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Contents

issue 326
6

Flash

32

Training

34

Nutrition

the approaCh
15

Editors Note

16

Letters

16

Archives

17

Re-Gram

18

Instagrams best
climber-photographer.

37

Insights

Daredevil Dean Potter

learns to dial it back.

CLOCKWISe FrOM TOP LeFT: anDreW Burr; anGIe Payne; Dean POTTer; juLIe eLLISOn; Ben FuLLerTOn (3); juLIe eLLISOn; Ben FuLLerTOn

Good news! We found

the ultimate recovery
food, and its pizza!

Gear
Primer

Welcome to the future:

next-generation smart
ropes.

38

Big Review

Guide

40

Tested

Tackle a passion project

with tips from PBS
documentarians.

41

The Kit

43

CliniCs

the Climb
24

Pull harder with these

challenging pull-up
variations.

Advice

26

Epicenter

30

Instant Expert

Leavenworth, Washington, provides a

lifetime of climbing.
Master nger cracks
with techniques from
Peewee Ouellet.

Five ropes with ingenious and innovative

features.
The latest gear obsessions from our testers.
Shoot better photos
and videos with these
must-have gadgets.

Begin Here

Streamline your multipitch days with autoblocking belays.

44

In Session

46

Health

49

Topout trouble? Stand

proudly on top of hard
boulders with these
techniques.
Knead out tight forearms with the ultimate
$2 arm massager: a
soup can.

voiCes

Ask Answer Man

Can I wear a POV cam

without being a dork?

50

The Wright Stuff

52

Semi-Rad

The history and future

of dirtbagging, by pro
climber Cedar Wright.
Brendan Leonard
learns fear is fun.

88 the
Cover photo by Grant Ordelheide: Chris Feldbush cruises up the aesthetic Cave route (5.10d), Indian Creek, utah.

Flow
climbing.com

|1

ken etzel

Contents

issue 326
Brian Russell transitions from
slinging knobs to slotting cams on
Candyland (5.10c) at the Phantom
Spires near tahoe, California.

54 Best New Photographers

A fresh perspective is the key
to guring out difcult climbs
or nding enjoyment in old
ones, and its also the key to
being a successful climbing
photographer. We searched the
world over to nd a new crop
of climbing shooters who are
talented, dedicated, motivated,
hungryand on the brink of
going big. Senior Editor Julie
Ellison curated this gallery of
awe-inspiring photos, including
a peek into what makes these
16 new photographers tick.

Issue 326. Climbing (USPS No. 0919-220, ISSN No. 0045-7159) is published ten times a year (February, March, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December/January) by SkramMedia LLC. The known ofce of publication is at 2520 55th St., Suite 210, Boulder, CO 80301. Periodicals postage paid at Boulder, CO, and at additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to: Climbing, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast FL 32142-0235. Canada Post publications agreement No. 40008153. Subscription rates are $29.97 for one year of postal delivery in the United States. Add
$20 per year for Canada and $40 per year for surface postage to other foreign countries. Canadian undeliverable mail to Pitney Bowes IMEX PO Box 54, Station A, Windsor ON N9A 6J5. Postmaster:
Please send all UAA to CFS. Retailers: Please send correspondence to Climbing c/o Retail Vision 815 Ogden Avenue, Lisle, IL 60532-1337. List Rental: Contact Kerry Fischette at American List Counsel,
609-580-2875 kerry.schette@alc.com Climbing magazine is a division of SkramMedia LLC.

LEADING SINCE 1970

A LETTER FROM GUS THE ALL-TERRAIN PUG (P. 18) INSPIRED US TO ASK: WHAT IS YOUR DOGS TOP CLIMBING FEAT?

EDITORIAL

LOBO, 5
Five-foot dynos and
daring free solos of
many local fences.

LIZZIE, 4
Sending all her
projects the rst day
in Bishop and then
sleeping for eight
consecutive days.

MANGO, 5
She doesnt even
get out of bed for
anything easier
than 5.13.

JASPER, 2
Climbed all 14
8,000-meter
peaks without
supplemental
oxygen (presumably, we just
adopted him a
month ago).

Editor
SHANNON DAVIS
Art Director
JACQUELINE MCCAFFREY
Senior Editor
JULIE ELLISON
Digital Media Specialist
KEVIN CORRIGAN
Editor at Large
DOUGALD MACDONALD
Senior Contributing
Photographer
ANDREW BURR
Senior Contributing Editor
JEFF ACHEY

Contributing Editors
BRENDAN LEONARD, DAVE SHELDON,
ANDREW TOWER,
TUCKER, 6 (?)
CEDAR WRIGHT
Being the perfect
Contributing Illustrators
crag dog: agile,
SKIP STERLING,
always willing,
SUPERCORN
quiet, friendly to
other climbers,
Staff Photographer
and indifferent to
BEN FULLERTON
other dogs. Hes
Tablet Media Specialist
a gem.
CRYSTAL SAGAN

CLIMBING MAGAZINE
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contact Bonnie Mason: 1-800-381-1288 x95175.
MOST OF THE ACTIVITIES DEPICTED HEREIN CARRY A
SIGNIFICANT RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH. Rock
climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, backcountry skiing, and
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staff, and management of CLIMBING do not recommend that
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seek qualied professional instruction and/or guidance, are
knowledgeable about the risks involved, and are willing to personally assume all responsibility associated with those risks.
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owner. The views herein are those of the writers and do not
necessarily reect the views of CLIMBINGs ownership, staff, or
management.

BUSINESS

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Summiting the
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His high point (so
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DITCH THE
GUIDEBOOK

EXPLORE WITH A LOCAL

Are you missing out on the best part of your trip? Local,
professional guides can lead you to secret, sought-after
spots and design an adventure to match your skill level.
Hire a climbing guide and head straight to the goods.

Backcountry.com Athlete: Steph Davis

Browse guided adventures at detour.backcountry.com

Flash

Beyond the
Butt Shot

7 pro tricks to enhance your from-below shots

Text and Photos by Andrew Burr

Ive been shooting climbing for 12 years, and this is my simple advice for avoiding
the most basic climbing photography no-nothe dreaded butt shot. Its an easy
mistake to make; from the ground, the climbers backside is basically all you see,
but it doesnt have to be all you show. There are easy ways to wow your friends and
produce quality, interesting, and (if I do say so myself) downright awesome photos,
all from below. This is one of the most painless places to shoot, one of my personal
favorites, and best of alltheres no rigging required.

Long Lens

Shooting up against the wall

Patience, my friend. Tuck in right up against the wall, and shoot

along the plane of the rock, waiting for just the right moment.
Try slapping on the big glass and shooting long and tight. Your
perseverance will be rewarded with both a shot that surpasses
the standard butt shot and a wicked kink in your neck. The key is
to capture the climbers face when it appears for a split-second
in between his feet mid-move, or when hes ddling for gear on
the back of his harness. This shot really starts working when
the climber is at least 30 to 40 feet out from the belay. Frame
it with space around the climbers body so he appears isolated
from the rock. This technique works on all sorts of terrain, not
just overhanging routes (as long as the route isnt too ledged
out), and if you dont have a long lens, you can zoom in with a
point-and-shoot or phone and then ddle with the shot in editing. As you can see, theres still plenty of butt, but you can also
sense what is going through the climbers mind and feel like
youre a part of climbing this route. Any photo that draws you in
like that is much more than a butt shot.
An in-the-moment perspective of Ari Menitove on Fingerberry Jam
(5.12-), Pigeon Feather West Peak, Bugaboos, Canada.

6 | july 2014

climbing.com

|7

Flash

Have Fun!

use your imagination

People like to see other

people having a good time.
Like it or not, climbing (and
hence climbing photography) doesnt always have to
be about rst ascents and
epics. At the end of the day,
if it werent fun, we wouldnt
do it. No, this shot probably
wont get discussed during
a rst Friday art walk, but its
light-hearted nature shows
the viewer what climbing is
all about. And dont worry,
the face is just chalk.
Cody Roth on Steep & Cheap
(5.12d), Victoria Canyon,
South Dakota.

Ice Season

Get behind the curtain

Ice almost always looks

signicantly better from
below. The drips, cones,
curtains, and chandeliers
get lost when shooting from
above, hidden by bulges and
rounded edges. Consider
wide, medium, and tight
shots to suit your situation,
orientation, and features. If
there are interesting shapes
and characteristics near
the ground, get in close and
shoot wide. Ofen for steep,
mixed terrain ending at a
curtain draped over the lip,
the belay is the perfect spot
to shoot this transitional moment between rock and ice,
as it can only be seen behind
the frozen stuff. Focal length
depends on how far out the
climber is when this happens,
so be prepared to experiment.
Kyle Dempster kicks out on
Harddrive (M8), Santaquin
Canyon, Utah.

8|

july 2014

Flash

Ground Control

Shooting through the belayers hands

Theres an interesting relationship and bond between climber and

belayer that are lost in the world of top-down climbing photography. However, when youre on the ground or hanging at the belay
right next to the belayer, this provides you with the perfect storytelling opportunity. Remember: Every good photo tells a story, and
the importance of this partnership is a cool one to explore.
Get close, and shoot wide. Position yourself below the belayers waist, and use his hands and body to compose the shot.
Its essential to make sure the climber is visible, or the story is
lost. Focus can either be on the hands or the climberdoesnt
matterjust make sure your aperture isnt too wide open, as youll
lose the subject in a blurry mess. This technique works best when
the route is vertical to overhanging.
Chris Kalous and Sam Lightner, Jr., nab the rst ascent of The
Ivory Tower (5.13b) on Castleton Tower, Utah.

Flash

Natural Phenomenon
be ready, you never know

Perhaps the best advice I can give is simply to

be prepared to shoot at any given second. The
nature of amazing things is that they happen
spontaneously, without fair warning. Observe
your surroundings, keep an open mind, and
watch the sky. For this type of shot, remember
that its all about the landscape. Minimize
the rock and climber by shooting wide, and
let the scene do the talking. Youre capturing
a moment in time. Be ready for those puffy
cumulous clouds or wavy lenticular clouds, the
sun and moon, or, as seen here, the occasional
ock of birds overhead.
Peter Vintoniv pauses for a moment on McCarthy North Face (5.11a), Devils Tower, Wyoming.

The Third Wheel

Use being in a party of three to

your advantage

Threes a crowd, right? Shirk your belaying responsibilities and look around in every direction.
Hike and explore to nd a good vantage point
that will allow you to capture an image that
takes in the whole scene.
Be observant on the approach hike. Make
mental notes. Get off the trail. Bushwhack.
Seek high points on either side, or across from
the base of the wall. (Hint: It doesnt take much
elevation to nd a good vantage point.) This
will put you in position to look straight across
at the climb (as in this photo), or slightly down
at the climber when he is low on the route.
Check behind you, too. Maybe there is a ridge
or another cliff. It can be far away and still
manageable. Slap the long lens on, and wait for
the climber to make a huge move. Capture him
at the apex, stretched out long and wide. Do
some pre-planning, and make sure your climber
is wearing a color that contrasts with the
environment. Avoid neutral colors and instead
skew your selection toward pastels. Also be
wary of super-bright neons; they wreak havoc in
post-processing.
Peter Vintoniv stands out on Perfect Child
(5.13a), The Horn, Henry Mountains, Utah.

Leading Lines

let the rope direct the eye

A workable option in almost any climbing

situation is using the rope to lead the viewers
eye into the photograph and into the action.
Whether youre shooting the leader from the
ground or from a hanging belay, get in there
and play with the rope, both the lead and tag
lines are fair game. Without messing up the
climber and his focus, give the rope a shake to
get a variety of shapes. Dont forget to use the
second who is following the pitch as a subject,
tooit can all work. For any of these, a wider
shot is better, and the more exposure and air
you can include, the more drama youll bring
to the table.
Carlos Simes traverses Fessura Della Disperazione (5.10d/6b+), Valle dellOrco, Italy.

climbing.com

| 13

 2014 adidas AG. adidas, the 3-Bars logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trade marks of the adidas Group. STEALTH is a trade mark of Stone Age Equipment, Inc.

Hayley Ashburn unlocks Moab with the new Slack Cruiser

featuring STEALTH rubber. Unlock your terrain.

adidas.com/outdoor

Moab | Utah

scott rogers

The

ApproAch

follow @climbingmagazine on Instagram, and share your favorite shots with us!

coNTribuTors

ANdrew burr
Senior Contributing Photographer (and
mustache enthusiast) Andrew Burr
worked as a hydrologist for the USGS
before he started pursuing climbing
photography full-time 12 years ago. In
this issue, he dispenses hard-won advice
on snapping frame-worthy climbing
shots from the ground (p. 6). No rigging
required. No butt shots allowed.

ediTors NoTe

Trigger Finger
Hey, mi casa es su casa, but I gotta run a little interference
here. My wife wants you guys gone. So began the conversation in the driveway of a friends house in Moose, Wyoming,
where my buddy Jef and I had obviously (and obliviously) overstayed
our welcome. You guys should camp tonight. Heres some bacon.
Anybody whos dirtbagged a little has likely been in a similar situation. Wed been on the road for months, and had just retreated from the
Wind Rivers after waking up under 18 inches of snow. We parked the
van and promptly took over the couch: channel surng, fridge raiding,
and Wi-Fi exploitinguntil our hosts couldnt take it anymore. Then
we took that bacon and hit the road, seeking warmer crags.
It took us about two weeks to make it to Utah. We followed a circuitous route of local beta to South Ridge (5.9), a ve-pitch gem on
Baxters Pinnacle in Grand Teton National Park (the high country was
under snow, but this rock nubbin was still dry); a killer huckleberry
milkshake outside of Driggs, Idaho; some hidden singletrack; a little
local bouldering; then, well, you get the picture. Just living the dream.
My photos from that year and a half on the road still fuel my passion
for climbing. Dont hesitate to pull the trigger, whether its on that next
trip, a committing move, or even just another gratuitous summit sele.
Looking back on past adventures nourishes future ones.

highlighTs
from The
JourNey

CLoCkWIse fRoM ToP LefT: @CLIMBInGMAGAzIne (6); CouRTesy (2); AnDReW BuRR; AARon MATheson

By Shannon DaviS

Julie ellisoN
By Julie Ellison might be the most repeated phrase in this issue. Our senior editor is one hard-charger. Her crowning achievement this month?
Sifting through nearly 5,000 photos to choose the images that grace our
sprawling (and beautiful) Photo Annual feature. The fresh perspective
these new shooters bring to climbing is so inspiring. Lets do it every issue!

JeAN-pierre ouelleT
Quebec-based climber Jean-Pierre Peewee Ouellet started climbing 20 years
ago at the age of 15. On my rst trip to
Yosemite in 1998, I learned that I truly
sucked at crack climbing! he says. Since
then, Ive worked hard to perfect my
technique. Get his best tips on page 30.

Wear lederhosen

Eat pizza

Invest in a new rope

Throw on a pair of britches

for your trip to Bavarianthemed Leavenworth,
Washington, our new favorite climber-town (p. 26).

Pizza is the ring that binds

us climbers, especially at the
Red River Gorge. Turn to page
34 to read a brief history of
Miguels, our sports most
hallowed pizza jointand get
a recipe for recovery pie.

Ropes have come a long, long

way. Gone are lengthy breakin times and back-tweaking
weights. A new breed of smart
ropes has arrived, with built-in
safety features, varied diameters, and more (p. 37).

Load the van

At Climbing, we have an interesting way of
measuring how stoked a particular photo or
story gets us. It made me want to quit my
job! is the ultimate praise. With that in mind,
Cedar Wrights Dirtbagging is Dead (p. 50)
put nishing this issue in jeopardy. Read it, and
youll have one foot out the door.

climbing.com

| 15

The approach
UNsoLiciTeD BeTa
I was sitting on the thinking throne (aka
water closet) reading the tips in the April
2014 Gear Guide when Dave Sheldons advice to use a little sunscreen or cooking oil
to lube your cams and biners in the eld
stopped me mid-contemplation. This isnt
good advice in two geographic locations in
particular: the desert and Alaska.
In the desert, any liquid lubricant
should be used sparingly. It attracts dust
and grit. The resulting mess turns into
a highly efective grinding paste, accelerating wear in moving parts. Here, in
Alaska, cooking oil has a more immediate negative efect: The smell attracts
bears. While cams only sufer chewed
webbing or bent cables, cam owners can
lose body parts. If you experience sticky
cams in the eld, use a simple cleaning
solventeven white gasthen rinse
with clean water and air dry.
Rob Pappy Sally Kaye, via email

reMeMBeriNG sTaNLeY

In 2002, Sean Leary took me up my

rst-ever lead on Pine Line (5.7) at the
base of El Cap. At one point, I asked him
if I could take a hang and rest for a bit.
I was tired. Not on your rst lead, Jen.
You can do it, he said. I went on to nish the climb in perfect style. I tell that
story whenever I climb Pine Line. Sean
inspired me to push harder, yet he was
such a humble and genuine person. Sean,
you dont need to rest now. Fly. Fly high
and far. You were and will always be better than most of us, here and in heaven.
You lived big, you loved deeply, and now
you will live in our hearts forever.
Jennifer Wang, via Climbing.com

proGress

In March 1988, I was the rst climber

to own a power drill on the East Coast. I
showed up with ita Bosch Bulldogat
the New River Gorge and immediately
bolted a route with my longtime climbing
partner, Eric Hrst, called Mega Magic
(5.12c). The route name had as much to
do with the climbing shoe by the same

name as it did with our excitement for

the power drill. Three more routes went
in that day, and we nished up with Team
Machine (5.12a). Power drills are an incredible tool that changed our sport forever. Its amazing how the velocity of putting
up new routes accelerated with the new
equipment. Within a month, the other
activists at the Newmeaning Mike Artz
and Doug Reedhad both bought Hiltis.
What an amazing time in climbing!
Rick Thompson, via Climbing.com
(In response to 10 Things You Didnt Know
about Sport Climbings Early Days)

GoTcha!

Congratulations, guys! You just ensured that Climbing magazine will soon
go out of business and fold completely.
Not the best of business strategies. Did
it ever occur to anyone at Climbing that
most people dont have a fax machine in
their homes? What planet do you guys
live on? Wait. Oh yeah, I forgot. Its
called Boulder.
Chufer, via Climbing.com
Ed. Note: This message is in response to
an April Fools post on Climbing.com, in
which we announced that we would be
distributing all future content exclusively by fax. Were not.

DeparTMeNT oF oops

As we sent the May 2014 issue to print,

an errant keystroke (or somethingwe
blame ofce gnomes) in The Mentorship
Gap, by Chris Noble (p. 81) bumped a
few words of the page into oblivion. The
closing of the introductory text should
read as follows: Albeit an extreme example, this type of siege-cragging is an increasingly common by-product of climbings ever-expanding popularity and
one of the big challenges we face as new
climbers transition to outdoor climbing.
We regret the error. Find the full text of
the story in our iPad edition or online at
climbing.com/mentor.

16 |

july 2014

/climbingmagazine

archives
On The Cover
The grand prize winner of the photo contest in the scenic category was an unnamed peak reected in the waters of Panch
Pokhari, Nepal. The photo was taken by Jenny Hager, who is a
working outdoors photographer to this day. Climberless scenery photos, on the other hand, have been absent from Climbing
covers for quite some time.

Too Rad?
Of the many climbing brands that
have gone extinct through the years,
its a shame that Rad Designs became
another fossil. Wed love to get our
hands on an undoubtedly rad, Rad
chalkbag. A call to the phone number
in the ad returned only busy signals.
Perhaps the lines are still ooded with
people wanting Cragasaurus t-shirts.
You cant beat that money-back
guarantee!

First Prize
In 1987, we divided the photo
competition into categories: rock
climbing, scenic, ice climbing,
mountaineering, and humor. Here,
climber Craig Smith busts out his
skateboard on the Glacier Point
Apron in Yosemite. Whether his
ashy tights and high-buzzed
sideburns were part of the gag is up
for debate.

Classic Climbing

keep iN ToUch

letters@
climbing.com

JUNe 1987
The SevenTh AnnuAl Climbing PhoTo ConTeST

Bear-saFe caMs

@climbingmag

@climbingmagazine

Ignoring the pink neon chalkbag

and high-top climbing shoes, the
1987 rst place winner in the rock
climbing category demonstrates
why good photography is timeless.
Climbing legend Kurt Albert gets
extreme exposure on a free solo of
Devils Crack (5.10c) in West Germany. Tragically, Albert died
in a via ferrata accident near Hirschbach, Bavaria, in 2010.

Talking abouT
On April 19, Climbing.com published
a primer on the legalization of marijuana in our home state of Colorado.
The article incited strong opinions from
our commenters. Read the full story at
climbing.com/marijuana.

Comments
Man, you should have waited one
more day to post this article.
Yeeeeehaw - 04/20/2014 10:09:34

gram vs. gram

Re-Gram: @angelajpayne
The best climber-photographer on instagram

Most pro-climber Instagram accounts are full of self-send grams credited to the greatest climbing photographers, with few original shots. Angie Payne is the exception. While Payne is an accomplished climber in her
own right, with numerous competition wins and the worlds rst female ascent of a V13, shes also a talented
photographer. Her Instagram account features everything from stunning scenery to interesting macro shots
to, yes, the occasional rad climbing photo. Heres a small sampling.

So its cool to lay claim to a project

for an hour or two, but man, youd
better not smoke while I do it?
SOME non-smokers are pretty immature about it.
Don Share - 04/21/2014 10:09:27
ber-serious and uptight climbers should smoke, and then they
wouldnt be so damn pretentious!
What I think is really funny, is that
uptight, whiney little non-smoker
babies usually have their projects
onsighted by climbers who puf.
Lafayette de Cat Poop - 04/21/2014
1:52:30

Snowake on fabric. A
macro lens and a lot of luck.

Smoke pot; check your knot!

Rich - 04/22/2014 9:40:39

My favorite animal. Jake

takes a break from being unruly to enjoy a lazy Saturday.

Fog in the cirque. The raw beauty of Greenland is simply mind-blowing.

rebuTTal
Dear Climbing,
I was disappointed to learn that you
selected Dean Potters Whisper as the
best climbing dog on Instagram (Gram vs.
Gram, May 2014). I must point out to you
that all of my climbs are unassisted, I survived in the wilderness for eight days, and
Alex Honnold has been called the pug of
humans in honor of my fur-raising solos.
My other pet human, Nelissa Wright, is a
lawyer and will be demanding a recount.
While you conduct the appropriate
inquiry, I will be here in Boulder drinking
pugtinis in my tuxedo.
Yours truly,
Gus, @allterrainpug

Ed.Note: Next round of pugtinis is on us.

Red Rocks and chalk. My

love of sandstone wont end.

Birds eye view of icebergs

in Greenland. Nature really
out-did herself with these.

Woah, splits. Sasha DiGiulian stretches her way to victory at RiverRock.

climbing.com

| 17

The approach
InsIghTs

To BASE or Not to BASE

By kevin corrigan

Dean Potter and Whisper think twice

Dean Potter is known for
pushing the limits in climbing,
slacklining, and BASE jumping. His dog, Whisper (winner
of Climbings Best Climber
Dog on Instagram contest,
May 2014), has done the same
for his species by accompanying
Potter on big wall climbs and
wingsuit ights. But this isnt
just another cutesy look into
the extreme life of a climber
dog. We spoke to Potter about
how sharing adventures with
his dog and a rash of recent
wingsuit accidents helped him
to take a step back and rethink
his own exploits.

Whisper and potter y from

the north face of the eiger.

What was Whispers rst

wingsuit ight?
Her rst ight was Half Dome.
And everything I say could be a lie, you know, because BASE jumping
is illegal in Yosemite. Yosemite has the safest clifs in the worldEl Cap
and Half Dometo BASE jump. I think weve done seven jumps now.
I jump daily, so Whisper doesnt go on all the ights. She only goes on
the very safest onesbig-mountain ights.

What do you say to critics who think you shouldnt jump

with your dog?
Dogs dont live as long as we do. Every day that theyre trapped inside
a house is like seven days trapped inside a house for us. Certain people
I know will say, Hey, youre freaking taking your dog BASE jumping,
you lunatic! But my response is that Whisper wants to come with me.
My philosophy is take the dog with you. Its part of the family. Dont
trap it in the car or at the house all the time. Thats no fun.

than it did ying with her. Certainly Ive done more dangerous climbs
with her. I lead with her on my back when I climb with my girlfriend,
up to 5.10 or 5.11. Thats certainly more dangerous, but Im not so sure
about the wingsuit ying. Im not stupid, either. I realize theres a big
risk there. I think before I do it more with her, I will rene the gear
more, or I wont jump with her anymore at all. Its not just all like,
Yeah look at me, I jump with my dog. Its like, Hey, I kind of learned
a little bit. Just because I can do something doesnt mean I should. Id
be heartbroken if I ever hurt Whisper. Still, every time I grab my pack
Whisper wants to come, but she hasnt been since September. Now my
whole emphasis is on guring out a safer way to wingsuit and redesigning the gear. Thats what Ive been doing for the last two months
in this lab with my friend up in Canada.

Theres been a lot of dying in BASE jumping lately. One of my best

friends, Sean Leary, and three other friends were killed. It kind of
caught up with me a bit. Last year, close to 30 wingsuiters died, and I
sort of stopped. This is back in September, where I was like, Mmm,
somethings not quite right. Like ve percent of the wingsuiting
population just died. And here I am doing it with my dog. So I started
questioning myself.
I really felt it was safe while I was doing it, and I, well, I y in a
certain way. Im more into big-mountain ights. I dont need to be
inches away from the wall. I do carve along walls, and maybe Im ve
feet from the wall, but I dont need to be inches from the wall. Five or
10 feet is plenty.
As I think about it deeper, I dont know whether it is the right thing
to do to y with Whisper. We have been safe every time. To me, it felt
more dangerous soloing Snake Dike, a 5.7, with Whisper on my back

18 |

july 2014

To me, its people being impatient or being uncomfortable in the

mountain setting. People walk for hours and hours or climb up to the
top of the clif, and the conditions might not be right, but you havent
brought any survival gear or anything to bivy in. Most people are
uncomfortable spending the night, so they will jump in non-optimal
conditions. Its a lot easier for them to roll the dice for a few seconds
than it is to spend a cold night out. I think everything has to be about
conservative decision making. It takes a lot of maturity and patience
to sit it out. Being the guy that says, Hey, Im not jumping. Winds
are bad; you guys go ahead, is pretty rare. Theres also a lot of ego involved. A lot of people nowadays count their jumps. I dont count my
jumps. I do seem to count how many times Ive walked down, and Im
more proud of that than I am about the number of jumps Ive done in
the last decade.
Read the extended interview at climbing.com/wingsuit.

dean potter

What do you see as the biggest gap in safety for wingsuit ying?
Has your opinion changed since you started bringing Whisper along?

WHEN SELECTING
A TENT

CHOOSE WISELY

The approach
overheard
God, my ngers are so sof and dainty afer a season of ice climbing. Time
to hang up the tools!
Woman at Boulders Alpine Training Center lamenting lost nger conditioning.

Hey, does anybody have a strap-on?

Eric Sanchez, routesetter for Touchstone gyms in California, asking if anybody had
a chalkbag with a belt (as opposed to a chalk pot) to wear for a highball in Bishop,
because apparently thats what he calls a wearable chalkbag.

Guy 1: Did you guys see Sharma?

Guy 2: Oh yeah, we saw him a little bit ago.
Guy 1: Seeing Chris here is so cool.
Guy 2: Wait, whos Chris? Is that his rst name?!
Two Bishop climbers afer Chris Sharma made a quick visit during a photoshoot.

Unbelay vable!

Scary (and true) tales

from a crag near you
tarra
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I saw a big guy struggling to

rope-solo up a tricky 5.8. He
was using an ascender, and he
wasnt taking up slack very well.
The real problem was at the top
of the clif. His anchor was his
smaller buddy, sitting ve feet
from the edge, holding the rope
around his hip. I explained that
a fall wouldve yanked them both
of the clif, but got blank stares.
Submitted by Ed,
via Climbing.com

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Lesson: Use common sense and think

through worst-case scenarios. Nothing
about this meat anchor is ERNEST
(equalized, redundant, no extension,
solid, timely). Plus, if you have a partner,
just have him belay you. There is no
advantage to toprope soloing.

A new climber set up a toprope by

clipping one quickdraw between
two bolts. Not only was the rope
unsecured and running against a
nylon sling, but the angle between
the bolts was about 170.
Submitted by Cameron
Hunt, via Facebook

Lesson: Basic anchor principles aside,

two things make this especially danger-

ous. First, a nylon rope rubbing against

a nylon sling under weight will generate
a lot of heat. Theres a good chance the
sling will melt. Metal should be used between all sof goods. Second, the wide
angle would magnify the force generated in a fall. With a 30 angle, each
bolt bears 52 percent of the original
load. With a 120 angle, each bolt bears
100 percent of the original load, which
could cause the anchor to fail.

Climber: Take! Belayer: Hold

on. Let me nish texting my mom.
Submitted by George
Terrizzi, via Facebook

Lesson: Put the phone away and pay

strict attention to your climber. Take
is a serious command that warrants an
immediate response. You can tell your
mom you love her when you get home.

See something unbelayvable?

Email unbelayvable@climbing.com.
If we run your story, well send
you a bag of Joshua Tree chalk.

Paige Claassen on a rare female ascent of the Americas first 5.14, To Bolt or Not to Be, at Smith Rock, OR - Photo: Rich Crowder

crux

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RF step thru

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

Available at specialty outdoor retailers nationwide.

camp-usa.com

Finger cracks are painful, challenging, confusingand freaking fun. Nobody knows that more than the
digit-ssure expert Jean-Pierre Peewee Ouellet, pictured on the ruthless Hot Pork Sundae (5.13),
Indian Creek, Utah. Matt Lisenby put up the rst pitch of 5.12 in 2004, but it wasnt until 2011 that
Mason Earle freed the second pitch, which clocks in at 5.13 and includes this wickedly lef-leaning nger
splitter. Turn to page 30 for Peewees top nger-crack tips, and once youve wrecked yourself, check out
our deliciously healthy, recovery-boosting pizza recipe (p. 34) to get your body back in action.

24

22 |

Guide // 37 Gear // 43 CliniCs // 49 voiCes

July 2014

The

limb
Andrew burr

climbing.com

| 23

The

climb

Guide

Advice

By Dave Davis anD Mary GranDelis

Creative Freedom
I met a guy at a party a few years back. As a
documentary lmmaker, Im used to people
pitching their life stories to me. It usually starts
with them saying something like, Heres a great
idea for a documentary! and ends with me saying something like, Well, if we ever decide to do a lm about people
who collect spools of thread, well certainly call you!
Mike was diferent. First, he was a little reluctant to even talk about
his story. A mutual friend had introduced us, saying to me, You guys
should talk. I was wary.
Mike Kozusko was in his fties and had been rock climbing all of
his adult life, starting in the East at places like Seneca Rocks in West
Virginia and later at places like Hueco Tanks, Texas, where he had lived.
For years, he and his wife, Gay, had been leading a near-hermitic life in
the high desert of Arizona. His wife climbed with him sometimes, but
often he went of on his own adventures, with her blessing. He said that
their life was nearly perfect. Then tragedy struck: Gay was diagnosed
with early-onset Alzheimers. Mike shut down his construction business
and gave up climbing to take care of her.
He took care of her for three years before having to put her in a nursing
home. He was crushed with guilt over his inability to care for her any longer as her condition deteriorated. But then, a few weeks after putting her
in a nursing home, he was struck with an idea: Even though he had been
climbing for decades, he had never tackled a big wall. He decided hed go
to Yosemite National Park and climb El Capitan. Solo. He still says he has
no idea where the urge to solo it came from.
On his rst attempt on Zodiac, he bailed. Then he headed to El Cap

24 |

July 2014

Bridge to talk to Tom Evans. Many who have climbed in Yosemite know
of Tom Evans and his El Cap Report blog (elcapreport.com). During
El Caps popular spring and fall climbing seasons, Tom sets up on the
bridge over the Merced River that runs through Yosemite. The bridge
provides quite a view of The Captain from nearly a mile away. Tom has
a huge 800mm lens on his digital camera, and he takes photos of El
Cap climbers, weather permitting. At the end of each day, Tom retires
to the Yosemite Village Cafeteria, where he assembles his photos and
commentary into the daily El Cap Report.
Tom informed Mike that had he succeeded, he would have been the
oldest person to solo any route on El Cap. Cut back to the party, when
Mike quietly told me that he planned to return soon to Yosemite to attempt to solo Zodiac once again. Maybe he wasnt able to understand
why he had to try it after putting his wife in the nursing home, but this
time he could understand that he felt challenged and motivated by attempting to be the oldest person to solo El Cap, as silly as that notion
might be, he says.
Striking a humble tone, Mike informed me that maybe his story alone
wasnt enough for a lm. But he assured me that the real story would
likely evolve by just going there and meeting this amazing collection
of international climbers in this most amazing of climbing locations.
Adventures will be had, he promised me.
We had found our next lm project.
In the end, we spent a couple of months in Yosemite over the course
of three years as Mike tried and tried again to reach his goal. No spoilers
here, though. Youll have to watch our lm (airing on PBS stations this
fall) to nd out what went down with Mikes climb. In the end, our documentary tells the stories of several El Cap climbers. This project taught
us so much about climbingand about following what inspires you.

Hugo lAngel vAn erven (left); AAron Jones

Two documentary lmmakers learn about climbing and life

Lef to right: Dave Davis lms Aaron Jones on the 16-pitch aid route Zodiac
(C3+) on El Capitan; Davis recording Corbin Usinger on the Nose (5.9 C2); Mary
Grandelis and Davis, El Cap Report lmmakers; Davis hanging out on the Nose
while lming for the upcoming El Cap Report lm.

How We Pursue Filmmaking

isfiLMviDEo (LEft); AARoN JoNEs

Find a Mantra

Find a Muse

Find Balance

Find Help

Find tHe dreaM

Tom was fond of saying, The

closer you get to El Cap,
the harder it gets. What he
meant was that in your mind
you can work wonders and
do anything, but when reality
looms, things get tougher,
and thats when you really
have to put in the effort. This
lm really tested our physical
and mental fortitude, and
Toms words often came
to mind when we had to
redouble our efforts to see
this long-term lm project
through until the end. Anything worth doing will take a
lot of hard work.

Mike led us to Yosemite,

but Ammon McNeely has
also been a real inspiration
to us. His generosity and
kindness coupled with his
wild, El Cap Pirate nature
spoke directly to us about
what freedom of spirit really
means. He lives his life on
his own terms, but in a very
unselsh and open way
that allows others to also
live life on their own terms.
Climbing taught him to not
sweat the small stuff, so hes
always ready to face adversity with strength (climbing.
com/ammon-mcneely).

Weve been doing yoga for a

long time, but it was a static
sort of practice; it didnt
bleed over into the rest of
our lives. While lming the
climbers on the wall, on
slacklines, and on highlines,
we came to realize that we
needed to incorporate more
movement into our balance
practices. This, in turn, led
us to nd better physical
balance, to understand what
moving meditation means,
and to nd the right balance
between creative pursuits
and everything else, including
climbing.

We discovered quickly that

lming climbers from below
is not only boring, but all
you see are their butts (see
Beyond the Butt Shot,
p. 6). So Dave got up on the
wall to shoot, and we realized that was exactly what
our lm neededto be
right there on the wall with
the subjects to truly tell the
stories. Being there in the
moment showed us how
generous climbers can be,
as they began to share very
intimate and personal footage of their El Cap climbs
with us.

Several climbers were glad to

help us with the lm project
because they related to
the fact that we, like them,
were living our dream. After
the third or fourth time we
heard this, it started to sink
in: Yeah! We are living the
dream! The choices were
making are completely our
own, and theyll lead us
where they will. Its important to understand that you
have to take the bad with the
good in order to have that
kind of freedom to pursue
work that gives your life
purpose and meaning.

*Get more information and watch the trailer at elcapreportthelm.com.

climbing.com

| 25

GUIDE

CRAGS

Epicenter: Leavenworth, WA

Weve partnered with mountainproject.com to bring you the ultimate primer for life-list climbing epicenters around the
country. Here, we shine a spotlight on the unofcial capital of Washington cragging.

CRAG MAP
SKYKOMISH VALLEY

DEMILITARIZED ZONE

492 routes

2 routes

CENTRAL-EAST CASCADES,
WENATCHEE &
LEAVENWORTH
696 routes
2

97

MOUNTAIN HOME
(LEAVENWORTH) AREA

CENTRAL-WEST
CASCADES & SEATTLE

9 routes

815 routes

97

TUMWATER CANYON
153 routes
PESHASTIN

NORTH BEND &

VICINITY

Leavenworth

STUART RANGE &

VICINITY

307 routes

2
CASHMERE

12 routes
97

NORTH
BEND

SNOQUALMIE PASS AREA

90

7 routes

ICICLE CREEK
488 routes

TRAD

TOPROPE

SPORT

With more than 3,000 routes

listed on Mountain Project,
all within a couple-hour
drive, Leavenworth is smack
dab in the middle of the
highest density of rock
climbing in the entire state
of Washington. But if you
ask one of the locals about
how sick that access must
be, youll get a sly smile and
a comment like, I dont
know what youre talking
about. Theres no climbing
here. None whatsoever! The
climbing scene in Leavenworth is a brand of awesome

that people like to keep secret. The town of just 2,000,

117 miles due east of Seattle,
has a Bavarian theme (the
fruit of a successful town revitalization plan born in 1962).
Some visiting climbers refer
to it as a tourist trap surrounded by excellent sport
and trad cragging, bouldering,
and alpine climbing on highquality granite. But as area
climber and mountain guide
Jeff Ward says, Fortunately,
its limited to downtown.
Dont worry, the mountains
are not littered with Bavarian

Blake Herrington
makes the span on
MF Direct (5.10d),
Tumwater Canyon.

decorations. The climbing

is generally broken into two
main cragging areas: Icicle
Creek and Tumwater Canyon.
These are each composed of
numerous sub-crags (the mega-classics are Careno Crag,
Castle Rock, and Snow Creek
Wall), and are surrounded
by the regions most popular
bouldering and amazing alpine rock in the Stuart Range
and the Enchantments. Summers can be hot (by Pacic
Northwest standards), but
rock season comfortably runs
spring through fall.

POWERED BY
26 |

JULY 2014

31 routes

WENATCHEE

28

BOULDERING

THE SCENE

Laid-Back Cragging

97

PESHASTIN
PINNACLES
STATE PARK

PHOTO BY JIM MEYERS / TANDEMSTOCK.COM. MAP BY JOHN WILLIAMS

SNOQUALMIE

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Available at Bass Pro Shop, BassPro.com and other fine retailers. Visit BassPro.com/Ascend for more features.

Guide

crags
LocaLs Know

taylor mcneill sending one

of Leavenworths nest:
turbulence (V12).

Where climbers:
[stay]
Seven Forest Service campgrounds line
Icicle Creek Road a few miles south
and west of town in Icicle Canyon.
All sites are rst-come, rst-served,
require a fee, and are mega-popular
on weekends. Climbers should try to
arrive midweek and target Eightmile or
Bridge Creek campgrounds to be close
to the action. Want a roof? Try the
Adventure Inn (adventureinnleavenworth.com). Its next to a beer garden
and has rooms for as little as $80.

[learn the ropes]

Take a class (from Intro to Rock to Crack
and Sport Techniques to Multipitch
and Rescue Systems) or hire a guide
from the Northwest Mountain School
(mountainschool.com, 509-548-5823)
to help you explore area classics. Got
your sights on a bigger objective?
North Cascades Mountain Guides
has four IFMGA guides on staff and
offers alpine climbs all over the North
Cascades. (ncmountainguides.com,
509-996-3194)

[eat/drink]
Mnchen Haus (munchenhaus.com,
509-548-1158) has more mustards to
choose from than some places have
beers on tap, but true to its German
aspirations, they also have a wide
variety of sausages to accommodate
all these condimentsand soft pretzels, too. Grab a table outside with a
mountain view and wash it all down
with a Khaos Klsch from Icicle Brewery (iciclebrewing.com, 509-548-2739).

[spend a rest day]

There is no shortage of sunny patios
in town on which to have a beer, post
your sends to Instagram, and consider your projects. But youre in the
middle of an alpine wonderland; go
explore! Locals oat the Wenatchee
(great for a midday cool-down), which
ows right through town. Get a tube,
rent a stand-up paddleboard, or book
a raft or kayak trip at Leavenworth
Mountain Sports (see gear up). If
youre feeling more terrestrial, take
a day hike into the Enchantment
Wilderness. Start from the Icicle
Trailhead in Icicle Canyon and climb
through the pines to a dreamy, abovetreeline lake-to-lake tour. Our sister
publication Backpacker mapped this
16-mile route (backpacker.com/destinations/hikes/334869). Dont sweat
the mileage: You reach Snow Lakes
(perfect for a dip) in about three
miles and mind-blowing Enchantment
Basin about a mile after.

[gear up]
Founded and run by longtime locals,
Leavenworth Mountain Sports has
any climbing or camping gizmo you
might have forgotten, as well as the
inside track on local beta. Need
another crashpad for highballs at
Forestland? Rent one (or two!) for
the weekend here. You can even
rent a Leavenworth Rock guidebook.
(leavenworthmtnsports.com, 509548-7864)

Metrics*
Quality

Style

Difficulty

300+ routes score 3 stars or higher

Trad and sport cragging

Hooray for moderates!

4 stars

toprope
9%

225
200
175

3 stars

150

Sport
31%

1 star

125

trad
60%

100
75
50
25

240

0
5.6

28 |

le
s
V2 s
-3
V4
V6 5
V -7
V1 8-9
0V1
V1 1
2+

180

or

120

V1

60

or

le
ss
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.1
0
5.1
1
5.1
2

Bomb

*Stats are for the immediate Leavenworth area. Get route beta, photos, and topos at mountainproject.com/leavenworth.
july 2014

aaron matheson

2 stars

Epicenter: Leavenworth, WA
ROUTES

Leavenworth Classics

The 10 best 4-star problems and routes as ranked

by Mountain Project users
Royal Flush (V2)
Tumwater Canyon, Swiftwater
Boulders
Gym climbers will hate it; trad climbers will love it. Maybe a little stiff for
V2, but super-good hand jamming!

AARON MATHESON

Beach Arte (V2)

Tumwater Canyon, The Beach
Start on a small rock pile at the edge
of the water. Grab the starting hold,
and make your way up and right with
good heel hooks to jugs at the apex.
Spicy mantel to top out.

up through the main shield to the

top. The last two pitches make it all
worthwhile.

Upper North Ridge (5.9)

Stuart Range, 18 pitches
Excellent! We did it late last July in
a heavy snow year. We camped near
Ingalls Lake to get a head start on the
approach. The Gendarme pitches are
among the nest Ive done.
The Warrior (5.10d)
Icicle Creek, 1 pitch
Previously called The Original Route,
this stunning corner crack will test all
of your skills and take all of your gear.
Layback, stem, face climb, and jam
your way up to the crux.

The Rib (V4)

Icicle Creek, The Carnival Boulders
Superb movement with a variety
of ways to handle the crux. Start on
good edges and feet, and move up
the sidepulls, slopers, and edges. The
height may get to you if youre used
to short problems, but its classic.
More fun with a mountain of pads!

Hyperspace (5.11a)
Icicle Creek, 7 pitches
Lots of physical crack climbing with
amazing positions and exposure!

The Physical (V4)

Icicle Creek, Forestland Boulders
A beautiful line on amazing rock.
Committing, too! Start standing as
high as you can, using the slab to the
right, and then squeeze and throw
your way through the stunning openhanded holds. One of the best V4s
this town has to offer!

ROTC (5.11c)
Tumwater Canyon,
3 pitches
After more than 30 years of extensive
rock climbing, this could be the best
route that I have done anywhere. Im
guessing that I have done this climb at
least 150 times over the years, and it
still rules! Check for raptor closures.

Outer Space (5.9)

Icicle Creek, 6 pitches
Leavenworths most classic route!
It starts at the base of Snow Creek
Wall and follows fantastic features

West Face (5.12-)

Icicle Creek, 9 pitches
Spectacular setting with a bulls-eye
view of Mt. Stuart. Hot days in midsummer are best for this route.

Andy Knepshield works through

Cube Crack (V2+), Icicle Creek.

POWERED BY

Guide

instant exPert

Finger Cracks

learn these techniques to oat your next thin ssure

By Julie ellison

CruISInG The PerFeCT hAnD CrACk IS A JOYOuS FeeLInG. But

when it narrows to ngers, the real battle beginseven hand-crack
wizards might take the ride. The secret to oating up nger ssures
is still in the feet, but youve got less to work with. unless your feet
are freakishly small, youll have to jam just your tippy toes, smear on

the edges of the crack, or look for holds on the face. Then theres
the seemingly innite ways to use your digits. Whether youre
seeking out pods and pin scars in Yosemite or tackling the blissful
parallels of Indian Creek, weve compiled tricks of the trade that will
open up a whole new world of crack climbing.

elbow down and in, which

will cam your ngers in place.
Similar to the ratchet, these
need to be at your face or
higher to be effective. Good
idea: Tape your ngers or your
whole hand because these
can be quite painful.

Feet

Hands

Easy: Fingerlocks
The cake of nger cracks;
put your ngers straight
in and drop them down,
slotting them in the crack
so they sink in to the
second or third knuckles.
Your knuckles act like nuts,
wedging into constrictions.
It takes very little muscle
engagement, and you feel
like you could hang on
forever. Pin scars and pods
provide wider spots directly
above constrictions, which
are excellent. Try thumb-up
and thumb-down ngerlocks
because your pinky and ring
ngers might slot perfectly
where your pointer and
middle ngers are too large.

Hard: Ratchet
For cracks too wide for a ngerlock, stick as much of your hand
as possible in the crack with
pinky up, elbow out, and thumb
tucked under your ngers.
Pull your elbow down and in
toward your ribs. This ratcheting
motion will create torque that
cams your ngers into the crack.
These are useless if your hands
are too low, so keep them face
level or higher.

Easy: Face Holds

Look for bumps, edges, or

Hardest : Ringlocks
Fissures that are slightly small
for a ratchet should t a ringlock well. Place your pointer
and middle ngers on the top
portion of your thumb and
insert that into the crack, pinky
up and elbow out. Bring your

dishes on the face outside

the crack. Scout for them
at all times, as they are the
easiest to use. Its like sport
climbing, so remember
your fancy footwork: stepthroughs, back-stepping,
etc. Finger-crack master
Jean-Pierre Ouellet says,
The tiniest bumps will be
good enough to get to the
next jam.
Hard: Toe jams
This is the same idea as foot
jamming in a hand crack:
With your knee sticking out
to the side, raise your foot
almost level with the knee
youre standing on, stick as
much of your toes/foot in
the crack as you can. Then
cam your toes in by bringing

your leg back in line with

your body. Youll probably
only get the tip of your toe
in, so really twisting and
trusting will help it. Dont
keep your feet too low,
which will make it
difcult to make the
next move.

Hardest: Crack Smears

Point your foot straight at
the crack, so your big toe
lines up with the middle of
the ssure. Bend your toes
upward. Youre essentially
smearing on the edges of
the crack. Any ared spots
or irregularities in the crack
will make the best footholds. Soft, sensitive shoes
that t tightly are best, like
thin-toed slippers.

Everyones hand, nger, and foot sizes are different. A perfect ringlock for you might be a ngerlock for someone else.
Single pitches might require any or all of these techniques, so
be open to trying each of them to nd a Goldilocks t.
Dont place gear above your head; place it by your waist. It will
be easier to clip, and it wont take up valuable real estate where
your ngers might need to go.
Relax those hands. Dont over-grip. The jams wont be as
painful, and you wont get as pumped.
Jamming thumb-down all the time is a rookie mistake. Sometimes thumb-up will give you that extra reach you need to get
to the next jam.
Shufing your hands, where one stays lower than the other,

30 |

july 2014

might be easier than alternating the high hand. This works well
when you keep the lower hand thumb-up around chest level and
the higher hand thumb-down.
Dont be afraid to cheat by pushing your thumb against
the edge of the crack, which will secure a rattly jam.
Keep your elbows in toward your rib cage at all times, no
matter what type of nger jam youre trying to do.
On straight-in cracks, try to oppose hands and feet in your
movement sequence. This means that if you lead with your left
hand, you need to lead with your right foot.
If the crack leans left, lead with your left hand (thumb-down)
and follow with the right hand (thumb-up). Vice versa for a
right-leaning crack.

julie ellison (6); skip sterling

Fine-tune
your crack technique
with Jean-Pierre Peewee Ouellet

GUIDE

TRAINING

Perfect Pull-Ups

BY JULIE ELLISON AND ADAM SCHEER

Basic exercises to increase endurance and lockoff strength

PERHAPS NO SINGLE TRAINING EXERCISE elicits a

more diverse range of opinions among climbers than
the simple pull-up. Some swear by them while others
believe they are a waste of time. So whats the truth?
Next time youre at the gym, watch somebody doing
them. Typically, the motion starts with a jolt from the shoulders
that throws the body upward. The instant momentum expires at
the apex of the motion, he falls abruptly, bounces at the bottom,

Like most strength and

weight training, the rst rule
for pull-ups is to forget quantity and focus on quality.
The goal is to gain strength
and control throughout the
movement, which forces the
smaller stabilizing muscles to
do some work and get stronger. These smaller muscles
are crucial for all climbers,
whether youre dancing up
a slab or trying to control a
wild foot cut in the middle
of a roof. When starting the
motion, the rst movement
should be to engage the
muscles by squeezing the
shoulder blades together;
dont just start from hanging on your skeleton (g. 1).
Between reps, return to this
engaged position (g. 2), not
all the way down. Pull-ups
train lockoff strength and
endurance for beginners and
advanced climbers alike. Start
with hands directly above
the shoulders (g. 2) to work
the lats, shoulders, back, and
biceps. Working the hands
wider (g. 3) forces a more difcult movement that engages
the lats more. Shorter climbers will nd these wide-grip
exercises benecial because
it trains for reachy moves and
big lockoffs.

32 |

JULY 2014

PRINCIPLES OF
PULL-UP TRAINING

Never blast off. A climbing move may begin

from any point in the standard pull-up motion,
and moves on real rock rarely start from a
dead hang. That means every point of the motion is important to building climbing strength.
Blasting off and relying on momentum negates
its effectiveness.
Move slowly. Very few routes require cranking 27 dynamic pull-ups in a row, but balance
and static control initiated by the arms and
back are crucial to nearly every climbing move.
Slow down to the point where even doing 10
pull-ups in one set is a challenge.
Focus on climbing rst, and then add
pull-ups. Most people will get stronger just by
climbing, so make that a priority and then add
a few sets at the end of training days. Once
you can do three to ve sets of 10 standard
pull-ups with three minutes rest between each
set after a full session of climbing, consider
rotating in sets of the pull-up variations listed
in this article (wide grip, horizontal, with leg
lifts, etc.).
Go as high as you can. The apex of the
movement should put your chin well above
your hands, which is a great way to train lockoff strength and get the most from your frame
on long reaches.
Down is just as important as upif not
more. Aim for a one-second count on the upward portion, a brief pause at the high point,
and then at least two to four seconds for
the lower. The down portion is the eccentric
phase, which contracts the muscles and simultaneously lengthens thema more effective
way to strengthen them.
Consider your equipment. Standard
workout bars are ne, but ngerboards and
climbing holds are better. Jugs or big, at holds
are ideal; just remember that youre working
your pulling muscles, not nger strength.

g. 1

g. 2

g. 3

DONT...

Dont kip, a move popular among CrossFitters, which takes

advantage of momentum to get more reps.
Dont just drop your body weight onto straight arms.
Lower carefully back to the engaged-muscle position (g. 2) so
you dont injure your shoulders.
Dont jump into it. This minimizes the amount that the
muscles you want to target (back, shoulders, arms, core) have
to work, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the exercise.
Dont swing your legs or body. Trying to keep from swinging
becomes an exercise in itself and will increase the movements
efciency by upping the amount your core has to work.

BEN FULLERTON (3)

START
HERE

and repeats, until collapsing in a sweaty heap, completely satised.

This type of pull-up is ne if youre in a drunken contest with your
buddies, but its nearly worthless for climbing training, according
to many sports-science studies and notable climbing coaches. The
following guidelines will break down how to do an efcient and effective pull-up, including several variations to target different muscle
groups, so you maximize your training time and get stronger with
one of the simplest exercises out there.

Do you want to ...

Get stronGer on steeps?

Instead of having your legs hang straight down, elevate your lower body with
boxes (or nd a lower bar) so with straight arms, your chest is facing the bar
and your toes are pointing straight up with your body almost horizontal to the
ground (g. 4). Your heels should be on the boxes or the ground if you are using a
low bar. Pull your chest into the bar while keeping your body straight (g. 5). Using the core to hold the body horizontal emulates an overhanging line where the
arms support most of the weight and create the power to move upward.

g. 4

Get a more intense core workout?

Do pull-ups with your legs in a variety of positions; try lifting your knees, or
even harder, lift straight legs so your hips are at a 90 angle. Too tough? Work
separately to do L-hangs (hang from bar with legs extended horizontally) without
a pull-up. Once you can do this for at least 10 seconds, try it with a pull-up.

Get better at clippinG

and placinG Gear?

Try Frenchies, which is an advanced technique that

involves pausing at equal intervals in the motion. Pull
up and hold your chin over the bar (g. 6) for a count
of three (or ve for more difculty). Lower all the way
g. 6 down, pull all the way up, and then lower so arms are
bent at 90 (g. 7); hold it for a count of three. Lower
all the way down, pull all the way up, and then lower
so your arms are two-thirds of the way straight (g.
8, about 130); hold that for a count of three. Lower
all the way down, pull all the way up, and then lower
completely. Thats one Frenchie! This develops the
staying power to hold strenuous positions so you can
g. 7
gure out sequences, place gear, or clip.

Get one-arm lockoff strenGth?

g. 8

g. 5

As mentioned before, you can try a wide-grip pull-up,

where your arms are much wider than shoulder-width
apart. Another option is the towel (or uneven-grip)
pull-up. Throw a towel, rope, or strap over the bar,
putting one hand on the bar and the other about 18
inches lower on the strap (g. 9). The initial movement
should focus on pulling with the higher hand, but as
you go up, you can start to push down with the lower
hand. Less vertical distance between hands is easier;
more is harder. Make sure to switch hands.

Get stronG really fast?

g. 9

Try weighted pull-ups, which you should only do if you

can crank out 10 quality pull-ups without coming off
the bar. Start with ve pounds for a few weeks and
work your way up as you get stronger. Anyone with
shoulder injuries should be very cautious when doing
weighted pull-ups, and its probably best to avoid
them altogether.

Ben fullerton (6); skip sterling

cant do a sinGle pull-up?

You might not want to hear it, but the best way to get better
at pull-ups is to, well, do pull-ups. If you cant manage to
crank off one, there are a few cheats that will allow you to
strengthen those muscles and eventually do them on your
own. You can also incorporate these methods to nish full
sets of 10 when youre tired. All four are an excellent way to
get stronger so you can eventually do pull-ups on your own.
1. Have a friend help push you up and take some of the
weight, just like getting a power spot when climbing. Have
your helper stand behind you and put their hands on your
hips. As you pull, they should be trying to lift you up, assisting you through the motion.
2. Use a chair. Place it in front of you so you can reach it with
one foot through the entirety of the pull-up motion. Do
the exercise with one foot pushing off the chair; as you get

stronger, you can move the chair farther and farther away,
which means theres less weight on the chair and more on
your arms. Eventually you wont need the chair at all.
3. Try the pull-up machine, which simulates the movement
while you stand on a platform that moves up and down and
provides weight as a counterbalance. As you get stronger, use
less weight. If your gym doesnt have a pull-up machine, try
doing lat pull-downs, which develop the necessary pulling
muscles.
4. Loop a TheraBand over the bar so it reaches your foot and
tie off a section so you can put your foot in it. Pull with your
arms and straighten your leg to stand in the loop, so it gives
you a small amount of support. These stretchy bands have
varying degrees of resistance, so use a higher-resistance band
for more assistance.

SPEcIAL THAnkS To THE SPoT cLImBIng gYm In BoULDEr, coLorADo, AnD moDEL ASHLEY EDEnS.

Even though Adam Scheer

is a full-time physicist
researching new biofuels in
California, he still manages to climb 5.13 weekendwarrior style by adding a
few sets of pull-ups to his
sporadic gym routine.

climbing.com

| 33

Guide

nutrition

A Slice
Of Heaven

By Julie ellison

Pizza to keep your body fueled and taste buds singing

Pizza is moRe Than comfoRT food; its a staple of the climber
diet. make a couple tactical ingredient upgrades on those formerly
cheesy, meaty messes, and it also becomes a killer recovery meal
after torturing your muscles all day at the crag. This Greek Tortilla
Pizza recipe from the Racing Weight Cookbook not only includes a
full serving of whole grains, dairy, and vegetables, but its also low in
fat, easy to make, and it will satisfy cravings without weighing you
down. The whole pie is only 277 calories with 29 grams of carbohydrates, while one slice of a large, hand-tossed pepperoni pizza
from dominos has 330 calories and about 40 carbs. Plus, this tortilla
creation has complex carbs (unlike the dominos pie, which has
simple carbs, aka the bad ones that spike your blood-sugar level),
which take a long time to break down, offering a long and steady
stream of energy. The balance of protein, fat, and carbs is excellent
for muscle recovery. make this after a long day of pulling down or
pack it in tin foil for lunch at the crag. dr. allen Lim, the fueling mastermind behind skratch Labs, says, it wont make you feel sluggish
and leave you wanting a post-lunch nap. Best part: 15 minutes is all
it takes to put together.

Ingredients

cup sliced mushrooms

Nutrition Facts
per serving (1 pizza)

cup prepared pizza sauce

cup sliced onion

cup sliced red bell pepper

34 |

july 2014

Fiber 11g
Protein 15g

fill up!

2 tablespoons sliced
Kalamata olives

2 tablespoons (1 oz.)
crumbled feta cheese

Energy 277 cal

Fat 15g
Carbs 29g

teaspoon dried oregano

(optional)

Republished with
permission of VeloPress
from the Racing
Weight Cookbook. Try
more recipes at racingweightcookbook.com.

ben fullerton (9)

1 whole-grain or sproutedgrain tortilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 400f. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Place tortilla on baking sheet and evenly spread pizza sauce.
Top with mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives, and feta. Bake for
10 minutes.
sprinkle with oregano, if desired, before serving. cut into
slices.

The Best Frozen Pizzas

ORDERING OUT?

Because sometimes youre just too torched to cook

Guidelines for choosing a healthy pie

TOMORROW YOU WILL...
SEND IT!

HEALTHY

Light cheese, chicken, peppers, onions, olives,

thin crust

Newmans Own
BBQ Chicken Thin Crust

Amys Roasted
Vegetable

Kashi Thin Crust

Mediterranean

280 CAL, 9G FAT, 7G

PROTEIN PER SERVING
(1/3 PIZZA)

290 CAL, 9G FAT, 15G

PROTEIN PER SERVING
(1/3 PIZZA)

290 CAL, 9G FAT, 17G

PROTEIN PER SERVING
(1/3 PIZZA)

Most people wouldnt look

twice at this cheese- and
meat-free dish, but the semisweet balsamic and tomato
sauce combined with shiitake
mushrooms, roasted red
peppers, and artichokes really
hits the spot. And you can
share it with your vegan and
vegetarian friendsbut we
doubt youll want to.

Surprisingly, this vegetarian

pie packs a powerful protein
punch with 15 grams per
serving (45g for the whole
pie). Thats thanks to the
tasty blend of four cheeses:
mozzarella, cheddar, asiago,
and feta, which also made it
one of the yummiest in the
bunch. Flaxseed in the crust
is good for your heart, too.

Specialty pizzas can pack on

the calories (were looking
at you, Meat Lovers Stuffed
Crust), but this one keeps
the bad numbers low and has
more protein than some of
the other supreme pizzas we
checked out. Its also slightly
larger with a heartier crust,
which proved the most lling
in our test.

HIT EASY CLIMBS FOR A MILEAGE DAY.

Regular cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, handtossed crust

REST!
Extra cheese, supreme with multiple meats,
deep-dish crust

GLUTTONY

1. Go for thin crust over deep dish.

2. Ask for light cheese or no cheese at all.
3. Substitute feta or goat cheese if they have it.
4. Skip fatty meats (bacon, sausage, pepperoni), and opt
for lean chicken instead. Or go meatless.
5. Pile on as many veggies as you can.
6. Target olive oil and traditional tomato-based sauces, and
avoid adding any sauce labeled creamy or alfredo.

*We tested commonly available frozen pizzas, vetting them for calorie count as
well as protein, fat, quality of ingredientsand, of course, taste. Note that most
frozen pizzas, these included, are high in sodium. Chase it with an extra glass of
water to stay hydrated.

MIGUELS:
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE PIZZA

COURTESY (3); ELODIE SARACCO

How one small pizza joint became central to the climbing community
As a climber, you cant mention pizza without thinking of Miguels Pizza near
Red River Gorge, Kentucky. Not only is it the place to eat and gather in the tiny
town of Slade, but with their uniquely delicious pizza creations, a welcoming
attitude toward climbers, and ample camping in the backyard, Miguels has become legendary in the climbing community. Originally from Portugal and born
into a family of bakers, Miguel Ventura opened an ice cream store in 1984 with
his wife, Susan, and two years later, they tried their hand at pizza. They drew
on Miguels past as an artist to get creative with their pie creations, offering
topping options like sweet potatoes, mango salsa, and white beans. Over the
next two decades, the Venturas and their children ran the operation by catering
to the hikers and rock climbers
that visited the gorge. During that
time, the idea of a campground
developed and quickly ourished.
Now it has full bathrooms, showers, laundry, and Wi-Fi. This year,
Miguels celebrates its 30th anniversary. Local Elodie Saracco has
been living at Miguels since 2009;
she says, This very special place
is the glue between climbers from
all backgrounds; it is a place we
can call home. The Red wouldnt
be what it is without Miguels.

BARTLETT
REALLY VALUES
PEOPLE.
THEY CARE
ABOUT OUR
SAFETY, OUR
SCHEDULES
AND WE ALL
FEEL LIKE
FAMILY.
RAMON, FOREMAN,
HIRED 2004

Enhance your skills and

advance your career with
the #1 tree and shrub care
company in the world.
bartlett.com/careers
Opportunity grows on trees.
An equal opportunity employer.

scarpa.com/stix

You only get 26,320 days, more or less. How will you spend them?

THE

PRIMER

Smart
Ropes

CLIMB

GEAR
CRANIAL X-RAY
07 / 14
p. 37
CE EN 892, UIAA
WPM 60g
IF 8.4kN

BEN FULLERTON

The last few years of

climbing-rope innovations have led us to
coin a new term: smart
ropes. This brainy breed
of cord incorporates
features that signicantly increase safety,
boost durability, or tailor
it for a niche use. On the
outside, these ropes
look like any other, but
the details produce a
level of performance
beyond simple dry
treatments and tighter
sheath weaves. Turn the
page to nd ve smart
ropes that out-nerd and
outperform other cords
on the market.

9.8 mm
60m
PS 41%
SE 9.0%
DE 35%

GEAR

BIG REVIEW
BY JULIE ELLISON

Next-Generation Ropes

Smart features increase performance and safety on these 5 cords

Rope

The hot trend in ropes

for the past few years
was ever-smaller
diameters. Now,
with lines reaching
what seems to be
the terminus of the
skinny spectrum,
manufacturers started
looking to innovate
in different ways. The
result is ropes with
dening features that
signicantly improve
safety or customize
the cord for a very
specic purpose.
That means extra
peace of mind when
youre ve pitches up
a long alpine route
or heading out for a
day of projectingall
without adding any
weight. Our testers
have been thrashing
these ve ropes from
Quebec to California
with more than 100
days of testing, and
while no two ropes
are exactly the same,
each of them proved
the value of their
higher-intelligence
features.

6 UNDER $6

Sport Climbers
Edition
Cheap, useful stuff
beyond the routine
essentials
38 |

JULY 2014

Performance

Conclusion

Millet Opposite TRX 9/10

Mammut Sensor 10

$300 (80m); milletusa.com

$300 (60m), $320 (70m); mammut.ch

With this dedicated sport climbing cord, you

get two ropes in one. Fifty meters of 9mm rope
merges with 30 meters of 10mm cord to create
an ideal projecting line. Testers tied into the fat
end when working climbs, taking more than a
dozen whips on the more durable side. When it
was time for the send, they chose the skinnier
end to reduce weight. Testers loved the overall
feel and handling of the Opposite, prompting
us to give it an Editors Choice Award for 2014.
One user said, You barely notice the change in
diameter when lowering or clipping. The rope
has proven durability with Millets three-piece
braided core called Triaxiale. Testers noticed that
the 10mm end fuzzed over ever so slightly after
about two weeks of use, especially where the
abrasion from multiple falls was concentrated,
but it didnt get worse after another six months
of testing. Even with the dramatic diameter
change, the Opposite ran through both tubestyle and assisted-braking devices with complete
smoothness. Drawback: Its only available in an
80-meter length.

Weve had this in our testers hands for more

than a year, loving the innovation so much that
we gave it an Editors Choice Award in 2013,
and it still sits at the top of the gear pile for its
unbeatable performance. Mammut developed
the BiCo Sense technology, which weaves thicker
and darker threads into a few meters of the middle and ends of the rope. You can visibly see and
feel this rumble strip as it runs through your
belay device and your hands, whether youre
lowering or rappelling. (Note: Testers couldnt
feel it in their hand while wearing belay gloves,
but they still noticed as it vibrated through the
belay device.) This is my go-to cord for every
type of rope climbing, said one tester, who took
it to popular climbing areas in California, Colorado, and Wyoming. Besides the fact that its
never kinked once and continues to handle like a
new rope, having a little reminder that youve hit
the middle or are nearing the ends is a godsend
for lowering on single pitches and rappelling
on multi-pitches. The Sensor has never kinked,
frayed, or fuzzed, even after 12+ months.

Serious sport climbers will nd this rope perfectly suits their projecting needs, and although
the price is kind of steep, youre getting the
performance and practical uses of two cords for
the price of one.

This workhorse rope has a surprisingly simple but

effective system for alerting the user when he is
reaching the middle or the ends, and its continued high-level performance after a year of use
speaks to its durability.

Bottom Line
Bail Biner An
inexpensive
biner (like the
Cypher Ceres
II on p. 40)
that you wont
mind leaving
on a route you cant nish
might give you the extra push

Superior Sport
you need to try something
harder and get on a climb at
your limit. $6
A Very Big Stick For routes
with a high rst bolt or
dangerous landing, grab a
long stick and some climbers
tape. This is basically free,

Safer Workhorse
but you can earn good karma
points by leaving it at the
base of the route so other
people may enjoy its reach.
Learn the technique here:
climbing.com/stick-clipvideo. Free
Quick Links Sport anchors

see a ton of wear

from repeated
lowering, but
the good news is
that quick links
are very easy
(and inexpensive) to replace.
Check out ClimbTechs Quick
Links (climbtechgear.com)

DRIER TREATMENT

Until this year, rope dry treatments were sort of a crapshoot. There were no standards or regulations in place, so
a manufacturer could slap any ol chemical on there, call it dry treated, and up the price. The problem became that some ropes were very water resistant
and others still absorbed water like a sponge. The UIAA, climbings safety regulation association, decided to create a standard, so when you see dry
treated on a tag, you will know exactly what it means. From here on out, look for the UIAA Water Repellent label to nd ropes that have met the new
standard. A rope must absorb no more than ve percent of its weight in water after being lightly abraded and then submerged for 15 minutes. Many ropes
that are currently on the market and labeled dry absorbed 20 to 40 percent of their weight. Our past research indicates that a wet nylon rope loses 15
percent of its strength and has up to a 70 percent reduction in dynamic performance. What this means for you is the knowledge that all dry-treated ropes
will have a high level of water resistance, but it could also mean that prices across the board go up as companies must improve their dry-treatment
processes to hit the UIAAs numbers. Kevin Corrigan

Beal Tiger 10 Unicore

Edelrid Python TouchTec 10mm

Edelweiss Performance 9.2 Unicore

$190$300; libertymountainclimbing.com

$190 (60m), $230 (70m); scarpa.com/edelrid

$190$370; libertymountainclimbing.com

I couldnt believe this rope was 10 millimeters in

diameter until I double-checked the label, one
tester said of the Tigers skinny, supple feel after
taking it on R-rated trad routes in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado, and then alpine climbing in Rocky
Mountain National Park. Its excellent handling
impressed our testers continually for a year. With
a reputation for being a durable workhorse cord,
the addition of Unicore gives it another level of
practicality. Unicore is a thin lament that tightly
bonds the core and the sheath, like two separate
pieces that are glued together. When the sheath
gets cut, instead of sliding down and exposing
a few feet of strength-giving core, the lament
keeps the sheath in place so it continues to protect the core. The Tigers sheath is also up to 40
percent thicker than that of other ropes, meaning it can stand up to more abrasion and abuse.
With UIAA-certied Golden Dry treatment and
a scant weight of 61 g/m (8.1 lbs. for 60 meters),
the Tiger now has a rightful spot in alpine and
big wall environments, where sliced sheaths and
chopped cords are common.

Edelrid has taken one of their best all-around

ropes and added a unique braiding process on
ve meters of each end to give these areas a different look and feel than the rest of the rope. By
raising some of the sheath strands in the weaving
process, they stand out above the others and
give those parts of the rope a noticeably rougher
feel, which is great for longer pitches when there
is a threat of reaching the end of the rope. The
fatter diameter makes it good for toproping, and
this cord is perfect for beginner belayers, as it
forces them to learn to pay attention to where
the ends arean important skill for everyone.
Edelrids goal with TouchTec is to reduce the
likelihood of lowering accidents, which is one of
the most common climbing hazards (climbing.
com/2014knowtheropes). Minor beef: Testers
couldnt feel this unique braiding in the belay
device very well, so to maximize the benet, you
want to feel it in your hand by not wearing belay
gloves. Edelrids Thermo Shield nish keeps the
yarns in the sheath compact, which prevented
them from fraying or fuzzing up.

At 53 g/m (almost exactly seven pounds for the

60-meter version), the Performance is one of the
lightest ropes on the market, and thats with the
addition of Unicore (bonding lament between
core and sheath, see Tiger review for more info).
This is the best-performing skinny rope Ive
ever used, from knotting and clipping to running
through gear and coiling, said one tester, who
took it on the 12-pitch Estrellita (5.11a) and the
23-pitch Time Wave Zero (5.12a) in El Potrero
Chico, Mexico. I view it as a top-notch lead line
by itself, and then the added security of Unicore
is like extra icing on the cake. It easily stood up
to rock-killing abrasion and never kinked, even
straight out of the box. Its rated as a single, half,
and twin, so its equally at home on sport climbs
and wandery ice routes. Unicore adds some
structure to the rope so that even if it gets wet,
shrinkage will be reduced by about 50 percent.
However, the Supereverdry treatment available
on this rope blew the new UIAA Water Repellent
standards out of the water (pardon the pun) by
absorbing less than 1.5 percent of its weight.

The Tiger has been a sport and trad climbers

favorite for years, but the addition of Unicore
means big wallers, alpinists, and even route
developers can nd peace of mind and extra
durability in high-rockfall arenas.

A durable, reliable, basic rope with one very

important safety feature thats excellent for
beginners and veterans alike. The fatter diameter
means a longer lifespan, even for toproping, and
the price is more than budget-friendly.

A cut sheath on this skinny and super-light cord

doesnt mean disaster anymore with the added
protection and stability of Unicore, and its rating
as a single, half, and twin means you can use it
almost anywhere.

Armored Core
or Fixe Hardwares Screw
Links (xehardware.com).
Simply unscrew the old ones
with a wrench and screw on
the new ones, making sure
theyre tightened down all
the way. Yes, you can do this!
In fact, you should if the current anchors look sketchy. $3

Small Adjustable Wrench Because you never know when

you might need to tighten a
loose bolt. Were not suggesting you climb your projects
with a wrench in your pocket,
but if you spot or hear about
a loose bolt, give it a rm but
not forceful tightening. Plus, a

Rope-End Awareness
wrench helps when replacing
those quick links. $5
Waste Management Its
inevitable that the moment
you walk to
the base of a
route (a solid
40-minute

Lightweight &
Core-Protected

hike from the bathroom),

nature will call. Burying the
goods is an acceptable Leave
No Trace practice, but its
always better to pack it out.
We like the Restop 2 kit (restop.com) that includes toilet
paper and wipes. Dont forget
the hand sanitizer! $3.40

Rope Tarp You can go out

and buy yourself a fancy one
specic to climbing, or you
can go to the hardware store
and get a 6 x 8 multipurpose
tarp or plastic sheet for
about $6. This small investment can easily double the
lifespan of your cord. $6

CLIMBING.COM

| 39

GEAR

TESTED

THE KIT

Field Notes

The latest and greatest from our diligent testers

BY JULIE ELLISON

Sleeping is fun
SELKBAG PATAGON
This may not be the most
practical bag on the market
(at 4+ lbs., its heavy for a
35F bag), but our testers
sure had a good time with
it. On a chilly night in camp
near Moab last November,
I unzipped the feet on the
Patagon and wore it around
the re, said one tester.
Then I crawled in my tent to
sleep and crawled back out
to do yoga in the morning
sun. A proprietary synthetic
insulation called Krekran
kept testers warm down to
the mid-40s, and at least
one tester used it as much
as apparel as a sleeping bag.
Its both! she pointed out,
as she slid her hands out of
magnetic slots at the end of
each sleeve to grab her beer.
Its durable, too: The shell
material held up to desert use
with no signs of fatal wear.
$259; selkbagusa.com

Eternal, customizable light

GOAL ZERO LIGHTHOUSE
250 LANTERN
With three different ways to
charge this ultra-bright light,
youll never be left in the dark
again. It was ideal for both
short weekend trips around
Colorado and a 10-day stint
in Bishop, California. We

40 |

JULY 2014

charged via USB when driving,

solar panels when hanging
out under the sun, and the
integrated hand crank when
we forgot to charge it during
the day, one tester said.
Plus, the spectrum of light
adjustmentnot just really
weak or really brightmakes
the Lighthouse 250 perfect
for nearly all situations. Cool
feature: The option to turn
on one side for 180 of light,
or turn on both sides for 360
of illumination, is handy for
dinner prep followed by a
group buffet. Hang it in the
tent with the loop on the
top, or get extra reach on
a picnic table with the legs
that nest up against the unit
when not in use. Bonus: You
can charge smartphones and
small electronics off the USB
port, too.
$80; goalzero.com

Refresh tortured skin

JOSHUA TREE ICE
HERBAL CHALK
Chalk is chalk is chalk, right?
El wrongo. This mint-scented
magnesium carbonate from
Joshua Tree Skin Care is formu-

lated to soothe your tips, and

our testers found it did exactly
that. On a 10-day climbing
trip to the granite paradise of
Bishop, which is famous for its
skin-killing patina crimps and
harsh volcanic rock, our testers
were able to climb every day.
Each morning I woke up
anxious because I didnt think
I could force myself to touch
rock that day, one said. But
as soon as I chalked up, I was
totally good to go. Thats
thanks to the natural menthol,
which gently numbs your skin
and cools your tips so you can
keep climbing. Downside: The
menthol scent is very strong,
so much so that testers climb-

ing packs reeked of it. On the

plus side, it covered up even
the most overwhelming rock
shoe stench.
$7; jtreelife.com

Perfect aprs shoe

PAKEMS
Taking off tight and downturned climbing shoes is one of
the best feelings in the world,
and now, sliding on a pair of
cozy Pakems is the secondbest feeling in the world.
These lightweight, compressible around-camp kicks are
insulated (but not enough to
make them sweat boxes in
the warmer months), with a
lugged rubber outsole and an
EVA foam midsole to protect
your feet from rocks and roots.
Testers found they had traction
on rock and trail, enough for
easy to moderate approaches
and descents, but for anything
technical youll want something
more serious. The low-cut
style is perfect for spring and
summer, while the high-top
gives you more protection
and warmth for fall and winter.
Ripstop nylon with DWR treatment stood up to rock abrasion
and continual packing and unpacking, as well as light drizzles
during a ckle Colorado spring.
Then theres the namesake:
These pack down to about
the size of a standard Nalgene
water bottle, and they come
with a small removable belt so
theyre easy to carry over one
shoulder without a pack. And
with the styling of a retro Nike
or Saucony sneaker, you wont
blip the dork radar when you
go to town for supplies.
$60 (low-top), $70 (high-top);
pakems.com

Maximum-value
carabiner
CYPHER CERES II
Bargain biners are usually the
heaviest in the bunch, but
the Ceres II maintains a light
weight and a light price, with
a few extra features that make
it a top-notch, all-around
carabiner. Weighing in at 30
grams (1.06 oz.), it gives other
ultra-light clippers a run for
their money, and testers
found that the bent wire
gate made it easy to clip gear,
bolts, and the rope. The
color-coding was perfect for
racking, too; I could easily
organize my double rack and
nd the right piece almost
immediately, one tester
said of a week with them in
the Gunks. One of the most
called-out extras was the
small raised ribs on the outside of the spine, which gave
more grip when fumbling with
difcult sport clips. This also
made them much easier to
handle with bulky gloves. And
the real kicker? The unbeatable price.
$6; cypherclimbing.com

mouNtaiNsmith
desceNt
Professional photographer
Andy Mann designed this
pack manufacturers newest
line of camera bags with all
the features he wanted for
shooting from a rope, in a
sleek and polished design
that is comfortable to carry
and easy to access. I was
skeptical about the singleshoulder-strap design, said
one tester, but it felt secure

on my back while jugging.

Then once I got in shooting
position, I could easily slide
it around front to access

my gear. A nice win-win! A

reverse opening means the
lid folds out away from your
body, so you dont have to
wrestle with it when retrieving gear from the padded
interior. Testers loved the
smart array of extras: green
and red zipper pockets on
the inside of the lid (one
side for ready-to-go batteries and memory cards and
the latter for spent ones),
multiple handles and carry-

Photo Gear
By Julie ellison

ben fullerton

Nokia Lumia icoN

When two climber-photographers regularly choose a
phone over their high-end
point-and-shoots, you know
its good. Essentially this is
a high-quality camera that I
can make a phone call with,
said one tester. Not only is
the camera a humongous
20 megapixels, but it offers
myriad settings to record
the moment just as you see
it. Full manual model is intuitive and easy to use, with an
option to change aperture
and shutter speed separately, or just ne-tune exposure
up and down. The money
feature is the large amount
of focus control: Drag your
nger up or down on a small
circle on the touch screen to
shoot macro-level subjects
and wide-open landscapes
alike. You dont just tap
the screen and hope for
the best like other phones.
Plus, the included editing
apps, like Cinemagraph that
animates your photos (mind
blown!) or the quick-anddirty Creative Studio that
lets you edit on the y,
are absolutely genius, said
another tester.
$150$200 (with two-year
contract); nokia.com

Leef PRo memoRy caRds

5 must-have items for shooting climbing

ing options, and a removable

rain cover.
$100; mountainsmith.com

Shooting high-action moments can be a real drag

when your memory card
cant keep up, but these SD
and micro-SD cards are specically designed for speed,
whether its still frame after
still frame or video with a
POV camera. The secret is in
the proprietary UHS-1 (ultrahigh-speed) processor that
reads and writes le data at
a speed that will never leave
you waiting on your equipment again. The thermoplastic casing is shock-proof and
waterproof, with a ve-year
warranty. Theyre available
in storage amounts of 16GB,
32GB, and 64GB. Oh, and the
price is pretty damn good.
$25 (16GB), $45 (32GB), $85
(64GB); 2leef.com

PoLaRoid Xs100
eXtReme editioN
This small POV camera is all
about options; with photo,
video, time-lapse, and
multiple resolution settings,
theres just about nothing it
cant do. Shoot stills at 16, 5,
3, or 1 megapixels, or record
video at 1080p, 960p, or
720p. As social media devotees, we loved the dual-le
recording feature, which
creates a smaller le with
every HD video for faster
uploads and easier sharing.
The XS100 is housed in a
dense plastic casing, which
handled bumps and scrapes
on roofs and bulges with no
worries. Bonus: It comes
with a one-year limited
warranty in case of larger
mishaps. Another feature
testers liked was the sleeker,
bullet-like design that had
less of a dorky I have a massive camera on my skull feel
(see p. 49) and felt more incognito for capturing those
adventurous moments.
$150; polaroid.com

JoBy PRo sLiNg stRaP

The best climbing shots make
you feel like youre right
there in the moment, and
what better way to do that
than to shoot them while
youre truly in the moment?
Unfortunately, fragile and
expensive DSLRs arent much
use when theyre in your pack
most of the climb. The JOBY
Pro Sling Strap gives you
quick access to your camera
so you can climb with it out
and accessible, snagging
shots that would make Galen
Rowell proud. It has a superfast transition system: Pull
your camera out the second
you need it, and in a splitsecond its safe and secure
so you can keep climbing. It
connects on the bottom of
the camera body (and swivels
360 for maximum range of
motion), and then wraps
across your chest and torso
over one shoulder. Loosen
it by pulling the SpeedCinch strap one way to take
pictures, and then pull the
SpeedCinch strap the other
way to tighten it.
$70; joby.com

climbing.com

| 41

THE

BEGIN HERE

CLIMB

CLINICS

AUTO-BLOCKING BELAY DEVICES

By Julie Ellison

g. 1

INCREASE SPEED AND

EFFICIENCY ON MULTIPITCH CLIMBS
Belay transitions can be the real
time-suck of multi-pitch climbing.
Exchanging gear, restacking the
rope, eating, drinking, and whatever
else you might need to handle at the
belay stance can really burn away
those precious daylight hours, so its
crucial to be as efcient as possible.
Belaying your follower (or followers)
with an auto-blocking device set
up directly on the anchor allows
the leader to go almost hands-free
while safely bringing the follower up
to his stance. This setup, which is
also called guide mode, automatically stops the rope from moving
through the deviceor catches the
followerif he falls. Its a must-have
tool and technique for anyone who
wants to tackle multi-pitch climbs.

C
B

SUPERCORN

THE PROCESS

The leader reaches the belay stance

and builds an anchor with a master
point. To set up the auto-blocking
device, she just needs two locking
biners and the belay device; at least
one of the biners needs to have a
smooth and rounded shape with no
edges. Clip a rounded or non-rounded
biner through the master point and
then the large loop, called the anchor
attachment point, on the device (A),
which will be oriented with the friction grooves down (B). This will be
where the brake strand comes out,
while the climbers strand goes into
the top (C). Lock the biner. Pull up all
the slack from the follower, then push
a bight of rope through the device
(making sure the climbers side is in
the top, brake side on bottom), and
clip the rounded biner through the
cable on the device and the bight of
rope (D). Lock that biner. Double-

*Editors Note: This setup is appropriate for standard auto-blocking tube-style

belay devices, but there are several unique models on the market that require
their own rigging method. Please read all manufacturers directions and information before using any device.
check that the anchor is good,
biners are locked, and belay device is
oriented correctly. Now your follower
is on belay.
As the follower moves up, use one
hand to pull slack in, and the other
to pull it through the device. This
can be hard if theres a lot of rope
drag or its a long pitch, so get in a
solid stance. The gripping power of
the auto-blocking device is strong
and more or less instantaneous.
Should your follower fall, it will
feel like a normal toprope fall for
himmostly just rope stretch. An
attentive belayer should always keep

her brake hand on the rope, but the

braking action from the device is so
reliable that its easy to switch hands
and grab a snack or organize gear.
The drawback to this technique is
that the auto-block makes it difcult
to lower a climber. It is possible but
physically challenging; you must
change the angle of the device when
its under weight. Most devices come
with a built-in release hole. Simply
put the nose of a biner in this, and
it will give you the leverage to rotate
the device away from the anchor and
reduce friction enough to lower the
climber.

MORE ADVANCED:
TWO FOLLOWERS

One real upside to this device is that

you can have two followers climb at
the same time. Your setup should
look like g. 1. This is best done when
theres less rockfall potential and the
route isnt a perfectly straight line,
which can cause the third climbers
rope to get in the seconds way. The
slower climber needs to be the rst
follower. When he approaches a piece
of gear, he should unclip his rope and
leave the other followers rope clipped.
The last climber needs to be faster because she will need to deal with cleaning gear, climbing the pitch quickly,
and paying attention to where the
climber in front of her is. The belayer
will be pulling in both ropes, and the
followers should be communicating
if they need more slack (slack) or if
they need slack taken out (uprope);
make sure everyone agrees on commands before leaving the ground.
One very important thing to keep in
mind is that if one follower falls and
locks the device, it will not catch the
other followers fall. When belaying
two followers, you need to tend each
rope closely; that means you probably
wont be doing much else, but two
followers simul-climbing is still faster
than three people climbing each pitch
separately. Here are a few more tips
for climbing in a party of three:
Make sure followers pay attention
and keep ropes untangled.
They should also be aware of
where they are in relation to each
other, making a point to spend as
little time as possible directly above
or below the other person.
Use two diferent-colored ropes
so communication is easier and
more clear: Uprope on blue! or
Slack on green!
The followers should stay at least
20 feet apart.
You can use half ropes to save
weight, instead of two singles. The
leader should be tied into both; each
follower tied into one.
This shouldnt be done on difcult routes where many falls are
possible.

CLIMBING.COM

| 43

CLINICS

IN SESSION

TRICKY TOPOUTS
By David Flanagan

MASTER MANTELS AND HEEL ROCKOVERS

Youve crimped, dynoed, sidepulled, and gastoned your way to the top of your
boulder project, only to be shut down by the topout moves on a slopey, no-hold
overhang. Theres nothing more frustrating than that. Topping out can be the
most difcult part of bouldering, especially if youre used to the gym, where you
jump or downclimb from the top, or they set massive jugs to make it easy to haul
your butt up and over. With most outdoor problems, it isnt considered nished
until youre standing on top. At that point, youre often pumped and high of the
ground, so it isnt the ideal time to experiment with the ner points of technique.
Learn how to do these maneuvers in a safe and easy environment so you can nail
them on harder terrain.
Certain rock types, such as sandstone, gritstone, and granite, tend to form rounded and featureless boulders that are
notorious for their nasty topouts. If your technique is rusty, even relatively easy nishes can feel strenuous, insecure,
and scary on these blocks. Manteling is the most commonly used topout technique, but if the top is really rounded and
lacks good holds, you may need to rock over onto your heel. If nothing else works, the very last resort is to do a beached
whale, which involves opping over the top onto your stomach, kicking your feet, and wriggling your body until you can
stand up. It isnt an elegant technique, but its nearly guaranteed to entertain onlookers, terrify your spotters, and get you
to the top when nothing else will.

This is an excerpt from Bouldering

Essentials: The Complete Guide to
Bouldering, by David Flanagan,
available now on Eric Hrsts website,
trainingforclimbing.com. The book
is packed with clear, practical advice
for everyone interested in bouldering,
whether youre a beginner or an expert.

Mantel

Manteling is the method of going from hanging from a feature to standing on it, without help from any higher holds. Mantels rely mostly on the arms, whereas
rockovers use the big muscles in the legs to generate upward movement. Manteling can also be handy on longer routes when you encounter large ledges or big, at
holds. The more area you have to mantel, the easier it will be; if there is rock directly above the large ledge, you might not have enough room to really lean in and
transfer your weight onto your palms.

Once you reach the lip, decide which

hand you are going to use palm-down
rst. If one side of the lip is higher
or more positive, choose that hand;
otherwise, use your preferred hand.
Place one foot on a hold high enough
that your waist will be level with your
hands when you stand up on it.

STEP 2

Simultaneously pull your shoulders toward the lip and stand up on the high
foothold. As your shoulders rise above
the lip, rotate your chosen hand so its
ngers face the other hand and your
palm is at on the rock. At this point
your arms should be sharply bent with
your elbows pointing up in the air.

STEP 3

Straighten your arms and quickly

rotate your other hand so the
ngers of each hand face each
other. Keep pressing until both
arms are straight.

If possible, combine steps 2 and 3 into one smooth motion.

44 |

JULY 2014

STEP 4

Bring a foot onto the lip and lean

forward to shift weight onto it. Move
up the hand thats close to that foot,
and bring the other foot up.
JULIE ELLISON (4)

STEP 1

Rockover

This move is when you place a foot on a high foothold and stand up on it by pressing hard with the legs while your arms
keep you balanced. Rockovers require powerful leg muscles (strengthen them with squats or pistols, which are onelegged squats where the non-squatting leg is straight in front of you), balance, and coordination. They arent used exclusively for topouts and are very common on vertical and slabby ground. Frequently on low-angled problems, rockovers
must be done very slowly, pressing inch by inch. Conversely, on steep ground, rockovers are often more dynamic, relying
on momentum to reach the target hold.

STEP 1

Place your foot, usually the toe but

sometimes the heel, on the high
foothold. Get your hands as high as
possible.

STEP 2

Pull yourself up past the handholds,

and with stabilizing help from your
arms, transfer your weight onto the
higher foothold.

STEP 3

Smoothly press with your leg and

push down on the handholds;
usually the hardest part is getting
the movement started. Your lower
foot will leave its hold, and in some
situations (especially slow, grinding
rockovers), it can be helpful to drag
it against the rock as a sort of ratchet
to ensure you dont lose any ground.

TRAINING
FOR TOPOUTS

* If your local gym doesnt have any

sections where its possible to practice topping out, focus on climbs that
require mantels mid-problem.
* Pushups and dips strengthen the
pushing muscles that are critical for
topping out, such as the deltoids and
triceps.
* A day spent out on the boulders
doing as many topouts as possible
(practice at least two to three grades
below your redpoint limit) will do
more for your climbing than a session on the campus board. Seek out
low problems with good landings,
and experiment with the various
topping-out techniques. Gradually
increase the difculty.
* If you really want to excel on
topouts, you need to gure out if you
have a side. Do you favor pushing
down with one arm, or high-stepping
with one foot? The rock will dictate
how you must climb, and it doesnt
care about your preferences, so
spend time improving your weaker
side and you may nd yourself doing
a lot fewer beached whales.

Heel Rockover

Blank, rounded, or undercut topouts are best tackled with an approach that combines elements of rocking over and manteling. These features arent too bad if
tackled decisively with good technique, but if you lose your nerve midway, things can get messy. As the angle of the rock attens at the top, it becomes harder to
see. It may be worth inspecting the top from above and noting useful holds. You can tick hard-to-see holds with a little dot of chalk, but make sure you brush it of
when youre nished.

JULIE ELLISON (7)

STEP 1

Start with your feet highlevel with

your waist if possible. Pull yourself
high enough to get a heel hook on
the lower side of the lip.

STEP 2

Pull hard with your arms and heel

while straightening your lower leg.
Once your waist is close to the lip,
turn your inside hand (the one on the
same side as your heel hook) so its
ngers face your other hand and your
palm is at on the rock.

STEP 3

Press down with your palm. As your

waist rises above the lip, lean forward to transfer more weight onto
your palm. Roll your heel-hooking
foot forward so the sole of the foot is
at on the rock.

STEP 4

Straighten both of your arms, move

your foot closer to your body, and
bring your other foot onto the lip.
This position is quite precarious, so
pay close attention to your balance.

Steps 2, 3, and 4 should be done in one smooth motion.

CLIMBING.COM

| 45

CLINICS

HEALTH

HEALING MASSAGE
By Terry Cross

LOOSEN TIGHT FOREARMSAND PREVENT INJURYWITH THESE SIMPLE STEPS

Doing a ton of what you love (climb, train, climb, climb, train, repeat) naturally makes muscles tight, sore, and knottedespecially those forearms! Without efective recovery, you can experience a drop in performance, an increase in pain, or even worse, injury. The key to quick recovery
is ushing out lactic acid and metabolic waste, so you can come back the next day feeling fresh and ready to crush. These simple self-massage
procedures will help you do just that.

The

Problem

The

Solution

The

Guidelines

Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) such as tendonitis dont

just appear one day out of nowhere, hence the name
repetitive. When specic muscles are used intensely,
they have a tendency to become shorter, dense, and sore.
Muscle cells no longer easily slide or glide over each
other to create movement. When muscles are chronically
short, it creates a pull (or strain) on the spot where the
muscles meet tendons and attach to bones, both at the
elbow and through the wrist into the hand. This constant

Learning and using sports massage

therapy techniques on yourself will
release tight muscles and help you
regain full, pain-free ROM. Youve
probably tried to do what people
have done for the last few thousand
years: rubbing the sore spot with

your free hand. Youre on the right

track, but that method will be tough
to pull of, especially when both
arms are cranked. The following
steps will give you the correct techniques to be truly efective and make
a diference in your recovery time.

Use pain as your guide when applying pressure. Find

and maintain the delicious ooooh, yes, hurts so good kind
of pressurethe feeling that something good is happening
to your muscles when you press with the right movement.
The too-much-pressure ouch kind of pain will bruise and
damage your muscles, and theres nothing good about that.
Massage slowly to discover your own patterns of
muscle use and trigger points. You will tend to have
sore spots in the same places, specic to how you engage
certain muscles. Do it as often as you brush your teeth:
Start with two to three minutes, two to three times a day.
Go for longer later when your muscles get used to it.

Find the tool that works best for you.

Use your imagination. Its all in how
you use it. Technique trumps all, no
matter the size or shape of your tool.
Snickers aside, thats the truth.

pulling can eventually blossom from latent, under-theradar tension into chronic pain at the elbow or wrist.
Plus, muscle tension limits comfortable range of motion
(ROM), which reduces performance. Climbers and
athletes of all types should strive for full range of motion,
meaning the muscles move without pain or restriction
within the complete range. Maintaining full ROM means
enjoying your natural levels of strength and endurance
with faster recovery times and fewer injuries.

Step one is to do broad, general

massaging in order to increase blood
ow, ush lactic acid, and identify
trigger points. Step two involves
targeted pressure that will release
these trigger points and restore your
muscles full ROM.

You can do this at any time: before, during, or after

climbing. Before and during will keep you loose for that
particular day of climbing, while after will help your body
recover.
Adjust your recovery expectations. It took weeks or
months to create your problem, so allow your muscles to
slowly (over the course of days or weeks) regain their full,
pain-free ROM.
Drink more water than you normally would. Add two
to three eight-ounce glasses to your usual water routine.
This will hydrate muscles, help ush out the lactic acid,
and be an integral part of your whole bodys recovery.

It should:
Amplify your massaging force
with a concentrated mass, meaning it has a weight of one to three
pounds (or more).

Have both a smooth surface and

an edge, but not so sharp that it
could cut you when pressing down.
Be low-cost or free and found
anywhere.

A brick.

A large beer or food can. Decide

whether youre hungry or thirsty.

The
Tool
46 |

JULY 2014

A smooth, hefty stone that you can

hold with one hand, found on-site.

BEN FULLERTON (3)

Examples:

Technique #1
Circulatory Massage

Upper
Arms
You can use these methods for your
biceps and triceps, too, which can
harbor even more trigger points.
Follow the listed steps, but while
you hold the edge of your tool on an
upper-arm spot, flex your forearm
up (about 20 percent) then extend
all the way down at the elbow. Seek
out and work on new spots in the
upper arms to recover tight muscles
and regain full range of motion in
that area.

Nearly everyone who is ber-active with their arms and

hands has small, painful bundles of tight muscle tissue,
called trigger points, in the forearm, bicep, and tricep
muscles. These trigger points limit ROM and can only
be discovered by accurate touch, meaning you poke and
probe until you nd the sensitive spots of tight tissue.
Motion: Rest the ofending arm on your thigh or on a
table. Probe with the at part or the edge of your chosen tool in a broad, circular motion with mild, general
pressure. Move a couple of inches at a time, slowly and
thoughtfully feeling for soreness.
Efect 1: This stimulates general cellular exchange of
nutrients and oxygen, and it brings blood to stagnant
areas in order to help gently ush the cells of metabolic
waste products.
Efect 2: It specically locates sore trigger points so you
can apply the next killer technique that will help you
regain your ROM.

Technique #2
Active Release/Trigger Point Therapy
In my few decades of experience, this is the most efective therapy technique for regaining ROM. Some might nd it
painful at rst, but its the most direct way to unstick tight muscles so they move properly and smoothly.

BEN FULLERTON (3); SKIP STERLING

Motion: Probe for sensitive trigger points a few inches below the elbow on the outside of the forearm. The main bulky
muscle there is the extensor digitorum; this very long muscle runs from the elbow into the hand and controls extension of the ngers, wrist, and elbow. Needless to say, its quite important for climbers. Find the specic sore spot, hold
pressure on that spot with the tool edge, and then move the hand at the wrist to stretch the forearm muscle. You will
feel it move under your tool edge. Change the angle to approach the spot from all sides, and slightly alter movement of
the tool to nd what hurts the most. The pain will move and shift. Seek that good pain.
Efect 1: Regains ROM like no other technique. The pressure unsticks those tightly bundled muscle cells from each
other, so they lengthen and release the tension, preventing the pull on their tendon attachments.
Efect 2: Gives you the awareness and condence to maintain your arms and prevent injury.

TERRY CROSS
Terry Cross is a sports massage
therapist who lives in Maine and
guides clients in the art of self-care
for arm and hand tendonitis. He also
invented the Armaid, a self-massage
device (armaid.com).

CLIMBING.COM

| 47

Team Representative: Sierra Coyle

ClimbXGear.com
info@ClimbXGear.com
503.929.5360

The

Climber wisdom

climb

Voices

How do I go about correcting the horrible

belaying I see at the gym without seeming
like a holier-than-thou ass?
Sarah B., Chattanooga, TN

Ask Answer Man

He knows climbing. And he knows it.

Brett Affrunti

I got a POV camera for my birthday and have two questions: How can
I minimize the dork factor in attaching it to my body, and how can I
get footage my friends will actually enjoy watching?
Phil T., Los Angeles, CA
1.) You cant. 2.) You cant. At least not really. Chances are high that if you own
one of those things, you likely consider your life so amazing that it would be
careless, nay, inexcusable, not to share such fascinating footage with the rest
of us dullards, weirdos, and men with weak handshakes. Chances are also high that
your self-delusion makes you someone to avoid after a couple of drinks.
With that in mind, lets start with the basics of POV etiquettea simple do and
dont list. Dont: Wear the damn thing like the antenna on those Google Street View
cars. You look ridiculous (and could hurt yourself ). Do: Get a small tripod and look
for unique vantage points from which to lm. Dont: Show of your single-shot,
30-minute ascent of Think Pink (5.11a). Do: Film everything; just edit the footage
into tolerable, short clips. Dont: Make your camera a statement accessory. Do: Use
the camera subtly, with purpose, honing the craft of lmmaking and striving to cram
more punch and meaning into less space.

ANd OTHer
TOPICS...

How very strange to hear someone express concern

for the well-being of others! I thought all climbers
were selsh. Though I bet in extremis you would concede
that your interest is actually rooted in self-preservation
and a desire to have a memory free of gristle splatter and
broken legs from falling bodies. Still, a nice sentiment. As
for those bad belayers at the gym, take a swift trip to the
front desk, alert one of the staf to the great infraction of
safety protocol, and let them take care of it. It is, after all,
what they get paid minimum wage to do. But how should
you deal with this situation outside the relative safety
of your plastic paradise, where there is no authority on
which to transfer responsibility? Do as the neo-McCarthy
NYCers do: If you see something, say something.
When you spot some below-average belaying at your
crag, stop your own mission for a moment, and once the
climber is grounded, express your concern to the belayer in
a nice but serious tone, appealing to the safety of the climber. You may also nd that having an extra person on your
side to repeat your advice and drive it home will ensure
the lesson takes. Keep the supercilious rhetoric to yourself
and avoid scolding. As a rm believer that our community
needs more mentors and less pomposity, I believe it is our
collective responsibility to guide those less equipped or
knowledgeable toward safe, sustainable outdoor behaviors. Got that, buckaroo?

My partner spiked me on a belay, which Im

certain contributed to a core shot in my
new rope. Can I demand a replacement?
Andrew K., Austin, TX
Great Odins raven! Ive totally got a clumsy friend, too! When we drink, I have to give
him a plastic cup. If I gave that fool my Waterford
Double Old Fashioned tumblers, my carpet would be
saturated with Laphroaig and foot blood. You have a
clumsy, rope-ruining belayer. I have a clumsy, glassbreaking drunkard. The lesson? Find new partners,
or use a rope you care less about. But how to handle
this in the future isnt what you asked. A broken glass
may no longer be usable, but your rope is. Cut of the
busted end, note the new length, and continue on your
merry way. Demanding a replacement is a little extreme. But let him read this, and maybe hell feel guilty.

Got a burning question about climber etiquette, customs,

or values? Email answerman@climbing.com.

How do I know if my rope needs to be retired? Check its irA. // Whats the best method for attaching a daisy chain to my harn... Stop. no. //
When should I resole my shoes? not until the piggy who stays home tells you. // OK to go shirtless in the gym? Dude. if you have to ask...

climbing.com

| 49

voices

The WrighT STuff

When I arrived in Yosemite, I was
warmly welcomed into a close-knit counter-culture with its own values, slang,
and lifestyle. There was The Center of
the Universe, a glorious asphalt slab
where the rangers, or tool as we called
them, looked the other way and allowed
climbers to camp in their cars (today its
a tourist bus lot). If you needed a partner
or were feeling social, there would always
be a colorful mix of characters in The
Center. Over time, we began to refer to
ourselves as The Rock Monkeys, and in
retrospect, we were a true force in the history of Yosemite climbing.
First ascents were made, speed records were broken, and climbing
gods were born and lived in that dirtbag bastion! I dont think many of
those epic feats would have been possible without the unlimited climbing our alternative lifestyle provided.
And then, as the 2000s rolled in, things started to change in small,
but measurable, increments. Rangers began harassing car campers in
The Center. Dirtbags were getting busted and ticketed in their secret
caves, so they scurried to every corner of the Valley. We would still
meet at the Yosemite Lodge Cafeteria for cofee or in El Cap Meadow
to smoke weed, but without The Center, our sense of community was
increasingly splintered. Even Camp 4 was a no-go with its more and
more strictly enforced two-week camping limit. As years went by, and in
spite of increasing ranger-induced challenges, I continued to spend most
of the year lurking in Yosemite. There was the occasional new dirtbag on
the scene, but it was clear that the party was losing steam.
Its sad; I learned so much as a dirtbag. Toiling on epic in-a-day ascents of El Cap gave me a tremendous work ethic. Living a simple life in
the dirt in such a beautiful place inspired a deep love and respect for the
natural world. With little money ever to my name, I learned the value
of thrift and conservation. While now, I do have more than a thousand
dollars in my bank account and an actual roof over my head, I still live
life by the dirtbag ethos that collecting experiences is more important
than amassing wealth and material objects. I hope Yosemites waning
dirtbag population isnt the canary in the coal mine.
I believe the dirtbags long goodbye has a variety of causes. Gas, food,
and camping are more expensive every year. Authorities continue to
crack down on climbers seeking to live and camp for free. For example, the dirtbag scene in Joshua Tree took a big hit when camping fees
and stay limits were introduced at Hidden Valley Campground, where
Stonemaster legends like Lynn Hill, John Bachar, and John Long honed
their craft in years past.

Dirtbagging
Is Dead
By cedar wright

Sound the alarm! We are on the brink of a

great tragedy. Climbing has a dying breed in its
ranks, a breed upon which the very foundation
of our sport was built: the dirtbag. The golden
age of climbing is replete with these anti-heroes: Pratt, Chouinard, and Beckey are our dirtier, more destitute Magic,
Bird, and Jordan. But now it would seem dirtbag culture is
on the brink of extinction; perhaps destined to go the way of
the swami belt or the gure eight belay device.
Many climbers may not even know what a dirtbag is, let alone a
swami belt, and this is part of the problem. There are some strong,
psyched, and promising young climbers who learned or are learning to
climb in one of the 889 gyms in America, who might check Websters
for the word dirtbag and nd this: A dirty, unkempt, or contemptible
person. Arguably, aspects of this short explanation might be true, but
heres a better and more accurate take from Urban Dictionary: A person who is committed to a given (usually extreme) lifestyle to the point
of abandoning employment and other societal norms in order to pursue
said lifestyle. Dirtbags can be distinguished from hippies by the fact
that dirtbags have a specic reason for
living communally and generally nonhygienically; dirtbags seek to spend all of
their moments climbing.
When I started climbing at 21, my mentor Sean Stanley Leary, who was already
an accomplished climber and dirtbag, told
me outlandish stories of Yosemite Valley, a
mecca not just for climbing, but for dirtbagging, a place where the best climbers
lived in their cars (or in caves!), survived
on next to nothing, and climbed full-time.
Full-time! A seed was planted.

50 |

july 2014

Lef: Mikey Schaefer on the road in kentucky in fellow

pro climber Matt Segals van; ivo ninov by el cap Bridge
cleaning cams before setting the speed record on native
Son (5.9 A4) on el cap, with Ammon Mcneely.

john dickey (4)

Leo houlding on heart Ledges

with Tom Morrow. Lef: Rest
day in el cap Meadow.

Watch Cedars short documentary, The Last

Dirtbag, at climbing.com/lastdirtbag
And then theres the change in venue of where most modern climbers
pick up the sport. The majority of climbers now learn in gyms, disconnected from climbing history. To be clear, Im not bagging on gyms.
Heck, Ive never been stronger than I am now, living in Boulder and
climbing in one regularly, but I do hope that we can connect the gym
culture to the deeper thread of climbing history. Its easy to have respect for your forefathers when you literally walk in their footsteps. In
Yosemite, giants like Chuck Pratt, Warren Harding, and Royal Robbins
spent chunks of their lives sleeping in the dirt and putting up iconic
rst ascents on El Cap and Half Dome.

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Living a simple life in the dirt in such a

beautiful place inspired a deep love for
the natural world.
Now you can climb 5.13 without ever going outside. You dont necessarily need to dedicate your entire life to climbing to get really strong,
especially as the majority of climbers turn to bouldering and sport
climbing. You dont learn dirtbag culture in the climbing gym, and it
seems that some of the environmental ethics and etiquette that are part
and parcel of dirtbagging are getting lost as well.
The Internet has changed the way people climb, too. You dont have
to hang out in Camp 4 to nd partners any more, my friend and dirtbag
stalwart James Lucas half-jokes, You can go on Mountain Project and
nd beta and a partner for any climb you want to do! In an era where
many peoples social lives and community exist wholly in the virtual
world, climbing is sufering from the same over-arching problem.
Modern culture as a whole is also becoming increasingly materialistic, and being broke and living in your car is just becoming less cool,
even for climbers. Its harder than ever to drop out of the rat race.
End rant. Ill stop whining and outline something to feel optimistic about. Social norms have a way of ebbing and owing. Dirtbagging hasnt atlined just yet, and the beauty and passion that
so many of us nd in climbing may be enough to draw in the next
generation. Thats where I hope to make a diference. Im not here to
say that every climber should quit their job and move to Yosemite, or
start sleeping in their Saturn wagon, but I am here to say that it can
change your life.
Consider Alex Honnold. He learned to climb in a gym in Sacramento,
and somehow found his way to Yosemite where he dirtbagged in proud
style. Slowly but surely, he became one of the greatest climbers the
world has ever seen; his simple, meager existence allowed him the time
to perfect his big wall skills. The Nose speed record and Half Dome freesolo are only a couple on his endless tick list of notable achievements. I
can say condently that Alexs life would look a lot diferent if he hadnt
dropped out of college and made that leap of faith to live in his van and
follow his dreams.
Do you have a deferred climbing dream? Do you have a crappy job
that makes you miserable? Do you have fantasies of climbing rock every day? Is the only time you nd joy and passion in your life when the
weekend rolls around and you get to hit the rock? Then you might have
what it takes to keep the dirtbag dream alive. Maybe this beautiful, unruly thing has some life in it yet. //

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Cedar Wright is a professional climber and contributing editor for

Climbing. He still only showers about once a week or so.
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voices

Semi-rad

The
Fear
Factor
By Brendan leonard

I cant remember the holds at the beginning of

Barbecue the Pope (5.10b) at Smith Rock, just
the indecision: I denitely had one more heady
move to do before I could clip the rst bolt, 20
feet of the deck. I looked down to my right, then to my left,
and thought, Wow, thats actually a really good landing,
all things considered. I looked up at the bolt and tried to
gure out the move, and then I imagined the results of a
fall if my foot slipped. It wasnt pretty.
I did all of those things you do before a committing move to collect your head: several deep breaths, a few false starts, chalked up
52 |

july 2014

each hand 12 times, had a little Elvis leg, and examined every possible
handhold within my reach. Then I downclimbed because I was scared
of blowing the move and slamming into the packed dirt at the base of
the route. A few minutes later, after borrowing a stick-clip and clipping the rst bolt, then climbing past and clipping the second, I did
the same thing for a few minutes below the third bolt. I false-started
several times, got scared, decided I couldnt commit to the sequence
to clip the bolt, downclimbed a little bit, and eventually whipped of.
Then I climbed up to the same spot and lobbed of again, and again,
before I nally lowered and watched my friend Rick lead the route. I
wasnt pumped or ailing, just scared I couldnt do the move without
taking a 25-foot fall.

There are plenty of reasons to climb. Lots of people will tell you
they like the movement, or the combination of mental and physical
stimulation, or just being outside with their friends. Sometimes I
wonder what the draw is for me, and the more I reect on the emotions Ive had while climbing, the more I think I am doing it to develop a relationship with my fear. I do lots of things that basically make
getting scared a priority: I climb old-school routes. I have onsighted
95 percent of the climbing terrain Ive ever covered. I force myself to
eschew topropes at crags and lead everything. I prefer easy highballs
to lower, more technical bouldering (although being somewhat out of
shape may also contribute to that preference).

The more I reect on the emotions Ive

had while climbing, the more I think
that I climb to develop a relationship
with my fear.
I have had adrenaline surges on alpine routes in several states and on
multi-pitch climbs all over the West. I have freaked out in private with 100
feet of rope between myself and my partner after getting of route. I have
accidentally climbed X-rated terrain and sworn that if I lived through it
I would never climb again, only to climb again and get the shakes on a
sport climb, after convincing myself Im just a little too far above a bolt.
Does this sound familiar? If it does, you, like me, have probably
had people tell you to read Arno Ilgners book about mental training
for climbers, The Rock Warriors Way, and to get your shit together.
I have. Im working on it. But clearly (to me) its a deeper problem.
If I climbed because I loved the movement, I would do nothing but
toprope at the gym. I must love something else about it. And Im pretty sure its the visceral fear, which makes everything else in life better.

Did you notice that after you became a climber, many other things
became less scary? I denitely did. Long runouts make stuf like job
interviews and blind dates seem like nothing. I think the repeated
exposure to abject fear and the obligation to deal with it and move on
make us mentally tougher. Maybe not in those moments when were
out on the rock shaking and thinking were going to die, but after we
make it down safely. Then, all those other things seem less scary
rejection, failure, long weekends with the in-laws. And, of course,
heights in general.
Before I became a climber, fear was something I had little experience with. Now, in an odd way, its like a stufed animal. I pick it up every now and then to remind myself that everything else isnt so scary.
A few months ago, I gave a presentation at Second Ascent, a gear
shop in Seattle. I had jitters as the doors opened and 20, 50, then 100
people showed up to listen to me do what Americans universally fear
most: public speaking. Before I grabbed the microphone, I thought,
Well, at least I dont have to lead the completely unprotected rst 25
feet of Pear Buttress tonight. //

Brendan Leonard is a contributing editor for Climbing. His rst book,

The New American Road Trip Mixtape, is available at semi-rad.com.

jaN vINceNT kLeINe

The Svolvrgeita, or Goats Horns formation, towers over

Svolvr, Norway. Its a climbers rite of passage to jump
the 1.5-meter gap from the Storhorn (big horn on the
right) to the Lillehorn (little horn).

Sweet 16
Th i s spr i n g , we si fted th roug h n ea r l y 5 , 0 0 0 i ma g es f rom un d e r- t h e - ra d a r
ph o to g ra p h e rs to fi n d t h ese t h e s h ots t h a t ma d e us b rea k a swea t a n d
i n spi re d u s to c l i m b ha rd e r a n d fa r t h e r a f i e l d . D on t s i t ba c k , a n d d on t
rel a x . In fa c t, l oa d yo u r pa c k . T h e n d i ve i n to t h ese i ma g es a n d g e t to k n ow
th e next g e n e ra t i on of g rea t c l i mb i n g s h oote rs .
B y Jul i e E l l i so n

2014 Best New Photographers

Tru c N guye n A l l e n
39 | Seattle, Wa
Born in Vietnam during the fall of Saigon, followed by stints in a
concentration camp and then a refugee camp in Malaysia, Allen had
a childhood most people cant begin to imagine. He came to the U.S.
in 1980 at 6 years old. His world experiences led him to pick up a
camera now and again throughout high school, but without the funds
to support his lm habit, Allen never fully committed to the profession. In 2011 he started to shoot again, focusing mostly on climbing.

His wife, Heidi, recognized what he calls his OCD for getting behind
the lens and just holding down the button and gifed Allen a DSLR.
There was no looking back. As he says, No one is safe from me and
my camera. Allen has had multiple editorial and commercial clients
and shoots professionally in the U.S. and abroad.
trucallenmedia.com (@truc_allen)*

Andrew Magnussen makes the stretch

on With Apologies to Walter B. (5.11b),
Index, Washington.

56 |

july 2014

*FOLLOW THeSe pHOTOgRApHeRS ON INSTAgRAM! LOOk FOR THeIR HANDLe AT THe eND OF eACH pROFILe.

Johnny Inkhamheng enjoys the short

but excellent Blue Light Special
(5.11a), Smith Rock, Oregon.

58 |

july 2014

This bouldering junkie turned mountain fanatic started climbing in college by scaling buildings and four-foot-tall blocks in
Wisconsin. When he graduated in 2000, he packed up his old
red Jetta and drove straight to Bishop. Climbing and photography
go hand in hand for Etzel. His ultimate goal is to live a long and
happy life in the mountains while documenting and inspiring
people to get off the couch and reach their own lofy goals. With
a masters degree in biology (he studied birds as indicators of

kenetzel.com (@ken_etzel)

ecological change), Etzels dream assignment is to travel the

world, documenting shifing climates in alpine communities.
But, he says, documenting climbing in Patagonia or Greenland
could be pretty cool, too. At press time, Etzel had just returned
from a ski shoot in British Columbia. Hes shot for companies like
Backcountry and Patagonia.

36 | B is hop, Ca

Ke n Et ze l

2014 Best New Photographers

Tony DiSanto pinching, squeezing, and

nessing his way up a sea of tufas on La
Perla (5.14a/8b+), Margalef, Spain.

climbing.com

| 59

Top: Meredith Jabis and Brian Russell head toward Starlight Peak, one of ve 14,000-foot peaks that are included on
the Sierras Thunderbolt to Sill Traverse, which includes technical climbing up to 5.9. Bottom: During the last moments
of light, Anne Peick climbs High Deductible (5.12) in Labyrinth Canyon, Utah, above the Green River.

2014 Best New Photographers

Ken Etzel

60 |

july 2014

Bl i g h G i l l i es
25 | LoveLand, Co
Afer an internship with Corey Rich in Tahoe,
California, the famed adventure sports
photographer was so blown away by Gillies
talent, drive, and work ethic that Rich offered
him a full-time assistant position. Gillies has
been able to travel, shoot, and do what he
loves through that opportunity. His passion
for climbing and photography came at an early
age, playing on the granite of Colorados Rocky
Mountains and exploring the red sandstone of
the deserts in Utah. He says, Taking up climbing photography was a natural progression,
considering my fondness for both. It evokes a
deep sense of inspiration and delights my soul.
Gillies continues to assist and shoot for Rich,
with personal work appearing in Backpacker
magazine and on Nikon.com.
cavemancollective.com (@blighguy)

Gabriel Cervantes cruises

Andrology (5.11d), Estes
Park, Colorado. Although
this route originally required
gear in addition to the bolts,
its been retro-bolted so only
quickdraws are necessary.

climbing.com

| 61

62 |

july 2014

Kahler moved to Colorado from Arkansas in January 2007 and

was immediately captured by the mountains and their beautiful
landscapes. It sparked his interest in photography and rekindled
his love for climbing, which he had quit a few years earlier. But
it wasnt until 2010 that he started to merge these pursuits by
taking his camera out on climbing trips with friends throughout
the U.S. Eventually I started climbing with more well-known

beaukahler.com (@beauknowsp hotos)

climbers, and it just took off from there. Kahler says his dream
assignment is a trip around the world with all of his friends. Afer
shooting in places like South Africa, Australia, and Switzerland,
he hasnt got far to go. Adidas Outdoor and Five Ten are a few of
his recent clients.

29 | Boul de r, Co

Beau Kahler
2014 Best New Photographers

The Grampians mountain range in

Australia provides beaucoup rock
for climbers of all stripes. Here, Nina
Williams tries out the smaller blocks
on Butchers Choice (V10).

climbing.com

| 63

2014 Best New Photographers

Cody Scarpella belays Jason Brown as he sinks his tips

into the granite on the third pitch of Undertow (5.10a A4
R), which goes free at 5.11+, on the Black Wall of the Mt.
Evans massif, Colorado.

64 |

july 2014

Rob Ke p ley
45 | Westminster, CO
In the winter of 2009, Kepley decided to shoot
a few of his friends on a route in Eldorado
Canyon, Colorado. Afer more than an hour of
sketchy soloing, building a solid anchor, and
rigging his rope, Kepley looked down at his tiny
5.1-megapixel camera and thought to himself,
Man, you need to upgrade your equipment if
youre going to go through all this trouble. With
the purchase of his rst DSLR a few months
later, he was back in Eldo jugging on a pre-hung
rope he thought belonged to his friends, when
he heard a pissed-off Steve House say, Look
what this guy is doing with our rope! Kepley
apologized profusely, offering to buy him a beer.
Perhaps the worst part: The photos of that
day turned out horrible. He recovered well from
that mishap, with publication in several climbing mags and assignments for brands like Rab
and Liberty Mountain.
robkepley.fotomerchant.com

climbing.com

| 65

66 |

july 2014

Khan decided to pursue adventure photography immediately afer

borrowing a friends copy of Galen Rowells Mountain Light decades ago. There was one speed bump, though: He was just about
to graduate from dentistry school. Fast-forward 28 years, and Khan
nds satisfaction in both of these divergent careers. Since adventure photography is a crowded marketplace, his goal has always
been to create a unique style by bringing articial light into the

nadirkhanphotography.co.uk

outdoor-sports environment. Living near London means the classic

climbing areas across Europe and North Africa are within striking
distance, and one of his favorite places to shoot is Morocco, for its
inspiring people and places. Khans clients include international
climbing magazines and The North Face, to name just a few.

50 | C olC hester, United K ingdom

Na di r K han

2014 Best New Photographers

Clockwise from above: Paul Tattersall solos on Jetty Crag in Gairloch, Scotland. This crag is known for being a friendly roadside area with walls
in every direction to catch the sun at any time of the day; Colin Peck on the spectacular ice of King Kong (WI5), Rjukan, Norway, an area that
quickly became an ice climbing Mecca thanks to more than 150 waterfalls within a short radius of town; Murdoch Jamieson taking a lobas
the British sayon Fun Prow (5.13b/8a), Goat Crag, Gairloch, Scotland.

climbing.com

| 67

2014 Best New Photographers

Miguel Navarro enjoys three-dimensional climbing in the

Trebena area of Geyikbayiri, Turkey, including the challenging Freedom is a Battle (5.13c/8a+).

Ja n Vi n cent K l e i ne
28 | Hamburg, germany
Kleine was studying engineering and economics
at the universities of Hamburg and Gttingen
when his passion for war photography brought
him two mouse-clicks away from buying a
ticket to Sudan. Afer realizing the effect a
potential tragedy would have on his family, he
decided to take a different path with photography and assisted a high-prole commercial
photographer. He gained invaluable experience
in lighting, composition, and post-production
from working with clients like Porsche and
BMW, so Kleine began applying that knowledge
to his true passions: the outdoors and adventure sports. Climbing photography is my latest,
long overdue, andas it appearsmost fascinating endeavor yet, he says, and I cannot get
enough of it. The next few months hold two
big tripsChamonix, France, and the Lofoten
Islands of Norwayto broaden his portfolio with
rock and alpine subjects.
janvincentkleine.com

68 |

july 2014

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2014 Best New Photographers

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Miguel Catita locks into a secure position with a bomber kneebar on Over the Top (5.14a/8b+), Geyikbayiri, Turkey.

70 |

july 2014

2014 Best New Photographers

Stefan Krzi
43 | Ibach, Sw Itz e rl and
Being a social worker for the last 10 years helped Krzi understand communication and human behavior, which he directly
credits for his ability to make models and athletes calm in front of
the camera. When working with people, I think Im able to shape
the mood on the set, which ofen results in truly authentic shots,
he says. I want the viewer to dive into his own thoughts and
emotions while looking at the images. Krzi is no slouch in the

climbing department, either, having developed boulders in Ticino

and central Switzerland up to V11/8a and repeated problems in
the V13/8b range. With his work appearing in German, Czech,
and other foreign climbing magazines, Krzi continues to travel
throughout Europe for assignments.

stefankuerzi.ch

Lef: Christoph Schaub on the infamous Gaia (5.13+/E8 6c), Black Rocks, the iconic route from
the movie Hard Grit, which features the scary and dangerous gritstone climbing of the United Kingdom. Above: Lucas Iten lets out a scream on Chippendale (5.13c/8a+), Fallenue, Switzerland.

72 |

july 2014

Lucas Iten makes a big reach on

Cassiopaia (5.12c/7b+) in the lessertraveled Schwyz area of Switzerland.

74 |

july 2014

Although McCord hated his rst climbing experience, a guided

middle school excursion to Smith Rock (I was scared of heights
and wouldnt go up more than 10 feet!), he revisited the sport
in college when his roommate convinced him to give it another
shot. Challenge, both physical and mental, is what I seek from
photography and climbing, McCord says, and he got that on a recent trip to Venezuela documenting a rst ascent. Broken-down
blakemccordphoto.com (@blakemccordphoto)

buses, a crazy bush pilot, and 1,800 feet of overhanging rock, he

describes. Shooting the crux pitch put me about 30 feet from
the wall with nothing but 500 feet of air and the jungle oor below. McCord just nabbed the cover of the American Alpine Clubs
2014 Guidebook to Membership.

24 | FlagstaFF, aZ

Bl a ke M c Cord

2014 Best New Photographers

Top: Alyse Dietel contemplates the next move on the two-pitch Heart and Soul (5.11+), an airy arte in Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona. Bottom: Joel
Unema onsights an unknown splitter crack in Mill Creek, Utah.

Moser battled with this climb, Better Eat Your

Wheaties (V8/9), in Hueco, and documented
his struggle with this self-portrait.

G usta vo Mo s e r
3 3 | Boulder, C o / Ca r aCas , V enezuela
Although Moser played around with photography as a kid, it
wasnt until 20 years later, on a visit to Hueco Tanks, Texas, that
his fate was sealed as a photographer: Life drifed me away from
the pursuit until ve years ago, when I spent my rst season in
Hueco. I became overwhelmingly inspired and psyched. Part of
this motivation came from the new lighting options he didnt even
know existed. Now he uses ashes and articial light in both subtle and overt ways. Of course, his equipment doesnt always work

exactly how he wants. Sometimes your transmitters go rogue

on you and only work when they want, he says. Ive denitely
smashed a couple of them against rocks. Moser is currently
working on a story that will appear in a future issue of Climbing
about his recent trip to his home country of Venezuela, where he
and a small crew put up dozens of bouldering rst ascents.

gas-photo.com (@gasphoto)
climbing.com

| 75

2014 Best New Photographers

Rob McKay nears the crux on Camping Under the Inuence (5.12-), Indian Creek, Utah. Clipping the anchors is
the most difcult part of this 100-foot line.

G ra n t O rde l he i de
25 | Denver, CO
Ordelheide got his start stealing his dads
camera on family backpacking trips in the Rocky
Mountains, calling it a byproduct of an obsession with an outdoor lifestyle. He strove to take
better and better pictures, realizing he could
make it into a career. Getting caught in storms,
hiking all night, unexpected wildlife encounters,
and broken camera gear are all part of the fun for
Ordelheide, situations he calls nothing too crazy
or out of the ordinary for your average adventure
photographer. At press time, Ordelheide was
headed to Nepal for a few months of trekking and
climbing, with hopes to beat a record he set in
Patagonia: 46 days without a shower.
grantordelheide.com

Alton Richardson
25 | Boul de r, Co
Nine years ago Richardsons life was consumed by skateboarding, but when he broke his leg while lming for a skate video, he
was forced to hang on the sidelines. Soon he picked up a camera,
started snapping photos, and found his true calling as a photographer, telling stories and sharing memories of fun times spent outside with friends. His climbing habit gained speed in 2007, when
he got a job at Valley Rock Gym in Livermore, California. He began
going out with strong climbers who were just as psyched on making

arresting images as he was. He says, My goal is to continually feed

my desire to learn the art of visual media, venture across the globe,
and discover the mountains while telling the stories they make possible. His work has appeared in several U.S. climbing magazines
and ads for companies like Rab. He plans to live on the road for the
next few years to work and explore as much as possible.

altonrichardson.com (@agrphoto)

The ber-classic Edge of Time (5.9+) in Estes

Park, Colorado, is surprisingly difcult for the
grade, with just enough space between the
bolts to keep you on your toes.

climbing.com

| 77

2014 Best New Photographers

Micha Vanhoudt lives up to the name Boys Dont Cry (5.12d/7c) as

he takes the whip in Siurana, Spain. To create the dramatic atmosphere for this shot, Schermer waited until night fell and it was pitch
black so he would have full control over the lighting conditions.

Th oma s Sc he rm e r
29 | Berlin, Germany
A background in science gave Schermer what an old professor
called Mickey Mouse engineering skills, and its worked well for
his photography. Hes rigged mirrors on the front of his camera for
a unique angle, and lowered an 88-pound generator down a 400foot cliff. I call it the mad-scientist approach, he says. The setup
might look sketchy, but it sure works and nobody will see it in the
shot anyway. His biggest growth as a photographer and a climber
came when he separated his shooting from his climbing: For me,

78 |

july 2014

being committed to photography means stepping back from my

own climbing. That said, Im still the happiest climber around when
I get the opportunity to get my hands on rock, be it 5.7 or 5.13.
With commercial clients like Nike, Red Bull, and Nokia, Schermer
will be shooting as much alpine rock as possible this year to develop
and grow the climbing side of his photo business.
thomas-schermer.com

Nina Caprez makes the third ascent (and rst

female ascent) of Delicatessen (5.13d/8b) on
Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean.
Caprez called the route the most beautiful and
aesthetic line Ive climbed so far.

S t e fa n S c hl um pf

stefanschlumpf.com (@stefsch lumpf )

Caprez for a few projects on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica

only added to the snowball effect; he was able to sell images to
her sponsors and the corresponding stories to hungry European
climbing mags. His success continues to grow, with recent clients
like Millet, Petzl, and Beal.

39 | C hur, Switzer la nd
I saw some images and thought to myself, Hey, I can do that,
too, Schlumpf says of his early days with a 5-megapixel camera,
complete with teeny-tiny screen. A few years ago, on a bouldering
trip to Italy, he was taken by the utter uniqueness of the place
and its one-of-a-kind scenery and saw an image in his mind he
wanted to create. He quickly sold that to Prana, which jumpstarted his career. Meeting up with emerging pro climber Nina

| 79

climbing.com

2014 Best New Photographers

Stefan Schlumpf

In March 2014, Fabian Buhl made the third boltless ascent of the
5.13d/5.14a route Prinzip Hoffnung (8b/8b+), Brs, Austria. Austrian
Beat Kammerlander made the rst ascent of the route, which means the
principle of hope, on bolts about 15 years ago, then decided to remove them
10 years ago. However, he didnt nab the rst gear-only ascent until 2009.

2014 Best New Photographers

Sinia kalec stays in the light on Crna Maka

(5.12a/7a+), Vela Draga, Croatia.

Lu ka Ta mba a
29 | Zagreb, Croatia
Once he started climbing in college, Tambaa
began to see the cool body positions and
amazing scenery inherent to the sport as art.
Capturing those moments and telling some kind
of story seemed natural for him, and it was then
that his camera became a standard addition to
his climbing pack. Although Tambaa travels
extensively, his heart is in his home country,
and telling the stories of the fascinating places,
amazing routes, and good people is his dream
assignment. His ultimate life goal is simple, he
says, I just want to have a good time! Hes
worked for Croatias tourism board and Red
Bull, with plans to shoot an international climbing meet in his home country this summer.
lukatambaca.com

82 |

july 2014

Inigo Taylor
25 | Gozo, Malta
Taylor earned a degree in photography at the University of
Lincoln in the U.K. before moving to the small island of Gozo,
where he discovered climbing. But as his passion for climbing
escalated, his photography took a backseat. One of the other
climbers on Gozo is all-around badass and bolter Stevie Haston,
who taught him the ropes. One day a few years ago, Haston was
redpointing a project, and Taylor happened to have his camera,

A lot of the climbing in Malta is directly over the ocean

with and without ropes. Diego Salgado cruises Greek
Odyssey (5.11b/6c) on the Red Wall.

so he started taking pictures. I shot 300 frames that day. That

was literally it, he explains. Id found two things I love that go
together so well. Taylor and Haston have teamed up to shoot
as much as possible and grow Malta as an international sport
climbing destination.

facebook.com/inigotaylorclimbingphoto

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The flow

Should you Instagram that photo?

By kevin corrigan
Climbing, as a sport, lends itself partiCularly well to being photographed. while every baseball eld looks about the
same, climbers often nd themselves surrounded by amazing natural scenery, and its tempting to want to gram everything that happens out there. on the other hand, many types of climbing photos have become a little clich at this point. so youve got a sweet
climbing photo burning a hole in your iphones internal hard drive. should you gram it?

Where are you?

Outside
on real
rock.

In a
climbing
gym.
Nice! It isnt a butt shot, is it?
No way!
...maybe.
Would this be your
rst photo of this sort?

Yes.

gram it, but

it better be
good. you only
get this one.

No. Its just

nondescript
rock and a butt.

Take a picture of
something else.

No.

Is it a photo of your gnarled,

bloody, and chalk-caked hands?

Amaro, Rise,
Hudson, Valencia,
Sierra, Lo-, Brannan, Inkwell, Nashville or #nolter.
No. Come
on, give
me some
credit.

Guilty as
charged.

Is this photo
worth dropping
your phone off
a cliff?

Yeah! My
hair looks
GREAT!

nice! gram it! youre

gonna get a ton of likes.

So what kind of
gram are we talking
about here?

Mid-climb
sele.

Summit
photo.
EPIC
BOULDERING
DYNO
PHOTO!

how will anyone know you

made it to the top if you dont
post a summit photo? gram it!

88 |

july 2014

Yeah! The
exposure is
SICK.

Yeah! You can see

the desert, cool
trees, a waterfall,
and/or a river.

What lter?

The bright
one!
Artfully composed and welllit climbing shot, taken from
above the climber, during the
magic hour, after maneuvering into position on a static
line. Shot on a high-end DSLR
and processed in pro-level
photo editing software. Then
emailed to my phone.

gram it! youll look like

a BeaST!
This is the most #embarrassing
way you could destroy your phone.
Dont gram it.

Ugh. Did you at least

manage to squeeze in
some rad scenery?

Do it! But wait until youre safely on the ground to post it.

no, use one of these.

you can gram this,

but you might be
missing the point
of instagram.
consider pursuing
a career as a
professional
photographer
instead.

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