The Hard Issue

climberism THE NORTHEAST CLIMBING MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 2013 | ISSUE #17

The

Issue

HARD

PETER KAMITSES | MATT BOSLEY | WILL MAYO | VASYA VOROTNIKOV

Contents OCTOBER | 2013

6 8 10 12 14 18 26 42 44

EDITOR’S NOTE // Who’s the gumby now?

By David Crothers LETTERS // I don’t want to sleep in your camper LOCAL LEGEND // Janet Wilkinson

By David Crothers OFFICE BIVY // The back storage room

By Brian Fencil NORTHEAST NEWSWIRE // Your local news condensed THE HARD MEN // Bosley, Kamitses, Mayo, Vorotnikcov

By David Crothers and Brian Fencil HOLD REVIEW // Breaking, chipping, cranking

By Brian Fencil FOCUSED // Image Gallery TRAINING SKILLS // Training with Pullies Galina Parfenov

New routing with Nathan Vince in Smugglers’ Notch, Vt. [Photo] David Crothers

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EDITOR

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David Crothers Taylor VanRoekel Mike Lorenz

Brian Fencil Christie Stack

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ON THE COVER: Peter Kamitses clipping through the first crux on his route Stoning the Fascist (5.14c) in Marshfield, VT. [Photo] David Crothers Most of the activities depicted in this magazine carry significant amounts of risk with the potential for serious injury or death. We do not recommend you try or participate in any of the activities depicted within this publication. Seek professional guidance or help from someone of expertise. You assume all risks associated with your decision.

Copyright Climberism. All Rights Reserved. No material in this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent.

Contributors Ryan Stefiuk is a climbing guide residing in Northampton, Massachusetts. The consumate tinkerer and gearhead, Ryan can be found tweaking websites, Android devices, and climbing gear in his spare time. He is the owner of Valley Vertical Adventures and blogs regularly at bigfootmountainguides.com

Before he had spent a rain-soaked spring in Vermont, Taylor VanRoekel lovingly considered New England to be some sort of Shangri-La. Wide-eyed and hopeful, he moved to the Green Mountains in the summer of ’12 with a car full of skis and shelves.

Three jobs and four Craigslist rentals later, he can still be found hoofing around north of I-89 with his friends who sometimes call him to go rock climbing.

Three years and 30 belay slaves later, Jay Conway’s Difficulties be Damned (5.14a) was finally completed on June 22, 2013. The route is “an 80-foot long, direct start to The Soft Iron Route, an old aid route.” Conways says “It has the same four move start as Highway 61 (5.13a), then it climbs a 5.13d corner that has four bolts and a piece of gear. The route ends sharing the last 15-feet of climbing on Highway 61, but it’s totally its own line.”

[Photo] Anne Skidmore

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EDITOR’S NOTE // WHO’S THE GUMBY NOW? When I made it to the belay ledge, someone was hang-dogging the second pitch of The Diagonal. The first leader, a shirtless climber, was on top of the second pitch, waiting for the second leader to top out the second pitch.

By the time we were back on the ground, the second leader had made it to the top and the shirtless guy was attempting to throw a rope down to the two climbers stuck on the belay ledge, with no rope. “Can you see the rope?” the shirtless man yelled. “No,” someone replied. “Just be honest with me,” the shirtless guy yelled back. “Can you see the rope? Be honest with me!” Much to our dismay and humor, this continued for some time. A cell phone was even used at one point. The climbers stuck on the belay ledge were obviously new to climbing and the frustrated shirtless climber was trying to bring them up by any means possible.

[Photo] Nathan Vince

With The Diagonal completely clogged up, we decided to go check out the Man and His Dog buttress on the other side of the Notch. After collecting more gear from our cars, we headed up the steep, wet drainage until we were at the base of the buttress. Nate, per usual, took the sharp end and we climbed some old military moderate, littered with old pitons.

“What are those people doing?” I asked my climbing partner Nate Vince. It was a rhetorical question because neither one of us actually knew the answer.

Nate was so focused on snapping photos of tourists taking pictures of trees, he wasn’t listening to me anyway.

There was a team of young climbers on The Diagonal (5.8+) in Smugglers’ Notch, Vt. Normally four climbers on a route wouldn’t be all that odd, but it became apparent pretty quickly that an epic was unfolding. They were moving slow—really slow.

The Notch was packed with out-of-towners peeping the leaves and clogging up the narrow road where it bottlenecks at the top. “One million people are in the Notch,” Nate said, franticly snapping photos to post on Facebook. “Everyone and anyone is hiking Sterling Pond today!” The Notch looked like a picture out of one of those calendars you find in a gift shop. The leaves were bright red and golden yellow, the sun was out and there were no clouds.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” I asked. “Should we just run up Quartz Crack (5.8) and then hop on The Diagonal?” Nate agreed that in order to spend more time on rock, this would be the best option. “The dude with his shirt off on The Diagonal has been there for a while,” Nate said. “They’re a big party, maybe they’ll need a rescue.”

We hustled up the steep approach drainage that leads to the base of Quartz Crack, Nate sprinting and hopping from one rock to the next with cat-like reflexes and me slugging behind, huffing and puffing. We quickly pulled out our ropes, geared up and took off for the rap anchors. “Hey!” Nate yelled on lead.

“Where are you guys from?”

“Burlington,” someone from their party replied.

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In my mind, the group of climbers on the The Diagonal were having a mini-epic and taking forever (hours) to climb a pretty easy and straightforward route. But who am I to cast a shadow on their day of climbing? The reason we all love the sport is because for the most part there are no rules to follow other than staying safe. Anyone can occupy a route. It might not make some people happy, but anyone can do it. In the end, I am the foolish one for letting my ego flex because of a slow party taking their time and trying to enjoy themselves.

Down from our second climb of the day, it was my turn to take the lead. We had eyed a cool 15-foot seam that split a roof and a wall on the upper section of the buttress. It would definitely go and looked really good.

I plugged my first piece of gear low but didn’t like it. “Place your number three,” Nate yelled from below. “Then hit the gas and go!” Liking my second placement I continued across the crack, feeling more and more pumped with every daunting second. I pulled another cam from my rack near the end of the crack­­­—a red Alien that has seen better days. I shoved it into a flaring crack, quickly, and tried to pull around the corner. To my dismay, the hold crumbled in my hand and pump overtook my forearms. “Take!” I yelled like a screechy two year old looking for a pacifier. Pop. The red Alien nearly hit me in the face and fell down the rope. I tried the move again but my arms were mere Jello. The previous cams I placed were a good ten feet away and would not stop me from hitting the ledge below. “I am coming off!” I scream. “Shiiiiit!”

It’s ironic how quickly situations can spin around, and you’re the flailing gumby.

My landing wasn’t too bad, but flashbacks of a broken foot definitely ran through my head. I spun around, looking across the Notch only to see the four climbers on top of The Diagonal staring across at me dangling from the rope.

In a bright green jacket, I couldn’t be missed. They were probably asking each other, “What’s that guy doing over there?”

Letter of the Month email david@climberism.com

I don’t want to sleep in your buddy’s camper I read the Acadia article in the latest issue of Climberism. I hope you guys had fun. The article made my heart ache with jealously! I miss that fucking island so much! Hiring a guide like you guys did is probably the most time-efficient way to get the best routes in. I worked with Alex and Jon as a guide for many seasons. I took a dude out that could crush way harder then me. We did Green Mountain Breakdown (5.9+) to warm up and then I just belayed him on 10s, 11s, and 12s for the rest of the day. It was the best $150 I ever made. If you decide to go up there again, let me know and I will show you around. I just don’t want to sleep in your buddy’s camper.

Ande Kahora Dreaming of Acadia

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold your horses.

That’s my camper Ande, and you weren’t invited to sleep over anyway. But in all seriousness, the truck camper is pretty rad and you should sleep over—the door is always open.

I’ve been up to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park a few times now—the place is rad and with my home on the back of my truck, poaching the streets and sleeping wherever I want makes visiting much easier—and cheaper. We should definitely go climbing, either up there or in the Adirondacks.—Dave

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WRITE A LETTER AND WIN!

Write us and let us know what’s on your mind. Send us something cool, witty or inspiring. Want to rant? Want to rave? Climb something awesome? Tell us. If your letter is selected as Letter of the Month you’ll win a new pair or Patagonia Rover Approach Shoes. Send your letters to david@climberism.com.

Janet Wilkinson shifting into send mode on one of her favorites at Shagg Crag, Ginseng (5.12c) [Photo] Anne Skidmore

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t comes as no surprise that Janet Wilkinson has found herself, on many occations, in the cold mountain environments of the Himalaya, Karakoram, and on the freezing granite faces of Patagonia. She shares a common bond with all Northeast climbers: our rock is most certainly always covered in moss and lichen or partially frozen and the conditions are always shit. In the Northeast it is well known that we breed hardmen, but there are also hardwomen that sneak under the radar, Janet is one of those women. She’s climbed El Cap in a day and has multiple first ascents in the Karakoram and Newfoundland. But when she isn’t suffering through open, unplanned bivys on the side of Fitz Roy, she’s onsighting 5.12 trad lines and running the show as the executive director at the Northeast Organic Farming Association.

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WHAT DO YOU DO BESIDES CLIMBING? WHAT PAYS THE BILLS? It has always been a hodgepodge of things, I guess. I am currently the executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association. That is a New Hampshire chapter of a regional organization. We’ve been around for more than four years. We are the little sibling that stayed small and volunteer run, typical of New Hampshire culture. Our sister organizations in Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine are much bigger and are helping us along as we grow. I’m really busy with that and it’s been growing so fast. The organic movement is really popular right now.

JANET WILKINSON // LOCAL LEGEND

by David Crothers That’s my big chunk of income. I haven’t been an employee of an organization in 15 years so it’s been a big change this past year. I also still do a little bit of work for Mountain Hardware as an athlete. I’m contracted in the marketing department, so that means I do photo shoots and events and some product development. That’s for a combination of a little salary stipend. They pay for expeditions and I get an equipment budget. That works pretty well.

I still do consulting for non-profits as well. Helping with strategic planning or fundraising on a contract basis.

DOES YOUR WORK SCHEDULE ALLOW YOU TO CLIMB MUCH? I’m probably climbing more now than I have been in a while. The security of having a job really helps a lot, it allows me to check out for the day. When I was working for myself doing full time consulting I felt like it was really hard to pull myself away just because I was always after the next contract. I’ve been climbing a bunch this fall and I’m taking a couple of weeks off to go to the Red. The other thing that has taken a lot of time is building our house.

YOU’VE BEEN ON A FEW INTERNATIONAL TRIPS, RIGHT? My first international trip was with Sarah Garlick in the early 2000s. We went to Peru to climb The Sphinx. I went on a bouldering trip to Nepal and I’ve been to India twice. The Karagoram and Himalaya, two different trips, a few trips to Canada, Patagonia, The Bugaboos and Cuba. It’s been a lot of fun.

CUBA? YOU WERE ABLE TO CLIMB DOWN THERE? Yea, It was fantastic. I highly recommend it. It’s all sport climbing but it’s more of a cultural experience. Freddie and I went for our honeymoon and I wrote a little article about it for Rock and Ice. THIS IS THE HARD ISSUE SO I HAVE TO ASK: HOW HARD HAVE YOU CLIMBED BEFORE? I’ve been stuck at 5.12+ range for a while. It’s a

combination of things, mostly injuries and not being able to project routes.

SO YOU’RE LIKE ME AND DON’T HAVE THE MOTIVATION OR TIME TO PROJECT ROUTES? I guess both. It’s a little silly. I know I have the talent so I could do it. This year I probably will because I’m pretty focused on sport climbing right now. Mid 12 trad climbing and sevenish bouldering are the hardest grades I climb.

YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT WOMEN IN ALPINE CLIMBING BEFORE, DO YOU SEE MORE WOMEN GETTING INTO THE SPORT? I have to admit, that I’m not very on top of the media. So besides the people I am surrounded with and talk to, I can’t give a good general answer. My sense is there are unusually few women going for it in the alpine realm. I’m seeing a lot more women ice climbing. I think the Chicks with Picks at all the ice climbing festivals is a good entry point for women to do that. In all winter and all alpine climbing there is sadly too few women.

DO YOU THINK THAT IS A CULTURAL THING? I think it’s a whole combination of things. I wrote a blog about it a few years ago. I think a lot of women are juggling a lot of other positions in their lives. I noticed among my friends that as we’ve gotten older we’ve gotten more conservative. I don’t know if that’s a different brain wiring as my male friends, who have that to some degree, but not as much as my femail friends. The equipment is really heavy for smaller framed people. That makes it really hard to carry for long distances.

The equipment doesn’t get exponentially lighter as your body gets smaller. There’s a general fear, I guess, that some women have, it is inherit and left over from the hunter-gatherer mentality—the women stayed home and the men went out and hunted. I don’t know what it is but it is there. It is terrible to generalize, but it is something.

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOUR CLIMBING CAREER? I think sometimes my mom doesn’t want to hear about when I go on a trip until after she knows I’m safe. My dad is a little more interested, but they

just think it is a little crazy, that it borders on obsession. They know that’s always been my personality so it probably didn’t surprise them entirely.

HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE NORTH CONWAY AREA? It was a fun moment in time actually. I went to University of New Hampshire and met some of my friends there and after school I took all my graduation money and a credit card and lived in my car looking for where I wanted to live. I had been to North Conway and learned to trad climb in college but I assumed I wanted to live out West or somewhere. But I never found anywhere better. About a year after college and being in debt I really needed a job and I showed up in North Conway the same time Anne Skidmore and Bayard Russell, Sarah Garlick, Emilie Drinkwater, Freddie Wilkinson and Dana Drummond all showed up in fall in 2003. We all lived in Dana’s parent’s house together for about six or eight weeks as we all got settled in and found rentals and jobs for the winter. We called it the platonic temple because no one was dating anyone, we were all just friends who had shown up on our own accord and instantly became a little clique.

WHAT’S THE STORY WITH YOU AND FREDDIE, HOW DID YOU GUYS MEET? We met earlier that same year, he was still in school and I was living in my car. I was coming from Squamish to Yosemitie and Bayard and Freddie were driving out to climb for a couple weeks before going back to New Hampshire. When we were planning on meeting, I told them I had this girl named Ako, traveling with me. Bayard had misunderstood me and thought I had a dude name Rocko in the car with me. So Freddie and Bayard were thinking their friend Janet had picked up this big biker dude. They were pleasantly surprised that I was hanging out with a nice little Japanese girl who just wanted to learn how to climb for a couple of months. That was the first time Freddie and I met and we had a blast. We were friends for a long time, but he kept asking me out for pancakes. I didn’t tell him that I didn’t really like pancakes.

He finally managed to take me out on a date and we’ve been together ever since.

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THE OFFICE BIVY BACK STORAGE ROOM

by Brian Fencil

We like to hang out in a lot of different places but we find ourselves stuck in the office more often than we’d like. So we’re making the best of our situation by bringing the outdoors, indoors. Last issue, editorial intern Brian Fencil brewed up some coffee, sorted his climbing gear and crashed in the conference room. This issue, he’s setup basecamp with editorial intern Shey Kiester in the back storage room to have a strictly platonic breakfast and discuss the happenings around the office. It just so happens they’ve got some of the latest and greatest gear hanging around.

1. Eureka Taron Basecamp 4 Tent The Taron Basecamp 4 is big enough to be called a guesthouse—it sleeps four comfortably or six intimately. It sets up with two crossed poles that slide through small pole sleeves on the top and uses clips to secure its sides. The fly fully covers the tent and has two vestibules big enough to store a kitchen and still have room for everyone’s bags and travel gear. The tent comes with reflectors that hang from the ceiling and can reflect the light from a hanging lantern, which Eureka says can boost the brightness in the Basecamp 4 up to three times.

MSRP: TBD eurekatent.com 2. Sierra Designs Capiz Vest Wet, soggy weather is no match for the Sierra Designs Capiz vest. It’s filled with hydrophobic down keeping you drier and warmer in wet weather. It also dries faster than untreated down. The Capriz vest is slim cut for athletic activity and has breathable, stretchy side panels. $149.00 seirradesigns.com 3. Wild Country Eclipse Harness The Eclipse harness is a versatile harness but is most useful for long trad lines. The waist belt is comfortable in hanging belays even with the weight of large racks, and the extra gear loop in the back of the harness is a great spot for your belay kit. Fully undoing the leg loops and tightening the harness is fast and easy, a nice feature for putting the harness on over crampons. But the harness doesn’t have ice clipping slots. The gear loops hang low and flat and should keep your rack out of the way of your pack’s waist belt during alpine climbs. $74.95 wildcountry.com 4. GSI Outdoors Macro Table The Macro Table is large enough for plates, cups and elbows for two (and maybe a centerpiece, too). The table folds like an accordion to 24 x 4.75 x 2.4 inches when two long pins are pulled out of the table top. Lining up all of the table slats and sliding the pins in does not require surgical precision and the table sets up in seconds. The table has folding legs and stands at two heights: 7.5 inches and 14.75 inches. $44.95 gsioutdoors.com 5. GSI Outdoors Enamelware Cups Made from thick stainless steel and coated in speckled enamel, the GSI Enamelware Cup has a style that has not changed since the days of Cowboys and wagon trains. The smooth enamel coating is chip and scratch resistant, and wipes clean easily. The cup’s steel is heavy enough to withstand being bashed around while trying to make noise and chase bears away, as well as years of use. The drawback of steel is that it is an excellent conductor of heat and the cup, and its handle, heat up to the tongue-burning temperature of your coffee. $4.95 gsioutdoors.com 6. Black Diamond Equipment Crag Hoody The Crag Hoody from BD is a softshell for shoulder season rock climbing, winter climbing and ski mountaineering. The hood swallows helmets and is adjustable in order to snug down on your dome. The waterproofness of the fabric was tested by holding it under the tap for 20 seconds. Not only was the inside dry, the water beaded off the outside so well that it felt dry to the touch. Black Diamond is backing all of their clothes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee—no fine print, no exceptions. $189.00 blackdiamondequipment.com 7. Fits Nordic Crew Socks Fits Socks has over 100 years of experience making socks. Their socks contour to your foot, stay in place, and won’t bunch or form hot spots. They use fine Merino wool that is warm and breathable and the Nordic Crew cushions the whole foot and lower leg. $20.99 fitssocks.com 8. Helinox Chair One The Helinox camping chair was voted the best outdoor adventure accessory at the ISPO Munich tradshow in January this year, and its design has earned ait spot in the International Design Museum in Singapore. The chair has a 320-pound capacity, but weighs less than a liter of water and packs to about the size of a football. The chair makes a great seat for those long days spent as a belay slave or just chilling around the campfire. $89.95 helinox.com

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NORTHEAST NEWSWIRE FURLOUGHS, THE WEATHER MAN ALWAYS LIES, AND BIG BROTHER

A GOOD WINTER FORECASTED BY 195-YEAR-OLD EQUATION The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting “below-normal temperatures” and “lots of snow” for the Northeast this winter, which could mean really great winter climbing and skiing. They predict weather in the Northeast to begin cooling with unseasonably cool temps this month.

The NOAA however is expecting above normal temperatures and average precipitation for the next three months in the Northeast.

[Photo] David Crothers

RUMNEY WORKERS FURLOUGHED During the government shutdown the Forest Service was still allowing climbers to visit Rumney Rocks, but the rangers that usually maintain the area did not show up for work. That meant that the pit toilets were closed, garbage cans were not being emptied, and fees were not being collected.

In response, the Rumney Climbers Association (RCA) was paying for portapotties and was putting out wag bags, small plastic bags with chemicals to neutralize odors and germs, so people can carry out and throw away waste. To handle the garbage at Rumney the RCA was encouraging people to pack out their trash and volunteers were emptying the unlocked garbage cans.

The shutdown meant that the Forest Service was not gaining revenue it normally would have. Busy weekends generally earn thousands of dollars for the Forest Service and the shutdown could have had a large negative impact on their budget. The RCA is worried that a limited budget for the Forest Service could cause deterioration around the climbing area. Before the RCA was formed, trash and excrement from climbers could be seen along the paths. The furloughed Forest Service employees are back to work as of last week, but only time will tell if lost revue will affect the area.

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So, why the disagreement? The source of the dispute might come from the measurements that the two use to predict weather. The Farmers’ Almanac uses a secret mathematical equation that was developed in 1818 that factors sunspot activity, moon phases, the tides and several other undisclosed variables.

There is one person who knows the details of the equation and they are only mentioned with a pseudonym on their website. Sounds legit, right?

THE MOUNTAINEER’S NEW WEBCAM The Mountaineer in Keene Valley Ny. has put a webcam in front of their store and is streaming live conditions of New York State Route 73 on their website. The page also includes current weather information for Keene Valley.

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The lightweight versatility of a TIKKA. Now with 100% more Reactive Lighting.

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technology

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Thanks to Petzl's Reactive Lighting technology, the TIKKA RXP analyzes incoming light and then instantly and automatically adjusts brightness and beam pattern. The result? A smarter, more powerful, more efficient headlamp. Welcome to the next generation of hands-free lighting.

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NORTHEAST NEWSWIRE THE QUEENS’ OWN GYM, NEW SHOWERS IN THE GUNKS, MORE RECALLS

L.I.C., QUEENS GYM NOW OPEN On October 5, The Cliffs Climbing and Fitness opened a second location in Long Island City in Queens, New York and about 2,500 people visited the gym on its first day. The gym has 30,000 square feet of climbing in a 20,000 square foot facility. There are 125 top rope stations, most of the stations are leadable and the tallest wall peaks at 45 feet. There is also an excitingly tall 16-foot top-out boulder.

“The rock gym is the main thing, but we are a lot more than that,” said Paul Jung. “We have a full fitness gym with cardio machines, free weights, elliptical machines as well has yoga classes, personal trainers and a highline.”

[Photo] AAC

NEW GUNKS CAMPGROUND COMING After ten years of planning, ground has finally been broken at the new Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground. The long-anticipated 50-acre campground will be located along Route 299 within walking distance of Trapps, Near Trapps, and the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center. Amenities will include a cooking area, showers, and an indoor and outdoor space for visitors to gather.

The land was given to the state of New York by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

The state came up with funding for the campground and did extensive research to ensure a small environmental impact. The American Alpine Club, the AAC, in cooperation with Mohonk Preserve, will manage the campground. Many of the AAC’s facilities are member funded. The AAC having the State of New York come up with the 2.2 million dollars to fund the campground is monumental.

AAC Executive Director Phil Powers said, “This campground will give our community a great place to stay, and to gather.”

The gym is located in Queens, Ny. and can be reached from Grand Central in about 10 minutes on the L train and is about 15 minutes by bike from Williamsburg, Ny.

WILD COUNTRY ROCKS RECALL Certain batches of nuts made by Wild Country are being voluntarily recalled after a recent failure of one of the Classic Rocks. More information on the recall can be found at wildcountry.com. Be safe and inspect your gear.

The anticipated date of completion will be sometime in the fall of 2014. Cost for camping has yet to be solidified, but rumor has it that it will be $20 a night.

No word on whether the free-use areas will still be available for camping.

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D R A H E H T EN M I

n the 1970s and 1980s there began a shift in the Northeast’s climbing community: the nostalgic proponents of traditional style wanted their fierce principles of clean climbing to be respected and the young, unruly climbers wanted to forge their own path and push the standards higher. The use of bolts and rehearsing routes were both a part of a generation built on the bold backbone of some of the most respected climbers ever known: John Bragg, Ruse Clune, Jeff Gruenberg, Lynn Hill, the indomitable Jim Surette, Hugh Herr, Henry Harber, John Stannard, and the list goes wildly on.

It wasn’t until 1983 that the Northeast saw its first 5.13, seven years after the first recorded 5.13, The Phoenix, had been established in Yosemite. Jeff Gruenberg and Hugh Herr had started a new era in The Gunks with the completion of Vandals (5.13) and it was quickly repeated by Lynn Hill and Russ Clune.

In 1986, the same year Scott Franklin was on a rampage in The Gunks, a young Jim Surette established North Conway’s first 5.13, Liquid Sky. Today, almost 25 years later, we still have the fierceness in our blood from those that left their mark on the rock in the Northeast. The legends of the past have forged the way for those in the present, and will continue to, for climbers in the future.

The stories of the hard men of our generation fill the pages of this feature story. Their mark on the Northeast will serve as a continuance to those that have the determination, will and the endurance to carry the flame higher.

So who’s carrying the flame today? We caught up with the four hardest climbers of our time that have left an everlasting mark on the Northeast and had them tell us their stories of pushing the standard.—DC

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[PHOTO] Dan Brayack

MATT BOSLEY

SOLUTION SIT START (V14) GUNKS, NY

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started climbing with a group of friends at Shafer Rocks in Pennsylvania and a few other places.

Eventually I found Earth Treks Climbing Center in Timonium, Maryland and I started working odd jobs for them until 10 years ago when I became a full time route setter there.—As told to Brian Fencil 20

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Back then I was just a route climber and I didn’t have any interest in bouldering. But after five or six years I had reached a plateau and was getting shut down on harder routes. I had built up strength on endurance climbing routes and could hang on the wall for 45 minutes, but I couldn’t make the moves on mid-to-harder 13s. I decided to try bouldering to build a little more power, and I ended up really enjoying how different it was and how it also opened up a lot of new climbing destinations. My girlfriend at the time, Charlotte, who is now my wife, was also into bouldering, so that was another big push to head in that direction.

Charlotte and I did our first big bouldering trip in 2001. We didn’t bring ropes, and we admitted to ourselves that we were primarily boulderers. We visited friends in Colorado and Salt Lake City, went to areas like Ibex and Joe’s Valley and me-

andered down to Bishop. We spent the whole winter there. I climbed Mandala (V12), which felt like a new level for me, but not a plateau. Climbing always progresses and there’s always something new.

For the next 10 years I did a lot of trips and traveled as much as I could. Charlotte and I spent a month in Rocky Mountain National Park. And every year for a while we would spend a month in Hueco, a ton of time in the South and we did a bunch more little trips in between. Over the years, the South became our second home. My wife’s family lives there and we made a lot of good friends too. The climbing is also really good. There are the big areas like Horse Pens, Rocktown and Little Rock City (actually it’s called Stone Fort now) and there are so many little spots—the climbing seems endless.

In 2007, on one of my trips to the Gunks, some friends showed me the problem Solution that has a stand start. I did the problem the first day I tried it. I think it’s about V11 or V12. Things are constantly changing as people climb stuff, but it’s at least a V11.

tion into the original route. I’m not sure how long I worked the project for. I don’t live up in the Gunks, so when I would go up there for the weekend an only try it on the first day because you can only try something like that when you are fresh. In total, I was probably on the project less than five days.

The day I did the problem some of the holds were a bit wet. We had to chalk them and try some moves before going for it. The problem fatigues you, and you can fall on any move, but I was able to link the sit start and the rest of the problem together in 2010.

After finishing the climb I was pretty psyched. I felt like I had figured it out. It is definitely a puzzle and it was nice being able to put it all together. Now, I am thinking about getting back into sport climbing. Bouldering and hard route climbing compliment themselves well.

“I didn’t know the grade of the sit start when I was trying it; I just knew it was hard. But I wasn’t climbing it for the grade.”

The sit start hadn’t been done at that point and doing it intrigued me after I sent the stand start. The sit start is down and left of the stand and is on an almost 45 degree wall. The first move is powerful, has bad feet and small undercling-ish holds. There’s also a weird move transitioning you to the stand start—an off balance cross just to get established into the upper section. I fell there a few times. The feet on the problem are really bad and there are some sharp holds that take some tries away by removing skin.

I didn’t know the grade of the sit start when I started trying it: I just knew it was hard. But I wasn’t climbing it for the grade. I like the personal challenge of it, and as long as a project has good moves and is fun and inspiring, I’ll climb it. The cave that the route is in is pretty cool—it’s hard and steep and you don’t find that often. It takes almost the perfect storm of rock to make something like that.

My strategy for the boulder problem was to work the start move. When I knew I could do that, I started working the transiMatt Bosley getting to know Un Pointe de Bleau dans Hueco (V11) in Hueco, TX. [PHOTO] Dan Brayack

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Matt Warner discovered the climb. He somehow saw this dagger of ice hanging in space and he hung a rope on it trying to help the thing form and touchdown. I don’t know if that has ever happened but the rope idea didn’t work for him, and the dagger has never touched down.

I am originally from Vermont, but since I spent so much time in the Andirondacks, I was considered an honorary local by Joe Szot, Matt Horner and a bunch of other great people. One year, I kept hearing about these kids from Maryland—Chris Thomas and Ian Boyer—trying this hard climb on the Exit 30 Crag called The Fecalator. I wanted to try it so Szot and I went out there a few times and it became this fun game of wondering who was going to do it first. It was the local boys verses the kids from Maryland.

The route starts on an M7 approach pitch that is about 80 feet long. The first pitch is a scrappy, old-school route that is actually quite difficult and ends on a sloping ledge with a bolted belay. Above the belay ledge the wall leans over at about 50 degrees and there is a beautiful hand and finger crack running up from the belay to the hanging icicle. The crack itself is only about 40 feet long but it is steep and the crack is hard to use tools in. You actually have to rack your tools and jam a couple of moves.

At the crack’s widest you can place a number four Camalot and you can cam your feet in there too. Camming while wearing crampons lacks the precision you get when wearing rock shoes, but it works. When you get higher, you stem off the rock and pull onto the hanging ice pillar, which is rated WI6.

I didn’t really understand how to project the route then and I was getting shut down. I was belaying Thomas when he pinkpointed the route on January 1, 2004. He is a natural climber—strong, talented and really determined. He is normally really quiet and modest, but when he was shaking out before stemming out to the icicle, he started screaming at the route, cursing at it and calling it weak and getting himself psyched up. It was really inspiring and memorable to watch.

Later, Boyer and I both pinkpointed the route, and we then started trying to climb it placing all gear on lead. Fecalator is a traditional climb, and climbing it with gear in situ is a part of the process. You treat it like a sport climb until you’re comfortable and then you redpoint it.

It took me three years to redpoint the route, partly because I was afraid of it. The route isn’t just physically demanding it’s also very intimidating.

I didn’t think I could do it, and part of me didn’t really want to do it.

WILL MAYO

THE FACALATOR (M10 WI6) ADIRONDACKS, NY

G

etting into traditional mixed climbing was a slow, unintentional process. I wanted to do more and more challenging climbs, and ice only forms so steeply, so that meant climbing thinner and thinner ice. In the Northeast we are blessed with good rock and ice, so it just became natural to bring rock protection as the ice became thinner and the ice protection became less reliable. And it was this progression of climbing that brought me to the Fecalator (M10/WI6).

Over the three years that I worked the route I became more comfortable on it, and finally, when everything clicked, I redpointed it cleanly. At the time, I watching a video of Sonnie Trotter on the Cobra Crack (5.14), and he described the process of projecting a route in a way that was pretty concise and true to how I felt on the Fecalator. He said, “You break the route down into sections, then you build it back up, and eventually everything comes together and it feels easy.”

The route was given an M10 grade, and I really want to go back to it, because I’ve done so many hard sport mixed climbs since then. But I would be astonished if it were easier than M10. It’s hard, and it’s difficult to rate because it’s not sport mixed climbing—you’re not clipping bolts— there isn’t even a pin on the route.

I haven’t found anything that compares to Fecalator. It’s a very unique thing to find an overhanging crack that leads to a dagger. I keep thinking about a route like it—trying to imagine it and where it might be. I’m looking, but I don’t know.—As told to Brian Fencil

Will Mayo working Fecalator (M10 WI6, 2 pitches) at Exit 30 cliff in the Adirondacks.

[Photo] Brad Mering

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Vasya Vorotnikov climbing during the Unified Bouldering Championship in NYC. He took home to the first prize metal.

[Photo] Ray Kania

VASYA VOROTNIKOV JAWS II (5.15a) RUMNEY, NH

G

rowing up in Moscow, Russia there weren’t a lot of places to sport climb. My parents were mountaineers and spent a lot of time in the mountains so they would take my sister and I out when they could.

The closest place to get out rock climbing for us were the cliffs in the Ukraine on the Black Sea. My first time out I thought it was really exciting and I told my mom I wanted to climb more. So she took me to a gym in Moscow and I was hooked.

I climbed in Moscow for three years before my family moved to New Hampshire. During the summer there I would go climbing whenever I could. I wasn’t old enough to start climbing hard but I never cared how difficult the climbs were and wasn’t after the hardest line. It was about everybody going outside and doing as many quality climbs as we could.

There are different ways to have fun climbing. Over time I became driven by a personal reward of climbing harder routes. I started to win competitions and pushed myself further and further sport climbing and I have pushed myself to climb 5.15. To most people 5.15 seems impossible, but what makes a 5.15 climber isn’t a genetic gift, it comes down to personality. The most important thing is to enjoy climbing and have the dedication to reach your goals. There are so many strong people out there that have told themselves they just aren’t strong enough so they don’t try hard.

But you won’t know unless you try. I guess that’s why I’ve been successful because I just try hard.

“I’m 26 now and I am still climbing and competing, but when I go to competitions today, I am the old guy.” climberism | MAGAZINE

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We started working the route primarily because we were running out of things to do at Rumney and partially as a joke. I became focused on Jaws after playing around on the holds and realizing it could be done. When I was at Rumney I could have chosen to do a lot of easier routes but instead I chose to work Jaws and get frustrated. I’ve lost track of how many days I spent on the route, but it took me about a year and a half of projecting.

I think the most difficult part was the frustration of getting shut down so many times. In the end, though, it was worth it. You forget about all of those days you got shut down and you’re left with the rewarding feeling of completion.

The year I sent Jaws, I was in college and had Tuesday and Thursday afternoons off. After my morning class I would drive over an hour to Rumney, my climbing partner would work on his stuff and I worked on Jaws. On the

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good days I would give it no more than three tries. It was impossible for me to do more than that; my skin was gone by then and normally people would feel sore the next day but I started feeling sore after the second try.

Then we’d drive back just in time for me to go to my evening lab.

When I did the route I renamed it Jaws II and I gave it a grade of 5.15a. The grade wasn’t just my opinion: there were a couple people putting a lot of effort into it and it was a collective decision. The grade I gave it was based on the holds and the way I climbed it, but a subtle change might make it a little bit easier. Since I sent it, Daniel Woods and Mike Foley have done the route. I don’t know if they felt it was a 5.15, but it was the hardest thing Woods said he had done at the time.

I’m 26 now and I am still climbing and competing, but when I go to competitions today, I am the old guy. The competitors in the finals are very young and the older climbers that I know who could compete are building their lives doing something else, but I’m not done competing yet. I’m in the last year of my PhD and will probably be going into a post-doctoral position after graduation, but that’s not going to stop me from competing.

I will compete again this season, and then take it one season at a time. I don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon.—As told to David Crothers

[Photo] Drew Davis

Dave Graham originally put up Jaws in 1998 and graded it 5.14c. Two key holds were broken off and it was assumed the route was no longer possible, but if you’re focused enough, nothing is impossible. For a while there were not many people working the route because no one was willing to travel far to project a route everyone was saying couldn’t be done. So it was up to locals to try and figure it out and at the time that was Zeb Engberg and I.

PETER KAMITSES

ILL FIRE 5.14a ADIRONDACKS, NY

head together with runouts over small gear. When you start throwing those kind of variable into the equation things start to get spicy.

The hardest route I’ve completed is the linkup of Fire in The Sky (5.13c) and Illuminessence (5.13d) at Moss Cliff. I did the first ascent of the route in 2008, and I called it Ill Fire (5.14a). Of all the hard, runout trad climbs I’ve done, that one took more effort, more work and was more of a skin-of-the-teeth ascent than any other climb I’ve done. I just squeaked it out.

I have less time to climb now, but new projects still trickle in. On Moss Cliff there is a thin seam that goes straight up from the crux face problem on Highline (5.13+/5.14- R), that I will rap and looked at soon. If it’s do-able, it will be much harder than Highline.—As told to David Crothers

I

spent many years traveling and climbing and working just enough to pay for to keep that lifestyle afloat. But I have a family now and if I had gotten a career earlier on in my life I probably would have made and saved more money and could afford farther flung climbing trips with the whole family. Would I do anything differently? I was very happy and excited about climbing and life and if I had settled down earlier then I wouldn’t have done all that I have. It’s hard to say if I would do anything differently. At this point I don’t think so.

I was born in Los Angeles, Ca., lived outside of Boston, spent sixth grade in Australia, and in middle school I moved to Southern Vermont. I lived in Australia because my dad got a job with a subsidiary of Qantas Airlines and we lived there for a year and a half. Australia became a surprisingly important part of my life because it led me into climbing.

After high school I went back there with a high school buddy who said we should do some climbing in Australia. He gave me some old shoes and I bought a harness. We went top roping once, in Massachusetts at Rose Ledge. I did one pitch there and then we left for the Blue Mountains in Australia.

20 years later I still remember the climbing there. I remember getting these rests on gently overhanging face climbs and thinking, “Wow, I feel like I’m going to fall off, but if I get in this position and I can let go with my other hand, I get back some of my strength and can keep going!” It came naturally, the fight of it, and the endurance puzzle of not coming off the wall. What hooked me was feeling like you’re going to fall and then composing yourself. Your thoughts can make you fall off just as easily as pumping out.

When I came back from Australia I started college at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon. I spent most of my winter at Mount Hood skiing and in Spring at Smith Rock, where I did my first lead climbs. Within those first few months of climbing, I climbed Zebra Seam, which is a 5.11d, bolted, super technical seam that is slightly overhanging. Some buddies I was climbing with were super encouraging and I got the bug of projecting and purposely trying things I couldn’t do.

My buddy Will Mayo spent a ton of time trad climbing, alpine climbing and ice climbing and I tried to get him into sport climbing and I eventually did. He put it right, “I get sport climbing! You just go out and fail all day. It’s all you do, you just fall off and fail!”

That’s how you get strong: you don’t succeed for days, then, out of nowhere, you have physical and mental breakthroughs. You get stronger. The questions, doubts and expectations to fail exist just in your mind. But a mental resume of confidence gets acquired and you do shit because you expect to be able to.

It is built in all those steps: the first 5.12, the first 5.13 and working hard to get between those grades, and then the first 5.14. Climbing is hugely mental.

I came back to Vermont after Oregan. Ever since moving here as a kid I fell in love with the place. There’s no other state like this, even bordering states. I learned to trad climb in the Dacks and in Vermont. Shortly after that I started going to Rumney.

The hardest sport climb I ever completed was Chinaglide (5.14d) in Rumney, which I was the first ascentionist of. It wasn’t mentally challenging because it’s sport climbing and doesn’t require a lot of mental focus or trying to keep your

Peter Kamitses climbing Stoning the Fascist (5.14c) [Photo] David Crothers

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ng g i k n n a i r k c n , g a r in c p , p i g h n c g i , n i p g k p n i i n k h a a r c e c , r , g b g in in k p a chip e br ing, k a e br

by Brian Fencil

O

UR OFFICE in Jeffersonville Vt. is about an hour from the closest climbing gym, but it is minutes away from the climbing in Smugglers’ Notch. Generally, when I find a moment to go climb I get to watch typical Northeast weather roll through and kill my chances.

You can only spend so much time doing pull-ups on door jams before you start planning a little home wall, and that’s what we have been doing. We cleaned out the backroom, made plans and started shopping for holds.

With so many companies to choose from, we got a little overwhelmed, and we thought other people would be too. So we picked some icons of the industry and a few companies that are off the beaten Ethernet path and pulled together a review. We asked our local gym, Petra Cliffs in Burlington Vt., about helping us with a place to set and test holds.

We wanted to take over their gym for a while, set routes, climb, and to get opinions from their route setters. Petra was very excited and we showed up early one morning with coffee, bagels and a truckload of holds. After the best day of ‘work’ I’ve had in a while, we left with sore fingers, tired muscles but a good understanding of the products each of these companies have. We looked at many variables when testing the holds, including aesthetics, craftsmanship, strength, comfort, resistance to spinning and versatility. We summarized all of these variables into a single letter grade and described our impression of the whole company.

Fact: The First artificial climbing structure was built in 1938 at the base of Mt. Rainier for beginners to practice.

ELEMENT Testing Grade: A Element started making holds in 2008. Although Element is a relatively new company, they are already producing exceptional products. Their production is done entirely in the US, and all of their holds are backed by an unconditional guarantee, so if a hold breaks, or you simply don’t like it, you can return it. But, we don’t think you will. Their line is incredibly varied in shapes, uses and difficulty, but not quality. All of the holds we reviewed fit like a glove, can withstand a lot of abuse and look great.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 5 Acid Fingers medium $27.95

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ROCK CANDY Testing Grade: A The Ohio-based Rock Candy Holds has been making competition quality holds since 2006. They make inspiring climbing holds and grow the gym climbing culture through the sharing of photos, videos and stories through social media.They also host photo competitions on their website. Their holds are used in gyms and competitions and we got the impression that Rock Candy is accustomed to people grabbing fistfuls of chalk and caking every hold. Their holds have a slightly more porous texture, and many have corrugated surfaces that stick through the layers of sweat and chalk.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 3 Extra Large Cellulites $104.00 climberism | MAGAZINE

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knuckle dragger Testing Grade: B-

We only had a chance to see a small part of the Knuckle Dragger line, but we did get a chance to get a feel for the company’s plastic and quality of manufacturing.

Knuckle Dragger uses a plastic that they could forge Terminator with. These holds could be run over, dropped off a ladder and would probably give you a thumbs up if you lowered them into a pool of boiling metal. Their texture is great, and a little bit of chalk makes them feel tacky.

We felt the ergonomics of Knuckle Draggers could be improved. Knuckle Dragger makes a lot of holds that are just a little bit odd—Incuts you can’t quite get all of your fingertips in or asymmetrical pinches.

Their holds have names like ‘Anger’ and ‘Frustration’ and for good reason too. If you are looking for holds that demand hand strength and precision, the oddities of Knuckle Dragger are good a choice.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 5 Knuggets $30.00

Metolius Testing Grade: B+ Metolius was the first producer of plastic holds in the US (the French company Entre Prises started before them, but were unavailable in the U.S.) and there probably isn’t a gym in the U.S. today that doesn’t have them. At first glance Metolius’ holds aren’t impressive. But after using them, you can see how thoughtout the little undulations of the pinches are and how comfortable the jugs are. There is a reason for their popularity. These holds are burly and Metolius makes just about every shape you could want in a gym or home wall.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 5 Modular Pinches Line $36.96 climberism | MAGAZINE

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etch

Testing Grade: B When we contacted Etch about being part of our review, they were working on developing a lot of new holds and were able to send us one of their latest—a huge granite-inspired flake. The older-style holds we reviewed are all made well but some of them from the Sandstone and Crimp lines are a little uncomfortable for larger hands because they squeeze your fingers together. We felt that these holds were missing a certain precision and vision that we felt Etch had found when carving the mold for their new hold, the Extra Large Granite Flake. The Flake is inspiring; there is something perfect about it that becomes obvious when you pick it up and look for the perfect spot on the wall for it. Etch is currently working on expanding their line, and we are excited to see what they dream up.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: Extra Large Granite Flake $59.00

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atomik

Testing Grade: A Atomik makes an obscene amount of climbing holds, and their website can be a bit overwhelming with all of the options. But don’t get stressed when you’re trying to buy new holds for your woodie—you’re going to get something great.

And if you don’t have a woodie yet, they sell boulder frames and have DIY information on how to turn your garage, kid’s bedroom or a tree into a climbing wall.

Their holds are all made in their Utah factory that uses a waterless production system. The surfaces of their holds feel like sandstone and are incredibly comfortable. Atomik backs all of their holds with a lifetime warranty and they loadtest their plastics, exerting thousands of pounds on them until catastrophic failure.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 5 Joe’s Pocket $34.99

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PRINZ

Testing Grade: BThe Prinz has a variety of holds, from the standard crimps and slopers to crazy octopus tentacles. They also boast about having some of the lowest prices in the industry. Many of the holds are very sleek and are made from loud-neon colored plastics that make route finding a breeze.

The holds, even the sharp-looking edges, were surprisingly comfortable, and a layer of chalk makes the holds feel adhesive.

Prinz, like Tekniks, makes holds that don’t have a lot of unneeded surface to them.

These simplified designs help cut costs in production and shipping, and don’t push other holds out of the way on your wall.

Prinz holds feel a little bit weak and one of the holds we set broke; the plastic behind the washer let go, and the hold popped off. We set dozens of Prinz holds on a few routes that saw a lot of traffic and we haven’t had any others break.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 4 Small Tongue Pinches $25.00

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Fact: U.k. climber Don Robinson built the first indoor climbing wall in 1967 after seeing out-of-shape climbers getting injured in the spring after not climbing during the winter.

rockwerx

Testing Grade: B-

Rockwerx makes climbing walls, mats, holds and auto belays for massive commercial gyms, and garages. Their holds are either really comfortable or slightly odd. For example, the Squeezers are incredibly comfortable pinches that are almost too much like briefcase handles to be called pinches, but their Sea Frost Flows are ‘S’ shaped pinches you can’t really find purchase on. Their holds remind us of a simplified version of some of the Metolius holds.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 8 Squeezers $48.00 climberism | MAGAZINE

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red point Testing Grade: B The Red Point Holds line is made of standard shapes that are functional but a bit boring. We reviewed some of their holds that are meant to look and feel like real rock. At first, this idea seemed like something we would appreciate—a small way of making indoor climbing more realistic—but we felt that these holds were a bit painful. We also used some of their currency pinches and feet. Both are good holds that you can’t say anything bad about.

Red Point Holds stand out for a couple of their ideas: one is called, “Ain’t no hollow back girl,” which is a solid hold with a nearly weightless core. Currently some of Red Point holds could use some improvements but that doesn’t mean Red Point should be passed over.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 5 Sliver Jugs $35.00 CA/$34.02 USD

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Escape

Testing Grade: A

Escape’s line of holds is not as large as other companies, but instead of focusing on variety, Escape has focused on making quality holds that force moves. Their holds are well thought out and examined, and we could also tell that a lot of time went into carving the molds. Their hand holds all have the option of using a setscrew to prevent spinners and are designed with specific moves in mind. For example, the Dot Crimps are two-textured crimps with a textured thumb catch that can force using a specific hand on steeper terrain where more power is needed.

Escape uses urethane for all of their holds. Urethane generally isn’t as strong as polyurethane, but has a lower cost of production and is abrasion resistant. However, we saw no sign of weakness or any drawback to their urethane.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: Extra Large Crater Sloper $47.00 climberism | MAGAZINE

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Detroit rock Climbing company Testing Grade: A+ Detroit Rock Climbing Company is making holds that surpassed our expectations of what a climbing hold can be. First, they start with excellent plastic that has survived their testing of its flexural strength, hardness, abrasion-resistance and other qualities.

DRCC isn’t just focusing on using good plastics: they also look at every aspect of a hold. To prevent spinners nearly all of their holds have an optional ‘softback’—a thin layer of rubber like polyurethane, which also helps prevents chipping. Larger holds have optional screw holes and some have bolt slots so you can mount the hold wherever and however you want. Larger holds also have a hollow shape and are light enough that one of our testers was able to hold a monolithic sized sloper in one hand and bolt with the other while standing on a ladder.

DRCC’s holds feature inspiring shapes that caught everyone’s attention. Another factor we considered during our review was the aesthetics of the holds, and DRCC makes some great looking ones. Their holds have a variety of color options, and can be made to have swirls, layered colors and other patterns.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 2 The Things $299.90 4 Pinch Rails $82.43 38

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Fact:

The First U.S. indoor climbing gym opened in 1987 in Seattle, Wa.

Tekniks

Testing Grade: A

Tekniks have been around since 1999, and our testers were very familiar with their quality. Tekniks holds are not flashy or ornate and don’t make the gym look like it hosts after-hours raves. Their holds are simple, clean shapes that don’t have a lot of unusable plastic, which makes them economical for both your wallet and the wall (unnecessary plastic on a hold means higher production cost, higher cost of shipping and the hold hogs up more of the wall). Tekniks holds are comfortable and built to endure.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 10 Minimeats $45.00

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Atxarte Testing Grade: B Most company’s unique holds are their larger holds. More plastic gives the shaper a larger canvas to work. However, Atxarte has found ways to make even their small holds very unique. From the holds we reviewed, we were most impressed by the jugs in the Ammo Dump line that have a smooth shell on the lip that makes the hold harder to use a foot on, but is still as positive as a hand hold. Their holds, in general, are very versatile, and some don’t have an obvious top or bottom. Versatile holds give a route setter and the climber options, which is not always a good thing. In gyms, holds with only one usable feature can force moves and give a route a specific sequence, and holds with many usable features allow the climber, who has a different height, skill, flexibility and strength of the setter, the ability to change the sequence to match their own style. On a home wall, where the route setter is the primary climber, forcing moves is not as important and versatile holds means buying fewer holds.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 5 Ammo Dump Small Caliber $31.00

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Fact:

Metolius made the first plastic holds in the U.S. in the 1980s.

Bee Hive Testing Grade: BWe reviewed the Geometric Foot Chips and Sandstone Slots from the Canadian company Bee Hive Climbing. The Foot Chips are made from the most granular plastic that we reviewed. Our feet felt locked onto the holds, but the edges rounded after only a few moves on them.

The Sandstone Slots are big slots you can get your fingers and toes into. We didn’t see wear on these like we saw on the Foot Chips, but we had a problem with one of them spinning because of where the bolt hole was and how our testers wanted to place the hold. These holds feature unique designs, but we felt that the holds are too big for how much plastic you end up using, and the lip of the edges are a little uncomfortable.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 15 Geometric Foot Chips $12.00

Urban Plastics Testing Grade: B

Urban Plastics’ Peter Juhl spent two years developing holds before making them available on the market. Juhl finds inspiration from the art and culture of Brooklyn, where he lives, and incorporates the city into some of his molds. UP’s holds are made well, ergonomic and have a texture that provides a little more bite than those of the competition. Most of the UP holds are easily distinguishable between crimps, slopers and edges and can be used in only one way. The lack of versatility in holds has both ups and downs; the positive being that the route forces moves; the negative being you have limited setting options.

Tester’s Favorite Hold: 3 Stealth Slopers $85.00

FOCUSED

PHOTO // ROSS HENRY Eric Chabot, climbing The Rose (5.10a) Bolton, Vermont

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PHOTO // JACOB KUPFERMAN Randy Stacy on Techno Surfing (5.12b) at Rumney. kupfermanphotography.com

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// training skills by Galina Parfenov

TRAINING WITH PULLEYS

P

ulleys have been around since the Mesopotamians in 1500 B.C., but they have only recently begun popping up in climbing gyms across the country. The idea is simple: one end of the rope goes onto your harness, and the other connects to weights. When you hang or pull up, gravity pulls the weights towards the ground, giving you an upward boost proportional to the amount of weight on the pulley. Essentially, you are temporarily dropping a few pounds.

MAIN ADVANTAGES:

1 2 3

By taking weight off of your body it allows you to perform harder exercises than you normally could do.

You can create progressive workouts by gradually decreasing the amount of weight on the pulley.

Pulleys are cheap (three dollars at Home Depot), easy to install, and don’t automatically turn your home into a climbing gym.

A proper pulley system requires just six parts: a pulley, an eyebolt, two carabiners, cord, weights, and a fingerboard (a pull-up bar or climbing rings also work). Drill the eyebolt into a stud in the ceiling, two or three feet in front of the doorframe where your fingerboard is installed. Anything closer will cause the weights to get in your way when you are pulling up. Connect the pulley to the eyebolt with a carabiner and run the cord through the pulley. Attach one end of the cord to a carabiner, which you will hook onto your harness. At the other end, hang the weights. Ideally, the weights should be about four feet off the ground when you are in the resting position, so they don’t hit the ground when you pull up. And voila, you have a pulley system.

I started using a pulley system last spring at my climbing gym in Colorado to aid with one-arm pull-ups. During the first session, I was barely doing single pull-ups with 35 pounds on the pulley. I stuck to 35 and 30 pounds until I flew back to Connecticut for the summer. The first thing I did after getting home was install a pulley in my bedroom. One drilled hole, one eyebolt, one pulley, and I was done. In a matter of minutes, I had a mini gym at my disposal. After just a few weeks of work, I was down to 20 pounds and doing sets of three. By the end of summer—15 pounds. I also came about an inch away from doing a free-body one-arm pull-up.

PRO TIP:

IN

addition to one-arm pull-ups and negatives, pulleys can be used to train grip strength. Most intermediate climbers, for instance, cannot hang onto a flat edge with just one hand. Others struggle with half- and quarter-pad edges. By putting a five-ten pound weight on a pulley you can make impossibly small crimps seem juggy and one-arm deadhangs feel natural. The combination of deadhangs and lock-offs makes the pulley one of the most efficient training tools on the market.

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Removable Bolts

Power-Bolts ®

Hangers

22kN PermaDraws

Quickdraws

Helmets

ALL ACCESS GEAR ClimbTechGear.com provides innovative solutions for the crag. Whether it’s bolting equipment, climbing gear or gym draws, we sell great gear at the best prices. We understand climbers needs, for more visit our website.

WWW.CLIMBTECHGEAR.COM

Photo: Merrickales.com

climberism | MAGAZINE

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AROUND TOWN // CLASSIFIEDS

rumney

Guidebook is Going Mobile Witness The Evolution of the Climbing Guidebook

Rumney Climbing app Explore the entire content with a few taps using interactive maps, topos, and wall photos.

Search for your next route by custom criteria such as difficulty, stars, conditions, area, route name, etc.

TickList the climbs that you want to get on.

Log the climbs you send and keep track of your progress on projects.

Navigate the crags and terrain in real time with embedded maps and GPS points.

Test Drive all the features with the Free edition that contains three of Rumney’s classic walls.

Check Out all of our other guide-apps.

ADVERTISE WITH

CLIMBERISM DAVID CROTHERS 802.644.6606 x209 DAVID@HOLPUBLICATIONS.COM JUSTIN REYHER 802.644.6606 x216 JUSTIN@HOLPUBLICATIONS.COM

www.cloudsplitterguides.com PO Box 11, Keene Valley, NY, 12943

(518)569-8910