolts? Were we lost? Jesse wondered out loud, “Did somebody chop Ginsu?” Assuming we had stopped too early, I reached down to get my pack, and out of the corner of my eye saw something shiny in the water below. It was Ginsu. Piled up just beneath the river’s surface was the slab with the bolts still attached. Jesse and I stood there with our hearts in our throats, imagining ourselves attached to them still, pulled into the water by our own ob sessions. We looked at each other, laughed in the sinister way only a climber can, put on our harnesses, and went to climb something else. Not everyone here shared our dark humor or near-masochistic ethos back when we started new-routing, and eventually we got the hint. We found new crags in the state—steeper faces, cleaner rock, and better features. We started rappelling to clean the loose rock first, and then bolted full sport routes. Missourians rejoiced, and we basked in cragdeveloper glory—until spring. That’s when the S.H.I.T. (Snakes, Humidity, Ivy, and Ticks) really hits the fan. The smart climbers flee to the high country during the hot season (California and Colorado). Some just deal with it and climb all year long. Now, in the southern tip of the state, climbers have proven that us old timers were a bit short-sighted when it came to finding new areas to develop. Over the last five years, they have more than doubled the boulder problems in the state, unearthing spectacular sandstone and new crag after new crag. The gem is Peters Branch outside the one horse town of Nixa. Deep in the woods, a couple hundred routes hide under a dense tree cover. The climbing is gymnastic and powerful with sloped exits on water-sculpted holds. Stand-alone boulders and caves line the small gorges. Gnomes and fairies seem to cheer you on from intricate earthen homes in the hillsides. Even the ghost of Missouri-born president Harry S. Truman spots you from below, and every time you hit the pad he says, “The buck stops here,” and then laughs. That may not seem so far-fetched once you feel how immaculate the rock is. Not like “good for Missouri,” but really, truly excellent. Justin Frese and Lance Sitton are c urrently the area’s most active de velopers, pushing the envelope every climbable day, year-round. Starting with the obvious features, they continually grow stronger, both in tendon and vision. Now a number of double-digit problems exist in the state due to their efforts, with a constant flow of new projects on the horizon. Every time I talk to them, there’s a new crag in a new valley, or hanging over some stream in some place I’ve never heard of, and they say, “This is way better than the last one.” Where are we, Utah? Both Frese and Sitton hail from Springfield, a college and megachurch city just north of the sparkle and glitz of Branson—the Las Ve-
Beta GET THERE Missouri crags are
spread all over, but the majority are plumb in the middle. Major hubs Kansas City and St. Louis are on opposite sides of the state, both off I-70. From either, you can be climbing in two hours on granite, limestone, or sandstone. Warsaw and Trappers Camp are both on Truman Lake arms. Boone County areas are primarily along the 240-mile Katy Trail that runs from Clinton to St. Louis. Peters Branch and other bouldering areas are closest to Springfield, near the central southern border. Northern Arkansas climbing is right over the state line. Kansas City has a local sport crag downtown and some bouldering in Swope Park. Check mountainpro- ject.com for more detailed directions to your chosen crag. GUIDEBOOK
Mo’ Beta: Rock
Climbing in Missouri, by Jeremy
Collins with Ben Williams, Justin Frese, Ryan Gajweski, and Thomas Shpakow ($25, fixedpin.com ) CAMPING As most cragging
in Missouri is a day trip, camping is not usually on the menu. However, if you must, there is an RV campground near the Truman Dam in Warsaw, an excellent cave at Trappers Camp, Katfish Katy’s near Andromeda, and of course, Cooper’s Landing along the Missouri River (cooperslanding.net ). SEASON Winter is heavenly for
rock climbing. With most crags existing on the water, a sunny day without a breeze can be T-shirt weather. The sun reflects off the water, and then the bright rock, to induce a pseudo solar cooker at the crags. Fall is excellent as it is in most places, and spring is nice, but can be humid. Summer is, well, hell on Earth. Get up early if you’re desperate.
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Show-Me State Classics
PROHIBITION (5.11A)
Providence A classic old-school flake line with a couple bolts when
THE SAINT (5.7)
there is no gear to be had.
Trappers Camp Slightly under-vertical hand
INDIAN DRUG CARPET
crack dihedral. Watch out for
(5.11C)
scolopendra heros (poisonous
Warsaw
centipedes).
Steep Rifle-esque blocks and pinches hanging out over
ANDROMEDA SPRAIN (5.8)
Truman Lake.
Andromeda The ultimate Missouri trad
SAINT JUDY (5.12A)
route—a 90-foot winding
Warsaw
dihedral with plentiful face
Techy and sustained with a
holds to keep it casual.
punch to the anchors that sends many flying.
HIGH TIDES (5.9)
Warsaw
ALPHA MALE (5.12B)
Maybe the most-climbed
Andromeda
route in the state. A fun, low-
If you don’t have the precise
angle but technical face with
ape index, you may come up
a roof finish.
short (as the author does).
KARP TOOL (5.10A)
TIGER BILL (5.13A)
Providence
Warsaw
A newer route with gymnastic
An 80-foot-long overhanging
movement on beautiful white
prow with multiple cruxes,
pockets.
including a real nail-biter.
TURN YOUR HEAD (5.10D)
Trappers Camp Pockets! Bolts! Crystal pinches!
Jordan Horner sticks the colorful huecos to techy face moves of Where the Sidewalk Ends (5.10d), Andromeda, Missouri.
Sarah Moore sends the formerly scary trad route– turned–popular sport line The Whigg (5.12a), Trappers Camp, Missouri.
Jeremy Collins looks for the sweet spot on Turn Your Head and Cough (5.10c) at Trappers Camp.
66 | SEPTEMBER 2014
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gas of the Ozarks. Somehow Springfield consistently generates a slew of motivated and talented climbers. It’s the home of another local hero— Clay Frisbee. Five-foot-six, fit, and tough as nails, Clay is in his mid50s, a proud grandfather, and an insanely motivated first ascensionist. Training primarily on his grain silo home gym, Clay makes an annual pilgrimage to Yosemite Valley where he shows what a heartland climber with the right attitude is capable of. On his first attempt, Frisbee made the rare El Capitan, Half Dome link-up—in a day. But no one heard about this because Clay Frisbee doesn’t have an 8a.nu, Instagram, or Twitter account. He celebrated at home with his kids. His training partner, Todd Johnson, lives in Springfield, too, and regularly solos the Nose on El Capitan, logging one of the fastest times ever. He’s currently working on doing the solo link-up. He trains on the grain silo as well. In fact, he built an office inside of it. This, in a state without mountains, just boldness-enhancing rock. Back at Providence crag with Jim and Mike, they show me some new routes being established by locals David McGee and Jordan Horn er. They are steep, pocketed, and long, and even look like legit threestar routes, maybe even the elusive four stars. We rope up again, and as I dip into my chalkbag in the middle of a steep 5.11d called Simple Math, I am startled by two large great horned owls that launch silently from a tree perched next to me. “Nature!” I shout, and we watch them float across the floodplain beneath us on the edge of the mighty Missouri River. I continue on toward the anchors, Dakota belaying me attentively, and then lower back to the ground out in space. Dakota has just returned from a month-long climbing road trip through Utah, Mexico, and Yosemite. As we walk back to the car along the now-abandoned gravel train tracks, he revels in the day of crag-
68 | SEPTEMBER 2014
ging with three generations of Missouri climbers. off the boat in Trappers Camp. “I just had no idea how much was available here,” he says enthusiastically. Up ahead, Jim quips, “Told ya! It’s the best climbing in the world!” We drive downriver past small waterside communities as the sun winds down and the fireflies come out like Christmas lights in the forest. At a sharp bend in the gravel road are 100 cars surrounding a small campground with a banjo and upright bass thumping in the background. Jim and Mike are astonished to hear that I have never been here. Cooper’s Landing is a campground and marina hidden on the banks of the Missouri. “You can’t call yourself a Missouri climber without having been to Cooper’s Landing!” Mike says. I grab a seat in front of a rousing band on a plywood stage with a plate of Thai food bought from a food truck. Next to me is a woman named Janet Moreland, who has recently completed the full Missouri– Mississippi River solo paddle, from source to sea. All 3,902 miles of it. It took her seven months, and she was the first American and first woman to do so. She tells me she used to date the great Yosemite Stonemaster Dale Bard. Where am I again? All around me people are drinking, dancing, and telling their hunting, fishing, and, yes, climbing stories from the day on the Mighty Mo. Old friends give hugs, and dogs roam around snatching up food droppings. The band strikes into a frenzy as the sun hits the western horizon on the bend in the river. A curly, red-haired vixen croons into a microphone, and a beaver leaps from the river’s edge to catch dinner. We slap our knees and tap our feet. Jim looks at me and says, “Cooper’s Landing is like the Chamonix of the Ozarks.” I gotta say he’s wrong. It’s way better. // At a typical belay stance for the area, Jim Grace belays Nate Moore fresh
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John Byrnes and Jim Didio brave the angry sea on Holy Huecos Batwo-mon! (5.10c). Even with Batwo-mon! (5.10c). moderate seas, the whirlpool at the bottom can spontaneously send a waterspout 40 feet up the wall.
Is l la a nd T Tiime
The Caribbean island of Cayman Brac is a laid-back sport climbing wonderland— wonderland— but that doesn’t doesn’t mean you can’t create a little trouble in paradise. By paradise. By Jeff Achey Photos by Kirk Donaldson
Ninety feet over the Caribbean Sea, Katy Dartford climbs Walking the Plank (5.10c) at the Point.
The clouds began to flush pink over the Caribbean as Amber started up the last route of the day. She cruised the steep 5.9 studded with big pockets and the multi-colored caymanite formations that local artisans use to make jewelry, while I kept an eye on the turbulent ocean below. A bit of spray hit me in the ankle. Half an hour earlier, I’d shrugged off Amber’s concern about the increased size of the swells. The Wave Wall, I’d reasoned, always feels wild and atmospheric, but it’s usually more intimidating than dangerous. Now, however, I wasn’t so sure. Surges of foaming seawater were inundating the slabs that we had traversed to get to the route. The waves had been impressive at midday when we came in, making the approach wet and sketchy. Now they were twice the size. I watched in awe as a particularly powerful set came in, pummeling the slabs, washing up past the second bolt of a climb to our left, and shooting spray 30 feet into the air. No question, that set was big enough to sweep us clean off the slabs and into the sea. For a swimmer, the nearest safe exit through the jagged rocks was five miles down the coast. It would be dark in an hour. Denial slowly turned to incredulous acceptance: We were stranded. Cayman Brac is a small island about 150 miles south of Cuba and about the same distance northwest of Jamaica. While the other Cayman Islands are upscale tourist destinations, “the Brac”—lacking the fancy hotels of Grand Cayman or the bucket-list scuba diving sites of Little Cayman—just isn’t. But desirability depends on what you’re after. Brac is Gaelic for cliff or bluff. From a square mile of flats on the southwest tip of the nine-mile-long island, limestone bluffs rise steadily in height and prominence until, for several miles at the far northeast point, they drop 150 feet directly into deep ocean, forming one of the most impressive sea cliffs in the Caribbean. On both sides of the island, above either the ocean or a narrow band of coastal flats, lie steep, clean sectors of cliff riddled with bolted sport climbs. The Brac’s climbing potential was first recognized by Colorado-based climber and scuba diver Skip Harper, during a diving trip to the Cay mans in 1994. A tsunami of enthusiasm followed: Over the next three years, Harper and a small crew of Colorado climbers—most notably Jeff Elison, Liz Grenard, Craig Luebben, and John Byrnes—visited re-
peatedly, putting up more than 70 sport routes. Due to the very featured nature of the steep limestone, most fell within the sweet 5.10 to 5.11 range, with a few good easier lines, numerous 5.12s, and a few 5.13s to challenge the restless and the fit. With friendly, overhanging sport climbs, ocean sunsets across the beaches and bluffs, and dreamy warm waters full of sea life, Cayman Brac seemed like the perfect place to take my girlfriend, Am ber, for a romantic getaway. That was my sentiment going into our first visit to the Brac. This trip, our second to the island, was intended to make good on that initial attempt, which neither of us would describe as “romantic” in hindsight. On our first try the previous March, the white limestone became the setting for black comedy, produced and directed by my uncanny ability to ignore some basic principles of climbing and human relations. The first fundamental climbing rule I violated: Never mix romance and route development. A romantic climbing vacation needs an easygoing attitude, and the climbing must be tempered with other activities, such as swimming, so it doesn’t take on too much importance. Hard projects, which foster obsessive focus and a performanceoriented drinking agenda (read: less booze), should be avoided. Fall asleep with a crux sequence in your head, and you know you’re blowing it. New-routing—with its early starts, long days, and love-killing work ethic—is even worse. Heedless, I headed to the Caymans packing a drill. The trip had started out auspiciously enough. We’d flown out of Den ver in a midnight snowstorm, traveled all night and most of the next day, and arrived in sunny, humid, and exotically warm Georgetown on Grand Cayman. Chickens and lizards patrolled the airport grounds as we walked out on the tarmac to a little Twin Otter prop plane for the 90-mile hop to Little Cayman and then the Brac. The plane sounded like a weed whacker as it taxied down the runway, but it lifted easily into the calm air. We peered out the windows at swaying palms and the emerald to cobalt hues of the water. John Byrnes, the island’s unofficial climbing ambassador, greeted us at the Brac airport. A retired engineer, John had a house on the island that he visited for a couple of months every spring. He rented out half of it to climbers and hoped to develop more of the island’s climbing potential, so he’d invited me down to help. I should have foreseen the risks of having our love boat captained by a task-oriented engineer. John whisked us back to his picturesque Bluff View house, gave us 15 minutes to unwind and unpack, and then hurried us out to the Orange Cave for a few moderates by the sea in the last evening light. The climbing was as good as we’d hoped, and the showpiece crags were yet to come. The first ill note sounded that evening at the Reef Beach Resort restaurant and bar when we saw the price of a beer—$6 for a Red Stripe was definitely going to cramp our style. The diver clientele was a pleasant crowd, but mostly in their 60s or older. More reality checks quickly followed.
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Pat Cusack approaches the afernoon shade o the Wave Wall.
Tick List Tour the Brac’s most classic lines.
baffling anchor clip in a cave.
FAKE LEFT,
THROWIN’ THE
this easily accessible and
As the guidebook says: “I
MOVE RIGHT (5.10D)
TORTUGA (5.11B)
mostly shady zone.
you’re not on a bucket, you’re
Orange Streak
The Point
o route.”
Techy, devious climbing
Climbs at the Point are
LEAPIN’ LIZZARDS
with some tricky traverse
impossible to see beore you
(5.11D/5.12A)
SPIRAL STAIRCASE (5.10A)
sequences that require some
commit, so i you’re new to
Love Shack
BANANAQUIT (5.7)
The Point
back and orth. Try not to miss
the crag, it’s hard to decide
Park-and-huck climbing.
Sea Horse
This one isn’t located at the
the invisible clipping hold at
where to start. I you climb
Stick-clip the first bolt and
Beware the modest rating—
main Point area, but at an
the anchor. Make sure your
at the grade, this is a great
start throwing. Huge holds,
this long route has great
isolated sector called Edd’s
belayer is paying attention!
option. For an easier intro, try
huge reaches, huge un, but
climbing but traverses some
Place, located to the south. A
Shiver Me Timbers (5.10b),
usually sunny and hot.
rock too sharp to risk a all!
fine, adventurous outing with
PARROT PRESERVES ON
which has a short crux, a huge
Climb the spiny slab past a
a wilderness approach hike,
RYE (5.10D)
palm tree anchor, and a belay
PIRATES OF
bulge or two and into a steep
great climbing, and guaran-
Wave Wall
ledge high o the water.
PENANCE (5.12B)
dihedral.
teed solitude.
Long and technical! Up a
Wave Wall
moderate wall (a nice 5.8 in
DIXON’S DELIGHT (5.11B)
Steep and stout! Make long,
OLD SCHOOL (5.8)
ICK! THEOLOGY! (5.10B)
itsel, with its own anchor),
Dixon’s Wall
contortionist moves between
Wave Wall
Theology
out a pumpy bulge, and then
Awesome overhanging
big holes and pockets (harder
On the ar side o the wave-
Steep and bulgy, with holds
more testy moves on an
flowstone, just like the routes
than it looks) to a sequential
protected platorm, climb
that prove God loves climbers.
exposed headwall. You can
nearby, but a bit easier. I
crux up high and an airy run
generous eatures up the
Clear the initial overhang and
extend this or another couple
5.11+ to low 5.12 is your
to the anchors. Don’t give up
gently overhanging wall to a
you’re in there—maybe!
o bolts and top out the crag.
grade, you’ll have a blast in
until you’re at the top!
74 | SEPTEMBER 2014
Jeff Achey at the powerful lower crux of Carpe Stalactite (5.12b) at Dixon’s. The route heads toward the large stalactite on the climber’s right and requires stemming over to reach it, and then climbing the outside.
First, the Caribbean Current that bathes the island with warm water also carries an alarming amount of plastic garbage to Cayman Brac, forming a broad, multi-colored berm about 100 feet back from the shore. Faded shampoo, pop, oil, and detergent bottles, netting, floats, Styrofoam bits, and thousands of shoes of all kinds—sandals, pumps, clogs, Crocs, slippers, sneakers, loafers. Never in pairs. As the trip progressed, protracted new-route scoping and equipping would occasionally give way to short bursts of climbing in an inefficient party of three. One day, John invited along a 15-year-old tourist girl who didn’t know how to climb, and Amber ended up belaying her for two hours on the first 10 feet of a route at Dixon’s Wall while we were off bolting. Excited about my new route, I barely noticed. After a few long outings where she averaged two or three pitches, Amber started skipping climbing days and going on bike rides, alone. It pains me to recall some of my blunders that trip. I think, in the end, our relationship got stronger because of our tropical vacation in the Cayman Islands, but definitely not in the way I had envisioned. On the second go, I was determined to bring Amber back and do the trip right. And now, there we were, first day out, having an epic. Seriously? Another massive wave set thundered in, making me shudder at the thought of us out on the slabs that blocked our way home. I imagined us belly down on razor-sharp rock, clinging for dear life with bleeding hands as a wave exploded over our heads. We had 45 minutes of daylight left. I called up to Amber. She couldn’t hear me, but having understood our plight long before I figured it out, she needed no explanation. I gestured vigorously for her to come down. She said “I told you so” with one look. We quickly collected our gear and sprinted back to the center of the wall, where the belay zone was more protected and a long 5.10d topped out the bluff. I’d been up top during several new-routing forays, and though there was no walk-off through the impenetrable thicket beyond the rim, I had something of a plan. Any Lef: Je Achey surveys the Wave thing would be better than risking those Wall or his new route The Huckster wave-battered approach slabs. (12c/d). Below: Amber Johnstone Burdened by our packs, pulling on draws climbs the flowstone o Dixon’s with abandon, and oblivious to the superb Delight (5.11b), a classic route on Dixon’s Wall. climbing, we yarded through the overhangs
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and topped out at last light. Sans headLocal veterinarian Ioana Popescu checks the next sequence just afer lamps, we tiptoed across upturned blades of pulling over the crux move on No limestone in the few feet of exposed rock beProblem, Mon (5.10a), at the Point. tween the thorny vegetation and the abyss. This wall eatures shade almost all Waves thundered below, and lightning lit up day in the winter. huge storm clouds on the horizon. After a stressed half hour, we reached a point above a new route on a section of cliff climber’s left of the wavethreatened slabs. At least that’s where I thought we were. An exceedingly sketchy belayed downclimb brought us to that route’s anchor, and we rapped to the ground. The hike back to the car—normally a 15-minute stroll—took us more than an hour in the dark, but we were so glad to be alive that we didn’t care. Most climbers would find it difficult to get in as much trouble on the Brac as I have, though. The routes are generously bolted with corrosion-proof titanium, and for the most part they’re clean and easy to get to. True, the Wave Wall approach is to be respected, but getting to the excellent venues of Dixon’s, Love Shack, and the Orange Wall sectors requires no derring-do. Dixon’s, behind the neighborhood of Spot Bay, is the Brac’s most gymnastic crag, with a dozen long, overhanging routes on shady flowstone; most are four-star classics in the 5.11c to 5.12b range. Love Shack is often too hot and sunny, but in cooler conditions its concentration of testy 5.11s and 5.12s is not to be missed. The Orange Cave/Orange Streak/Theology sector is the island’s most moderate and popular venue, with enjoyable routes from 5.7 to low 5.11 in a beautifully aesthetic seaside setting. And then there is the Point, the dramatic northeast terminus of the island’s bluff, where vertical and overhanging cliffs drop directly into the ocean. With access only by rappel, it’s inconvenient and intimidating, but no climbing trip to the Brac is complete without at least one “Point day.” Despite our apparent penchant for disaster, the rest of our stay unfolded without further drama, and our Point day proved to be pure pleasure. We piloted our rental car up onto the spine of the island. The forest on either side was cut occasionally by side roads, but there were no ocean views or indication of the cliffs. Finally, at a small lighthouse on the northeast tip of the island, the road ended and an incredible panorama opened. A stone’s throw from the car, cliffs dropped 150 feet into deep water. The blue Caribbean stretched to the horizon, flecked with whitecaps. Frigates and boobies patrolled the sky. We peered over the edge and spotted a green-backed tortuga basking on the surface. A hundred yards away lay the top anchors to our chosen route, Blackbeard’s Revenge (5.10b), and we dropped our p acks near a small booby colony. We’d climbed in plenty of airy places, from Yosemite to the Alps to Verdon to the Black Canyon, but agreed that starting a “sport” route at the Point was as intimidating as any of these. I tied a double knot in the end of the static line we’d borrowed from the Bluff house, and Am ber rapped down first, clipping a few directionals to stay near the wall. As Amber led up, a crab scuttled out of a nearby pocket. The water sloshed and thumped in the undercuts below my feet, but the sea was relatively calm, thankfully—climbers have been completely doused by waves at belays here. The runouts were noticeably longer than at the Brac’s other crags, and with the noise of the waves and the long pitches, good leader/belayer communication was difficult. The rock was excellent, albeit with the occasional loose hold. With the exception of the sporadic fishing boat and whomever you bring with you that day, you’re more likely to see dolphins than another person. As Amber neared the top, a booby flew by low and fast, chased by a frigate that was trying to steal its fish. They swerved and dove in synchrony, the booby eventually eluding its pursuer. The sea around the Caymans is teeming with fish, and I couldn’t help think it would be a lot easier for the frigate to catch his own. But I guess it’s a matter of temperament. Like certain climbers on a romantic, tropical sport climbing vacation, they find a way to make life a bit more interesting. //
78 | SEPTEMBER 2014
Beta
Havana
GET THERE Fly into the internaCUBA
tional airport on Grand Cayman, then charter a puddle jumper to the Brac (caymanairways.com ).
Cayman Brac
Most climbers rent a car or their stay, but the island is small enough (9 miles long) to navigate by bicycle. well as bikes, on the island. Or, STAY Camping is not allowed on
hire a boat or a day o fishing or
the island (a bummer), so you’ll
sightseeing. See Byrnes’ website
need to rent a place. John Byrnes’
climbcaymanbrac.com or a wealth
Blu View house is a great option,
o beta on all o the above and
and it provides several key ameni-
much more.
ties such as a stick-clip and static line or Point rappels (climbcay-
SEASON December through
manbrac.com/lodging ).
April, the dry season, is best or climbing. Expect daytime highs in
REST DAY Activities include bik-
the mid-80s. Even though aver-
ing, hiking, exploring the island’s
age temps rise a bit, early to late
numerous small caves, and, o
March is cooler or climbing than
course, snorkeling. You can rent
midwinter because most crags get
snorkeling and scuba gear, as
more shade.
Author Molly Loomis pauses to find a passable line during the first ascent of Gamlang Razi in Myanmar.
ON THE ROAD TO FIND OUT WHEN A TEAM OF AMERICAN CLIMBER S SETS OFF FOR MYANMAR TO DETERMINE THE HIGHEST POINT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, THEY FIND THAT THE ANSWER MATTERS LESS THAN THE QUESTION. BY MOLLY LOOMIS PHOTOS BY MARK FISHER CLIMBING.COM
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“EXPLORATION MEANS DAYS OF BOREDOM PUNCTUATED WITH MOMENTS OF ECSTASY. AS FOR THE SAKE OF THESE MOMENTS, THE EXPLORER IS PREPARED TO BE SOMETHING OF AN ASCETIC AND ACCEPT THE REST.” —FRANCIS KINGDON-WARD, THE PLANT HUNTER’S PARADISE “WOULD YOU LIKE ANG TO READ YOUR HOROSCOPE?”
our translator Soe Thu Win asks. I look at the curling, serpent script– filled almanacs and the old man who would divine my prediction from them. Out of approximately 300 ethnic Tibetans in Myanmar, Ang Cho is said to be the only one who is literate. So saying yes seems opportunistic at the very least. But I’m hesitant, fearful of what he might say. I did not arrive at his hearth, in the village of Zondham, nearly 900 miles north of Myanmar’s capital, Yangon, easily. We’ve walked 156 miles over 11 days through thick, dank jungle. Our objective, an unclimbed 19,000-foot peak called Gamlang Razi, is still 30 miles away and 13,000 feet higher. I say yes and take a gulp of corn whiskey. Ang Cho asks my birthday and flips through a thick tome filled with Tibetan script, explaining how cross-referencing these texts can divine all sorts of future events, from something as simple as when an expected visitor might arrive to as serious as a death. As he flips the yellowed pages, I realize I’m holding my breath. I could really use some good news. I’D COME TO MYANMAR to climb a mountain in the sliver of
the Himalaya that reaches into the Venn diagram of India, China, and Myanmar’s ill-defined borders. Not only was the peak unclimbed, but mapping discrepancies we’d uncovered indicated that our objective,
82 | SEPTEMBER 2014
Gamlang Razi, might be higher than Hkakabo Razi, the mountain long considered to be Myanmar and Southeast Asia’s highest. For me, there was another motive: After two and a half years in and out of surgeries, physical therapy, extended light duty for a major knee surgery gone wrong, and then a rare spinal cord condition, which for a while made me unsure I’d ever climb again, I was finally mountain-ready. Gamlang Razi offered a chance to fill up on the soul-fuel of which I’d been so starved. Ang Cho finishes my reading. It’s accurate, if a little vague, like any backpage horoscope. Yep, I’ve had some difficulties this year. Yep, things are getting better. But there is no prediction of tragedy or triumph related to the mountain we’ve come halfway around the world to climb. He simply says that if I want to accomplish something, I should put my mind to it, and it will be possible. And so we organize our loads. As we head deeper into Hkakabo Razi National Park’s jungle, I replay over and over my time by Ang Cho’s fire. I worry that the ambiguity means he divined something he didn’t want to share. He knows enough to know the importance of the days that lie ahead. SIX MONTHS EARLIER, American climber (and my better half)
Andy Tyson and Burmese climbers Win Ko Ko, Po Pin, and Than Pai
Tun stood in a foggy whiteout, celebrating around the rimed summit pole at the top of the Chinese peak Haba Xue Shan (17,703 feet). It was the Burmese climbers’ highest summit to date, and the guys were elated. Andy, who’d traveled from Idaho as a volunteer instructor for a 10day mountaineering course, considered the failing light and the pickets he’d need to place for the descent, while the rest of the group reveled with the white, red, and black Technical Climbing Club of Myanmar (TCCM) sign, snapping summit shots against the whited-out sky. Having grown up under Myanmar’s (formerly Burma) oppressive military regime, most TCCM members had no knowledge of climbing until Steve Davis, an ex-pat determined to keep climbing while on a teaching assignment in Myanmar, introduced them to it. It was the first time they’d ever seen a climbing magazine, video, or piece of rock climbing gear. In 2011, Davis traveled with two Burmese climbers, Win Ko Ko and Pho Nge, to Thailand to show them what climbing culture was all about. They came back fired up to learn technical skills, and the Technical Climbing Club of Myanmar was born. While the dozen or so new members had nothing more than Davis’ gear and some extra shoes, and they had never heard of a dyno or a mantel, the mere action of creating their own non-governmental organization was a tremendous move in Myanmar’s tiny outdoor community. I found it genuinely inspiring that out of all the activities and passions that these Burmese could choose after years of oppression, climbing would be the one. Now, after months of intense planning, Andy, Chris Nance, Mark Fisher, Eric Daft, and I were finally in Myanmar, joined by TCCM members Win Ko Ko and Po Pin, with a big snowy mountain that looms nearly 18,000 feet above the steaming jungle floor in our sights. Andy, our expedition leader, had stumbled upon Gamlang Razi while surfing Google Earth. That’s also how he discovered the mystery surrounding the recorded elevations of Gamlang Razi and Hkakabo Razi.
Hkakabo’s 5,881-meter measurement comes from a ground-based triangulation survey conducted the old-school way by the Indian Army in 1925. That elevation was used and popularized by the British naturalist Francis Kingdon-Ward, who made several expeditions to Myanmar’s northern territory and documented his explorations in several botany books, each rife with adventure (who knew?). Takashi Ozaki, a talented Japanese climber, made the first ascent of Hkakabo Razi with local Burmese-Tibetan Namar Jonsain in 1996. Although Ozaki had an impressive resume, including the first full ascent of Everest’s North Face and six 8,000-meter peaks in winter, he was thwarted on his first attempt by crevasses too large to cross without ladders in Hkakabo’s eastern icefall. Ozaki had relied on Ward’s books for reference, further spreading the 5,881-meter measurement. However, American, Chinese, and Russian maps we researched all placed Hkakabo lower (anywhere from 5,691 to 5,758 meters) and Gamlang Razi higher. Our visits to the Harvard Map Library and conversations with GIS experts and mapping professionals were inconclusive. So, armed with a survey-grade differ ential GPS, our team hoped to provide a critical piece of the puzzle, a reliable measurement recorded from Gamlang’s summit. With all the contradictory data, could Gamlang Razi in fact be higher? “SNOW!” I YELL TO ERIC.
It is another day in an endless jungle blur of sweating like a faucet, but off in the distance is a speck of white tucked into a north-facing nook, away from the equatorial sun’s rays. Finally, proof that the high mountains we’d come to climb actually existed. We’d hiked down and up countless accordion-like ravines, battling leeches, sandflies, swarms of bees, unholy temperatures, and humidity, and frankly I began to wonder if we’d ever see the mountains. As Southeast Asia’s largest intact temLef: Molly Loomis and Po Pin make perate rainforest, the area is home to five the final push toward Gamlang different indigenous tribes, including Razi’s summit. poison dart–wielding pygmies, and a meRight: Eric Daf cools o on the apnagerie of weird plant and animal species proach that winds through Hkakabo Razi National Park. like barking deer, leaf deer, and coveted
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Local porters, vital to the expedition’s success, cross one of the dozens of suspension bridges in the jungle.
medicinal plants. The area had been closed to foreigners for three years, and in some places they hadn’t seen outsiders for nearly a decade. Each night we descend upon a different village; our crew of porters, liaisons, and an eclectic entourage of hiking enthusiasts sleep in the schoolhouse or the village chief’s bamboo hut, balanced above the ground on stilts. We have walked back in time to a way of life as unplugged as it gets. But with Myanmar’s recent opening and the transformative changes that are inevitable with the development predicted to follow, the chance to be in northern Myanmar at this moment in history is a gift. Now, 156 miles in, the thick jungle transitions to gnarled webs of rho dodendron and patches of trampoline moss. Four days and 30 more miles later, we arrive at our basecamp, a wonderland of dark towering pines, craggy peaks, and mazes of tall wildflowers swirling with mist (or a drenching downpour, depending on the moment). From here, we hope to set a high camp 4,000 feet above, where we can scout a ridgeline that looked promising from the satellite data. As we trek uphill, we slow our pace to compensate for the heavy loads and the thinning air. Namar Jonsain, a national hero for his first ascent of Hkakabo Razi, lopes across the steep slopes, bending down with his machete to search for prized roots like machit that attract tribesmen from all over, including illegal Chinese hunters wielding guns. He offers me a small white nugget of machit for strength and power. I flash to the last time I accepted a mysterious sub stance from a friendly local. It was some kind of Chinese snuff, and my nostrils burned for days. But Namar is like Myanmar’s Tenzing Norgay.
84 | SEPTEMBER 2014
I can’t resist. It’s the alpinist’s version of the sacrament direct from the Pope. I crunch down on the earthy ball. It’s bitter with no other effects. High on the ridgeline, we find intricate traps handmade with bamboo for catching blue sheep, and even the rare sky-blue poppy Ward wrote of. But we don’t find water, so for the next seven days we ferry loads up, down, and up again through talus and alpine meadows to our high camp on Gamlang’s west side. A cold downpour accompanies us with thick fog and temperatures hovering around freezing. We’ve glimpsed the bottom quarter of our intended route, but after nearly a month, we have yet to see the summit. Lying in my sleeping bag, listening to the rain, I think the mountain doesn’t want to be climbed; she isn’t ready to reveal her mystery. On day 31 of our journey, Marc De Keyser, a meteorologist friend from Antarctica, texts a weather report to our sat phone. It’s short but has the first mention of sun—even if cryptic—since leaving Zondham. At 3 a.m. our alarms sound, and we begin ascending in a light drizzle that turns to snow as we reach the 16,000-foot level. We scatter in the icefall’s labyrinth to scout a pathway. After 180 miles of trekking, gain ing a cumulative 60,000 feet, and managing to stay healthy despite the unending threat of jungle funk, venomous snakes, and swarms of bees, I realize that in a single step it could all be over. Ultimately it’s the things we can’t control, like the weather, the snow, and the crevasses that will determine our success or our failure. “It goes!” calls Andy from his perch in the icefall. The rest of us rope up and dig our crampons into the ice.
the summit pedestal. He screams Win Ko Ko’s name (he had to turn back about the descent; summit o Gamlang an hour into the summit climb) into the Razi, representing Myanmar and the wind, hyperventilating. His face streams U.S.; Chris Nance climbs through the with tears. Po Pin pulls small Myanmar iceall in a blizzard. and U.S. flags from his parka along with his Jehovah’s Witness prayer book for photos. Andy retrieves the GPS from a backpack where it will record 1,200 data points over the next 20 minutes, which will eventually be adjusted for satellite, barometric, and atmospheric abnormalities, calculating an average elevation of 19,258 feet (5,835 meters), or 37 feet shorter than the currently accepted height of Hkakabo Razi. Clockwise rom top lef: Afer a
successul summit, the team begins
THIRTY MILES AWAY, Ang Cho sits with translator Soe Thu Win.
) T F E L M O T T O B ( M O C . E V I T A E R C R E H S I F / T F A D C I R E
At 18,000 feet we stop. From the névé onward, the route had maintained a consistent pitch, steep enough to keep us working hard but not angled enough to bother with pro. The sky remains milky; we can’t see beyond the end of the rope team. Luckily, despite the poor visibility, the terrain naturally corralled us in the right direction. But as the gradual ramp opens into a small bowl, we hit a headwall of clean, splitter granite (just the kind we’d been looking for 3,000 feet lower). We need to catch the correct ridgeline to the left, but the clouds are too thick to discern a path. Three times we start off, wary of what might be overhead. Three times we turn around. Finally, as mutters of packing it in for the day begin surfacing, the cream thins just enough to catch the electric blue of the serac fall we’re looking for, the handrail we need that will take us to the summit. We step-kick on, unsure of what insurmountable micro-feature might lurk ahead. We stumble into trap doors created by underlying sugary snow. We place a few pickets as the angle steepens; the ice screws and rock pro remain on our racks, for now. We break in a large wind scoop free of crevasses and gobble bars. The clouds clear again, just enough to see the snowy cap of the summit above us. Five hundred feet and what looks like less than a quarter-mile to go. It’s cold, and I keep my black balaclava tucked over my nose, my hood cinched around my helmet. The sweat and heat of the jungle feel forever ago, and for the first time in more than two years, this cockeyed plan feels like it could work. We move á cheval across the final ridgeline. I belay Po Pin onto
“The mountains don’t like to be entered,” Ang Cho says. “But once they are, once they’ve been climbed, the mountains open. The team has climbed the mountain.” The rain that had been pouring down for 10 days has stopped, and the sun breaks through the clouds at 2:30 p.m. No one told Ang Cho that 12 hours earlier we’d woken in darkness to begin our climb. Is this a good tale or the truth? I don’t know, but here anything seems possible. Descending back to basecamp in a golden late-afternoon glow, we hear the stream roaring signals of the end of our expedition. Our time climbing in Myanmar is over. Despite the challenges, successes, and a lifetime of experiences to ponder, sadness floods me. Like the rivulets running down the hillside to the basecamp stream that then runs to the river, to the ocean, and onward with the current, the quest isn’t over. It’s just the beginning. This year a Myanmar team headed to Nepal to attempt Mount Everest. A Singapore-based Burmese man is organizing an ambitious Seven Summits circuit for a Myanmar team that will include women. Another Myanmar team will attempt Hkakabo Razi this fall. The country’s first climbing wall was just built in a Yangon backyard, and the TCCM has plans for more expeditions and crag development. Also this year, another chapter of this story will be written: Hkakabo’s measurement will be ground-truthed, also with a survey-grade GPS, and the question of what is Southeast Asia’s tallest peak will be laid to rest. After returning home, I Skyped with Takashi Ozaki’s widow, Frederique and asked her what she thought of our expedition and the height question. In a thick French accent and dragging on a cigarette in the sexy, indifferent way that only a French woman can, she said she was curious to know the answer, “But I hope Hkakabo is higher.” We laughed, brought together by the passion, challenges, and mysteries of this far-flung place that so few will ever know. For me, this is more valuable than the answer to the question. //
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M A R K E T P L A C E
THE FLOW
Which Climber Town Do You Belong In? BY KEVIN CORRIGAN
START HERE Does the presence of bolts (aside from anchors) offend you?
Bouldering, sport, or all kinds of climbing.
To each their own. I prefer that climbing be scary.
Keep climbing bold!
There’s only one season: climbing season.
Love ’em, particularly what they do to leaves.
Endless boulders.
Throngs of rugged, single men.
A small town where I know every climber by name.
I buy it from a local farmer’s market.
If you could only climb one thing for the rest of your life, it would be...
The splitterest cracks.
Which of these best describes your ideal home base?
Where do you get your hummus?
How do you feel about seasons?
A small city with plenty of restaurants and some larger buildings.
A place with strong hippy vibes.
I take it from the dumpster behind a local farmer’s market.
A small German village, but in America.
That answer changes weekly.
Do you like to get high?
I love to deprive my brain of oxygen one way or another.
Don’t make me choose!
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK
MOAB, UTAH
BOULDER, COLORADO
Welcome to trad heaven, where bold climbing is a fact of life. Some call the Gunks’ 5.6 roof routes sandbagged, but before long you’ll agree that the rest of the country’s grades are just soft. New Paltz might be surrounded by farms, but the local college keeps things interesting, and NYC is less than two hours away.
Weirdos tend to flock to the desert, and Moab is no exception. This is a place of oddballs, hermits, hippies, freegans, and—craziest of all—BASE jumpers. But there’s no denying these people know how to have fun. And if splitter cracks and beautiful desert towers are your thing, well, Moab has those, too.
Equal parts New Age mecca and athletic epicenter. You might have your project flashed by a pregnant yogi who road her bike to the crag, but it’s worth it. The access to incredible climbing of all kinds and other outdoor pursuits is unrivaled. Live here long enough and you’ll become an über-fit Boulderite yourself.
88 | SEPTEMBER 2014
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO CLIMB?
Just trad!
CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE
Chattanooga is the largest on our list at 170,000 people, but the laid-back atmosphere full of Southern charm keeps it pleasant. It gets humid, but it’s a small price for year-round climb ing temps and eight crags within an hour. Pro-tip: Buy a kayak to fit in. Everyone here has a kayak.
BISHOP, CALIFORNIA
There’s no better place in the country to be a boulderer (except maybe Tahoe). Bishop is small and relaxed. There are enough climbers here to form a community, but not so many that any rock gets swarmed, siege style. And where else can you relax in a hot spring after a long day of projecting?
I don’t mess with altitude and/or controlled substances.
LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON
No climbing here. The only things in this faux-Bavarian tourist town are pretzels, beer, and bearded single men. Leavenworth definitely doesn’t have an infinite amount of boulders, roped routes, and quality ice. Better off looking in these other towns for those. Move along. Nothing to see here.
A VAN
Why choose one town when you can live everywhere? When you live in a van, any level ground is home. Van life comes with its own challenges, like reliable employment and Internet access, but what you get is the freedom to chase perfect weather and climb yearround wherever you please.
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