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FLASH THE APPROACH
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EDITOR’S NOTE
18
OFF THE WALL The world’s first virtual reality rock climbing video game.
19
UNBELAYVABLE
20
TALK OF THE CRAG For better or worse, Instagram is changing the game.
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TOPO Colorado’s most famous route.
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THE BETA 100 Climbing covers by the numbers.
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PORTRAIT Climber and photographer Colette McInerney reflects on her life in motion.
30
THAT ONE TIME Andrew Burr gets in over his head.
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OUT ON A LEDGE Katie Lambert on being married to a pro photographer.
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THE PLACE Committing to the routes of the Virgin River Gorge.
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UNSENT Six ways to get sandbagged.
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GRASPING AT DRAWS Andrew Tower marches with the criticism brigade. GEAR
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BIG REVIEW Our top five approach shoes.
46
TESTED The latest and greatest from our diligent testers.
49
BEGIN HERE Rappel safely with a haulbag.
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TRAINING Build long-term finger strength with structured hangboarding.
52
IN SESSION Techniques for rope anchors.
80
LAST PITCH
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— JUNE 2016
PHOTO BY BEN DITTO
CLINICS
Cover photo by Andrew Burr: Matt Segal jams high above the Mediterranean Sea on X-Factor (5.13+), Gozo, Malta.
F EA TUR E
The Photo Annual, p.54 Find your inspiration with 18 pages of the best climbing photography from around the world.
KATIE LAMBERT TRAVERSES ON ROMANTIC WARRIOR (5.12B), THE NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA. Issue 345. Climbing (USPS No. 0919-220, ISSN No. 0045-7159) is published nine times a year (February/March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October, November, December/January) by SkramMedia LLC. The known office of publication is at 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301. Periodicals postage paid at Boulder, CO, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Climbing, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast FL 32142-0235. Canada Post publications agreement No. 40008153. Subscription rates are $29.97 for one year of postal delivery in the United States. Add $20 per year for Canada and $40 per year for surface postage to other foreign countries. Canadian undeliverable mail to Pitney Bowes IMEX PO Box 54, Station A, Windsor ON N9A 6J5. Postmaster: Please send all UAA to CFS. List Rental: Contact Kerry Fischette at American List Counsel, 609-580-2875 kerry.fischette@alc.com Climbing magazine is a division of SkramMedia LLC.
CLIMBING.COM —
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LEADING SINCE 1970 EDITORIAL
Editor JULIE ELLISON Art Director CLAIRE ECKSTROM Associate Editor JAMES LUCAS Digital Media Specialist KEVIN CORRIGAN Senior Contributing Photographer ANDREW BURR Senior Contributing Editor JEFF ACHEY
91 days. 15 crags. 5634 miles. 75 5.13s. 16 5.14s. One Rope. And then I took it to Spain... JONATHAN SIEGRIST, LA RAMBLA /SIURANA, SPAIN /5.15 a
Contributing Editors KATIE LAMBERT, ANDREW TOWER, CEDAR WRIGHT Editorial Interns KARISSA FRYE, MIKAELA CURAZA CLIMBING MAGAZINE 5720 Flatiron Parkway Boulder, CO 80301 Phone: (303) 253-6301 Subscriber Services: Within U.S.: (800) 829-5895 Canada and Foreign: (386) 447-6318 Subscriber Service Email: climbing@ emailcustomerservice.com Contributors: Visit climbing.com/contribute Retailers: To carry CLIMBING magazine and CLIMBING magazine publications in your shop, contact Kay Nelson: 800-365-5548, customer@maddogs.com. Logo Licensing, Reprints and Permissions Contact Brett Petillo, Wright’s Media, 1-877-652-5295, aim@wrightsmedia.com
Main Image: Photo by: Colette McInerney; Small Image: Cameron Maier
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.
T H E I N D E S T R U CT I B L E A I R L I N E R 9 . 1 .
©2016. 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.
BUSINESS
Advertising Director SHARON HOUGHTON SHOUGHTON@AIMMEDIA.COM Account Manager LOGAN NIEBUR LNIEBUR@AIMMEDIA.COM Midwest Account Manager CHARLOTTE SIBBING CSIBBING@AIMMEDIA.COM Eastern Account Director JOANN MARTIN JOANNMARTIN@AIMMEDIA.COM Eastern Account Manager LESLIE KRISHNAIAH LKRISHNAIAH@AIMMEDIA.COM Western Account Manager TANYA FOSTER TFOSTER@AIMMEDIA.COM Detroit Account Manager KEITH CUNNINGHAM KEITH-CUNNINGHAM@SBCGLOBAL.NET Marketplace Account Manager SCOTT MONTE SCOTT@MEDIAHOUNDSINC.COM Group Marketing Director LIZ VERHOEVEN Associate Marketing Director AMY LEWIS Digital Marketing Specialist LESLIE BARRETT Events Marketing Manager CAITLYN PEPPER Advertising Coordinator JENNY HALL Advertising Production Coordinator CAITLIN O’CONNOR Prepress Manager JOY KELLEY Prepress Specialist IDANIA MENTANA Prepress Specialist GALEN NATHANSON Circulation Director JENNY DESJEAN Circulation Assistant LARA GRANT-WAGGLE Director of Retail Sales SUSAN A. ROSE
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FLASH
A Climber’s Guide to Middle America To the east, sandstone hollers stretch from Arkansas to Kentucky, eventually morphing into the granite crags of the Northeast. To the west, the Rockies, Sierras, and Cascades each offer lifetimes of climbing. But what about Middle America? A vertical swath cut down our beloved nation is sandwiched between greatness on either side. On the way from nothing, on the way to nowhere. Better known for epic flatness, cornfields, and Fargo—you’re darn tootin’—the Midwest still has plenty of rock. Some of it is straight-up ugly, but if you’re willing to look, you’ll find some of the best climbing you’ve never heard of. WORDS AND PHOTOS BY ANDREW BURR
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— JUNE 2016
OKLAHOMA CLIMBER Elisha Gallegos ROUTE Power Series (5.10c) LOCATION Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Believe it or not, the Sooners have several amazing granite crags. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is home to short domes and free-ranging buffalo, and Quartz Mountain is a slab climber’s dream. However, these crags are not for the faint of heart. At Quartz the number of X routes easily outnumbers the safer and saner ones. Both areas are bold and technical; bring your big boy pants.
CLIMBING.COM —
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FLASH K A N S AS CLIMBER Andrew Burr ROUTE Unnamed LOCATION Rock City
Kansas is the birthplace of nearly every joke involving grand flatness and cornfields. And for the most part, that is what you’ll find, except in the corner of this one cornfield, where there is a true geologic oddity—Rock City. Hundreds of perfectly round sandstone concretions, some more than 20 feet in diameter. Now here’s the great part: Instead of being locked away or fenced off, the owners of the land actually encourage interaction with the landscape (for a small fee, of course). Walk around, get lost, and enjoy these peculiar stones.
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— JUNE 2016
NORTH DAKOTA CLIMBER Luke Kretschmar ROUTE Unnamed LOCATION Sentinel Butte
Sentinel Butte is the Arapiles of North America. Wait, did I just say that? When it comes to the landscape and atmosphere, this bump of quartzite surrounded by farmland fields, lumbering combines, swaying golden grasses, the blazing sun, and an earthy aroma of the summer harvest has a feel that is unmistakably similar. And as for the climbing, well, if it were half as good, then it would be pretty good. But it’s not. What other choice do you have?
CLIMBING.COM —
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FLASH
TEX A S CLIMBER Andy Knight ROUTE NPS Corner (5.11+) LOCATION Big Bend National Park
Bigger than the highly restricted bouldering of Hueco Tanks or the limestone waterways surrounding Austin, the Rio Grande River and nearby Big Bend National Park are brimming with rugged terrain of a spectacular nature, a place where everything has thorns, volcanic outcroppings dominate the horizon, and climbing isn’t banned—it’s just not encouraged. The bolting moratorium doesn’t help matters either. The spot way down where a river separates two nations shouldn’t be your first choice for a climbing trip, but if remote exploration grabs your fancy, by all means, float the line. 10
— JUNE 2016
S OU TH DAKOTA CLIMBER Chris Hirsch ROUTE The Phoenix (5.13+) LOCATION Custer State Park
Spearfish Canyon, Victoria Canyon, Rushmore, the Needles, the Black Hills—the Mount Rushmore State is the pimple on a vast prairie. It’s likely the most underrated climbing destination you’ve never been to. That’s right— it’s a destination! Limestone canyon walls lined with well-bolted overhanging jughauls or hundreds of technical pocketed faces to give Popeye arms a rest and work those tendons and toes. Just behind the gigantic carved faces of four presidents are amazing routes of all flavors and grades. And of course on the other side of Harney Peak are the infamous Needles, where those dreamy slender granite spires will scare even the boldest of us.
FLASH
N EB R AS K A CLIMBER Andrew Burr ROUTE Junk in the Trunk LOCATION Carhenge
OK, you got me. Sometimes stereotypes are unavoidably true. Nebraska is virtually rockless. Back in 1995, Tim Toula categorized every piece of rock big enough to trip over for the entire United States in his amazing book Rock ‘N’ Road, and even he came up empty. Same for John Sherman and his quest to climb in all 50 states, but I’m sure he found a technicality to complete his goal, hopefully more legit than some rusty piece of Americana like I found. Omaha does have some nice steaks, though.
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— JUNE 2016
CLIMBING.COM —
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scarpa.com/vapor
You only get 26,320 days, more or less. How will you spend them?
APPROACH
C ONTRI BU TORS
ED NOTE
[Tara Kerzhner] Kerzhner started 10 years ago by “filling rolls of film with pictures of my cat,” but she’s expanded her subject base since then and now shoots climbing and lifestyle photography full-time. She shot Margo Hayes on her send of Scarface (5.14a) at Smith Rock, Oregon, saying, “Margo’s relaxed nature allowed me to capture a bit of her grace, like shooting a gazelle frolicking through a sunset.”
THE CLIMBING STAFF ON THE SUMMIT OF CASTLETON TOWER IN 2013.
In Praise of Climbing Photographers [Jon Glassberg]
PHOTOS BY COURTESY (3); ANDREW BURR (TOP RIGHT)
Although Glassberg traveled to several countries last year for shoots, including Spain, Australia, France, and throughout the U.S., he says he spends more than 75 percent of his time in front of a computer, including the worst part of the job: “convincing clients that what I’m working on is cool and that they should be a part of the action.” See some of his best images starting on page 54.
[Katie Lambert] Climbing’s new columnist started climbing at the age of 15 and spent 10 years moving through the grades at southern sandstone areas near her Louisiana home. She moved to Yosemite in 2006 and has called the Sierra home since then. In this issue, she writes about being the muse for her husband, photographer Ben Ditto, and how that helps—and hurts—their relationship (p.32).
ON A BLUSTERY November day in 2013, the Climbing staff hiked to the famed Kor-Ingalls route on Castleton Tower during a gear-testing trip to Moab, Utah. Senior Contributing Photographer Andrew Burr kept us laughing with corny jokes during the strenuous approach through steep sandstone washes and crumbling embankments. We finally reached the ridge and a short technical section, so I removed my backpack and went up to perch on the edge of the sloping stone and shuttle packs. Grab the handle, twist, toss. Grab the handle, twist, toss. Grab the han—oof! I lurched forward under the weight of Burr’s 65-liter pack, almost toppling over on the kitty litter rock. His overstuffed pack outweighed the others by 25-plus pounds. I could barely move it. On my half-dozen climbing trips with Burr, I’ve never seen him stop working. Awake before everyone else, he’s carrying double the gear, running ahead of the group, hanging on a rope for hours, and hustling until well after everyone else is sitting by the fire, all while smiling, laughing, and carrying extra beers to share at the summit. That doesn’t even mention the countless hours of editing, emailing, pitching, invoicing—all to eke out a modest living. It’s easy to assume that climbing photographers have glamorous lives traveling the world, taking beautiful images, and hobnobbing with the pros, but the truth is they work harder than anyone else in the industry. Their efforts give the rest of us the blood-pumping inspiration we need to bust out another set on the hangboard, save money for a plane ticket, or daydream during an endless budget meeting. In an effort to pay homage to those who personify the beating heart of our sport, we present the Photo Annual, a yearly celebration of all things climbing photography. You’ll find a look back at 10 years of Climbing covers (p.24), a profile of a spunky female photographer (p.26), an essay on being the muse (p.32), and 18 pages dedicated to the best climbing imagery we’ve ever seen (p.54). Fifteen years ago, when I picked up my first issue of this magazine, the magnificent photography piqued my curiosity and eventually consumed me. Unlike words, photos have no cultural, linguistic, or generational boundaries. Seeing a climber high above her last piece with focus in her eyes, groping for a micro-crimp and the wall falling away 500 feet to the ground below is a language we can all understand. JULIE ELLISON, EDITOR CLIMBING.COM —
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APPR OACH U N S OLI CI TE D BE TA The May article on climbing gear recalls [“Recall Letter of the This”] stated “...but there Month have not been any CPSC-reported injuries [due to climbing gear].” While this might be technically true, it could reflect manufacturers’ and retailers’ reluctance to report accidents, rather than the whole truth. A close friend and climbing partner died in 2004 when a spring-loaded cam broke (Accidents in North American Mountaineering 2005, p. 77). Had the cam not broken, it would have kept him from decking. The cam was recalled a few years later (CPSC Release #12-038; November 10, 2011). The CPSC notification of that recall stated that “...no accidents or deaths have been reported in the U.S.” But immediately following the accident, I notified both the manufacturer and the retailer from which the cam was purchased. I repeated the email to the retailer, but never got a reply. However, I had several rounds of correspondence with the manufacturer (Cassin, later purchased by Camp) giving detailed information and eventually sending them the broken cam for analysis. After the CPSC notification of the recall, I had an exchange of emails with an officer of the CPSC and provided copies of the accident report and my emails with the manufacturer. If CPSC is still saying there have been no reported injuries due to
climbing gear that has been recalled, then we might wonder if this case is unique or if others have also been missed, covered up by manufacturers, or lost track of by the CPSC. While exercising restraint and common sense in assessing gear recalls, we shouldn’t treat them too cavalierly. An earlier recall of that cam might have saved my friend’s life. —Mark Nord, Hyattsville, MD
I may be remiss, but it seems you missed one point recycle in your April 2016 rope feayour ture “The Incredible rope Rope”—what to do when a rope comes to the end of its service life. I have cut frayed ends off my rope and used it in the gym to extend the usefulness of it, before chopping it into nine-foot sections to teach knots to others. You can also create dog leashes or toys, hefty jump ropes, or any number of imaginative and useful things. You can convert a retired rope into a rope rug. We used a hot glue gun to create a flat, spiral rope rug, which lives in front of our refrigerator. I have also donated old rope to the local climber’s coalition for use as fixed lines and border markers in the past. Please don’t toss your retired rope into the trash. After all, it worked hard to keep you off the deck. —Ernie Flory, Amherst, MA
C O NSE NSU S
Have you ever traveled to another continent to climb?
36%
Yes
64% of climbers surveyed have either never climbed in Europe, or are Europeans. Either way, everyone should explore more.
I’m a longtime subscriber and climber. I learned from the Berkshire AMC in 1967 and have been climbing and teaching with them ever since. This is a long-overdue thank you to Dougald MacDonald [Climbing editor 2010–2012] for changing the direction of the magazine when he took over. I was ready to let my subscription expire because I felt the content was appealing only to 5.12 and above climbers before he came along and remade it in the current style. I’d also like to thank the following editor, Shannon Davis [2012– 2016], who continued to refine the magazine. The mixture of how-to information and practical knowledge plus plenty of events and stories seems just right to me. To Julie Ellison [current Climbing editor], I was pleased to read your introduction, but please don’t get too far away from where you are now. Keep up the good work. I plan to keep reading and hope the spirit started by Dougald will continue. —Edwin C. Daniels, Easthampton, MA
5.11 and below
EDITOR JULIE ELLISON RESPONDS: Thank you for your continued readership, Edwin. Climbing would cease to exist without people like you. Our goal moving forward is to continue to appeal to climbers of all levels and disciplines—without alienating anyone. Maintaining the approachable style that previous editors established, we’ll present stories that teach, inspire, and entertain, and each reader should find plenty of relatable articles in every issue. Change is inevitable for publications like Climbing, but I’m confident we can evolve without ignoring our heritage and past successes.
C O R R EC TI O N On page 27 of “Recall This” in the May 2016 issue, we incorrectly included the Black Diamond RockLock Magnetron carabiner as a recalled product. It has not been recalled. Thanks to Steve Shane for bringing it to our attention.
K E E P IN TOU CH /climbingmagazine
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— JUNE 2016
@climbingmagazine
@climbingmag
letters@climbing.com
R E -GRAM
#Flappers
Sometimes our brains want to climb more than our bodies are capable. It’s usually during those “just one more try” burns that things go wrong. Your skin gets the final say, forcing you to be done for the day/week/month by giving you a flapper, or a massive chunk of epidermis that hangs from your finger like a door on loose hinges. Here are the bloodiest, grossest, stomach-turningest flapper photos submitted by our readers.
Near the end of a bouldering session, I missed a move, my feet cut, and I tried in vain to hold on with one hand.
I got my first set of flappers when I sent my first V2. Then I taped ’em down and kept on moving.
I tore this during a dyno on a boulder problem in the gym. I stuck the move, but I felt it tear. I @CLAIREWALLA took a three-week hiatus to let it heal.
—ANDREW MARKS
Mac Lewis after he took an unexpected whipper when a foot cut loose on a polished 6a+/5.10c finger crack in Arboli, Spain. —JOE PRESCOTT
—JACOB McHARGUE
Paul Breitling received this flapper dynoing to a jug on Reflection of the Beaver at the Index River boulders in Washington. —MYLES BYAM
I was working Recluse, a V11 roof. I kept blowing the last move, but I decided to give it one last go. I felt good, but the flat, damp jug did not. —NICK HODDER
I didn’t stay composed during my topout and look what happened.
I took five years off climbing. After my first This was a painful moment for my friend Stefan, training session back at a wall, this is my reward. because he realized he wouldn’t be climbing for the next couple days. —REECE BRIGHT —MIKE (@MJWEEKS)
—FREDRIK MATTISSON
CLIMBING.COM —
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APPR OACH OFF THE WALL
The Climb A VIRTUAL REALITY CLIMBING VIDEO GAME BY KEVIN CORRIGAN
VIRTUAL ROCK CLIMBING IN VIRTUAL HA LONG BAY, VIETNAM.
How did the idea for The Climb come about? We wanted to create a special experience, designed specifically for this new virtual reality (VR) hardware. We took some of our best prototyping designers and thought, “Hey, what could we design that would make sense in VR?” Climbing wasn’t our focus, but we have rock climbers on the team. They began experimenting with the verticality and built a [very basic] prototype. The sense of scale you got from climbing up and seeing the environment was amazingly fun, and we knew we had something special. Then the other climbers in the studio got really excited and started gravitating toward it. The game started taking shape, and there was no other option than to move forward. I wouldn’t call it a simulator, but it is certainly a climbing adventure that you can have from your living room. What’s the experience like? You’re represented in the game by two hands. You’re given different routes; there are different degrees of difficulty and multiple ways to climb those individual routes. You basically make your way up one hand after the other. We introduce challenges, and we also have a stamina meter for your hands. You can’t hold on for very long because the stamina drains accordingly to make you either reach elsewhere, grab on with two hands, or grab the hold in 18
— JUNE 2016
a more natural position. You’re climbing for fun, but you’re looking for speed and accuracy. As you move up into the more difficult routes, we introduce different hand grips. There’s a crumbling hand grip, for example. That one gives you a couple seconds on before it falls away. There’s a chalking mechanism also. If you chalk up, your stamina drains slower. All these things combined make really interesting routes and gameplay. How is the player physically controlling this? The headset is tracked, so wherever you look, that’s where your hand lands. You’re also holding controllers. Pull the trigger and you’ll grab the handhold. That’s how it works with the basic game controller, but eventually, we’ll be using the Touch controllers [a more advanced controller]. Then you’ll raise your hand up and pull the trigger to grab something. What are the climbing locations? The first setting is loosely based on Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. We did a hyper-realistic version of it because we wanted to make the gameplay fun for the average consumer, not someone who would actually know the real-life routes. The idea is to get people to feel like they’re climbing in that environment, give them really beautiful views, and offer that sense of
nature. We also have a German/Austrian Alps location, and the rest we’ll be announcing at launch. How do you handle falls in virtual reality? Virtual reality is a very sensitive mechanic. There are certain things you can do that create motion sickness. One of those activities is falling without any control. So you just fade to a shade of black when you fall in The Climb. It’s not as abrasive as hitting the ground, which would be incredibly disruptive to the brain. Were there any interesting things that you didn’t expect? One of the things we found is that people with a fear of heights can climb in the game forever. They don’t have any issues until they reach a platform. Then they get that sense of vertigo because they can see off the edge. The game is tuned so that you don’t feel a lot of that, but there is a tiny sense of it. Has the team made any trips out to the gym or crag for “research”? They go on field trips to the gym on a regular basis, at least to investigate certain kinds of handholds and things that will be evident when you play the game. Is it challenging to recreate rock climbing while keeping it fun for the average player? Our intention wasn’t to go out and build a rock climbing game. We built it from the ground up as a fun mechanic for VR. It just lent itself to rock climbing. While we didn’t intend to make it a simulator, the guys that climb on a regular basis say it feels really accurate to the sensation of climbing, at least as close as you can get in a game. The climbers on our team added a lot of little nuances that make it all the more enticing for rock climbers. Do you think it will inspire people to go outside and climb? One of the most interesting things to come out of this is that some people have climbed using the game, and then they’ve felt motivated to go and climb outside. I only hope our game creates this mentality where people get excited by playing the game during the week then go out to climb on the weekend.
COURTESY CRYTEK
A MONUMENTAL SHIFT is coming to the video game world this year with the arrival of long-awaited virtual reality headsets. Crytek, a major video game studio known for state-of-the-art technology, will be launching The Climb, a game that emulates real rock climbing. We spoke to executive producer Elijah Freeman about the experience of virtual climbing.
UNBELAYVABLE
Scary (and true) tales from a crag near you I was in the Ouray Ice Park and stumbled upon two toprope climbers that had me cringing. At this particular area (South Park) the belay is across the Uncompahgre River from the ice. The pair made their way down to the base, and the first climber crossed a snow bridge to reach the route. There, he placed an ice screw. He clipped a quickdraw to the screw, then clipped the belay side of the rope through it. His belayer was on the other side of the river. The rope ran horizontally from her to the screw, then up to the anchor, and back down to the climber. The climber went up the route and then began lowering. Because the rope was running horizontally, it nearly pulled the belayer into the river. —Chase Hamilton, via email
LESSON: The belayer should always think critically about her own position. In this scenario, a sudden fall could have easily yanked the belayer into the river. Being submerged under the frigid waters while tied to a rope and fighting against the current doesn’t lend itself to a pretty outcome. There’s no reason to redirect the belay side of the rope like this. It puts a lot of outward force on that ice screw, and eliminates the advantage that gravity usually provides to the belayer. Another thing to consider, particularly in this area of the Ouray Ice Park, is that a belay from the anchor above could be the best option. Many routes in the South Park area start climbing right out of the river, and belaying from the other side of the water, even without that redirect, is a hazard that can be avoided by belaying from above.
I brought some friends to a popular toprope crag. We met two guys climbing an easy 5.4 and decided to share ropes with them. They described their anchor for me: a sling around a chockstone with lockers. It sounded OK. I frequently solo this route, so I figured anything was better than nothing. When I reached the anchor, I found a single sling around the chockstone with a single locker, and upon closer inspection, I found that the chockstone was quite loose. If the route had been any more committing I would have peed myself right then and there. After building a proper anchor, I rapped back down and asked my new friends if they would appreciate some helpful criticism. Thankfully, my suggestions were accepted graciously. —Tristan, via email
LESSON: You know that expression about how you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth? That does not apply to climbing anchors. If someone offers you a climbing anchor, you should look it directly in the mouth and inspect it closely. Unless you see an anchor for yourself, you’re taking the anchor builder’s word that their anchor is safe. That doesn’t usually include their experience or the level of risk they’re willing to accept. It can be a great time saver to share ropes, but always examine any anchor before you trust your life or your partner’s to it.
SEE SOMETHING UNBELAYVABLE? EMAIL UNBELAYVABLE@CLIMBING.COM.
P OW ER , P OISE A ND S T Y L E . Chris Sharma, team athlete with the Sterling Evolution Helix™ 9.5 mm neon green (59 g/M)
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The Instagram Era Fighting jealousy in an age of virtual spray BY JULIE ELLISON
I’LL BE THE FIRST to admit: I spend too much of my life on Instagram. Any time my brain wanders from the task at hand, be it painfully mundane or frustratingly difficult, I reach for my phone, swipe right, and tap that little cartoon camera. As a matter of fact, I checked Instagram three times while writing those first two sentences. I’m not proud of it, but I suspect I’m not the only one with such a bad habit. My love affair with Instagram coincided with the beginning of a real-life love affair. I tend to avoid technological trends until the last minute, not out of any sense of hipster superiority, but more out of a total lack of interest. My phone usually stays on the oldest version of its operating system until it shuts down, but the guy I was enamored with, a photographer, encouraged me to try it out. “It’s just a fun way to edit and share pictures,” he said. “But what’s it for?” I asked insistently. “What is any type of social media for?” he said. Good point. This was back when Instagram forced the user to take pictures in the app itself—you couldn’t take photos with another camera and upload them—so it was more about the moments the pictures represented, not the pictures themselves, hence “insta.” Quality didn’t really matter, because you were just going to slap a drastically toned filter over it, resulting in a heavy-handed image that would make Ansel Adams roll over in his grave. You shared experiences as they happened, not weeks or months later. In those early days, I would sit and wait for my love interest to like my photos, 20
— JUNE 2016
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because out of my whopping 36 followers, his like was the only one I cared about. Now, Instagram is a billion-dollar business with more than 300 million users, and I follow 1,359 of them, from an account for my friend’s liquor store back in Alabama (“Grab a bottle of the famous Popcorn Sutton moonshine!”) to an account called FluffyPack that’s just a constant stream of cute puppies and piglets. But the majority of accounts I follow are fellow climbers who post envious images of soaring sandstone walls, top-down tryhard faces, and vans parked in front of breathtaking vistas. I wish I could say that I see these photos, smile, and think, “Oh, she must be having so much fun!” But au contraire, my friend. When I see images that are particularly rad, my head burns with jealousy and my stomach sinks with the thought: I want that. Sometimes it’s a place I really want to go, or sometimes it’s a girl climbing harder than me, but most often it’s simply a picture of someone climbing outside when I’m stuck inside. My melodramatic brain ignores the fact that I am lucky enough to climb almost constantly, both for fun and for my job. “Ugh, does she have to post another picture of climbing in Bishop?!” I recently said with a whine that should only be associated with doing your taxes and eating lima beans. “Julie, you were just in France for two weeks!” my boyfriend, the aforementioned love interest whom I blame for my Instahabit, responded. We were on the drive home from the airport, where he had picked me up from a “work” trip where I climbed alpine lines in Chamonix, multi-pitch sport in the Verdon Gorge, and 400 meters of limestone over the Mediterranean in Les Calanques. Not even an hour after a lifetime trip to three European climbing meccas, I was already resenting somebody else having fun. Jealousy comes quickly when you only see the most beautiful, perfectly edited, carefully curated moments. We all do it. It’s human nature to want people to see only the best of you. When was the last time you had just a single photo taken of yourself—selfie or otherwise—and then moved on to something else? The invention of digital photography afforded us the ability to take multiple
PHOTOS BY @HEYFLASHFOXY (LEFT); ALTON RICHARDSON (MIDDLE); ALEX MANELIS (RIGHT)
heyflashfoxy
joolyhart
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climbingmagazine
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PHOTOS BY JULIE ELLISON
pictures at once, and we narcissistically inclined humans have taken full advantage. My parents’ photo albums only contain images that I would scroll right past today. Eyes are closed, stances are awkward, clothing is unflattering, and 90 percent of the time it’s unclear what the subject of the image is even supposed to be. LAST FALL, my photographer boyfriend posted an image of me on Way Rambo, a 5.12- in Indian Creek. With perfect tape gloves and just the right colors on, I’m high off the deck and wincing, trying hard to clip the rope to a cam. It looks like I’m crushing the crux traverse to the anchor. What the photo doesn’t show is me asking my boyfriend, who was hanging on a nearby fixed line, to pre-place the cam because I was too pumped to do it myself and too scared to take the fall. It also doesn’t show the 40-plus minutes I spent hangdogging the route because it is way out of my realm of sending possibility. At one point about halfway through, I had been hanging so long that my boyfriend rapped down to see if I was OK. I was physically exhausted and mentally defeated, so he said a few comforting words and squeezed my shoulder. One passing climber on the ground saw the interaction and commented to my incredibly patient belayer, “I remember needing a pat on the back right about there too.” None of that made it to Instagram. Hundreds of diverse communities have embraced this photo-sharing platform, from competitive cheerleaders to fitness fanatics to a group called “rich kids of Instagram,” where teenagers post pictures of $100,000 bar tabs, Rolex-laden wrists, and massive yachts floating in bright blue water. (Look it up. It’s disturbing but oddly fascinating to see how the offspring of the 1% live.) One social media study by a German university describes an “envy spiral”: Person A posts a beautiful photo, person B tries to outdo person A by posting an even better image, then person A has to one-up person B, and so on. This keeps going until the social media–sphere looks nothing like reality. Our community of climbers and adventure seekers flocked to Instagram thanks to our beautiful playgrounds and cool hobbies. Generally speaking, we’re anti-materialistic; we don’t seek money and
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the things it can buy, but rather experiences and the renewed perspective they can offer. Of course we want to share those experiences with the rest of the world, but with Instagram we’ve just replaced one numerical judgment system with another. Money in the bank has been superseded by likes and followers. At least you can trade money for burritos. Like any creative social medium that starts out fun and lighthearted, Instagram now features an endless scroll of advertising and promotion, but the marketing song and dance isn’t limited to companies selling products. Everyone is pushing a blog or a tank top or a light beer or just themselves. “Exciting projects on the horizon, can’t wait to share with you guys, so stay tuned! [insert some sort of high-five emoji here] #linkinbio #blessed #humble” in Instagram-speak translates to “Pay attention to me!”
IT’S NOT ALL ego and self-obsession, though. Instagram really does connect people. When I showed up solo to the Women’s Climbing Festival in Bishop in February, the girls I had “met” through Instagram greeted me with big smiles and warm hugs, like we’d been real-life friends for years. Any apprehension about being there immediately dissipated when I realized these girls kicked just as much ass as their various social media accounts claimed. Flash Foxy, the organization that put the festival together and has been a driving force behind getting more women into climbing, started a few years ago as a simple Instagram account. Eventually there was enough interest for creator Shelma Jun to build a website and organize an event. Unknown talents in photography and climbing have rocketed from relative anonymity to social media stardom because of Instagram. Keith Ladzinski and Andy Mann each busted their butts for more than a decade to be respected photographers in the outdoor industry, then almost overnight they both became household names and National Geographic contributors. Not that they couldn’t have done it on their own merit, but having a large number of followers can get you more publicity, more work, more compensation, more sponsors, or more swag. It’s wonderful for those individuals, but focusing on what other people are doing distracts from your own life, your own goals and objectives. When I first joined the Instagram army and before it became the marketing-tool junk show it is today, I ran into a professional climbing photographer that I greatly admire at the gym. I told her I was ambivalent about it, and she said, “Oh, I love it! It’s like a constant stream of inspiration I can hold in my hand.” I had never thought of it that way, and even though that encounter was four years ago, I still think about her comment when I’m staring at @ladycrusher656’s Bishop photos. I try to replace those feelings of envy with pure motivation. Maybe I can’t go climb High Plains Drifter in the Buttermilks right this very second, but I can go do a lap on the Second Flatiron here in Boulder, breathe in the fresh air, and remember that exactly what I see in front of me beats what I see on a tiny screen every time. CLIMBING.COM —
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TOPO
The Naked Edge Inside Colorado’s most famous route BY SCOTT BENNETT
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— JUNE 2016
BRAD GOBRIGHT FREE SOLOS THE NAKED EDGE.
PHOTO BY KEVIN ZIECHMANN
F
rom the parking lot in Eldorado Canyon, the great hulk of the Redgarden Wall dominates the horizon, with the left skyline creating a steep arête that climbers worldwide recognize as The Naked Edge. This five-pitch route, arguably the most classic line at this historic climbing area, features insane exposure and challenging movement. Eldo is known for its unique style: thin gear, delicate face climbing, loose rock, and creative route-finding. The Naked Edge offers up the area’s signature variety with finger cracks, slabs, a chimney, a dihedral, and a plethora of technical sequences. With a fearsome reputation for being a mental and physical challenge, no climber can resist the route’s pure beauty and old-school style. The first ascents (aid and free) were cutting-edge. The aid ascent required multiple attempts over two years by the ambitious and energetic Layton Kor in the 1960s. Early Colorado free-climbing pioneers Jim Erickson and Duncan Ferguson set a high bar with their 1971 free ascent. Though modern climbers will probably find the crux on the fourth or fifth pitches, Erickson reported that the first pitch finger crack was his crux with fixed pitons jamming the locks. Today the route sees speed ascents in under half an hour. The current record holders, Stefan Griebel and Jason Wells, did the whole endeavor—go across the bridge over South Boulder Creek, hike to the base, do three “approach pitches” up to 5.8, climb the route, scramble down the GRADE fourth class East Slabs, and then 5.11b sprint down the trail and back across LOCATION the bridge—in 24 minutes, 29 Eldorado Canyon, seconds. [Ed. Until October 2015, Colorado Bennett and Brad Gobright held the TYPE record at 24 minutes, 57 seconds.] Trad The most memorable part of the climb is pulling around the arête on LENGTH 460 feet the final pitch into one of the wildest and most exposed positions ever. FIRST ASCENT The wall falls 650 feet to the creek Layton Kor, Rick below, and the holds, well, they suck. Horn (1964) It’s stressful until you power into a FIRST FREE ASCENT Jim Erickson, Duncan perfect hand crack and glory-jam your way to the top. Ferguson (1971)
THE BETA
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Covers By Karissa Frye
OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, Climbing magazine has published 100 issues, with the cover being the most prominent image associated with each one. Some were notable, others forgettable, and a few were downright bad. Here we examine the stats behind them.
CLIMBER’S GENDER
HIGHEST GRADE
MOST FEATURED PEOPLE FEMALE
ROPED
MALE
5.15b BOULDER
V12 ICE FEMALE
MALE
19%
81%
WI6
Sasha DiGiulian
Peter Vintoniv
“Featuring a climber and his or her success on something that they have worked really hard on is a way of demonstrating the climbing community’s support for this accomplishment. Those types of covers inspire me!”
“Being photographed isn’t always easy or glamorous. You get asked to climb both beautiful stone and choss. And sometimes the most unnatural movements are what photograph best. Being comfortable makes it more fun.”
U.S. DESTINATIONS Baronette Peak, WY Hyalite Canyon, MT
Trout Creek, OR
Munising, MI
Devils Tower, WY Mount Rushmore, SD
Sawtooth Mountains, ID Maple Canyon, UT Lover’s Leap, CA Humboldt, CA
Green River, UT
Tahoe, CA
Mount St. Helena, CA
Flagstaff Mountain, CO
Moab, UT Ibex, UT
Black Canyon, CO Penitente Canyon, CO
Bishop, CA Clark Mountain, CA
Yosemite Valley, CA
Red River Gorge, KY
Ouray, CO Canyonlands, UT
Tres Piedras, NM
Indian Creek, UT Zion, UT
Joshua Tree, CA Cochise Stronghold, AZ
MOST FEATURED PLACE: YOSEMITE (BIG SURPRISE)
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Emerald Isle, NC
6% SHIRTLESS COVERS
WORLD COVERAGE INTERNATIONAL 30%
U.S. 70%
MOST REMOTE
TYPE OF CLIMBING
FREE SOLO SPORT
TOP PHOTOGRAPHERS
3%
49%
ICE
7% OTHER
7%
SEPTEMBER 2011
Ennedi Desert, Chad
19 COVERS
7%
“My most memorable cover would be #279 because I spend so much time exploring random unknown areas and usually walk away empty-handed. On a whim we went looking in Zion for this rumored ice climb, and it was amazing!”
TRAD
27%
dirtbag 101
tower to the people
crack attack
team america: grit police
slick trick
southern sandstone spectacular
gnar:defined
sideways skills
BEST COVER LINGO stone monkeys
yank crankers winter warmers
unbelayvable
world’s highest circus
twisted tufas
“Our trip to Chad was my first ‘serious’ climbing expedition, and one that paved the way to a whole host of other great trips over the last five years. What I’ll always remember from Chad is the space— wide open and endless! It was the first time I had visited the desert, and the first time I can say I have been somewhere that no other human ever had. Making first ascents of those amazing towers was special not only for the climbing accomplishment, but also because atop those tottering piles of choss, I was looking at the world from a totally new point of view.” —COVER MODEL JAMES PEARSON
Andrew Burr
BOULDER
focus and psych
Keith Ladzinski 8 COVERS
beer brawls and monster falls
spicy limestone fix fried fingertips
big wall bible
Corey Rich
MOST REGRETFUL COVERS
5 COVERS
8% WATER SHOTS
MAY 2007 The original pouty-face selfie gone horribly wrong.
AUGUST 2006 It’s like playing Where’s Waldo. Try to find a climber in the black abyss of rock before you realize— there is no climber.
JULY 2007 Heinz Mariacher knows climbing shoes, but clearly not fashion.
CLIMBING.COM —
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PORTRAIT
Self Reflection PRO CLIMBER AND PHOTOGRAPHER COLETTE MCINERNEY OPENS UP ABOUT WHAT SHE SEES IN THE MIRROR. BY JAMES LUCAS
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, to British parents, Colette lived with her mother and older sister while her musician father toured throughout the states and Europe with various folk singers. “We had a great relationship considering he was away a lot and I didn’t live with him,” Colette said. “My parents divorced when I was very young, but they always had a friendly relationship and have always been supportive and caring.” Growing up in daycare and at friends’ houses while her mom worked in the restaurant industry, Colette learned to be independent from a young age. “I did whatever I wanted,” she said. Her desire for freedom only intensified when she traveled as a kid, spending three months outside of London while her mom took care of her grandmother. “When she got a car, I don’t think I ever saw her,” Colette’s mother Mary Orcutt said. “She would just 26
— JUNE 2016
drive and drive and drive.” Seeing the itinerant life of her father, Colette felt restless in Nashville. At 18, she moved to New York City to attend Fordham University, where she received a degree in communications with a focus on journalism. “I always loved reading and came from a family of book lovers, so somewhere in there I think I always wanted to be a writer. But I never had a good foundation for it,” said Colette. She worked at a student news channel and WFUV, a public radio station,
“ I never thought I had an artistic bone in my body.”
PHOTO BY MICHAEL LIM
FOUR LIMBS KICKED DIRT in a fast six-step while Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance” echoed off the limestone walls of the Winchester Cave in Rifle, Colorado. Thirty-two-yearold Colette McInerney crescendoed her break-dancing routine by spinning and lifting into a handstand. Suddenly, she snapped to her feet, freezing with one hand outstretched in front, while a cloud of dust rose around her petite 5’5” frame. It was the summer of 2013, and between sending 5.14 sport routes, photographing ultrarunners, globe-trotting from crag to crag, and producing climbing videos, one thing characterized Colette’s life: constant motion.
producing news stories. “I never thought I had an artistic bone in my body until I started dabbling with photos almost five years later.”
PHOTO BY CAROLINE TREADWAY
HAVING CLIMBED A LITTLE in the local Nashville gym, Colette’s first experience on rock happened during the summer break of her freshman year. Her mom had recently remarried, and her new husband, Tom, and his daughter, Lindsey, climbed occasionally. The foursome went to nearby Foster Falls. Lindsey, the ropegun, hung a toprope on a 5.7. “I was completely amazed,” Colette said of Lindsey’s climbing ability. “I totally looked up to her.” Although Colette had done yoga and hiked, climbing seemed different. “That sort of recreating was not a part of my life,” she said. Mary climbed a few times with Tom. Seeing educated, respectable people participate in a sport she had previously associated with slackers and rebels helped her accept Colette’s later decision to focus her efforts on climbing. Back at school, Colette would climb at the Gunks and do short multi-pitch routes with various male mentors. When she tired of the drama that came from men confusing climbing with dating, she bought a crashpad and shifted toward bouldering by herself. Eventually she met climber Jackie Chiddo, another Fordham student, and the pair began going on trips. “At that time there were not a lot of girls traveling and climbing together,” said Aly Dorey, a climber who met the girls when they drove to Boulder, Colorado. A year later, Aly, Jackie, Colette, and Jody Hansen made the 24-hour drive from Boulder to Squamish. “We made up a dumb song that we sang all the time,” said Dorey of the trip. “For the most part it was a lot of goofing around.” Despite the silliness, Colette sent several moderate boulder problems in the Canadian forest, including Golden Boy (V7) and a flash of Swank Stretch (V5). “It was before I had years of only being on trips with my boyfriend and other guys,” Colette said of her first big women’s climbing trip. “I was fresh out of college where I had lots of girlfriends, and Jackie was one of my main climbing partners, so I thought having a girl crew was pretty normal.” DURING HER SENIOR YEAR at Fordham in 2004, Colette met Joe Kinder, an aspiring professional climber two years her senior at a climbing competition at the Earth Treks gym in Maryland. The pair connected and took off on a seemingly endless road trip, traveling all over the United States in an Astrovan they bought together. Colette funded her life on the road by working odd jobs as a caterer, a waitress, and an assistant at a modeling agency in Vail. The pair took their van to remote sport crags around southern Utah in the winter, spent summers in Rifle,
COLETTE CLIMBS LA ARDILLA ROJA (5.13A) AT EL PATI IN SIURANA, SPAIN.
CLIMBING.COM —
27
PORTRAIT
A SIGNATURE COLETTE SELF-REFLECTION IN TOKYO. W
COLETTE RECORDS THE LOCAL SCENE DURING A GIRLS’ TRIP TO CHINA.
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— JUNE 2016
of balancing it with work, as she had done on every other trip. It paid off when she sent Marroncita, a 5.13d in Oliana that marked a new grade for her. Two months later, she surprised herself by sending China Crisis (5.14a), also in Oliana, with little effort. “I’M NOT USING my degree. Is this what I want to do?” Colette asked herself in 2005, after a series of short-term jobs. “Should I be doing something more serious?” Joe’s focus as a professional climber meant the pair traveled to the hardest sport crags in America and Europe to produce media. Colette became the one behind the camera, recording and editing video. With Joe, she made dozens of skill tutorials, product videos, and road trip dispatches for his sponsors. “I actually hated shooting video at the time. I enjoyed taking photos a lot more, and mainly lifestyle or travel photos, not necessarily climbing,” Colette said, “but Joe was stoked on editing and it was a cool contribution to his sponsors at the time.” She wasn’t interested in being the visionary behind the videos back then, but she loved taking part in the shoots. “The early productions were a real eye opener to a new kind of work I never knew about,” she said. “I wanted to be a producer or assistant director of photography or really anything that had to do with the shoots.” “I have had a couple of photographers say they would hire a burly younger dude over a smaller girl,” Colette said, “because photo assistants are for lugging gear and rigging.” “In China, she had the largest bag and everything in it,” said photographer Caroline Treadway of their photo work in Asia in summer 2015. “She was like a pack horse.” “WHEN I THINK BACK to what inspired me as a climber, it’s always been images of women,” said Colette. “I want to create images and media about badass women doing rad stuff.” For years, Colette worked with Joe producing films about their travels, but in 2013, she branched out to focus on what had always inspired her. She started making climbing shorts about impressive women like Daila Ojeda, Melissa Le Nevé, Alizée Dufraisse, Olivia Hsu, Caroline Treadway, and Hazel Findlay. She had finally created a career path that married her climbing and traveling lifestyle, female inspiration, and a newfound love for photography and video work. “When I got really psyched on photos, Joe would always be like, ‘Take a picture of me, take a picture of me,’” Colette said, “and at the time his career was supporting us.” It was a way for her to contribute financially to the partnership, but she hated not having images of herself. She pointed the lens in a new direction—a broken mirror on a side street in Cornudella, Spain, a subway window in Tokyo, a pair of
PHOTO BY COLETTE MCINERNEY (TOP); CAROLINE TREADWAY
and traveled to France and Spain. In 2005 Colette sent Heretic Wisdom (5.12a) at the Wailing Wall in St. George, Utah. A year later, she jumped a number grade when she sent Minus Five, a 5.13a, also in St. George. “I was mainly a boulderer and had made a definitive switch to sport climbing, but I was a total wuss and way out of my comfort zone on a rope,” she said. By 2011, she had climbed Fluff Boy (5.13c) in Rifle and Vigor (5.13c) in Gorges du Loup, France. Road life was far from constant sending and living the dream. “It was fucking epic,” said Colette of trying Apocalypse 05, a 5.13c at Rifle’s Project Wall. She began the project in early summer 2010, working it while on a regimen of painkillers, Red Bull, and three days on. “I remember getting so angry; I threw my shoe and my iPod down the road,” she said of developing tendonitis from too much climbing and a women’s arm wrestling competition. Colette finished the route later that season, and her obsession only intensified. She focused solely on climbing for a February 2013 trip to Spain, instead
PHOTO BY CAROLINE TREADWAY
COLETTE WORKS JOE BLOW (5.13C) AT THE HURRICAVE NEAR ST. GEORGE, UTAH.
sunglasses in Céüse, France—in each reflection, one can see a pair of strong eyebrows above a camera. “I started taking photos in reflections initially just to remember I was there,” Colette said. “I take tons of them all the time that nobody sees, and I just keep them for myself like little diaries.” While many climbers find simple entertainment in Colette’s photos, playfully mimicking her with the Instagram hashtag #coletteing, for others, the pictures are more significant, offering a break from the traditionally dominant “male gaze.” “It’s this idea that visual media, the way it presents women, is from a male perspective,” said Dorey, speaking about the feminist concept from Laura Mulvey’s 1975 essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. “Movies are all about men, and the person behind the camera is usually a man too.” Colette presents herself as the photographer and the subject, ignoring the male perspective altogether and portraying a more realistic image of a woman. The disheveled hair, the squinting eyes, and the dirty mirror offer authenticity and a divergence from mainstream perceptions of beauty. Over the years, the selfies moved beyond seeing herself and remembering the events. The focus
sharpened. The woman in the reflection became more defined. Through her videos, selfies, and other photography work, Colette shows strong female characters, women who are capable of adventuring, climbing, and living independent of men. She’s not trying to make a point; she’s just putting her work and perspective into the climbing world. “I don’t know if my ‘women climbing films’ differ from other videos, but I like telling stories about people,” she said. “Not just the routes they do, but why and how they do them. I try to convey a deeper story.”
“ When I think back to what inspired me as a climber, it's always been images of women.”
IN MARCH 2016, Colette left Utah for three weeks in Australia. Afterward, she would return to the U.S. to climb in Vegas, Bishop, around Los Angeles, and then she would drive to Nashville to deal with her storage unit by the summer. “If you look at the calendar and go backward, it looks different every two or three months,” she said. The summer would be Switzerland and Céüse, and fall would be spent back in the states. Half of the traveling would be for climbing, and half for film work. For Colette, there isn’t a place to be, but a time to be there. CLIMBING.COM —
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THAT ONE TIME
Cowboy Up
ILLUSTRATION BY WESLEY BEDROSIAN
BY ANDREW BURR, AS TOLD TO KEVIN CORRIGAN
THE PLAN WAS to climb Utah’s Castleton Tower and then haul a full-size Weber grill, food for a few dozen hungry climbers, and 60 beers up the North Chimney. There were 36 people in attendance, and only about half of them knew about it before the climb—the other half got the surprise of their lives when they topped out Castleton to a fullblown backyard barbecue. As each unaware climber neared the
summit, someone would lean over the edge and take their order: cheeseburger, veggie burger, or hot dog. I left a can underneath my truck in the parking lot so the unsuspecting partygoers could throw a few bucks in when they got back. Between the beer and the Costco bill, I broke even. The theme of this year’s barbecue was cowboys, so my wife and I wore oversized 20-gallon foam cowboy hats for the climb. Heading up the North Chimney, I was lead-
ing the funky offwidth squeeze that extends about 20 feet off the belay. I got myself in the crack and immediately realized I had a problem—the tight slot had pushed my jumbo cartoon hat down over my head, so much so that it was sitting on my shoulders. My entire head was inside the hat. Oh no, I thought. I can’t fix this. My hands were locked in a stack, and I couldn’t take them out to adjust the hat. My only choice was to keep going until I whipped. I climbed through the whole section blind, somewhat deaf, and completely dumb.
CONTRIBUTE YOUR FUNNY CLIMBING STORIES TO LETTERS @CLIMBING.COM. 30
— JUNE 2016
Made In Spain
FIXEhardware Quality Climbing Equipment Since 1992
Alien Original
ZZZ À [HKDUGZDUH FRP
VOICES : O U T O N A LEDG E
Married to the Muse BY KATIE LAMBERT
My toes were sore from four days of standing on the gotas de eau (tiny water-carved pockets), and my skin was raw from crimping the sharp rock that sliced everything it came into contact with. The plan was to climb a few steep pitches during the cool morning to wait at the belay stance below the 5.13 crux for that perfect golden light. We would be there for god knows how long. I was already stiff, my joints only getting more achy at the thought of the crux pitch above me: a right-leaning, overhanging crack that eventually ended with a series of boulder problems on gastons, sidepulls, and high-steps. When it was finally time to climb, I mechanically moved through the route and its multiple cruxes, and before I realized it, the anchor was quickly approaching. I was filled with relief and satisfaction from the patience and work that had gone into getting these shots, but any contentment was abruptly shot when my loving husband called out, “Katie, can you take on that, lower down, and do it all again?” This was a common occurrence between Ben, the photographer, and me, the climber. Each time I told myself, “It’s not about me; it’s about the aesthetics of the climb.” After all, creating a story to share with the public about this place and our experiences there is what has afforded us this dream lifestyle of traveling, climbing, and shooting. It’s exactly what I wanted when I married a professional photographer: waking up at 4:30 a.m. to chase the light, climbing entire pitches over and over and over again, tilting my head in just the right awkward way so my face is visible. Nevermind the gobies or the rest days sacrificed to get the shot or the bright red rash from too much time in a harness.
CAKED IN A LAYER of sweat and dirt with unwashed hair flying wildly around me, I was tired and irritable, but the click-click-click of Ben’s camera urged me to hang on just a little bit longer. We had been camping and climbing on the Naranjo de Bulnes peak above 8,000 feet in northern Spain for the last few weeks, and at this exact second, the last thing I wanted was to have my picture taken. The day before, I had sent Murciana 78, a 1,640-foot 7c+/5.13a while battling frigid temps, screaming barfies, and relentless wind as the orbayo (a thick, wet mist) shrouded the wall. I needed a rest day; sleep and hot tea were all I could think about, but we still had work to do.
KATIE LAMBERT is a professional climber based out of a van in California’s Sierra Nevada with her husband and photographer, Ben Ditto. Lambert has climbed for more than 20 years on everything from boulders to big walls.
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— JUNE 2016
AS A YOUTH perusing the climbing mags, I thought every photo was a documentation of the send in action, that it all happened in real time. When I started working with various pro climbing photographers, I realized that much of the time, those perfect and beautiful pictures are posed. The rope needs to be rigged for the photog, the climber needs to be in place for the good light, and the wardrobe needs to be just right. No matter if it’s hot or cold or wet or the climber is exhausted—you gotta get the shot. Ben and I have tested the limits of our relationship as photographer-climber and husband-wife while bickering over the best angle, clothing color, body position, and when to say enough is enough. Posing down shots turns me into a model of sorts, complete with self-consciousness and diva-like tendencies. I want my hair and clothes to look good, with all my sponsor logos visible, and, wait, is that pimple on my cheek obvious? Nerves and anxiety make me edgy, and like many couples’ dynamics, I seek comfort and reassurance from Ben. “I’m having a hard time getting psyched for this because I just finished work, I’m not warmed up, this route is really hard, and I don’t know what to wear!” I say. “Katie, what are you talking about right now? We agreed on this. Just wear this shirt and those pants and maybe bring that jacket. Get yourself together; this is what we’re doing
PHOTO BY DAN QUINN
today,” he responds calmly and assertively. For him it’s a tough job to fill the role of nurturing husband, photographer, rigger, creative director, and climber. He helps keep me grounded by pointing out that not only am I a professional, but that I should also appreciate the privilege we have to be in these situations together. “Look around at where you are right now and think about that for a minute,” he told me once, a perspective that reminds me we are very fortunate to travel to these destinations and follow the lines that inspire us. Documenting the send as it’s happening provides a real rawness to the images: screaming and fighting the pump with contorted faces and focused eyes. It’s a more organic process, but the ropes still need to be rigged with me wearing the right clothes, in the right light, etc. These situations do make me feel more like myself, more like a climber. But that means the high emotions of trying hard in battle mode are not limited to being just between the climber and the route. In those serendipitous but rare moments when the send and the shot come together, everything can be perfect, but coming up short on both can result in expletives and blame. “The sound of your camera was too distracting!” I yell at Ben with anything but compassion or understanding. “Do you have to be so close?” “Katie, it’s OK. You’re OK. Everything is OK,” he says with the occasional (and thankfully imperceptible) eye roll. But sometimes the photographer needs comforting too. “I know this is our last chance to do this, but I don’t want to go up there,” Ben said as we eyed up the wall on the morning of the Murciana 78 shoot. “The light sucks, and we’re probably wasting our time.” “It will be fine,” I responded. “We will go up there, try our best, and work with what we get. You never know, it might just turn out great.” SEVEN YEARS AGO, I met Ben Ditto through the lens, high up on Middle Cathedral in Yosemite. He was shooting James Lucas and me on Border Country (V 5.12c) for a story that James was writing. James had known Ben for about a year and described him as a strong sport climber from Utah. As a student of soaring granite walls, that laconic description didn’t impress me all that much, and I wondered what the heck a sport climber from Utah would know about climbing in Yosemite and shooting on a big wall. Luckily for me, Ben was something of an anomaly. Climbing the route above us with a friend, he gracefully waltzed up the diffi-
cult route, taking snaps along the way. He sent each of the 12 pitches that day without falling, something that was pretty impressive, even for a granite expert, which he wasn’t. His footwork was perfect, his balance elegant, and his power abundant. His speed and efficiency at belays combined with that perfect, bright white smile made me quite curious as to who this guy really was. Over the course of the next year, I beBEN DITTO came enamored with Ben and all of his PHOTOGRAPHS HIS FUTURE WIFE IN adventures. We kept in touch via social TUOLUMNE MEADOWS. media and “discrete” internet stalking, and eventually we made a plan to do some climbing the following spring after his return from Patagonia. His imagery spoke volumes about his travels and accomplishments, but they also featured a strong sense of environmental awareness and depth. He wasn’t just documenting; he was telling a story filled with beauty and emotion. He seemed like the ideal partner for me, someone to adventure and collaborate with, a relationship founded on our shared love for climbing. My hypothesis came true, and in the following years of dating and now marriage, we’ve traveled to nine countries, shooting everything from V10s in Tuolumne Meadows to 5.14s in Spain to 2,200-foot routes in The Northwest Territories of Canada. Despite his constant love and support, sometimes I feel like an imposter compared to the climbing talent and skill that lies behind the camera. While I struggle away on projects, he does them faster and with better style. I’m proud of my 20-year climbing resume: freeing numerous grade V routes, defining myself as a solid 5.13 climber of all styles, and redpointing 5.14. But his tick list of freeing El Capitan, establishing new routes on the remote walls of Baffin Island, and sending 5.14 sport lines to name a few makes me question why I’m the one getting my picture taken and not him. “I like supporting you in your goals, and I think we make a good team as storytellers” is what he would say to my insecurity. His humbleness, experience, and passion hold me at a high standard, pushing me to be the best climber I can be. For partners who are linked through both love and climbing, a palpable tension can develop when experiencing each other’s darkest emotions and brightest joys. The frustration of travel, the elation of success, the disappointment of injury, the love of nature—it has all helped Ben and I grow as individuals and as a team. PITCHING OFF THE NINTH ROPELENGTH of rattly fingers on Moonlight Buttress in Zion for the second time, I yelled over to Ben on his nearby rope, “Can I just leave the gear in and try again?” “Katie, no. Pull the gear, rest a little, and go again,” he said. “You will not be happy with yourself if you leave the pieces in; you always want to do things in the best style. Plus, the pictures won’t look as good!” I sighed as I lowered back down from the anchor— he was right, of course—and cleaned the pitch along the way. The next go, I dug each ringlock harder into the sandstone, and placing my last .5, I had made it through the final crux of the pitch. Ecstatic to have sent it in good style, I subconsciously thanked my husband for once again saying what I wasn’t willing to say myself. CLIMBING.COM —
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THE PLACE
ALEX HONNOLD FIGHTS TO SEND THE REDPOINT CRUX ON NECESSARY EVIL (5.14C) AT THE VIRGIN RIVER GORGE, ARIZONA.
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— JUNE 2016
Fall of Man
SPORT CLIMBING AND COMMITMENT AT THE VIRGIN RIVER GORGE Words and Photos by James Lucas
IN THE SPRING of 1988, Salt Lake City climbers Boone Speed and Jeff Pedersen drove through Arizona’s Virgin River Gorge (VRG) on a tip from a BLM-employed friend who had praised the velvety gray limestone he had seen there. “It’s like the French rock in the magazine,” he told Speed, who, with Pedersen, had just started developing the limestone of American Fork, Utah, and putting up some of the hardest routes in the U.S. to date. Upon first glance, the VRG cliffs were small and somewhat unimpressive, but it was enough to keep them exploring. After finding orange limestone—unlike the solid gray European stone that was promised—they pulled over on the busy thoroughfare of I-15. “We walked up to [what is now] Blasphemy Wall and just freaked out,” said Speed. Pointing to an obvious and beautiful line, Speed declared, “I’m gonna do that.” The first route at the VRG, Fall of Man, goes through steep terrain with a series of pockets and small edges that lead into a technical slab. When he sent the route in 1990, Speed conservatively rated it 5.13a. It was a 12d to a 5.11 slab. “Back then it was bolted exactly the way everything else in the world was bolted,” he said. Though power drills came to the United States in 1987, most sport routes at the time were drilled by hand, requiring 30 minutes to place each bolt. Developers placed little protection due to the physical toil of hand drilling. Speed and others bought power drills during the early days of VRG development, but the ethic of sparse bolting remained. “Being bold used to be a lot about what climbing was,” said Randy Leavitt, who also established many of the routes at the VRG, including Joe Six Pack (5.13a), Captain Fantastic (5.13c), and Horse Latitude (5.14a). “In the ’90s, we all still felt that; that was still part of our upbringing.”
Climbers have since upgraded Fall of Man, calling it solid 5.13b. THE UNCLIPPED DRAW 50 feet up on Fall of Man teased my waist. Wrapping my thumb around my fingers into a full crimp, I threw to a good left-hand edge—and missed. Screaming for 30 feet, I passed the unclipped draw as my shriek blended in with the roaring sound of the semis on the highway below. In December 2015 I met Alex Honnold at VRG to climb for a few weeks. I was stronger than ever, having spent the fall bouldering in Yosemite and sport climbing at Jailhouse in the Sierra foothills. Feeling fit and confident, I knew that now would be a good time to work
BRITTANY GRIFFITH CLIMBS FALL OF MAN (5.13B).
A JOSHUA TREE IN THE ARIZONA DESERT.
THE PLACE my weaknesses, so I headed to the VRG for good winter climbing conditions and to test my footwork and crimping skills on these old-school routes. The technical style, mandatory commitment, and overall headiness of Fall of Man make it an American classic, and an ideal project for me. After finishing the VRG’s first route in 1990, Speed rapped down to the right of it. “Oh yeah, this will probably be 5.13a or something,” he thought to himself. “It’s harder than that—I was mistaken,” he said 26 years later. Without realizing it, he bolted the hardest route in the country at the time, Necessary Evil (5.14c). “That was kind of the culmination of the [idea that the] hardest routes have the smallest holds.” It was the mindset of the era, but back in Salt Lake City, Speed and Pedersen were establishing steep routes in the Hell Cave of American Fork at the same time they were establishing techy crimp lines at the VRG. “With steeper climbing came more holds. You could hold on to shit, and it became more of a [gymnastic] sport that’s also now being fostered by the indoor climbing scene,” said Speed. Necessary Evil was first climbed in 1997 by Chris Sharma, and in the almost 20 years since the first ascent, it’s only seen a dozen repeats by some of the best climbers in the world. In 2015, Adam Ondra climbed the route in 45 minutes, slipping at the start, then falling at the redpoint crux, and sending on his third try. He called it one of the best routes in the world at the grade. Despite the accolades and the easy access 100 yards from a major highway, it’s had relatively few ascents when compared to other highly repeated lines like Golden Ticket (5.14c) or Lucifer (5.14c), both in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky, or Joe Blau (5.14c) in Oliana, Spain. All of which were established a decade or two later and have seen seven, 10, and 16 ascents, respectively. “Necessary Evil has really hard footwork, small holds, and is mentally difficult,” said pro climber Jonathan Siegrist, who climbed the route in 2011. “It’s not the type of skill or strength you can develop in a gym.” “WANNA CLIMB in the sun?” Honnold asked while staring at Necessary Evil for a minute before grabbing his backpack. It was New Year’s Eve, and three weeks of manic crimping on the limestone, the cold weather, and the roar of the semis on the nearby highway had crushed his spirits. He’d climbed from the ground to the redpoint crux four times. BJ Tilden, a 35-year-old carpenter from Wyoming and an unsung hero of American sport climbing, had tried the route with Honnold and gave him the beta, but the hard moves at mid-height—grabbing a small pinch and falling into a slot—had defeated both climbers. The south-facing Sun Cave sat just across the Virgin River, offering our numb tips and cold attitudes some warmth. We tyroled across the river and found Sunburst (5.12c), an amazing bolted tufa established by Bill Ohran. In typical Honnold fashion, he onsighted Boyle’s Route (5.13a) then flashed Sunburst. Whereas the Blasphemy Wall was cold, unforgiving, and terrifying, the Sun Cave offered friendly and safe climbing. It resembled the new-school style of climbing. The tufa holds, although steep, felt easier to hold onto. I smeared my feet and shouldered through the moves. My second try, I sent. Routes of the same grade at the Blasphemy Wall took me months. We left the crag 36
— JUNE 2016
KRISTINA RAND HOLDS TIGHT WHILE SENDING I SAW JESUS AT THE CHAINS (5.13A).
optimistic that the New Year would bring better climbing on our projects. Soon after, Tilden drove 10 hours south from his home in Lander just for another shot at Necessary Evil. He hiked the boulder problem, grabbed the small pinch and smoothly fell into the slot before walking to the anchors. A few days later, Honnold hadn’t matched his high point, partly because of the typical conditions in the canyon that Leavitt describes as “kind of diabolical.” One day, we’d be freezing, numbing off the tiny holds. The next day would be too hot. The humidity rose and fell, making the holds feel slippery and impossible to grab one minute and perfect the next. On cold days, the wind froze us. On warm days, the wind never came. All the while, the thundering sound of dozens of semis filled the canyon. “I’m going to train in Red Rocks,” Honnold told me a week later. It wasn’t a surprise. He was heading to Patagonia in a week, and his attempts on Necessary Evil had been grim. Even belaying Tilden on the send had done little to motivate him. He’d skipped a few sessions at the Blasphemy Wall to climb in southern Utah at the Chuckwalla Wall. His commitment had been wavering. “I used to call Necessary Evil the career killer because if you could do it, your name was just added to this list of other good climbers who did this supposed 14c,” Leavitt said, “but for most people, they can’t do it.” HONNOLD’S DEPARTURE left me partnerless. A thoughtful friend put a “lonely and seeking” ad on Facebook to help me find
a partner with the prerequisites that they must be open to Justin Bieber sing-alongs and hugging (sometimes). I met climbers from Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and the Bay Area just to climb a little more. After eight weeks, I had invested so much time into learning to crimp, into Fall of Man, into committing to the runout style. Getting shut down on their projects and escaping for the gym or soft beds at home, my new partners didn’t stay for more than a few days. I drove into the desert, parked by the moonlit Joshua trees a few miles away from the VRG, and cranked Bieber’s “Sorry.” Alone in the BLM land, I scoured the internet for pictures of the VRG, trying to stay psyched. On my 34th attempt on Fall of Man, I grabbed a crimp, moved my feet, placed a single finger on an undercling, and threw to a pinch. Finally busting through the hard bottom section, I could still hear the rumbling of the cars on the highway. My legs shook. I felt like an autumn leaf, ready to blow off the wall. Higher on the route, I grabbed a credit card edge and reached up. I found myself stepping on limestone smears and walking up the low-angle rock. My heart spiked. The space between my ears screamed, completely taxed. Was this it? Would that smear hold? Should I drop my heel? I panicked, took a breath, then stared down to the last bolt 20 feet below, and slowly crept upward. I clipped the anchor and kept climbing until I topped out. I untied and let the cord drop to my belayer. I needed a moment to recover mentally while I walked off the cliff. I wondered what, if anything, was next. “I’VE CLIMBED SOME routes that have so many bolts it’s embarrassing,” Leavitt said. “We never would have wanted something like that at the VRG.” At times, the old-school approach of route development kept people away. The VRG is arguably one of the best sport climbing destinations in the U.S., but the number of visiting climbers pales in comparison to friendlier areas like the Red River Gorge, Rifle, Colorado, or Ten Sleep, Wyoming. Just to the left of Fall of Man is another VRG classic. I Saw Jesus at the Chains (5.13a) involves thuggy climbing over a roof before sustained crimping for four bolts on a wildly runout slab. “That route had been climbed maybe two or three times in the 20 years since it was put up. That was because there was definitely groundfall potential,” said VRG local Todd Perkins. In 2014, Perkins, funded by Las Vegas climber Rob Jensen, replaced all of the hardware at the VRG with glue-in bolts and fixed perma-draws. Perkins, who lives in nearby St. George, Utah, added two bolts to I Saw Jesus at the Chains, which no one complained about. “We call it sport climbing because that’s what it is. You’re having fun,” said Perkins. “I always believed sport climbing should be something you can pursue safely.” The day after completing Fall of Man, one of the hardest routes I’d ever climbed, I sent I Saw Jesus at the Chains. Maybe I was feeling strong, maybe the weather was good, but what probably made the difference was the additional bolts. While this route is still a far cry from a modern, well-protected sport climb, the safer bolting lower on the route allowed me to head into the crux with confidence. I left the VRG shortly after sending, wondering if added bolts enhanced the experience. Whether running it out between protection or fighting through the mental low points, climbing requires commitment.
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FOR THE ROCK. Heather Weidner | Ball and Chain: 5.11+ | 42°04’40.1”N 113°43’26.4”W Rampage Jacket | Cipher Hoodie | MeCo 120 Tee | Flux Pants Photo: Jeremiah Watt | WWW.RAB.EQUIPMENT
UNSENT
6 Classic Sandbags Climber beware. Though the phrases below may sound encouraging, they all mean the same thing: You’re about to get spanked. BY THE EDITORS
Use the obvious sidepull
PHOTOS BY ANDREW BURR
HOW ABOUT YOU LEAD THIS NEXT ONE? The guidebook VD\V LW·V only 5.7
CLIP THE BOMBER FIXED PIECE
It’s a great
warm-up CLIMBING.COM —
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VOICES : G RAS PIN G AT DRAWS
The Criticism Brigade BY ANDREW TOWER
THIS PAST OCTOBER I made my way to Yosemite with my lovely wife-to-be. She cares not for the folly of climbing so we were there just to take in some sights, do some hiking, and bask in the glory that Yosemite offers to full-blown adventurers and rubber-neckers alike. We hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls, a steep three-mile slog with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain—a real ass-burner. At the top, despite being terrified watching the wobbly legs of overripe tourists teeter close to the edge of the cliff, I spied with my little eyes a gang of climbers over on Lost Arrow Spire. By gang, I mean gong show. I even took photos of the climbers on the summit, the climbers across the tyrolean, and hell, I could still see climbers hangin’ around at the top of the last pitch. I shook my head and turned back down the trail both jealous and piteous of those dangling high above the valley floor. It wasn’t until later that I found out Sasha DiGiulian, a friend I’d texted about being in the Valley at the same time, was climbing Lost Arrow that day with Kevin Jorgeson. I unfairly and probably inaccurately assumed that everyone on that busy October day was a part of her crew, and I immediately scoffed at the notion that this sport climbing superhero was logging time on Valley classics. This was no place for a sport climber! Hey Sasha, the Red River Gorge called, they want their fixed draws back. Not 12 hours later, I was cheering on my fiancée while Beth Rodden gently coached her up a 5.6 she was toproping on Manure Pile Buttress, the dump of a crag that sits below El Cap. Hey Andrew, Simon Cowell called, he wants his pointlessly callous judgment back.
My crappy reaction isn’t unique. I’ve seen it dozens of times in just the last few months. “There’s a new trend in the climbing industry…” It’s in quotes because I probably read it somewhere during each and every one of the inevitable shitstorms that stirs in the great ocean of the internet after some young climbing star or starlet climbs (by leading or being led) a long route that requires creative belay stances or trad widgets or ice maneuvering. The routes are never very hard (by a sport climbing or bouldering standard), and thus, obviously not very newsworthy. But of course we act all high and mighty about it. Holier than thou and thine. “Nina Williams got a magazine cover climbing the Rostrum. That should be easy for a double-digit boulderer—what a poser!” Nevermind that every other month the climbing mags’ covers feature nonames on photogenic 5.10s. Then we get indignant about the achievements that mainstream media doesn’t promote. (And in this instance I’m pretending that our favorite blogs and magazines are the mainstream channels.) That’s because they’re everywhere. We know about all of them because we’re inundated morning, noon, and night with the coverage of these climbs from the climbers themselves, their sponsors, their photographers, their friends, their climbing partners, and anyone else who may have found it inspiring enough to tap “share” on Facebook. Sasha on Ice, the off-Broadway tour de force in which a Columbia student tries a new adventure only to be lambasted by those who have neither the means nor the ability to compete physically or mentally with our fame-laden protagonist, but do have the idle time to make sure their voice is heard loud and clear across public channels and private chats.
ANDREW TOWER traded in a core-climber life for a cushy desk job in San Francisco where he fills his time climbing in the gym and complaining about it.
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— JUNE 2016
IN SOME DISTANT PAST I would have assumed all the trolling and hating came from Boss McGillicutty, the infamous message board–troll alter ego of Kelly Cordes, who terrorized the climbers of Boulder, Colorado, back when message boards were a thing and we still thought everyone online was a real person. This was a pre-Snowden utopia, near-free from the permanence our online lives have today. His trolling was so purposely bad that he hightailed it to the Boulder Public Library to hide his IP address. I digress. If not Boss, then maybe some antique whose gnarled fingers could barely nob out the letters of their misguided reactions on a smartphone, someone who won’t understand the changing trajectory of climbing culture. Or maybe it was said antique’s hipster mentee who flat-out rejects any new way but the old school. Fear and danger make the climber a climber. Modern safety
practices amounting merely to masturbation, while real sex can be found in the mountains. A weather-worn copy of Freedom of the Hills tucked inside a center console, Mark Twight quotes on the tip of the tongue. (Once, I wanted to be one of this group. Or at least a poser version of it. I showed up to my first climbing mag internship with a sticker-laden laptop baring one choice emblem of a bolt with a giant red X through it. Live and learn.) But now, it seems to be coming from all sides. Core lady boulderers, 5.11 trad daddies, Euro grade–repping sporties. Doesn’t matter.
PHOTO BY ANDREW TOWER
SOMETIME IN THE LAST QUARTER of my total years climbing, well after I realized I may never tag a V-teen outside and that I didn’t much care if I did or not, I came to the conclusion that it didn’t matter how hard I managed to climb in a single bound. What mattered to me was where that newfound strength would take me. Climbing 5.14 might get me a single round of beers from my friends. I say might because they’ve already done it for far smaller accomplishments. It’s as unimpressive as running a five-minute mile. Pretty good? Yep. Extraordinary? Absolutely not. Pros routinely log sub-four like they were tying their shoes. But if I could onsight 5.12+ or 5.13, well, I could reasonably climb even better, longer, steeper, more exposed routes. Instead of Nutcracker (5.8) at Manure Pile, I might be able to comfortably do Astroman or the Rostrum. Who knows, maybe I could drag my pathetic gymclimbin’ ass up a real El Cap route like Emily Harrington. I’ve also realized that I don’t give a tiny dog turd if my climbing heroes are climbing 5.13+ X gear routes, M10 on ice tools, or V12 cruxes in the middle of grade V alpine routes. If they came out of the womb double-clutching Bzaaat! dynos worthy of 4k quality and six-digit views, then why should I blink an eye if they decide to take their training and talents to more intense, “core” aspects of climbing? For most of us, the Rostrum is a lifetime goal. If Nina Williams can romp up that thing on a random weekend, post a couple photos, and be psyched about her progress, why shouldn’t we also be psyched? Our collective jealousy of her successes and her exposure isn’t going to stop her from doing even harder routes next season on El Cap, like many strong men and women have done before her and will continue to do after her. Lynn Hill’s first free climb wasn’t the Nose. Yours wasn’t Freerider. As climbers, we are (or should try to be) always growing in our sport and in life. If we’re not, then what are we really here for?
GEAR
PHOTO BURR PHOTOBYBYANDREW TK
You’re gonna need the right pair of shoes for that approach. Turn the page for five excellent options.
MIKE BRUMBAUGH SURVEYS THE BECKEYCHOUINARD (5.10) ON SOUTH HOWSER TOWER IN THE BUGABOOS, CANADA.
CLIMBING.COM —
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GEAR
BIG REVIEW
Get There Move fast in the mountains with these 5 new approach shoes
CLIMBING SHOE MEETS hiking boot meets trail runner—the approach shoe is one of the most versatile types of footwear out there. Getting to your chosen climbing destination can involve a fiveminute stroll, talus-hopping in the high alpine, scrambling fourth and fifth class, hiking on a trail, bushwhacking, and everything in between. Add to that carrying a heavy pack and having some semblance of style for hitting up the bar afterward, and it’s clear that climbers demand a lot from our shoes. The Climbing testers traveled to four countries and dozens of crags to put these five models through the wringer, and they outperformed every other shoe on the market.
SHOTS FROM THE FIELD...
JAMES LUCAS COMPLETES A #GRAMPATROL OF THE FIRST FLATIRON IN BOULDER, COLORADO.
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— JUNE 2016
Adidas Terrex Agravic
Five Ten Access
$135; adidasoutdoor.com
$130; fiveten.com
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
Designed as a technical trail runner, testers immediately noticed the Adidas Terrex Agravic’s “unbelievable comfort that made it awesome to wear for hours at a time.” Credit the cushy Boost midsole: When your foot presses down, it responds by bouncing back and returning energy into your whole leg. Testers found it reduced strain on feet, ankles, knees, and hips: “I felt fresh and ready to continue after three hours of scrambling in the alpine,” one Colorado tester said. Continental rubber inspired confidence on all types of scree, slab, trail, and bushwhacking terrain in the Verdon Gorge, and a moderate weight (11 oz. for a half pair of men’s 9 and 9.4 oz. for women’s 7) made them unnoticeable when clipped to the back of a harness. Comfortable out of the box, these shoes feature a thin foam tongue that retains ease of wear even when laces were cranked way down. The mesh version is breathable, and testers’ feet never got swampy in temps up to 80°F (also offered with Gore-Tex for an extra $15). With a lug-only sole (no flat “climbing” zone) and a lot of flexibility, they aren’t meant for technical climbing terrain.
Put Five Ten’s signature dot rubber sole on a breathable, beefed-up trail runner and you have the Access. “It’s the best of both worlds between a technical approach shoe and a lightweight hiker,” one tester said after two months with them. A leather version ($140) offers more durability and protection, perfect for off trail and colder climates, while a mesh version provides more breathability, perfect for on trail and warmer weather. Testers found the EVA foam midsole absorbed shock well when jumping on and off boulders, and the dot rubber offered excellent traction on rock slabs and dirt trails. Our tester said, “The Stealth S1 rubber sole is durable and sticky, giving great technical performance on challenging terrain and in wet conditions.” A toe cap adds toughness for protection of sensitive digits, and a padded mesh tongue kept the shoe comfortable for full mountain days. With a large panel on the side and behind the Achilles that is integrated into the lacing system, testers found the shoe had a lot of sideways support when the foot twisted on uneven terrain, meaning “these felt more secure than your standard trail runner.”
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
With good style (“I felt chic even walking around fashionable France.”), unbeatable comfort, and an airy weight and feel, these are perfect for trail and bushwhacking approaches, easy scrambling, trail running, and travel.
Approach shoe toughness with trail runner feel and fit, the Access is ideal for every type of terrain up to low fifth class thanks to a sticky dot rubber sole, increased upper support, and medium stiffness.
BOTTOM LINE
BOTTOM LINE
Airy Scramblers
Lightweight Slab Senders
PHOTO BY AUSTIN SIADAK
BY JAMES LUCAS
WHICH APPROACH SHOES ARE RIGHT FOR ME?
“Approach shoe” is a general term for any type of footwear that transports the climber from car to crag, but some climbers can get by with sneakers while others might need full-on mountain boots. When picking your next pair, keep in mind the type of terrain you navigate most often. If you’re going to be climbing technical terrain, you’ll want something that’s semi-stiff with sticky rubber and a flat area directly under the toe for edging. If you’re walking off a multi-pitch, take weight and upper flexibility into consideration. Shallow lugs or dot rubber on the sole offer the best grip for traveling on slabs and hopping around on boulders, while deep lugs are better for dirt and mud. If the majority of your climbing is approached via trail, think about lightweight trail runners.
Scarpa Gecko
Arc’teryx Arakys
La Sportiva TX2
$179; scarpa.com
$150; arcteryx.com
$125; sportiva.com
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
“When I think of ‘approach shoes,’ this is exactly what I envision,” one tester said of the burly but nimble Gecko, worn at various crags in the Pacific Northwest. “They feel tactical, like I could scamper up anything.” At 13.5 ounces for a half pair of men’s size 9, these are relatively heavy, but offer protection and durability. These were the best climbers in the test, with lugs in the midfoot and rear for the trail and a flat climbing area underneath the toes for technical edging, plus over-the-toe rubber for cracks. A dual-density midsole offers stiffness and support for climbing (the stiffest shoes in the test). One downside to that rigidity is that these were uncomfortable for long days with heavy packs. Suede uppers were supple after a few weeks, and loosening the laces made for easy transitions between climbing and belaying, while tightening the laces increased security for vertical terrain. After four months of abuse, the Gecko showed no degradation. The combination suede and polyester mesh upper was breathable, but testers found it performed best in cooler temps and shoulder seasons.
Designed for moderate approaches, cragging, and around-town wear, the Arakys features style and innovation in a lightweight shoe. Arc’teryx’s Adaptive Fit Lite technology creates a laminated one-piece upper that conforms to the foot, eliminating hot spots and providing a solid fit for scrambling and climbing easy terrain. “The Arakys stood out for single-pitch cragging and bouldering,” one tester said. “A buckle closure replaces regular laces for fast on and off, and the back of the shoe folds flat for when your climbing shoes are off and you’re on belay duty.” While the buckle closure is perfect for constant shoe changes, testers found it harder to dial in fit, and one tester said it was difficult to actually get the buckle hooked. An EVA foam midsole provided comfort and support for mileage with a heavy pack, while the one-piece upper helped testers feel more secure when terrain got technical. To maximize performance, downsize a full size from your standard street shoe. The Arakys packs flat and weighs 9.5 ounces for a half pair of men’s 9.5, perfect for clipping to a harness or cramming in a pack.
“Fast and light is the best description for the TX2,” one tester said after lapping Boulder’s First Flatiron a few times. Scrambling approaches, climbing up to 5.6, hauling up a long multipitch, the TX2 shines for all these situations. “This shoe was one of the closest-fitting I’ve used thanks to a knitted polyester upper that really wraps around the foot and to-the-toe lacing that cranks the whole shoe securely down.” Although the lacing system did provide added stability when smearing, one tester found the laces “really thin and a bit tricky to handle.” A Vibram Megagrip sole has dot rubber on the whole foot, with a flat section under the asymmetric toe for climbing. Testers found the toe box a little too roomy for feeling really comfortable on harder fifth class moves, but it was a welcome addition when plodding down steep hills on the descent and for putting on after a long day of climbing. Designers also put a slight flare on the outside of the foot near the pinky toe for more control during twisting motions. The low profile and flat sole make them a great fit for folks with low-volume feet and low arches.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
For approaches that involve a lot of scrambling, scree, or sections up to 5.8, the Gecko is the stiff, supportive, protective, durable, and burly shoe for the job. For cushy comfort and lighter weight shoes, look elsewhere.
Ideal for cragging, bouldering, or multi-pitching when you need a pair of descent shoes, these are lightweight but supportive for both trail travel and technical terrain. Great if you’re looking for one shoe to do it all.
These slimmed-down approach shoes have a design and climbing-specific sole for approaches and objectives where weight and speed are the main concerns. However, consider a more supportive shoe for heavy packs and high arches.
BOTTOM LINE
BOTTOM LINE
BOTTOM LINE
Burly Climbers
Versatile Crag Kicks
Light and Fast CLIMBING.COM —
45
GEAR
TESTED
Field Notes
THE LATEST AND GREATEST FROM OUR DILIGENT TESTERS By Julie Ellison
[Climber-focused support]
[Side sleeper’s summer bag]
HANDFUL ADJUSTABLE BRA
EDDIE BAUER FLYING SQUIRREL 40°
If lady climbers are endowed with more than an AA cup, then finding the right sports bra can be like a search for the holy grail. Support for training runs, comfort for long alpine days, and coverage for sweaty, shirtless gym sessions are an absolute must. The Handful Adjustable Bra nails all three. “It’s great for every activity, and it more than lives up to their ‘flatter not flatten’ motto under normal clothes,” one tester said. Flat seams and a wide bottom band are comfortable next to skin, even when worn for 24-hour travel days. A wicking lining prevents sweat from building up, and removable Lights Out pads increase coverage, while broad-shouldered female crushers loved the adjustable shoulder straps that “didn’t cut in to my trapezius muscles like other bras.” Plus, the straps can be configured straight, in an X, or tied up as a halter top. $50; handful.com
With no zippers, no drawcords, and a simple toggle-loop closure, the Flying Squirrel is an ingenious manifestation of the new trend in sleeping systems that eschews standard mummy bag designs. “It’s like wrapping yourself in a cozy cocoon,” one tester said, “except with this one you get to choose how tight and snug you want to be—and you can throw a leg out when it gets hot.” The bottom is a traditional footbox, but it only extends to about halfway up the shins, then each blanket flap comes out of the footbox and goes up to the mid-neck. Testers used this while camping near the Verdon Gorge in temps down to 38°F, but found it performed best in temps around 44°F. Ripstop nylon didn’t tear when it got stuck in the zipper of the tent, and it packs down pretty small, “like a large cantaloupe.” $299; eddiebauer.com
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— JUNE 2016
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Vintage Climbing Gear
[Versatile commuter pack] [Airiest brain bucket]
ALITE DESIGNS RENEGADE PACK
MAMMUT WALL RIDER
Don’t be fooled by this backpack’s sleek urban style—it holds a plethora of features and “an impressive amount of comfort” that make it ideal for crag crossover. One tester carried this pack every day to the office, gym, and on multiple transatlantic crossings for both a travel bag and a crag pack. “It’s the only pack I’ve ever been able to load down with climbing and camera gear as well as a laptop and easily carry it for more than 24 hours,” she said. That’s thanks to a midweight foam backpanel that conformed to the wearer’s back without feeling like a sweaty suction cup. A super-durable 600-denier polyester outer stood up to the abuses of travel and being dragged over sharp limestone, and top and front handles made it easy to throw around. The features were perfect for globe-trotting: one large open pocket to slide cell phone, passport, and boarding pass in and out, a rolltop with inner magnet that helps it close fast, and a side zipper for quick laptop access. $80; alitedesigns.com
“Never have I had so many people compliment me on my helmet,” one tester said after wearing it in two countries and at a half-dozen climbing areas. The Wall Rider sits low on the head, which came in handy in tight squeezes, and the larger size (56–61cm) only weighs 6.9 ounces, even with the addition of the mini visor that helped shield testers’ eyes from the sun without wearing a hat underneath. The real weight savings comes from the webbing-only harness that “conformed to my head, never irritated my skin, and held the lid solidly in place for all-day routes.” It’s easy to adjust in the rear and under the chin thanks to the doubled-up material that’s effortless to grab and pull. An expanded polypropylene (EPP) core and a partial hard shell on top combine the light weight of a foam helmet with the added protection and increased durability of a traditional helmet with plastic covering. $100; mammut.ch
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CLINICS
Rappel With a Pig BY ALEXA FLOWER
HOW TO DESCEND SAFELY WITH A HAULBAG
Stormy weather moves in, and two climbers halfway up a 2,000-foot big wall lack the supplies to wait it out. At the same time, another party reaches the summit and now needs to descend the wall for a well-earned beer. Both groups must know how to rappel with a heavy haulbag, also called “riding the pig.” Improper technique can not only be dangerous, but it can easily tire out even strong climbers, which increases the risk of making a mistake. Members of Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) rappel often with heavy bags, so we use a reliable technique that puts the heavy weight onto the belay device instead of the climber. It also allows the climber to exit the system efficiently, mitigating risk and simplifying the descent.
Vertical Terrain
Overhanging or Traversing Terrain
Pour out unnecessary water to lighten the load. If bailing, the team no longer needs five days’ worth of water.
Ride the pig with the bag hanging between your legs; this allows you to guide it around rocks and down low-angle terrain.
Keep ascenders and aiders clipped to the harness so you can go up if necessary. Attach daisy chains to your tie-in points for clipping in to each anchor.
Clip yourself and the bag to the next anchor using the extra daisy chain or lower-out line and Munter-mule. This ensures it won’t be dropped.
Girth-hitch two runners or daisy chains to the haulbag: one to clip to the rappel device and the other to clip the bag into the anchor before and after rappelling. With a weighty haulbag, anchor it to the wall using a Munter-mule hitch on the lower-out line. This will help ease the weight onto the rappel device and bypass heavy lifting.
Repeat until you’re on the ground.
The first person takes the rack and any extra weight. Prepare two ropes for a double-rope rappel on the anchor, then pull up a few feet of rope and fix one rope by tying a double figure eight knot and clipping each loop to a piece of pro with a locking carabiner. The first person descends this rope while also keeping the second rope clipped
through a quickdraw on their harness. This keeps it within easy reach. Rappelling a single line allows for easier ascension if the climber can’t reach the wall, which is necessary for the next step. As the terrain traverses or steepens, the first person will “down-aid” the pitch by placing gear every few feet to act as a directional and clipping both ropes to each piece. This will keep the climber close enough to the wall to keep moving in the desired direction. Arriving at the next anchor, the first person loosely fixes both ropes to the anchor with a few feet of slack and an overhand on a bight, which allows the second to pull in and lower out while cleaning the gear.
Set the rappel device up on the rope with a locking carabiner. This will be the central carabiner.
The second person unfixes one line and prepares to rappel with double ropes.
Clip one of the haulbag’s runners to the central carabiner with another locking carabiner. Keeping the haulbag clipped to the device instead of the belay loop reduces the weight on the climber and provides a quick exit to the system.
The second person “rides the pig.” When needed, pull on either rope to move closer to the wall and take out gear. Because the ropes are clipped to each succeeding piece and loosely fixed at the anchor below, the climber can slowly let slack out instead of swinging wildly, and continue downward.
Girth-hitch a daisy chain to your belay loop, then clip that to the central carabiner with a locking carabiner. Use a prusik or autoblock hitch as a rappel backup.
Climber
Haulbag
ALEXA FLOWER works for YOSAR and spends summers big wall climbing in Yosemite.
CLIMBING.COM —
49
CLINICS
TRAINING
Hangboard Ladders BY STEVE BECHTEL
BUILD LONG-TERM FINGER STRENGTH WITH STRUCTURED HANGBOARDING
In climbing, when your fingers fail, the rest of your body falls. Focusing on this direct connection to the rock can benefit your climbing performance greatly, and luckily, finger strength is relatively easy to train. The key with this, like any training, is to do it correctly and in the right amount, as too much can be time-consuming, boring, and possibly harmful. In my 20+ years of training experience, I’ve found a simple way to maximize finger strength while staying far away from the zone where injury is possible. The idea is to strategically change the volume of work in any given session via “hangboard ladders,” where easy, medium, and hard sets are cycled through and weights are adjusted in a way that increases strength while completely avoiding risk.
How Isometric Training Works
once they grab the rock, making isometric training the most useful for finger strengthening. Several studies on isometric strength have shown that the total volume of load (time hanging) is more important than the degree of load (weight). Using varying percentages of maximum weight and adjusting the total time each athlete worked under load, these studies demonstrated that it matters less how hard the muscles were worked than how long muscles were under tension. In one study, the team showed that seven one-minute contractions at just 30% of maximum resulted in a strength increase of about 30% in just six weeks. Similar studies showed that it’s possible to gain just as much strength at slightly reduced loads (65 to 75% of maximum) as one might gain while training at maximum (more than 90%) effort. Clearly this is the better method for most climbers, as it provides faster recovery between sessions and minimizes injury risk to sensitive fingers.
The most basic way to get stronger is to work against a load that is “maximal” for just one or two repetitions. Training close to one’s max yields the greatest gains in strength, but there is a major problem: The body can’t take it. Working with maximal loads takes a massive toll on the muscles and nervous system, and it also risks injury to joints and tendons with intense repetition. Moreover, recovering from training with heavy weights can take 72 or more hours, whereas training with a more moderate weight only requires about 24 hours to recover. This is particularly true in isometric (static) training, where the exercise involves holding a muscle in a static position, like planks, wall sits, or hangboarding. Isometric training simply teaches the muscles to get strong in a fixed range, where the muscle is not significantly lengthening or shortening during the set of work. This is in contrast to more “traditional” modes of training, called isoOne school of thought for hangboard training is that you should tonic training, that involve concentric and eccentric contractions. always train an open-hand grip, but that doesn’t mimic real-world Closing the elbow and bringing the weight up in a bicep curl, which shortens the muscle body, is a concentric action. The eccentric action is the opposite, where the muscle is allowed to lengthen under load, or opening the elbow in a bicep curl. Isometric action would simply be holding the elbow in one position, say a 90° bend. Although all three actions are used in most movement, climb- Open hand: Second joint is below the Half crimp: Second and first joints are Full crimp: Second joint is above the ers generally hold the level of the first joint on a large edge or even on a hold; requires moderate effort. first joint, requires most effort. fingers in a fixed position sloper; requires least amount of effort.
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— JUNE 2016
PHOTO BY TK
Finger Positions
1. OPEN HAND
2. FULL CRIMP
3. HALF CRIMP
Week 1 (2x)
3 sets of 3-6-9
3 sets of 3-6-9
3 sets of 3-6-9
Week 2 (2x)
4 sets of 3-6-9
4 sets of 3-6-9
4 sets of 3-6-9
Week 3 (2x)
5 sets of 3-6-9
5 sets of 3-6-9
5 sets of 3-6-9
Week 4 (2x)
3 sets of 3-6-9-12
3 sets of 3-6-9-12
3 sets of 3-6-9-12
Hangboard Ladders: A Few Rules The goal of this program is to build strength over a variety of hang times while maintaining a very low risk of injury. Follow these guidelines to maximize your training. X Don’t get pumped. If you are pumped or sweating, you aren’t resting long enough between hangs. X Train while climbing hard outside. This is a pure strength program, so it’s appropriate to use at the same time as you are trying to climb well outside. If you are a weekend warrior, this is a great Monday through Thursday plan, and you can do some other climbing. X Don’t be in a hurry to get strong fast. Quick strength gains lead to quick losses. Slow gains are the ones you keep. Research shows that high-intensity training can lead to quick strength increases, with the gains coming from improvements in energysystem efficiency. On the other hand, a slow, steady progression creates more efficient neurological pathways, which leads to long-term persistent gains. X Only increase the load once a month. Don’t look at strength training as an event or something to do this month, but as a new lifestyle habit. Your mind should not be on next weekend, but on five years from now. X This training program can be used year-round. However, many climbers find that training constantly is difficult. For such climbers, try two 4-week cycles, followed by a month of just climbing. After this “month off,” resume the cycle. A good schedule for a weekend warrior would be to train Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Thursday. The specific days of the week don’t matter, but you should have at least one day between training finger strength so you’re fresh.
climbing. Instead, this program focuses on three positions—open hand, half crimp, and full crimp—because they are the most common used in real climbing, and they address the principle of “joint angle specificity.” This principle says that isometric strength is gained only in a small range outside the angle in which it was trained. By covering all three positions, we’re guaranteed to gain strength in any hand position one might encounter on real rock. No matter how disciplined we are about trying to hold an openhand or half-crimp position, when the going gets tough, the full crimp comes into play. The idea is to train this position carefully in a controlled environment instead of rolling the dice when on the rock.
The Workout
ONE
Find an open-hand grip that you can hang onto for 10 to 12 seconds. You can add or reduce weight, but it’s best to start with a hold that you can hang on at bodyweight. For the next four weeks, this will be your training hold, so choose the hold carefully. Using this position, hang for just three seconds.
TWO
Rest a while, somewhere between 10 and 60 seconds is fine. The actual time isn’t important. The rule of thumb in strength is this: Long rests lead to great gains in neurological factors such as recruitment and firing rate; shorter rests lean more toward hypertrophy (muscle growth). Stay fresh to get strong. To fight boredom and continue resting, stretch or complete another non-finger exercise.
THREE
Follow the rest with a six-second open-hand hang. Rest again,
longer if you need to. Follow this rest with another hang, this time nine seconds long. After the nine-second hang, you’ve completed one ladder of 3-6-9. The beginning of the program starts with three sets of 3-6-9 ladders for each hold position. Rest as needed between sets. Repeat this pattern with a full crimp and then finish with the half crimp, also for three sets of 3-6-9. Full crimp is trained second to ensure you’re warmed up for it. We finish with half crimp because it is the strongest position. Execute these moves well, remembering quality over quantity.
FOUR
Do this session once more during the week. In the second week, increase to four sets per hand position twice a week. In the third week, do five sets per hand position twice a week. In the fourth week, do three sets for each position, but add a 12-second hang so you are doing 3-6-9-12 twice a week.
FIVE
After completing the fourth week, assess your strength, and then restart the program with slightly increased loads, meaning add some weight to your hangs. Big load jumps aren’t necessary, so add weight conservatively. If you add somewhere around 2 to 5% of your bodyweight each cycle for several cycles, that’s great. The ultimate goal is to continue to progress over the long-term, and adding too much weight too soon will only result in a plateau.
STEVE BECHTEL is a performance coach and writer (climbstrong. com) with more than 300 first ascents across the globe, and he is the founder of Elemental Performance + Fitness.
CLIMBING.COM —
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CLINICS
IN SESSION
Rope Anchors BY JAMES LUCAS
CARRY LESS GEAR AND BUILD A SOLID ANCHOR WITH THE ROPE
Have you ever reached a belay stance and realized you placed your last runner on a nut, your last quickdraw on a cam, and your last bit of cord around a natural feature? There’s a simple solution. For long pitches, traversing routes, or when you simply run out of slings, building a reliable anchor with the rope itself is an invaluable skill. Many climbers have moved away from this technique due to advancements in anchor-specific gear, but knowing how to do it can really save your bacon. It is fast and simple, and it means you can slim down your rack to carry less weight. Read on for a few techniques for rope anchors.
Know Your Anchor Modern anchors are equalized so that individual pieces of pro are not shock-loaded if one of them fails. Equalizing a rope anchor requires a lot of extra rope, which you may not have after a really long pitch. That means it’s crucial for each of your placements to
CLOVE HITCH ANCHOR
PHOTO BY PHOTOS BYTK KARISSA FRYE
YOSEMITE ANCHOR
be bomber when building a rope anchor. Bolted belays in granite with modern hardware, well-placed cams in solid sandstone, or reliable nuts in good rock can all be the foundation of a good anchor. Luckily on most trade routes, belay stations provide ample opportunities for gear. Any time you have suspect pro, like marginal nuts, bad pins, or barely seated cams, it’s better to equalize
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— JUNE 2016
all the pieces. fig. 1 Building an anchor with the rope is excellent for when you’re swapping leads, but if there’s one primary leader, having the rope tied up in the anchor can make belay transitions complicated. It’s also very difficult to escape the belay with a rope anchor, so keep that in mind when deciding on whether or not you should rack that extra cord or a few more slings. At times, rope anchors lack master points and the leader will need to belay the second off her harness with a redirect, but if you have enough rope, a power point can be introduced into the system and used to set up a tube-style belay device in guide mode to belay off the anchor.
YOSEMITE ANCHOR
The fastest way to build an anchor is with a series of clove hitches, sometimes adding a figure eight on a bight as a power point if you have enough rope. This is often referred to as the Yosemite Anchor. This quick system requires little gear, and clove hitches can be easily undone after being weighted. However, the gear needs to be very good. Use three pieces minimum, a combination of cams, nuts, or fixed pitons, and add more pieces if any of them are questionable. Use locking carabiners on each piece to increase the safety, and make sure the clove hitches are cinched tight with the load strand aligned near the spine and away from the gate. X Going from your harness, clove hitch the rope into the first piece. X Clove hitch the rope from the first piece into the second piece, making sure to remove all slack between the gear. In the case of gear failure, this will prevent excess shock being placed on the next piece. X Between the second and third piece, leave enough slack to tie a figure eight on a bight, then clove hitch the third piece. Tie the figure eight on a bight and use this as a master point. This can be used as a directional for belaying off the harness or a spot to set up an auto-blocking belay device. X Adjust the knots so the master point is equalized between the second and third clove hitch.
CLOVE HITCH ANCHOR
This is the simplest rope anchor; it’s incredibly fast to set up and break down, and it requires the least amount of rope. X Clove hitch yourself into the first piece of protection.
fig. 2
fig. 3
X Clove hitch the rope onto the second piece with as little slack as possible to prevent shock-loading. X Do a third clove hitch on the next piece of protection. X With this setup, you will have to belay off your harness, running a redirect up through a carabiner or quickdraw clipped to the strongest piece of protection.
TWO-BOLT ANCHOR
Another super-simple rope anchor that’s incredibly fast, but it can only be done with two reliable bolts. X Clove hitch yourself into the first bolt. X Clove hitch the rope onto the second bolt, leaving a few feet of slack. X With that slack, tie a figure eight on a bight and equalize it by adjusting the clove hitches. X Set up an auto-blocking belay device on this master point, or use it as a redirect for belaying off your harness.
EQUALIZING FIGURE EIGHT KNOT
For gear that requires more equalization, try an equalized figure eight knot. It requires a good bit of rope, which can be a problem at the end of a long pitch, and you must belay off your harness with a redirect (no belay devices in guide mode). It also helps to have all the pieces of pro close to each other. X Pull out some rope from your harness, then tie a figure eight on a bight with a significant loop coming out from the top (fig. 1). You’ll need a bigger loop if the pieces are farther apart. X Pass the loop back through the top of the figure eight. This should leave a single loop on one side of the knot and two loops (bunny ears) on the other side (fig. 2). X Adjust the loops and clip each one to a piece of gear (fig. 3). If the gear is widely spaced, this can require some finagling by feeding the rope through the knot. Tighten the knot.
CLIMBING.COM —
53
the photo annual Find inspiration from the following 18 pages of the best climbing photography from around the world.
BY THE EDITORS
Emily Harrington gives her project, the 45-meter Mal De Isla (5.14a/8b+), a burn in Chulilla, Spain.
F/3.2 1/500 SEC. JON GLASSBERG OF LOUDER THAN ELEVEN @JONGLASSBERG CLIMBING.COM —
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the photo annual
ABOVE: Rachel Stewart works the Wasp Roof project, one of many new boulders hidden away in Rockcastle County, Kentucky.
F/2.8 1/125 SEC. FRANÇOIS LEBEAU @FRANCOISLEBEAU RIGHT: Katha Saurwein gets high on The Eagle’s Nest (V8) in the Grampians of Australia. Starting off a ledge in the middle of a cliff, this problem provides a sense of exposure for both the climber and the spotter.
F/3.5 1/800 SEC. JON GLASSBERG OF LOUDER THAN ELEVEN @JONGLASSBERG 56
— JUNE 2016
the photo annual
TOP: Eric Bissell busts through the cross on Steelfingers (V8) at the Gunks in Tuolumne Meadows, California. The bouldering area’s horizontal cracks are reminiscent of the namesake trad destination in New York.
F/9 1/250 SEC. RYAN ALONZO @RYAN.ALONZO LEFT: Magnus Midtbø scouts the crux moves 15 meters above the sea on Es Pontàs, a natural arch near Mallorca, Spain. First climbed by Chris Sharma in 2006, the difficult deep water solo route has yet to see a second ascent.
BOTTOM: Lonnie Kauk enjoys the serenity of the massive boulders high above the valley floor, nestled in the hills of Tuolumne Meadows, California.
F/8 1/500 SEC. JAN VINCENT KLEINE @JANVINCENTKLEINE
F/18 1/200 SEC. CHRISTIAN PONDELLA @CHRISTIANPONDELLA CLIMBING.COM —
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— JUNE 2016
Margo Hayes sends Scarface (5.14a) at Smith Rock, Oregon, one of the first 5.14 routes in the U.S. In 2015, Hayes won SCS Youth Nationals and took second at SCS Nationals.
F/2.8 1/400 SEC. TARA KERZHNER @TARAKERZHNER CLIMBING.COM —
61
the photo annual
ABOVE: Jakob Schubert claims the third ascent of the nearly 200-foot Thor’s Hammer (5.15a/9a+) in Flatanger, Norway.
F/2.8 1/400 SEC. ELIAS HOLZKNECHT @WOODSLAVE RIGHT: Magnus Midtbø cruises up a new unnamed route (suggested 5.12b/7b) that was established by Bruno Clement in a secluded and secret alpine basin high above the Verdon Gorge in the south of France.
F/4 1/500 SEC. JAN VINCENT KLEINE @JANVINCENTKLEINE 62
— JUNE 2016
the photo annual
TOP: Jvan Tresch takes a shot at the Banana Republic project, which climbs a limestone arch high above the valley at Bocki in Uri, Switzerland.
F/2.8 1/1000 SEC. STEFAN KÜRZI @STEFANKUERZI BOTTOM: Thomas Schermer climbs an old WWII bunker that slid off the eroding cliff above and landed upright in the beach. Only accessible at low tide, the crumbling, weathered concrete has poor protection, but Schermer couldn’t resist a self-portrait on the absurd block.
F/3.2 1/2000 SEC. THOMAS SCHERMER 64
— JUNE 2016
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the photo annual
ABOVE: Andrew Hedesh and Mike Dobie follow the crack to the first ascent of the Bundy Route (5.11+ AZ) in Keketuohai National Park, China.
F/2.8 1/1600 SEC. GARRETT BRADLEY @GARRETTLBRADLEY LEFT: Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll and Nicolas Favresse climb the last pitch of their new route Alligators Have Teeth on Ikerasak Peak in midnight light above the Arctic Circle in western Greenland.
F/7.1 1/250 SEC. BEN DITTO @BENJAMINBDITTO
the photo annual
RIGHT: Austrian Barbara Zangerl explored the classic lines of Yosemite during a stay in the Valley last fall. Here she checks the short, burly roof Separate Reality (5.12a) off her to-do list.
F/2.8 1/250 SEC. FRANÇOIS LEBEAU @FRANCOISLEBEAU LEFT: Danny Parker peeks out of Bigg’s Crack (5.12), Canaan Mountain, Utah.
F/4 1/500 SEC. ANDREW BURR @ANDREW_BURR 68
— JUNE 2016
Madaleine Sorkin pulls the arête on Excommunication, a five-pitch 5.13a that summits The Priest in Castle Valley, Utah.
F/8 1/640 SEC. JEREMIAH WATT @MIAHWATT CLIMBING.COM —
71
the photo annual
TOP: Gordon McArthur works the moves of what could eventually become the world’s hardest mixed climb, the Storm Giant project in the Bisaro Cave outside of Fernie, British Columbia, Canada.
F/3.5 1/400 SEC. JON GLASSBERG OF LOUDER THAN ELEVEN @JONGLASSBERG BOTTOM: Jesse Milner carefully descends to the Robson-Resplendent Col after summiting Mount Robson, British Columbia, Canada.
F/7.1 1/250 SEC. PAUL ZIZKA @PAULZIZKAPHOTO LEFT: Melissa Thaw enters the first crux of the ultra-classic trad route Sheila (5.10a) in Scheelite Canyon, California.
F/5.6 1/500 SEC. CHRIS NOBLE @NOBLEFOTO
the photo annual
Raf Andronowski tackles the unusual and delicate ice structures of Panther Falls, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
F/2.8 4 SEC. PAUL ZIZKA @PAULZIZKAPHOTO 74
— JUNE 2016
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MOOSEJAW 6/28 EAST LANSING, MI
6:30 PM
TRAILFITTERS 7/11 DULUTH, MN
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MIDWEST MOUNTAINEERING 7/12 MINNEAPOLIS, MN
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National Climbing Gym and Gear Shop Directory Momentum Sandy
220 West 10600 South Sandy, Utah 84070
Phone: (801) 204-9195 www.momentumclimbing.com/sandy
Momentum Lehi
401 South 850 East Suite C5 Lehi, Utah 84043
Phone: (801) 203-0748 www.momentumclimbing.com/lehi
Momentum Millcreek
3173 East 3300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84109
Phone: (801) 203-0754 www.momentumclimbing.com/millcreek
The Quarry Indoor Climbing Center
2494 N University Pkwy, Provo UT 84604
Phone: (801) 418-0266
Stone Summit Atlanta
3701 Presidential Parkway Atlanta, GA 30340
Phone: (678) 720-9882 www.ssclimbing.com
Stone Summit Kennesaw
2801 George Busbee Parkway Kennesaw, GA 30144
Phone: (770) 545-6227 www.ssclimbing.com
6970 FM 1960 RD W STE C Houston, TX 77069
Phone: (281) 397-0830 www.stonemoves.com
Alpenglow Adventure Sports
92 Main St Orono, ME 04473
Phone: (207) 866-7562 WWW.AlpenglowGear.com
High Point Climbing & Fitness
219 Broad Street Chattanooga, TN 37402
Phone: (423) 602-7625 www.HighPointClimbing.com
High Point Climbing & Fitness: Riverside
1007 Appling Street Chattanooga, TN 37406
Phone: (423)475.6578 www.HighPointClimbing.com
High Point Climbing & Fitness: Birmingham
COMING SOON!!!
www.HighPointClimbing.com
Climb UP
2701 Washington Drive Norman, Oklahoma 73069
Phone: (405) 310-4648 http://climbupgym.com info@climbupgym.com
North Austin Rock Gym
8300 N. Lamar Suite B102 Austin, TX 78753
Phone: (512) 416-9299
South Austin Rock Gym
4401 Freidrich Ln Suite 300 Austin, Tx 78744
Phone: (512) 416-9299
78
— JUNE 2016
Crimper’s Climbing Gym
100 Central Avenue Christiansburg VA 24073
Phone: (540) 251-3040 www.crimpersclimbing.com
Little Rock Climbing Center
12120 Colonel Glenn Rd., Suite 7000. Little Rock AR 72210
Phone: (501) 227-9500 www.littlerockclimbingcenter.com info@littlerockclimbingcenter.com
Wild Walls Climbing Gym
202 W 2nd Ave Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: (509) 455-9596 www.wildwalls.com
Earth Treks Columbia
7125-C Columbia Gtwy Dr. Columbia, MD 21046
1-800-CLIMB UP earthtreksclimbing.com
Earth Treks Timonium
1930 Greenspring Dr. Timonium, MD 21093
1-800-CLIMB UP earthtreksclimbing.com
Earth Treks Rockville
725 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852
1-800-CLIMB UP earthtreksclimbing.com
Earth Treks Crystal City
1235 South Clark St. Arlington, VA 22202
1-800-CLIMB UP earthtreksclimbing.com
Earth Treks Golden
700 Golden Ridge Rd. Golden, CO 80401
1-800-CLIMB UP earthtreksclimbing.com
The Phoenix Rock Gym
1353 E University Dr. Tempe, AZ 85281
Phone: (489) 921-8322 www.phoenixrockgym.com
Onsight Rock Gym
5335 Western Avenue Knoxville, TN 37921-3204
http://www.onsightrockgym.com/
The Mine Bouldering Gym
1680 West Ute Blvd Park City, UT 84098
Phone: (435) 655-6463 http://minebouldering.com/
inSPIRE Rock Indoor Climbing Gym
403 E. Louetta Rd. Spring, TX 77373
Phone: (281) 288.ROCK (7625) www.inspirerock.com Mention this ad for 10% off in the R3 Pro Shop!
Petra Cliffs Climbing Center & Mountaineering School
105 Briggs St. Burlington, VT 05401
info@petracliffs.com www.petracliffs.com
Zion Climbing Center 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
118 N. Spruce Searcy, AR 72143
Phone: (501)492-9227 www.zionclimbingcenter.com twitter: @zionclimbing / instagram: zionclimbing CLIMBING.COM —
79
Jacopo Larcher and Siebe Vanhee prepare the gear for another push on the Commander in the Chukotka region of Siberia, Russia. We struggled with unfriendly police, too much tent time, days of travel, and a very different culture, but the mosquitos were the toughest challenge. They were everywhere and quite aggressive—I guess they don’t like foreign climbers. —ELIAS HOLZKNECHT 80
— JUNE 2016
PHOTO BY ELIAS HOLZKNECHT
LAST PITCH
Mason Lacy and Sam Seward celebrate a successful traverse of the Altai mountains via bikepack and packraft, western Mongolia – Joey Schusler
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