RockClimbing

PhilWatts,PhD
NorthernMichiganUniversity

Pageii

LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Watts,PhillipBaxter,1951
Rockclimbing/PhilWatts.
p.cm.(Outdoorpursuitsseries)
Includesindex.
ISBN0873228146
1.Rockclimbing.I.Title.II.Series.
GV200.2.W381996
796.5'223dc209538817
CIP
ISBN:0873228146
Copyright1996byHumanKineticsPublishers,Inc.
Allrightsreserved.Exceptforuseinareview,thereproductionorutilizationofthisworkinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,nowknownor
hereafterinvented,includingxerography,photocopying,andrecording,andinanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,isforbiddenwithoutthewrittenpermission
ofthepublisher.
Animportantnotetoreaders:Thisisaninstructionalbookaboutrockclimbing,asportthatispotentiallydangerous.Becauseoftherisksinvolvedinrockclimbing,
theauthorandpublisherstronglyrecommendthattheinformationprovidedinthisbookbeusedonlytosupplementqualifiedpersonalinstructionfromaclimbing
expertorguide.
DevelopmentalEditor:JulieRhodaAssistantEditors:SusanMoore,KirbyMittelmeier,AnnGreenseth,JohnWentworth,SandraMerzBottEditorial
Assistant:JenniferHemphillCopyeditor:MichaelRyderProofreader:JimBurnsIndexer:BarbaraE.CohenTypesetters:StuartCartwrightandRuby
ZimmermanTextDesigner:KeithBlombergLayoutArtist:StuartCartwrightPhotoEditor:BoydLaFoonPhotographer(interior):RichardEtchberger,
unlessotherwisenotedPhotographer(cover):DanielLevison/VerticalImageryCoverDesigner:JackDavisIllustrator:ThomasBradleyIllustration&Design
HumanKineticsbooksareavailableatspecialdiscountsforbulkpurchase.Specialeditionsorbookexcerptscanalsobecreatedtospecification.Fordetails,contact
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Pageiii

Contents
Chapter1
GoingRockClimbing
WhyRockClimbing?

TypesofRockClimbing

GettingStarted

10

AnOverview

11

Chapter2
RockClimbingEquipment

15

ChoosingaRockShoe

16

Chalk

19

ChoosingaClimbingHarness

19

SelectingaRope

21

ConnectingtheAnchorSystem

25

BelayDevices

29

ArtificialAnchors

30

Helmets

34

AFinalNoteonSafeEquipment

36

Chapter3
RockClimbingCorrectly

37

FaceClimbing

39

CrackClimbing

47

CounterpressureTechniques

52

ProtectingYourselfWhileClimbingHowtoSetUpAnchors

56

SettingUpaTopRopeAnchorSystem

61

Belaying

65

HowtoBeginLeading

70

LeadingSportClimbs

76

HowtoGetDown

78

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Chapter4
RockClimbingFitnessandSafety
PreparingtoClimb

82

DevelopingClimbingSpecificFitness

86

DressingfortheRock

92

ObjectiveHazards

92

Chapter5
TheBestPlacestoRockClimb

95

UnitedStatesGetaways

97

CanadianClimbing

104

ClassicRockoftheUnitedKingdom

108

AEuropeanSampler

111

ClimbingDownUnder

114

OtherSummits

115

Chapter6
PursuingClimbingFurther

117

CompetitiveSportClimbing

118

IceClimbing

120

AlpineMountaineering

121

ClosingThoughts

123

AppendixForMoreInformation

81

125

Organizations

125

Books

127

Guidebooks

127

Periodicals

128

Videos

129

RockClimbingLingo

130

Index

133

Acknowledgment

138

AbouttheAuthor

139

Page1

1
GoingRockClimbing
TheSierraskyisaperfectblueand,althoughitismidsummer,themorningairiscomfortablycoolasyoumoveupward.Yourhandssearchforbumpsandknobsin
andaroundthesinglecrackthatwandersupthiswhitegraniteslab.Thereisajoyinyourmovementsalightnessexpressedassubtlebalances,gentlepulls,and
precisestepsasyoufollowanancientfissure.Thelake,some300verticalfeetbelow,promisesarelaxingswimoncethesummitisattainedandacarefuldescentis
negotiated.Fornow,it'sjustthesun,thewind,andthemovementovertherock.Thisisrockclimbingatitsbesthighandfreeinabeautiful,naturalenvironment.
MountainsummitshavefiguredsignificantlyinhistorysinceMoses'earlytrekupMr.SinaiandtheEmperorHadrian's2ndcenturyA.D.ascentofMountEtnatoview
thesunrise.Intheearly18thcentury,theglaciercladAlpsofEuropebegantoattractafewadventurersandscientists,andbythe1850srecreationalmountaineering
waswellestablishedandthefirstclimbingclubhadbeenformed.
Astheeasiersummitswereattainedandattentionturnedtowardmoredifficultpeaks,itbecamenecessarytodevelopsafetyequipmentandmaster

Page2

specializedskillsforclimbingrock.Evenintotheearly20thcentury,difficultrockclimbingwasconsideredtobemerepracticeforascendingtheworld'shighpeaks.
Sincethe1930s,however,rockclimbinghasevolvedintoagreatoutdooractivityinitsownright.Today,climbersofallagesenjoyroutesupeasy,lowangledslabs,
steep,verticalfaces,anddifficult,nearlyhorizontal,overhangs.
Rockclimbinghasbeendescribedasdancelike,evenplayful,likeagame.Climbsvaryfromshorttraversesjustinchesoffthegroundtocontinuousascentsofsoaring
wallsthatinvolvethousandsofdizzyingfeet.Youcanjoininatwhateverleveliscomfortableforyou.

ThincrackclimbinginTuolumneMeadows,California.

WhyRockClimbing?
Oneattractionofrockclimbingistheopportunityforpersonalchallenge.Climbingroutesareratedfordifficultyonanascendingnumericalscalethatenablesyouto
followyourprogressandselectnewchallengesasformeronesareachieved.

Page3

Asasocialactivity,climbingishardtobeat.Familiesandfriendscangatheratthecragforadayofroutes,thencasuallyreminiscearoundtheeveningcampfire.The
naturalsettingofmostrockclimbingareasprovidesyouwithopportunitiestocombineclimbingwithotheroutdooractivities,likemountainbikinguptheOwensRiver
GorgeinCaliforniaorbackpackingintotheEnchantmentLakeswildernessofWashington.
Thevarioustypesofrockyielddifferenttexturesandfeatures.Theseproducedifferent"moods"ofclimbing,fromthepowerful,steepquartzitecrankingatDevil's
LakeinWisconsintothedelicatebalanceandprecisefootworkrequiredontheglacierpolishedgraniteofTuolumneMeadowsinCalifornia.Learningtorecognize
andusethesefeaturesashandandfootholdsprovidesanintriguingelementofproblemsolvinginrockclimbing.
ROCKFEATURES
areteAsharp,outsidecornerofrock.
bucketsLargeholdswithpositivelips.
buttressAmajorcornerfeaturelargerthananarete.
chimneyAcrackbigenoughtofitmostorallofthebodyinto.
crimpersSmallyetpositiveedgesofrock,justbigenoughforthe
fingertipstogriporsmaller.
dihedralAninsidecornerofrock.Alsoknownasan"openbook."
edgesSmallledgesofrockofvarioussizes.
faceAsteep,flatexpanseofrock.
flakeAwaferlikesectionofrockthathaspeeledpartwayfromthe
mainface.Flakescanbeassmallassinglehandholdsorbigenoughto
crawlbehind.
hornA"hornlike"projectionofrock,usuallygraspedatthetop.
jugAprojectionorcolumnofrockthatisgraspedlikeajughandle.
knobsProjectionsofrockthataregraspedorpinchedwiththefingersor
hand.Knobsareoftencrystalsimbeddedinthemainrock.
nicheApocketoralcoveintherockthatisatleastlargeenoughfor
bothhandsorbothfeet.Whenanicheisbigenoughforone'sentire
body,itisoftencalledanalcove.
overhangArockfeaturethatissteeperthanvertical.
pocketsHolesordimplesintherock.Abigpocketcanbeabucket.
rampAledgelikefeaturethatleadsupwardandacrossthemain
rock.
roofAlarge,horizontaloverhang.Alsocalledaceiling.
slabAlow,angled,relativelysmoothsheetofrock.

Page4

Oneofthemajorbenefitsofrockclimbingisitscontributiontooverallphysicalfitness.Theavailablerangeofdifficultiesenablesalmostanyonetobeginclimbing,and
continuingtheactivitygraduallydevelopsone'sstrength,endurance,flexibility,andbalance.Perhapsbestofall,rockclimbingleadstosummitstheelusivehigh
placesofdreamsandvisions.
TypesofRockClimbing
Advancesinequipmentandtechniqueshavemadethesportavailableandrelativelysafeforpersonsofallages.Modernnylonclimbingropesarevirtuallyunbreakable
whenusedappropriately,andnewanchordeviceshavesimplifiedoverallprotectionfortheclimber.

Boulderingprovidesenergeticpracticeforasolitaryclimber
orproblemsolvingchallengesamongfriends.

Page5

Themostbasicformofrockclimbingisbouldering,orclimbingoverrockclosetothegroundwithoutanchors,ropes,andharnesses.Easytoverydifficult
movementsmaybetriedinrelativesafety,particularlyifapartnerspots,orhelpstocatchtheclimberduringshortfalls.Thepurityofboulderingappealstomany:
Exceptforapairofspecializedrockshoesandabitofgymnasticchalkforthefingers,it'sjustyouandtherock.
Whentherockgetshighenoughthatseriousinjuryordeathcouldresultfromafall,mostclimbersusearopeandananchorsystem.Theanchorsystemconsistsof
oneormoresolidpointsofattachmentoftheropetotherock.Anchorsmaybenaturalfeatures,suchastreesorrockhorns,ormechanicaldevices,whichtheclimber
carriesandwedgesintotherock.Oneendoftheropeistiedthroughaharnesswornaroundtheclimber'swaistandattachedtotheanchorsbyspringgated,
aluminumcarabiners.Theotherendoftheropeismanagedbytheclimber'spartner,whocanapplyabrakingforcethatenablestheropeandanchorsystemtohold,
orcatch,afallenclimber.

Manysmallercragscanbetopropedtoprovide
awidesafetymargin.

Page6

Often,aconvenienttrailprovidesaccesstothetopofarockcrag.Insuchcases,ananchorsystemfortheropemaybesetupatthetopofthecragbeforeclimbing
beginsandtheroutetoproped.
Sometimesthereisnoeasyroute,andyoumustleadtheropeasyouclimbbysettingintermediateanchorsalongtheway.Theseintermediateanchorsareestablished
atintervalsalongtheclimbingroute,andtheropeclippedontoeachanchorusingacarabiner.Thispracticelimitsfallstothedistancebetweentheclimberandherlast
anchorplusthatdistanceagainasthefallcontinuespasttheanchorandtheropetightens.
Thetwotypesofleadingdifferinhowtheintermediateanchorsareestablished.Traditionalleadsinvolvetheclimberconfiguringanchorpointsintherockduringthe
ascentusinganassortmentofdevices,orprotection(proforshort),whicharecarriedonacordaroundtheneckorontheclimber'sharness.Theproisrecoveredby
theleader'spartner,thesecond,asshefollowstheroute.

Makingdecisionsaboutwhereandhowtoplace
protectionaddstothechallengeoftraditionalleading.

Page7

Thesecondtype,sportleads,involvetheuseofpresetanchors,usuallysteelbolts,thathavebeenpermanentlyfixedalongtheroute.Theseanchorsnormallyare
spacedsuchthatfallswillberelativelyshortandtheclimbercanconcentrateonsolvingthemovementcomplexitiesoftheroute.Forthisreason,sportroutestendto
bedifficult.

Withboltanchorsinplace,sportleadingisoftencalled
''clipandgo"climbing.

Bothtypesofleadinginvolvemorethanmerelymakingthemovesontherock.Theleadermustcontinuallymakedecisionsregardingthedirectionoftheroute,when
andhowtoplacesolidintermediateanchors,andhowbesttoconserveenergy.Leadingrockclimbsisseriousbusiness:Itrequiresasteadymindandbodyandthe
experiencenecessarytomakeappropriatejudgments.

Page8

DifficultyRatingsforRockClimbs
Onceyouhavemasteredthebasicsofrockclimbing,youcanevaluateyourprogressbyattemptingmoredifficultroutes.Publishedguidebooksthatdescribespecific
routesareoftenavailableforestablishedclimbingareas.Thegeneraldifficultyofaparticularrouteisassignedanumerical"Class"value:
Class1walkingoverrelativelyflatterrain.
Class2hikingovervariedterrainontrailsorthroughopencountry.
Class3scramblingoversteepterrainwherethehandsareoccasionallyusedforbalanceandsupport.BecarefulwiththetermClass3,howeveritdoesn'talways
meantheclimbingiseasy.Someguidebooksusethetermtoindicateclimbingunroped,regardlessofthedifficulty.
Class4climbingovereasyterrainrequiringsignificantuseofthehandsandarmsforsupportandwhereafallcouldbefatal.Manyclimberswillputonaharness,
tieintotherope,anduseanchorsonClass4routes.
Class5technicalclimbingwherearope,anchors,andotherspecializedequipmentarealwaysusedforprotection.Class5climbing,alsoknownasfreeclimbing,
istheprimaryfocusofthistext.Thetermfreeclimbinghereisnottobeconfusedwithfreesoloing,whichmeansclimbingtechnicalClass5rockwithoutarope(as
youwouldinClass3climbing)averydangerousproposition.
Class6climbingthatrequirestheuseofartificialmeanssuchaspullingontherope,standingondevicesplacedintherock,orascendingsometypeofladder.
Class6climbingisoftenreferredtoasaidclimbingandisdesignatedbytheletterAfollowedbyanumber,from0to5,toindicatetheoveralldifficultylevel.
SubjectivesystemshavebeendevelopedaroundtheworldtoratethedifficultyofvariousClass5rockclimbs.TheYosemiteDecimalSystem(YDS)ismost
commonforNorthAmericanroutesandcurrentlyrangesfrom5.0through5.14d.Suchratingscanhelpyoudiscriminateamongseveralpotentialroutesandgiveyou
someideawhetherarouteisappropriateforanovice,orisonethatwouldscarehimoutofthesportforever.Thesenumericalsystemsalsoenableyoutonoteyour
personalprogressinclimbing.
Itisimportanttorealize,however,thatalloftheratingsystemsaresubjective.Aparticularclimbmayactually"feel"quitedifferenttodifferentpersons.Traditionally,
theratinghasindicatedthedifficultyofthehardest

Page9
ROCKCLIMBINGRATINGSYSTEMS
American

French

Australian

Likelyperception

5.05.4
5.55.6

1011
1213

Straightforwardmoveswithvariablesize
holds.

5.7
5.8
5.9

5a
5b
5c

1415
16
17

Morecomplexmovesandpositionsover
steeperterrainwithsmallerhandandfoot
holds.

5.10a
5.10b
5.10c
5.10d

6a

18
19
20
21

Ahandand/orfootholdmaybemissing
forsomemoves.Mayrequiresomespecific
trainingyetis"doable"bymeremortals.

5.11a
5.11b
5.11c
5.11d

6c

22
23
24
25

Tinyormissingholdsformostmoves.
Steeptooverhanging.Requiresproblem
solvingskills.Apegenesmaybehelpful.

5.12a
5.12b
5.12c
5.12d

7b

2526
2627
27
28

Progressivelymoredifficultproblem
solvingandmovementsequences.
Extremelysmallandlimitedholdsonsteep
terrainorsomegoodholdsonnear
horizontaloverhangs.

5.13a
5.13b
5.13c
5.13d

8a

2829
2930
3031
3132

Sameasfor5.12range,butharder.Specific
trainingvirtuallyrequired.Vergeson
sciencefiction,butafairnumberof
climberscandoit.

5.14a
5.14b
5.14c
5.14d

8c

32
3233
3334
34

Unreal!Likeclimbingoverhangingglass.
Definitelyworldclass,butpossible.

6b

7a

7c

8b

individualmoveonaparticularroute.Thus,a27meter5.9routecouldhaveonemoveof5.9within30easiermovesof5.6,oritcouldinvolveone5.9moveafter
anotherfortheentire27meters.SomeguidebookswillprovideaprotectionratingbyfollowingtheYDSratingwithanRforrunout,indicatinglargedistances
betweenintermediateanchorpoints,oranXindicatingnonexistentprotectionanddeathpotentialfromfalls.Alwaysgiveyourselfsomeflexibilitywhenexploringa
newareaforthefirsttimeand,whenindoubt,selectroutesconservativelythatis,beginwitheasierroutesandworkuptheratings.
AscentStylesforRockClimbing
Thenatureoftherockandthenaturalfeaturesalongtheroutedeterminethelevel.ofdifficultyofanascent,andthusdictatethesubjectivedifficultyrating.Amongthe
different"styles"ofclimbingaroute,however,someaddadegreeofdifficultywithoutchangingtheoverallnumericalrating.Adding

Page10

difficultybyusingamorechallengingstylecanenhanceyoursenseofaccomplishmentuponcompletingaroute.Aseriesoftermshavebeenstandardizedtodescribe
theparticularstyleofanascentofaClass5route:
onsightflashAcompletefirsttryleadoftheroutewithoutfallsandwithoutanypriorviewingorknowledgeoftheroute.Theultimatestyle.
betaflashAfirsttryleadoftheroutewithoutfalls,butafterreceivingsomeinformation,or"beta,"abouttherouteorspecificmovesinvolved.
redpointAcompleteleadoftheroutewithoutfalls,followingpreviousattemptsorpracticeontheroute.
pinkpointThesameasRedPointexceptthattheroutehasbeenpreprotectedwithanchorpointssuchthattheclimbermerelyhastocliptheropethroughthem.
topropeClimbingwiththeropealreadyanchoredabovetovirtuallyeliminatefalldistance.
GettingStarted
Climbsthatinvolvesettingupanchorsandusingharnessesandropescanbecomplicated.Thisbookprovidesyouwiththebasicfundamentalsofmovingonrock,
selectingandusingequipment,andideasfortrainingtoimproveyourclimbing.However,thereisnoadequatesubstituteforpersonalcinstructionfromaqualified
climbinginstructororguide.Specificsafetytechniquesarepresentedthroughoutthetext,butifatechniqueorconceptismisinterpretedandincorrectlypracticed,the
consequencescouldbeseriousorfatal.
Manyuniversitiesofferbeginningrockclimbinginstruction,andlocalclimbingorganizationsandclubsoftenholdseminarsandclasses.Informationonwhatisavailable
canusuallybefoundatyourlocaloutdoorequipmentstore.TheAmericanMountainGuidesAssociation(listedintheAppendix)canalsohelpyouidentifyrock
climbinginstructorsandguidesinyourarea.
Rockclimbingisapartnersport.Evenboulderingusuallyrequiresapartnertospotyoufordifficultmoves.Youwillneedtobeselectivewhenidentifyingaclimbing
partner,becauseyourlifemaydependuponthisperson.Takethetimetofindsomeonewithwhomyoucancommunicatewell,andwhomyoucantrust.

Page11

AnOverview
Wewillbeginbyreviewingthearrayofequipmentusedinrockclimbing.Chapter2acquaintsyouwiththegear,fromsecuringyourselfintoaharnessthroughtying
intotheropeandclippingintoyourfirstanchor.MovementtechniquesforefficientandenjoyableclimbingarepresentedinChapter3.Youwillalsolearnmoreabout
usingtechnicalequipmenttoenablesafeclimbinginthischapter.InChapter4youwilllearnaboutspecifictrainingthatcanimproveyourclimbingperformance.
Chapter5isacolorfulandexcitingtourofclassiccragsaroundtheworld.Thischaptershouldconjureupafewdreamsandfuturevacationplans.Manyrock
climbersalsoenjoyusingtheirskillsontheworld'shighmountains,wheretheroutesmaypassovericeandsnowinadditiontorock.Basicintroductionstoice
climbingandAlpinemountaineeringarefoundinChapter6.Thischapteralsocontainssometipsaboutcompetitiverockclimbing.Attheendofthebookyouwillfind
aninformativeAppendixthathasanextensivelistofresourcesforadditionalinformationandaGlossaryofbothtechnicalandslangtermsusedinrockclimbing.
GONETOTHEHAPPYHUNTINGGROUNDS
ItisnestledamongthepinesintheHawk'sNestareaofDevil'sLake
Statepark,Wisconsin24metersofadventureonslickredandpurple
quartzite.Thenewcropofupstart,sportclimberhotshotsflashitonsight
aratheraggravatingexhibition,sinceittookmefiveyearstomove
throughthemaincrux.Ofcourse,Ionlyattemptedtherouteahalfdozen
timesoverthatperiod,butstill.....Theoneconsolationisthateveryone
whogoesupitcomesdownwithbloodengorgedforearms,sweaty
brows,andmorethanabitofoxygendebt.AtleastnowIknowthe
routeissupposedtobedifficult.
Untilayearago,IthoughtitwastherouteREx,whichwasratedF9Bin
thearchaicsystemoftheDevil'sLakeguidebook.TheF9Bratingwould
translateintosomethingaround5.9+to5.10ainanyothersource.
Difficultbutnotimpossibleforafortyish,absentmindedprofessortype.
Theinitial12meterswereworkedoutonthefirstdayofattempts,before
thecruxmovesstalledmejustbelowanexcellent,or"bomber"(shortfor
bombproof),horizontaledge.Iknewthatedgewasthekey.Iwouldbe
homefreeupthetop12metersifIcouldjustgetitwitharighthand.The
nextyearithappened!Istemmedmyfootoutrightontoaslopinghold,
liftedtheleftfootafewincheshigherintothebaseofthe

Page12

smalldihedral,andreached...yes!ThebomberIhadit!Iwas
offtothetop!But,wait...realitycheck...Iwasgoingnowhere.I
pulleduponthebomberandlockedoffthearmwithmyelbowtightly
flexed,butnothingappearedforthelefthandandtherewaslessforthe
feet.So,Ijusthungthere,lockedoffwithmyforearmsgorgedwith
blood,orpumped,untilIfell.Andthat'sthewayitwentforthenext
threeyears:huffupthecrack,reachdelicatelyfortherightpocket,
powerintothelayback,crank,crankagain,stemandreachforthe
bomber,pullandlockoff,hang...pump...fall.
NotallvisitstoDevil'sLakewerespentlockedoffonREx.Afterall,
otherclassicssuchasCharybdis(5.8),Anomie(5.9),andAlpha
Centauri(5.10d)arewithin9metersofithardroutesthatIcould
actuallydo.AlphaCentauriactuallybegantofeeleasy.Still,after
climbingthesegreatroutes,IwouldglanceoveratRExandshrug.
AtsomepointduringthoseyearsIrealizedthatIhadmisinterpretedthe
Devil'sLakeguidebook.WhatIthoughtwasRExwasactuallythe
routeHappyHuntingGroundsandwasratedF10aintheguidebook's
system.Itcouldpossiblybecalled5.10d,maybeeven5.11a,anywhere
else.Thisallowedmetorationalizemylackofsuccessandprovidedan
excusetorepeattheotherroutesinstead.Ididoccasionallytryit,
however,andevenrevealedittootherclimbers.Iwatchedafewof
theselockoffonthatbomber,reachupwiththelefthandandlevitate
overthebulge,meanderupandaroundtheblocks,andfinallywork
underthebigroofandouttotheanchors.Somediditafteratryor
twoTodd,Miles,hisbrotherBill,even"Gumby."However,Iwatched
morethanthesefewlockoffatthebomber,pause,thenfallandlowerto
thegroundhuffingandcomplainingaboutgettingpumpedandruiningthe
restoftheday.
Then,onarecentspringmorning,IwatchedasPaulflashedit!Paul,who
hasonlybeenclimbingacoupleofyears,huffedandgruntedabit
throughthelowermovesthenlockedoffthe"bomber,"reached,
grabbed,andfloateduptotheroof.Teenagers!
Thenitwasmyturn.AfteratwoyearsabbaticalfromHappyHunting
Grounds,Iwastiedintotheropeandpullinguptheliebacktosetupthe
reachforthebomber.Althoughthemoveswerenotthesmoothest,they
went.Igotfourfingersonthehold,pulled,lockedoff,pumped...and
fell.
It'seasytobecomeobsessedwitharoute,butIknowthereareabouta
zillionreasonableroutesoutthere,soanobsessionissimplynotjustified.
WiththisthoughtIuntiedfromtherope,munchedaPopTart,and
enjoyedthesunthroughthepines.Afewotherfriendstriedtheroute

Page13

andoneactuallygotthebomber,buteventhisonelocked,pumped,and
fell.Paulhadtoleaveforhomeand,ashorttimelater,myfamilystarted
packingupforthehikedowntotheparkinglot.Myropehung
unoccupiedonHappyHuntingGrounds.
WithinashorttimeIwastiedinandheadedupagainformyusuallock
off,pump,andfall.Afteronegofromtheusualperspective,Ialloweda
moreexploratoryglanceouttotheright,aroundthesubtlecorner,and
spiedasmalltriangularpocketbigenoughforatoe.Iswitchedhandson
thebombertoaleftclinginordertoreachthepocket,thenfingertipped
a"littlenothing"bumpupontherightasIliftedmyleftfoothighintothe
shallowdihedral.Carefulbalancethenallowedareleaseofthebomber,a
reachhighertoashallow,slopinghold,thenarighthanduptoagood
bucket.Iheardtrumpetfanfares!Fireworkslitthesky!Therestofthe
routetotheroofwaspurejoy.Thisnowclassicroutepresentedsome
wildpositionsasImovedtenuouslyunderthedarkceiling,thendelicately
outtotheright,searchingforthereachoverthelipandtheholdsleading
uptotheanchors.Theholdsappearedjustintime,andIlevitatedout
anduptothetop.Whew!Ievendidthecruxmovesagainjusttobe
certain.Later,thesixhourdrivehomefromDevil'sLakeseemedbriefas
itwasfilledwithpleasantvisionsofmovinguptheroute.Afterfiveyears,
thisadventurous24meterstotheHappyHuntingGroundshadfinally
becomeafamiliarpath.

Page15

2
RockClimbingEquipment
Yoursafetyandsuccessinrockclimbingdepend,invariousdegrees,uponyourequipment.Avisittothelocalclimbingshoporalookthroughoneofthecurrentgear
cataloguescanbearealeyeopener.Awidevarietyofequipmentisavailablethesedays,andthepricetagsmayseemexcessive,particularlybecausemaintaininga
reasonablemarginofsafetyoftenprecludesthepurchaseofuseditems.
Fortunately,thenaturalprogressioninclimbingfromboulderingtotopropingand,eventually,toleadingascentsenablesagradualaccumulationofthenecessary
items.Technicalclimbinginvolvestwoormorepersons,andmostclimberswillpooltheirequipmentatthecragforinstance,onepartnersuppliestheropeandthe
othertheanchorgear.

Page16

Boulderingrequiresminimalequipment:awellfittedpairofclimbingshoesandachalkbagwillusuallydo.Topropeclimbingrequiresaropeandanchorgear,butitis
stillrelativelyinexpensiveincomparisonwithmanyotherexerciseandsportactivities.Traditionalleadclimbingrequiresawiderassortmentofanchordevicesand
associatedgear,buteventheexpenseofaleadclimbingsetupcanbeminimizedwithoutcompromisingsafety.
ChoosingaRockShoe
Thereisuniversalagreementthattheoneitemofgearhavingthemostimpactonrockclimbingperformanceisfootwear.Rockclimbingwasoriginallypracticefor
mountaineering,andearlyclimberswouldslipandslideuptherockinstiff,unresponsivemountainorhikingboots.Throughtrialanderror,climbersfinallyfiguredout
thatthesofterrubbersolesofbasketballshoesworkedmuchbetter,thoughtheirextremeflexibilitycausedproblemsonsteepfaceclimbs.Thefirstshoesdesigned
specificallyforrockclimbingincorporatedsmoothrubbersolesforhighfriction,astiffforefootforsecurestancesonsmallrockedges,andlightweightmaterialsto
saveweight.Thespecializedrockshoedesigncameintoitsowninthe1980swiththedevelopmentofaspecialrubberforthesolesandrands(thesidesofthe
shoes).This"sticky"rubberenabledclimberstostandontiny,roundedcrystalsaswellaswaferthinedges.
Justoveradecadeago,therewereperhapstwoorthreebrandsofrockshoefromwhichtochoose.Today,thereareallroundstylesthatperformwellonalltypesof
rockandterrainaswellasexoticspecialtyshoesdesignedforveryspecifictypesofclimbing.Amagazinerecentlyreviewedover40differentrockshoemodelsthat
rangedinpricefromaround$90toover$140.Becausevirtuallyallmodernrockshoeshavestickyrobbersoles,themostimportantconsiderationswhenmakinga
choicearefitandthebalancebetweenstiffnessandflexibility.
Althoughyoucangetrockshoesthroughoutdoorequipmentmailordercompanies,itisbesttoactuallytryonvariousmodels.Storesthatcarryrockclimbinggear,
andindoorclimbinggymsinparticular,oftenrentshoesthatyoucantryout.Watchfor"demo"festivalswhereseveralcompaniesprovideshoesforyoutotest.
FittingaShoe
Wearingrockshoeshasbeendescribedasthe"agonyofdefeet."Contemporaryshoedesignshaveeliminatedpainandfootinjuryasthepriceyoupay

Page17

forashoethatperformswell.Still,youwanttoensurethatyourfootwillnotsliporrotateinsideoftheshoeandthattherearenoairpockets,particularlyinthe
forefootarea,thatcancollapseandbendwhenyoutransferyourweighttothefoot.Thus,asnugfitremainsessential.
Generally,youwillwearasizeortwosmallerthanyourstreetshoes.Theactualfitforagivensizevariesconsiderablyamongshoemanufacturers,andevenamong
stylesofferedbythesamesupplier.Again,itisveryimportantforyoutotryseveralsizesandmodelsforthebestfit.Someclimberswearalightweightlinersock,but
mostweartheirshoesoverbarefeettoensureasensitivefeelfortherocktexture.Whateveryourpreference,theshoemustfit.
Youcanexpectallrockshoestostretchabit.Linedshoeswillstretchlessandfeeltightlongerhowever,theymayofferlesssensitivityonsubtlerocktextures.
Unlinedshoeswillshapetoyourfootandinitiallyprovidecomfortable,preciseperformance,butmaystretchseveralsizeswithuse.Newer,unlinedmodelsusespecial
stitchingpatternstolessenstretchwithoutsacrificingflexibility.
StiffnessversusFlexibility
Therightbalanceofstiffnessandflexibilitylargelydependsonthetypeofrockandterrainoverwhichyouwillbeclimbing.Astiffershoeperformswellincontinuous
cracksandonsteepfaceclimbsthatrequireedgingthesolesonsmall,sharpfeatures.Oncetheseshoesaresetandweightedonsmallrockedges,thestiffsole
providesavirtualledgetostandon.Ontheotherhand,verystiffshoesofferlittleadvantageonlowerangledfrictionclimbswheremaximizingthecontactarea
betweenrubberandrockisimportant.
Whencontactareaandtheabilityto"grab"holdsiscritical,aflexibleshoewillprovidesuperiorperformance.Manyoftheverydifficultmodernsportclimbs,and
indoorclimbingwallsinparticular,requireaflexibleshoethatallowsyoutofeelandadjusttosubtlefeaturesinthesurface.
Arockshoeshouldhaveafairamountofrobberextendingaroundthetoeandalongtherandsoftheshoe.Stickyrobberrandsareessentialforcrackclimbingwhere
theshoewillbewedgedor"jammed"inthecrackduringmoves.
TheclimberwhowantstoenjoythesteepcracksofYosemite,thesmoothfrictionofStoneMountain,andthesharp,crystaledgesoftheRushmoreNeedlesbyusing
asinglepairofrockshoesmightconsideramoderatelystiffallroundmodelforthatinitialpurchase.

Page18

Differenttypesofrockshoes(lefttoright):allpurposeshoe,structurededgingshoe,
unstructuredflexibleshoe,lightweightslipper.

Allrockshoeswilleventuallybreakdowninstructureorstretchandbecomesloppy.Oncethecorrectfitislost,performancewilldiminish.Propercareandattention
towearonthesolesandrands,however,shouldenableyoutouseashoefortwotothreeyears.
CaringforYourShoes
Minimizewearonthesoftsolesbylimitingwalkingandstandinginyour
shoes.Ifyoumustkeepthemonwhileyouarenotclimbing,wearalarge
sockovertheentireshoe.
Protectthesolesfromexcessivedirtandanyoilyresidues.An
occasionallightbrushingwithabrasssuedebrushcanhelprestore
''stickiness"totherubbersurface.
Allowshoestodryoutthoroughlybetweenusestopreventrottingof
thestitching.
Resoleyourshoesbeforetherandsaredamaged.Haftsolescanbe
putonforasmallfractionofthecostofshoereplacement,butbesureto
haveanexperiencedrockshoecobblerdothejob.Resolingservices
advertiseinallofthemountaineeringandrockclimbingspecialty
magazines.

Page19

Chalk
Byminimizingtheeffectsofhandandfingersweat,gymnasticchalk(magnesiumcarbonate)canincreaseyourabilitytogripholds.Chalkistypicallycarriedinahand
sizedchalkbag,whichiseitherclippedtotheclimbingharnessortiedaroundthewaistonacord.Youcangetachalkbagforaround$12to$15,andablockofchalk
forjustover$1fromstoresthatcarryclimbinggear.
Althoughmostclimbersusechalk,itdoespresentaproblemfromanecologicalstandpoint.Thenaturalbeautyofmanyrockcragsandformationshasbeenmarredby
countlesswhitedotsleftfromthechalkedhandsofclimbers.Theuseofchalkhassometimesbeencharacterizedasaformoflittering.Inmostcaseschalkwillwash
offinthenextrainhowever,onheavilyusedroutesandunderoverhangsandroofs,itmayremainforgenerations.Theimpactofchalkmaybeminimizedthrough
conservativeuseandperiodiccleaningoftherockbyconcernedclimbers.Alwayscheckwithlocalclimbersorrecreationareamanagersconcerninganarea's
unwrittenethicorestablishedrulesconcerningtheuseofchalk.
ChoosingaClimbingHarness
WhenIbeganclimbing,Iwouldsimplywraptheropearoundmywaistandsecureitwithabowlineknotbackedupwithacoupleofoverhands.Simple,yes,butto
fallmeantapainfulconstrictionandnearsuffocationastheroperodeupovermylowerribs.Isoonswitchedtoa"swamibelt,"madebywrappingstrong,tubular
nylonwebbingaroundmywaistseveraltimesandtighteningitwithawaterknot.Theropewasthentiedaroundtheswamibeltandsecuredwithafigure8follow
throughknot.Thiswasaslightimprovement,butmywaiststillabsorbedalloftheforceofafall.Asaresult,Istucktoeasierroutestoavoidfalling,andconsequently
limitedmyprogressandskilldevelopment.
Awidearrayofcommercialclimbingharnessesarenowavailablethatarecomfortable,lightweight,andstrong.TheUnionInternationaledesAssociationsD'Alpinisme
(UIAA)hassetstrengthstandardsforclimbingharnesses,andallmainbrandcommercialharnessesmeetorexceedthesestandards.Harnessdesignsareavailable
thatarespecificallytailoredformen,women,orchildren.Theharnessmustfitsnuglyaroundyourwaistatthetopofthehipbones,andthewaistbeltmustbelong
enoughforyoutodoubleitbackthroughthebucklesystem.Becausevariousmodelsandstylesmayhavesubtlefitdifferences,tryseveralonbeforemakingyourfinal
purchase.

Page20

HARNESSFEATURES
Thepriceofaharnessgenerallyreflectstheparticulararrayoffeaturesit
offers.Pricesrangefrom$35to$80.
1.Theharnessweightwillnotusuallyaffectitsoverallstrengthmuchandmay
seemtrivialbecauseallharnessesarerelativelylightweight.However,a
lighterharnessmaybecriticalforsuccessonthemostseveresportclimbing
routes.Generally,thelightertheharness,thegreaterthecost.
2.Forsummerclimbinginshortsortights,astandard,nonadjustableharness
isthemosteconomicalchoice.However,adjustablelegloopsmaybeuseful
ifyouclimbincolderweatherwithmoreclothingorsharetheharnesswitha
friendofdifferentproportions.
3.Easeofuseismorethanaconvenienceinstressfulsituationswhere
complexitycanleadtoerrorandpotentialaccidents.Aqualityharness
shouldoperatesimplyandbeeasytowearandremove.
4.Theavailabilityofattachedgearloopsprovidesaneasywaytotransport
anchordevicesandothersmallequipment.

SAFETYTIP
Properuseofyourharnessisessentialforsafety.Harnessesdifferinhowtheyaresecuredontheclimber,butmostinvolveadoublepassbucklethroughwhichthe
waistbeltwebbingmustbedoubledback.Checkyourbucklesystem(andyourpartner's!)beforeyoubeginaclimbandfrequentlythroughouttheday.Harnessesalso
differinthepropermethodoftyingintotherope,sobesuretogetspecificinstructionsconcerningyourharness.Protectyourharnessfromchemicalsthatdamage
nylonandfromunnecessaryabrasion.Inspectyourharnessfrequentlyfordamageandabradedstitching,andretireitwhenyouhavedoubts.

Page21

SelectingaRope
ThenaturalprogressionfromboulderingistechnicalClass5climbingwitharope.Whenyouaretryingwildmovesandpushingyourlimits,fallsaretobeexpected,so
don'tskimponyourmainlineofprotectiontherope.Fortunately,modern,dynamicclimbingropes,testedandapprovedbytheUIAA,donotbreakundernormal
use.Ontheotherhand,ropescanbecutbyfallingrockorslicedbybeingstressedoverasharpedgeofrock.Improperusealwaysinvitesdisaster,solearnthe
correctprocedureswithyourlifeline.
Climbingropeshaveevolvedfromstrandsofnaturalmanilafibers,whichwerequestionableatholdingfalls,totoday'sstrong,nylonkernmantle(coreandsheath)
ropes.Theusualdimensionsofkernmantleropesare50meters(1meter=3.28feet)inlengthby10to11millimeters(1millimeter=0.39inches)indiameter.
Normally,youshouldavoidshorterropesbecausemanyestablishedclimbingroutesassumethattheclimberisusingaropeofatleast50meters.Onleadclimbsitcan
beunnervingtorunoutofropebeforethenextanchors.Someropesarespeciallydesignedtobeuseddoubledtheyrangefrom8.5to9.0millimetersindiameter.
Thespecificqualitiesofnoteformodernropesincludethenumberoftestfallsheld,impactforce,staticandimpactforceelongation,weight,andwaterrepellency.
Ropemanufacturerswillincludethisinformationonatagattachedtoallnewropes.Dependingontherope'sspecificcharacteristics,pricesnormallyrangefrom$130
to$180per50meterrope.
CharacteristicsandRatingsofClimbingRope
TheUIAAtestsandratesdynamicropesforuseasasingleropeorasdoubleropes(tworopesusedtogether).TheprincipleUIAAtestinvolvesaworstcase
scenariofalltesttodeterminethenumberof5meterfallsofan80kilogram(1kilogram=2.205pounds)weightthata2.8metersectionofropecanwithstandbefore
breaking.Mostsingleropeswillaveragebetween5and12fallsinthisseveretest.Aropemustsurviveaminimumof5fallstoearnUIAAapproval.Impactforce,or
theexpectedforceontheclimberandanyanchors,isalsomeasuredduringthestandardfalltestandmustnotexceed11.8kiloNewtons(kN),or2,650pounds(1
kiloNewton=224.8pounds).
TheUIAAstatictensiontestdeterminesthedegreeorpercentageofstretchovera1metersectionofropeunderan80kilogramload.Singleropesmustnotstretch
morethan8percent,andanapproveddoubleropemustnotstretchgreaterthan10percent.Thedynamicstretchbuiltintoclimbingropesreducestheimpactforces
ontheclimberandanchorsystem,

Page22

butalsoincreasestheoveralldistanceofagivenfallandthechanceofhittingsomethingonthewaydown.Thus,theUIAAstandardsprovideareasonable
compromise.
ItshouldbenotedthattheseUIAAratingsarefordynamicropesspecificallydesignedforrockclimbing.Ropesareavailablethatpossessstrongstaticqualities(very
littlestretchunderforce),butthesecanresultinseverestressloadsonafallenclimberandontheanchorsystem.Staticropesareusuallyusedforrappellingandas
fixedlinesfordescendingintoandascendingoutofcaves.Usually,itisbesttoavoidstaticropesfortechnicalrockclimbingapplications.
Ropeweightsdependondiameterandspecificconstructiondesigns,averagingbetween65and80grams(1gram=.035ounces)permeterfor10to11millimeter
singleropes.Ropesdesignedforuseindoubleropesystemsarelighter,at45and55gramspermeterhowever,tworopesarerequired.
Youcanusuallypurchaseropeswithorwithoutawaterrepellentcoating.Ropestreatedforwaterrepellencyarecalleddryropes.Suchtreatmentreducestherope's
tendencytosoakupwaterthatotherwisewouldincreasetherope'sweightanddecreaseitsstrength.Somefeelthatthewaterrepellenttreatmentimprovestherope's
resistancetoabrasionaswell.Iftheaddedcostandweightcanbetolerated,mostclimberspreferdryropes.
RetiringaRope
Noonereallyknowsexactlyhowlongaropeshouldlast,andthecoreoftheropemaybedamagedwithoutanyvisibleprobleminthesheath.Ingeneral,most
climberswillretirearopeafterfouryearsregardlessoffrequencyofuse.However,ifyouuseyourropeonmostweekends,perhapstwoyearsismoreacceptable,
whileextensiveusemayrequiremorerapidturnover.Exposuretoasevere,longfalljustifiesimmediateretirementoftherope.Keepinmindthattopropefalls,as
opposedtofallswhileleading,aremuchlessstressfulontheropebecausetheoverallfalldistancesareusuallyquiteshorter.
StackingandCoilingtheRope
Whenyoupulltheropefromyourpack,lookaroundforagoodlocationtoplaceit.Avoidtossingtheropeintothedirtorotherdebris.Specialropebagsare
availablethatopenoutintoagroundclothonwhichtolayouttherope,althoughajacketorstuffsackworksjustaswell.
Mostclimberswilltransportandstoretheirropeinacoil.However,wheninuse,theropetendstotanglelesswhenrandomlystacked.Layoutoneend

Page23

oftheropetothesidesothatitwillbeeasytofind,thenstacktheropeinaneatbutrandompile.
Whenyouwanttomovetoanotherrouteyouwillneedtoneatlycoiltherope.Thereareseveraleffectivemethodsofcoiling,butmostclimbersusesomevariationof
thebutterflycoil.Toexecutethiscoil,matchthetwoendsoftheropeandpullthroughaboutthreedoublearmlengthsofropetoleavefree.Nowbeginpulling
throughdoublearmlengthsandlayingthesebutterflywingsoveralternatesidesofoneopenhand.Whenyougettothedoubledendoftherope,splitthedifference
acrossyourhand.Wrapthefreeendsseveraltimesaroundthecoilbelowyourhandthenpushabight,orbend,oftheremainingropethroughtheeyeletformedby
thewraps.Threadthedoubledfreeendsthroughthisbighttosecurethewraps,andtheropeisreadyforstorage.
Youcanrigthebutterflycoiltocarryonyourbackbylayingeachfreeendoverashoulder,thenwrappingthembackacrosstheropecoilsandyourwaist.Securethe
freeendsinfrontwithasquareknot,andyouarereadytoscramble.
TakingCareofYourRope
Onceyouhavepurchasedanewrope,properuseandcareisessential
toensuremanyhoursofsafeclimbing:
Protectyourropefromdirtandotherdebrisasmuchaspossible.
Nevertossyourropeintothedirtatthebaseofthecrag.Useaground
cloth,pack,orjackettostacktheropeon.Also,avoidsteppingonthe
rope,asthiscangrindsharpparticlesofsandanddirtthroughthesheath
andintothecore.
Minimizeexposureofyourropetoexcessiveheatandthesun's
ultravioletrays.Considerstoringyourropeinastuffsackorcustom
ropebagwhennotinuse.
Avoidexposingtheropetoanysubstancethatisharmfultonylon,
includingcertainsolventsandcorrosiveproducts.
Donotlendoutyourrope.Whowilltreatitwiththesamecareasyou
do?Forthesamereason,neverpurchaseausedrope.
Inspectyourropefrequentlyforvisibledamage.Remember,though,
thatthecoremaybedamagedwithoutanyvisibleevidence.Whenin
doubt,retiretherope.

Page24

TyingInTheFigure8FollowthroughKnot
Thestandardknotusedtoconnecttheropetoyourharness,aprocedurecalledtyingin,isthefigure8followthrough.Thisisasolidknotthatbecomestighterwhen
forceloaded,yetcanbeuntiedreasonablyeasilywhenyouwish.Afigure8knotisfirstputintotheropeaboutthreefeetfromtheend.Thefreeendisthenthreaded
throughtheharness(checkyourharnessdesign,astheproperwaytothreaddiffersamongmodels)andthefigure8rewoven,orfollowedthrough,untiltheendexits
theknotinadirectionawayfromyourharness.Youmustleaveatleastthreeinchesoftailtopreventtheendaccidentallyslippingpartwaythroughtheknotinafall.
Checkyourtieinknotoftenduringaclimbingouting.

Howtotiethefigure8followthroughknot.Alwaysleaveatleasta7.5centimeter(3inch)
tailwhentheknotispulledtight.

Page25

ConnectingtheAnchorSystem
TechnicalClass5climbingalwaysinvolvesoneormoreanchorsystemsthatsecuretheropeandclimberstotherockorground.Whethertheanchorsaresturdy
naturalfeaturessuchastreesandboulders,orsometypeofartificialanchordevice(discussedlaterinthischapter),theconnectiontotheclimbersandropemustbe
strongandeasilyused.Anchorsusuallyareextendedbynylonwebbingloops(runners),andeventuallyconnectedtotheclimber'sharnessortotheropeusingmetal
snaplinks(carabiners).
Runners
Oneinchtubularnylonwebbingisthemainstayformakingrunners(sometimescalledslings),althoughwidthsof14.3millimetersand17.5millimetersareavailableas
well.A1.7meterlengthofwebbingisnormallytiedintoaloopusingawaterknotforastandardlength,orsingle,runnerwhile2.9metersaretiedtomakealong,or
double,runner.Intopropeclimbing,wheretreeandboulderanchorsmaybeseveralfeetbackfromthecliffedge,longerlengthsof6to9metersareoften
convenient.
Oneinchtubularnylonwebbingisbothstrongover1,800kilogramsbreakingforceandinexpensiveatapproximately$1.00permeter.Youcanalsopurchase
runnerspresewnwithbartacks,whichprovidegreaterstrengthandlessbulkthanknottedrunners.Ofcourse,sewnrunnersareabitmoreexpensiveanddonot
providetheversatilityofchangeablelengththattiedrunnersdo.
AnewerandstrongerfibernowavailableforsewnrunnersisSpectra,whichis,poundforpound,about10timesasstrongassteel.Spectrarunnersareavailableina
15.8millimeterwidthandarealwayspresewnbecauseSpectradoesnotholdknotswell.Spectraismoreexpensivethantubularnylonandmustbeprotectedfrom
heatduetoitslow(300degreeFahrenheit)meltingpoint.
JoiningTwoEndsofWebbingorCord/Rope
Thewaterknotisusedtojointheendsofastrandofwebbingtoformalooporrunner.Beginwithabasicoverhandknot,thenfollowtheoverhandbackthroughwith
theotherendofwebbing.Pulltheknottogethertightlyandleaveatleast7.5centimetersforeachtail.Remember,neverattempttotieSpectrawithaknotitwillslip
easilyandcomeundoneunderlowforces.
Thegrapevineknotismoreappropriateforroundmateriallikecordandrope.Oncetied,settheknottightly.Aswiththewaterknot,7.5centimetertailsshouldbeleft
inthefreeends.

Page26

Howtotiethewaterknotinflatwebbing.

Howtotiethegrapevineknotincordorrope.

Page27

Carabiners
Beforeyoubegintechnicalrockclimbing,youwillneedtoobtainaselectionofcarabiners.Thesealuminumalloysnaplinksareusedtoconnectthevarious
componentsoftheclimbingsystem.Carabinersaredesignedwithaspringloadedgatewhichcanbeopenedtoaccepttherope,webbingloops,oranchor
connections.InordertoobtainUIAAapproval,acarabinerdesignmusttesttoaminimumbreakingstrengthof19.5kiloNewtonsalongthespine,orsolidside,and
4.0kiloNewtonsalongthegatedside.Most"biners"willberatedwellabovetheseminimumvalues.
Carabinersareavailableinthreebasicdesignsbasedontheiroverallshape.Ovalsaresymmetrical,withthepointofmaximumlengthmidwaybetweenthespineside
andthegatedside.Thesebinersareveryversatileandenablepositioningwiththegateupordown.Dshapedbinersarelongeralongthespinesidethanthegated
side.Thisresultsinforcesbeingdirectedmorealongthespinesideandastrongerdesignperweightunitthantheoval.Thus,aslightlylighterDbinercanbeseveral
hundredkilogramsstronger

Carabiners(clockwisefromtop):Standardoval,standardD,asymmetricalD,bentgateD,
lockingD,HMS.

Page28

thanastandardoval.Asymmetrical,oroffsetDcarabiners,arewideratthegateopeningendtoenableeasierclippingoftheropewithoutsacrificingthestrength
advantageoftheDshape.AmodifiedasymmetricalDbiner,popularforleadingsportclimbs,isthebentgateD.Thebentshapeofthegateonthesebinersprovides
alargergateopening,whichmakesclippingtheropeeasier.
ManyofthestandardD,andlargerasymmetricalD,carabinersareavailablewithgatelockingsleeves.Theselockingbinersprovideanincreasedmarginofsafetyin
situationswherethegatemaybeaccidentallybumpedopen.Lockingbinersareavailableinscrewgatedesigns,wherethegatesleevemustbescrewedmanuallyinto
place,andintwistlockdesigns,wherethesleeveisspringloadedandsnapsintothelockedconfigurationuponrelease.
Oneusefulmodifiedlockingcarabineristhepearshaped,orHMS,biner.Theselarge,offsetlockingDbinersacceptalargevolumeofclippedmaterialsandusually
areusedinaspecialropebelaytechniquecalledtheMunterHitch.
ATAGLANCE:CARABINERS
Design

Advantages

Standardoval

Versatileallpurpose Lowerstrengthto
design.Lowcost.
weightratio.

$4.50$5.50

StandardD

Goodallrounduse. Lessversatilethan
Strongerthan
ovalsinsome
standardoval.
situations.

$5.00$6.00

AsymmetricalD

Verylightweight,
whileretaining
strengthoftheD
shape.Easytoclip
andunclip.

Normallymustbe
$7.00$13.00
orientedwiththe
gatedownward.Can
unclipeasierthan
standardovalorD.
Expensive.

BentgateD

Sameas
asymmetricalDplus
largergateopening
easiertoclip.
Mainstayforsport
climbing.

Sameas
$7.00$13.00
asymmetricalD.
Shouldonlybeused
fortheropeendof
connections.

Locking(various
designs)

Locksystem
preventsaccidental
openingofgate.
Increasedstrength
Mainstayforbelay
andtoprope
anchors.

Heavyandcostly
$7.00$20.00
forstandardoverall
use.Specialdesigns
areexpensive.

*PricesinU.S.dollars.

Disadvantages

Price*

Page29

SAFETYTIP
Thegateistheweakestlinkinallcarabiners.Avoidsetupsthatputpressuresidewaysacrossthebinerandontothegate.Acarabiner'sstrengthisreducedbymore
than50percentwhenthegateisopen,somakesureyourbinerssnapclosedeasilyandcompletelywhenreleased.
BelayDevices
Thesetupandtechniquesofmanagingaclimber'sropeandcatchingfallsiscalledthebelay.Iremembermyfirstbelaylesson.Iwasclippedintoananchoratthetop
ofa12meterquartzcragwiththeropewrappedaroundmywaistforfrictionandthefreeendgraspedinmyglovedhand,readyto

Belaydevices(lefttoright):ATCplate,StichtPlate,Figure8ring,MunterHitch.

Page30

increasethebodywrapwhentheclimberfell.Andfallhedid,all200poundsofhim.SomehowIhungontotheropewithvicelikefingersasitpainfullytightened
aroundmywaistandmybreathingtemporarilystopped.Thiswasthebodybelayexperience,agoodskilltoknowforemergencies,butIwasencouragedtoquickly
placeanorderforamechanicalbelaydevice.
Belaydevicesincreasethefrictionontheropeduringafall,whichenablesthebelayertocontroltheforcegeneratedbythefall.Mostbelaydevicesaremodifications
oftheslottedStichtPlateinventedinGermanyinthe1970s,throughwhichabendofropeispassedandtheloopclippedintoalockingcarabiner.Thesystemisthen
clippedtothefrontofthebelayer'sharness.Mechanicalbelayplatesmakeholdingtheropeduringfallsrelativelyeasyandhaveeliminatedthefrictionburnscommon
withthebodybelay.
Severalbelaydevicedesignsareavailable.ModificationsoftheoriginalStichtPlatedesignprovideexcellentfrictionyetresistlockingupagainsttherope.Figure8
belaydevicesallowforsmoothropemanagement,butmanyprovidelessfrictionthanaplatedesign.Pricesaveragearound$13to$15foreitherdesign.
Thereareacoupleofspecializedbelaydevicesavailablethatsecuretheropeduringafallevenifthebelayer'sbrakehandisofftherope.Suchautolockingbelay
devicesassurethatabelayerwillnot''drop"afallenclimber.Theseare,however,aboutfourtimesasexpensiveasabasicbelaydevice,andshouldnotbereliedupon
assubstitutesforaknowledgeableandexperiencedbelayer.
Manybelaydeviceswillalsoworkasafrictionmechanismforrappellingbacktothegroundafteranascent.Forthoselongormultiplerappels,itiswisetoacquirea
figure8descender($11$15),whichwillbettertoleratetheheatbuildupfromfriction.
ArtificialAnchors
Anchorsareusedinavarietyofcircumstancesinrockclimbing,andmustalwaysbestrongandsecure.Someofthebestanchorsareestablishedbytyingoffnatural
featuressuchastrees,largeblocksofrock,chockstones,orrockhorns.Whennaturalfeaturesareunavailable,artificialanchordevicesareused.Artificialanchorsare
designedtofitintocracksorpocketsintherockandareavailableinavarietyofmodels.
Asmallselectionofartificialanchorswillsufficeformosttopropingsituations.However,traditionalleadclimbingdemandsadditionalpiecesandawiderrangeof
designs.Sportstyleclimbingrequiresonlyaquickdrawashortrunnerwithtwocarabinerstoclipintoeachfixedboltanchoralongtheroute.Still,itmaybewise
topurchaseafewanchorstobackuporsupplementthefixedanchorsonsomesportroutes.

Page31

Nuts,Hexcentrics,andTriCams
Themostbasicdesignforanartificialanchordeviceisataperedmetalwedgecalledthenutorchock.Thenutisplacedaboveorbehindaconstrictioninacrackin
therockwhich,ifallgoeswell,willpreventitfrompullingout.Mostnutsaretaperedintwodimensions,whichenablesthepiecetofittwosizesofcrack.
Someoldernutshaveholesthroughwhichaloopof5to8millimeterperlon(nylon)cordisthreadedandtiedwithagrapevineknottoprovideacarabinerclipin
loop.Mostmodernnuts,however,areswagedonstrongsteelcablesthatprovidetheclipinloops.Nutsrangefromapproximately7/4millimetersto38/28
millimetersforheight/widthsizesandwithstanddynamicforcesfrom2.5toover10.0kiloNewtons.Pricesforwirednutsrangefromabout$6to$8dependingonthe
size.
Hexcentricsaresixsidedaluminumalloychocksthatcanfitfourdifferentcracksizeseach.Thesmallesthexcentricscomewiredhowever,mostarethreadedwith
Kevlar,Spectra,orthenewerGeminicord,whichistiedwithagrapevineknottosecureaclipinloop.Unwiredhexcentricsarenotratedforstrengthbecausethe
typeofcordandknotusedfortheclipinslingdeterminestheweakestpoint.Givenastrong,welltiedcord,hexcentricsareoneofthestrongestformsofartificial
protectionavailable.Hexcentricpriceswillrangefrom$6to$9each,butthecostofthecordfortheclipinslingmustbeadded.
AhybridbetweennutsandhexcentricsistheTriCam,madebyLoweAlpine.TriCamslookabitlikenuts,andmaybewedgedassuch,yettheiruniqueshape
enablesthemtofitunusualcontoursintherock.Thebigadvantageofthisdesignistheroundedshapethattendstorotateandwedgetighter,orcam,inacrackwhen
forceloaded.Whentheclipinslingiswrappedbetweenthetwospinerailsandthepieceissetwithastrongtug,theforceofafallwillresultinincreasedpressureof
theTriCamagainsttherock.WhilelearningtoplaceTriCamscorrectlymaytakepatientpractice,theyareverystrongat8.420.4kiloNewtonsdependingonthe
size.Elevensizesareavailable,ranginginpricefrom$13to$39each.
Nutsandhexcentricsarerelativelylightweightandinexpensiveasartificialanchorsgo.Aselectionof8to10nutsandhexcentricsofvarioussizeswilllikelysufficefor
allofyourtopropeclimbingneeds.Ifyouplantoleadupsometraditionallyprotectedroutes,alargerselectionwillprovidemoreversatilityandthenecessaryextra
piecesforintermediateanchors.Ifyourbudgetallows,TriCamsmakeamoreversatilesubstituteforhexcentrics.
SpringLoadedCammingDevices(SLCDs)
Thefirstactivecamminganchorsappearedinthelate1970sandwerecalledFriends.Theseunusuallookingdevicesinvolvedfourkidneyshaped

Page32

cammingunitsspringmountedtoasingleaxleandrigidstem.Acableandtriggermechanismallowedonetoeasilycontractthecamsforplacementinacrack,while
releaseofthetriggerwouldfreethespringmechanismtoexpandthecamsagainsttherock.Thiswouldholdthepieceinpositioneveninparallelsidedandflaring
cracks.Aclipinslingtiedthroughaholeinthestemenabledattachmentoftheropeviacarabiner.Theshapeofthecamsresultedinawideningoftheunitand
increasedfrictionifaforcewasappliedthroughtheclipinsling.
Thesemiracleanchorsenabledrapidplacementandsecurityincrackswherenothingelsewouldwork.Withthisversatility,anabilitytofitawiderangeofcracksizes,
andhighstrength,itiseasytoseewhyaSLCDistrulytheclimber'sfriend!
Today,SLCDscomeinseveraldesigns.Mostmanufacturershavereplacedtherigidstemwithflexiblesteelcablethatcanconformtorockedgesinsteadofrisking
breakagefromlateralforces.SomeSLCDshaveonlythreecamstoprovideanarrowerprofileforsmallcrackfeatures.Onemodelemploysadoubleaxledesignthat
enablestheSLCDtofitawiderrangeofcracksizesandprovidessecurityasapassiveanchorevenwiththecamsfullyextended.
Allofthisconvenienceandversatilitydoesnotcomecheap,however.SLCDpricesrangefrom$45tojustunder$70peranchor.Afullwidthrangeofabout1870
millimeterswillrequirefourtosevenunits.

Artificialanchors(clockwisefrombottom):
wirednuts,wiredhexcentrics,TriCams,SLCDs.

Page33

Quickdraws
Sportroutesareusuallyprotectedbypermanentlyfixedanchors.Onthemoremodernroutes,themostcommonfixedanchorisa9.5millimeterboltthatissetintoa
drilledholeintherockandequippedwithahangerthatacceptsacarabiner.Allyouneedtoattachtheropetotheseanchorsisaselectionofquickdraws.

Choosefromthemanytypesofquickdraws
toattachyourropetotheanchor.

Page34

Aquickdrawconsistsofashortloopofsewnwebbing,usually14.3millimeternylonor15.8millimeterSpectra,intowhichtwocarabinersareclipped.Astandard
orasymmetricalDbinerisusedfortheclipintothebolt,whileabentgateasymmetricalDisconvenientfortheropeclipendofthequickdraw.Thestrengthratings
ofsewnquickdrawrunnersvary,butareusuallyover20kiloNewtons.
Pricesforquickdrawslings,ranginginlengthfrom127203millimetersbinertobiner,are$2.50to$3.50.Youwillbeabletodomostboltedsportclimbswith8to
10quickdrawshowever,longerroutesmayrequire12ormore.
GearRackSling
Thecollectionofcarabinersandartificialanchorgearthatyouwillhaularoundiscalledtherack.Youcanclipeverythingintoastandardrunnerloopedoveryour
shoulder,butapaddedgearracksling($12$15)willbemorecomfortable.
Someclimbersprefertoclipgeartoloopsthatareavailableonmostclimbingharnesseshowever,spacemaybecomelimitedforthegearnecessaryforlonger,
traditionalleadclimbs.Assportroutesrequireonlyquickdraws,theseharnessgearloopsarequiteadequate.
ProtectionMaintenance
Spendsometimepracticingplacementofartificialanchors.Thiswill
helpyoudevelopan"eye"forthecorrectsizeofanchorforagiven
crack.
Inspectyourprotectionoftentocheckfordamage,especiallyfraysin
thewireorcordclipinslings.
Whenthetriggermechanismonaspringloadedcammingdevice
becomessticky,washthepiecewithsoapandwater,rinsethoroughly,
andlubricatetheaxlewithalightsprayofTeflon(nonoily)lubricant.
Retireanyartificialanchorthatsustainsasevereleaderfall.

Helmets
Ifyouthumbthroughoneofthecurrentrockclimbingmagazinesorvisitanestablishedclimbingarea,youwillnotlikelyseemanyclimberswearinghelmets.Climbers
statemanyreasonsforthislackofheadprotection:

Page35

helmetsaretoohottheyobstructvisionoftherouteaheadtheyconstrainthefreedomofclimbingtheyarenot"instyle."Thefactremains,however,thatmany
seriousclimbingrelatedinjuriescouldhavebeenprevented,ortheirseveritylessened,hadthepersonwornahelmet.
Ahelmetmayprotectyourheadfromfallingrockandotherdebris,aswellascushionitduringtumblingfalls.Whileestablishedcragsareusuallyfreeoflooserock,
thechangingnatureofthemediumurgescaution.Ifyou
GEARINGUPTOCLIMB

Gearitems

Price*

Bouldering:

Rockshoes

$125.00

Chalkbagandchalk

Toproping:

Boulderinggear($140.00)plus...

Harness

Rope(50mx11mm)

NylonwebbingAbout21meters
inassortedlengths

$21.00

Standardcarabiners(6)

$30.00

Lockingcarabiners(2)

$15.00

Belaydevice

$14.50

Stoppers/hexcentrics10in
assortedsizes

$75.00

Nutpick

Helmet

$50.00

Pack

$40.00

Leadclimbing
traditionalstyle:

Allgearlistedfortoproping
($582.00)plus...

Set(45)ofsmallerwiredstoppers

Setofspringloadedcamming
devices6to8from1.5to7.5
centimeters

$350.00

Standardcarabiners(25)

$100.00

Largelockingcarabiner

$16.00

Standardnylonrunners(8)

$25.00

Longrunner(1)

Quickdrawslings(6)

$20.00

Gearracksling

$18.00

sportstyle:

Shoes,chalkbag,harness,rope,
belaydevice,2lockingcarabiners
($359.50)plus...

StandardDcarabiners(1014)

$60.00

Bentgatecarabiners(1014)

$90.00

Quickdrawslings(1014)

$36.00

Standardnylonrunners(23)

$12.00

$15.00
Total=$140.00

$40.00
$150.00

$6.50

Total=$582.00

$35.00

$8.00

Total=$1154.00

Total=$557.50

*PricesinU.S.dollars.Allamountsareestimatedaveragesformediumpriceditems.

Page36

progresstoalpinerockclimbingandmountaineering,wherefallingrockandicearerealprobabilities,useofahelmetisthenorm.Ihaveappreciatedmyhelmeton
occasionwhen,asIconcentratedonfootwork,Iconkedmyheadunderanoverhang.
Whenshoppingforahelmet,compareonlythosemodelsthatareapprovedforrockclimbingbytheUIAA.Makesurethefitisappropriate.Mosthelmetshave
adjustablesuspensionsystemstoaccommodateavarietyofheadcoverings,asweatherdictates.
AFinalNoteonSafeEquipment
Failureofequipmentinrockclimbingpresentsadifferentsetofproblemsthaninotherrecreationalactivities.Blowingatirewhilecyclingisaninconvenienceandcosts
timetorepair.Fashioningareplacementforabrokencanoepaddleinmidstreamcanplaceastrainonyourcreativity.Inrockclimbing,however,mostequipment
failureswillhaveimmediateconsequencesthataremorethaninconveniences.Yourchancesofrecoveringfromapulledanchor,brokencarabiner,orcutropeare
minimaltonone.Whenyourlifeisontheline,equipmentsimplymustnotfail.Thesearethethreemostbasicsafetypointsregardingclimbingequipment:
SelectqualitygearapprovedforrockclimbingbytheUIAA.
Learnhowtouseeachitempracticebeforeyourlifedependsonit.
Takecareofyourclimbinggear.Retireanythingthatyouhavedoubtsabout.

Page37

3
RockClimbingCorrectly
Movementoverrockcombinesthephysicalcomponentsofbalance,flexibility,strength,andendurancewiththetaskofsequentialproblemsolving.Practiceand
masteryofafewbasicclimbingprincipleswillenableyoutoexploretherockanddevelopyourpersonalstyleandrepertoireofmoves.
Rockclimbingalsodemandspoiseanddiscipline.Thereisnothingquitelikebeinghighonawindycrag,movingsmoothlyfromproblemtoproblem,workingtherock
andtheprotection.Timeontherockwillyieldadegreeofcomfortandsensitivitythatwillenableclimbingtobecomemuchlikeacreativedanceforyou.
Thischapterfirstreviewsthefundamentalclimbingtechniquesusedforvarioustypesofrockfeatures.Laterinthechapter,thetechnicalaspectsofropedclimbingare
introduced.Thetechniquesinvolvedinmovingoverrockarebestpracticedanddevelopedthroughbouldering,wherethe

Page38

intricaciesofequipmentandinhibitionsarereduced.Sograbyourrockshoesandaspotter,andtryoutsomemovesontheboulders!
THEFOURMOVEMENTPRINCIPLES
Maintainthreepointsofcontactwiththerockwheneverpossible.
Thiswillmaximizeyourbalanceandstability,likeatripodsteadiesa
camera.Oneasierclimbsthiswillbeasimplematterofmovingonefoot
orhandatatime.However,ondifficultroutes,somehandholdsor
footholdsmaybeabsent,andyouwillbeforcedtogetbywithlessthan
threepointcontact.
Balanceoveryourfeet.Sincethelegsarenormallystrongerthanthe
arms,youshouldpositionasmuchweightaspossibleoveryourfeet.This
willminimizetheforcesonyourarms.Lookaroundconstantlyfor
footholds,andconcentrateonpositioningyourbodytomaximizeyour
weightoveryourfeet.
Learntosenseyourweighttransferfromcontactpointtocontact
pointduringmovements.Beginnerclimbersoftenspeakof"fighting
gravity"alimitingmisconception.Learntousegravity.Itisthesource
offrictionthatkeepsyouontherock.Asyoumove,yourweightis
transferredfromholdtohold.Asyoulearntofeelthis,youwillbeableto
anticipatehowgravitywillpullyouontoorintothenexthold.Thus,you
canpositionyourhandorfootaccordingly.Thisanticipationwillenable
youtoplanaseriesofprecise,efficientmovementsthroughtheroute's
crux.
Learntorestwithoutcomingdown.Fatiguecausesclimbersto
become"pumped,"andmanyfallsresult.Learningtorestontherockwill
helpyouresistfatigueandenableyoutoclimblonger.Whenholdinga
staticpositionontherock,seehowmuchyoucanrelaxyourgripwithout
comingoff.Trydifferentbodypositionsandcombinationsofholdstofind
thebestresteveryfewmoves.Avoidpullingonholdsduringrests.
Instead,hangfromastraightarmwhileyoulowerandshakeoutthe
other.Keepbreathing.Climbingshouldbeasaerobicasyoucanmake
it.

SAFETYTIP
Althoughyouwillnotusuallygoveryhighduringbouldering,youdohitthegroundwhenyoucomeofftherock.Attentiontoafewpointscanmakeboulderingsafer.

Page39

Clearawaylooserockanddebrisfromthelandingareabelowtherock.
Useanalertspottertohelpcontrolfallsandprotectyourheadandshoulders.
Iftheroutetakesyououtofyourspotter'sreach,setupatopropeanduseit.
FaceClimbing
Rockfacescomeinalltexturesandanglesanddemandthegreatestvarietyinhandandfootpositions.Thekeystosuccessonallbutthemostoverhangingfacesare
balanceandweighttransfer.Footworkandbodypositionarecritical.
UsingYourFeet
Footworkisthemostimportantaspectoffaceclimbing.Thetwobasicmethodsofstandingonfaceholdsaresmearingandedging.Therockwilldictatewhich
techniqueisbestforagivensituation.
Smearingismostcommonlyemployedonlowerangled,slabbyrockthatlacksdefiniteedgesorknobs.Thesoleoftheshoeatthebaseofthetoesis"smeared"onto
anindentation,roundedbump,orotherirregularity.Thismaximizesthesurfacecontactareabetweentheshoerubberandtherock.Weighttransferovertheplaced
footincreasesfrictionandholdingforce.
Smearingisalsousefulfortinymicroedgesonsteeperrock,asthesoleoftheshoeconformstotheedgecontours.Placeyourshoejustabovetheedge,thenallowit
toslidedownandoverthehold.
Practicesmearingonavarietyofrocktexturesandangles.Lookforsubtleindentationsandfeaturesonwhichtotestvariousfootpositionsandbalancepoints.
Remember,smearingworksbestwhenmostofyourweightispositionedoverthefoot.
Onsteepfaces,youwillneedtolookfordefinedholdsonwhichto"edge"theshoe.Edgingismostoftendonewiththeinsideofthefootatthebaseofthebigtoe.
Thestrengthofthisareaofyourfootandtheinherentstiffnessofmodernrockshoesinthispartofthesoleprovidesurprisingsecurityonsharpholds.Someclimbing
problemsmaydictatethatyouedgewiththeoutsideofthefoot,justbackofthesmalltoe,orevenwiththepointofthetoeatechniquecalled"toeingin."Toeingin
isimportantwhenclimbingpocketedsandstoneandlimestone,wherethelipofthepocketisusedasanedge.

Page40

FaceClimbing

Onlowerangledslopes,commonlycalledslabs,
youshouldstandfairlyverticalrelativetothepull
ofgravity.Thiswillpositionyourhipsawayfrom
therockandyourweightdirectlyoveryourfeet.Your
upperbodymayleanforwardabittoallowhandcontact
withtherock,butthetendencyto''hug"therockshouldbe
resisted.Leaningtoofarinwillpitchyourweightforwardof
yourfeetandleadtoslips

Astheterrainbecomessteeper,youwillneedto
bringthehipsandupperbodyclosertotherockand
thebalancepointoveryourfeetwillbecomefiner.Itis
importanttokeepthehandsnearthelevelofyourshoulders
orheadduringsteepfaceclimbing,asanextremelyhighreach
willpullyouintotherocktoomuch.

Page41

Occasionallyonverticalterrainyoucanlean
awayfromthefaceusinggood,bomberhandholds
tocreatecounterpressurebetweenyourfeetandthe
rock.Thisisparticularlyusefulwhenfootholdsaresparse.
Makecertainthatyourhandholdsaresolid,and,because
thistechniqueisverystrenuous,movequicklytoa
morebalancedstance.

Sustainedoverhangingrockwillpreventyoufrom
positioningmuchofyourweightoveryourfeet.
Youmuststillworktomaintainfootcontact,however,
toreducetheoverallloadonthearmsandprovideabase
forcounterpressure.Whennotmoving,hangonstraight
armstoplacemostoftheforceonyourskeletoninsteadof
themuscles.Thishelpsreducefatigue.

Page42

Foottechniquesforfaceclimbing:smearing(top),
edging(bottomleft),tocingin(bottomright).

Aswithsmearing,positioningyourbodycorrectlyandplacingyourweightoveryourfeetarecriticalforeffectiveedging.Bothsmearingandedgingrelyonthefriction
createdwhenyoutransferyourweightoverthefoot.Practicebothtechniquesonavarietyofterraintodiscoverhowsmallarockfeatureyoucanstandonwithout
slipping.
Onsteepandoverhangingrock,afootoccasionallywillbeusedlikeanextrahandtogetapartialgriponahold.Onesuchtechnique,calledheelhooking,involves
kickinguporouttoahold,hookingitwiththeheeloftheshoe,andpullingwiththeleguntilahandholdcanbereached.

Page43

Radicallysteepoverhangswilloftenrequireyouto"paw"aholdwiththefoot,justtokeepitontherockandtheweightofthelegoffthearms.Sincetherockistoo
steepforyoutoplaceyourweightoverthefoot,youmustrelyonlegstrengthandcounterpressuretomaintainthenecessaryfriction.
Regardlessoftheterrain,learntoplaceyourfeetpreciselyonholds.Onceafootisset,avoidmovingitaboutontheholduntilyougointothenextmove.Ifyourleg
beginstoshakewhileholdingafootposition,aphenomenonknowntoclimbersas"sewingmachineleg,"loweryourheeltorelaxthelegmuscles.Preciseandefficient
footworkwilltakesomepracticetodevelop,butthatisthepurposeofbouldering.
UsingYourHands
Whileitmayseemthataviselikegripisessentialinclimbing,inmostsituationsthefingersaresimplyconfiguredtotheholdcontoursandthebodyispositionedto
enablegravitytopullthehandontotherock.Thelargermusclesoftheupperarmsandshoulders,combinedwiththeliftingactionofthelegs,arethenusedtopullthe
bodythroughthemove.

Theunderclinggrip(palmsup)ismore
secureasyoumoveyourfeethigher.

Page44

TypesofGrips

OpenGrip
Intheopengrip,thehandconformsto
theholdcontoursfrictionfromthefingerpads
suppliespurchase.Someholdshavepositiveincut
edgesthatthefingersbendaroundlikeahook.Theopen
gripistheleastinjuryproducingholdbecausethefinger
tendonsareusuallysparedseverestress.

ClingGrip("crimper")
Theclinggripisusedonflattoppededgesor
sharpmicroedges.Onlythefingertipscontacttherock,
andthefirstknuckleishyperextendedtoresistcollapseof
thefingerunderpressure.Whenpossible,thethumbshouldbe
wrappedacrossthehyperextendedknucklesasabrace.Although
thisgripisverystrong,whenusedonsmallholdsforextrememoves
("crimping")itmakesthefingersvulnerabletotendoninjury.Thefingertips
canalsobelacerated,orgiven''flappers,"bysharprockedges.

Page45

WrapGrip
Roundedandknoblikeholdscanoftenbewrapped
bythefingersortheentirehand.Thisisoneofthemost
securegripsduetothelargecontactsurfaceareaandgreater
muscleuse.Whenpossible,wrapsaredonewiththeouteredge
(the"pinkie"side)ofthehandagainsttherock.
Thisusuallyallowsamorebalancedbodyposition.

PinchGrip
Whenthereisnoholdedgethatgravitycan
pullyourhandinto,youwillneedtousemuscle
asthesourceofholdingforceandpinchthehold.
Pinchgripsaremostusefulonsmallknobsand
pebblelikeholds.Thestrongestpinchisoften
betweenthethumbandsideoftheindexfinger.

Page46

Thereareinnumerableprecisehandandfingerconfigurations,anditwouldbesuperfluoustodescribealltheoptionsinthistext.Exploringtherocktodiscoverwhat
worksbestispartoftheclimbingexperience.Thereare,however,fourbasichandpatterns,or"grips":theopengrip,thecling(or"crimper"),thewrap,andthepinch
grip.
Twoadditionalhandandarmtechniquesthatareveryusefularetheunderclingandthemantle.Theunderclingusesanupsidedownhold,suchasaflakeoroverhang
edge,bygrippingwiththepalmupward.Pullingupandoutonthehold,usuallybyleaningthebodyoutfromtherock,providescounterpressureforthefeet.The
securityofanunderclinggetsbetterasyoumoveyourfeethigherhowever,thestressonthearmsincreasesaswell.
Themantleisusedtogainaledgeorflattoppedfeatureand,asthenameimplies,ismuchlikeclimbingontoafireplacemantleorcountertop.Withbothhandsonthe
ledge,bringyourfeetuptohighholds.Now,hoistyourbodyuntilonehandcanbepositionedheeldowntopressthebodyfurtherupward.Whenyourbodyisupas
faraspossibleaboveyourhands,liftafoottotheledge.Lookforahandholdhigherontheface,andstanduponthe

Combiningamantlewiththearmandahighsteptogainaledge.

Page47

ledge.Mantlingisaverystrenuousmaneuver,and,whennogoodhandholdabovetheledgeisavailable,standingupmayseemlikebalancingonaflagpole.Whenever
possible,itisbesttoavoidfulloutmantles.
CrackClimbing
Whilecracksmakeiteasytofindarouteyousimplyfollowthelinetheyoftenlackhorizontaledgestostanduponortograspwithyourhands.Thefourmovement
principlesstillapplywhenclimbingcracks,butpurchaseforholdsmustcomefromavarietyof"jamming"techniquesforhandsandfeet.
Ifyouhavespentmostofyourtimehoningfaceclimbingskills,exposuretoasteepcrackcanseemforeignandparticularlystrenuousuntilthepropertechniques
becomefamiliar.IexperiencedthisacutelyonaroutenamedSoleratDevil'sTowerNationalMonument.MypartnerandIhadspentthepreviousfourdaysclimbing
knobbyfaceroutesintheNeedlesofSouthDakota,butnowwehungfromtworustyboltsandasolidSLCDinacrack,46metersabovetheledgewheretheroped
climbinghadbegun.Therockabovewassteepandfeatureless,exceptforasingle,narrowcrackthatslicedthenext30metersinastraightline.Themovesupthis
fissurewouldrequirepurecrackclimbingskills.ThevariousfingerpinchandclinggripsthatwehadusedintheNeedleswouldnotapplyhere,sowedustedthe
backsofourhandswithchalkandpreparedtojam!
Inthebestcrackclimbingcircumstances,afinger,hand,fist,toe,orfootisslottedjustaboveaconstrictioninthecrackandpulledorpusheddowntowedgeagainst
theconstriction.Inparallelsidedcracksthosewithoutconvenientconstrictionssometypeoftorque,cammingaction,orotherexpansionmustoccurtojamthe
appendageinthecrack.
Cracktypesaredescribedaccordingtothepredominanthandtechniquethatthecracksizedictates.Ofcourse,climbershavedifferentsizedhands,whichdoes
becomeafactor,butforthemostparttheterminologyapplies.Thefourprimarytypes,inascendingsizeorder,arefingercracks,handcracks,fistcracks,andoff
widthcracks.Largercracksintowhichmostorallofyourbodywillfitarecalledchimneys.
FingerCracks
Fingercracksmakeforexcitingtechnicalclimbing.Theclassic"fingerlock"jaminvolvesplacingthefingersinthecrack,usuallythumbdown,andlockingtheknuckles
aboveaconstriction.Whenthearmpullsdown,thetorqueonthehandcamsthefingerstightlyintothehold.Althoughthethumbdownpositionisusuallypreferable,
thincracksmayonlyadmitthe

Page48

fingertipsofthepinkieandringfingers,inwhichcaseathumbuphandpositionisrequired.Whateverthesituation,trytogetasmanyfingersasdeeplyintothejamas
possible.
Thefootworkforfingercracksinvolvestoejamming.Thisiswhererockshoeswithnarrow,pointedtoesreallyperform.Thefootisturnedsidewayswiththebigtoe
upandthekneeout,whilethetoeoftheshoeisplacedinthecrack.Thejamissetbyrotatingthekneeupwardandweightingthefoottocamtheshoeinthecrack.
Searchoutthecrackcarefullyforgoodtoejamspots,asfingercrackswillnotoffermuchinthewayofspaceforthefeet.
Youcan"leapfrog"yourhandsupthecrackwhilemaintainingthethumbsdownorientationoryoucanshufflejamswithoutcrossingthehandsover.Oftenitisbestto
jamonefootinthecrackwhiletheotherworksonfaceholdstothesideofthecrack.Practicewillenableyoutoworkwiththepersonalityoftherockandfindthe
mostefficientmovesandpositions.

Workingafingercrackwithonefootsmearingontheface.

Page49

Whenthecrackleanstooneside,thehandonthatsidewillusuallyleadinthethumbdownposition.Yourbodywillstayonthedownsideofthecrack,andthefoot
onthatsidewillprobablystayonthefacetoeithersmearoredgewhiletheoppositefootjamsthecrack.
HandandFistCracks
Handsizedcrackscanmakeforrapidupwardprogressassecurehandandfootjamsaresetoverandoverinrhythmicsuccession.Theclassichandjamissimilarto
"shakinghands"withthecrack.Thehandisinserted,thumbupwithfingersstraight,thenthethumbisbroughttightlyacrossthepalmtowardthebaseofthepinkie.It
isthisthumbactionthatexpandsthehandagainstthesidesofthecracktosetthejam.Whenexecutedproperlyinanappropriatelysizedcrack,thehandjamisabout
assecureasclimbingholdsget.

Classichandandfootjamminginaverticalcrack.

Page50

Differentcrackwidthsrequiremodificationsofthebasichandjamtechnique.Thefingersmaybeflexedatthesecondorthirdknuckletoprovideanarchortentlike
configurationinwidercracks.Forjamsabovethehead,thehandmaybeinsertedthumbdownandtorquedintoasecurejam.
Aswithfingerjams,handjamsmaybeleapfroggedorshuffled.Ingeneral,athumbdownhandjamwillbesecurewhenplacedoveryourhead,butitlosespurchase
asyoumoveupandpast.Thethumbupjamismostsecureatfacelevelandbelow.
Footjamsaresecuredinthesamemannerastoejams.Turnthefootonitssidewiththekneeoutward,slottheshoeinthecrack,rotatethekneeupward,andstand
upontheleg.Aswithhandjams,footjamsmaybeleapfrogged,oneovertheother,orshuffled.Donotsetfootjamstoodeeplyinthecrackorlegmovementwillbe
compromised.Apositionthatacceptsthetoeandballofthefootusuallyprovidesmaximumsecurity.
Whenthecrackistoolargeforsecurehandjamming,thehandmayberotated45degreestoenableafistjam.Thefistisplacedintopositionfairlyrelaxed,then
flexedtoapplypressureagainstthesidesofthecrack.Fistjamsmaybeplacedstraightin,asifpunchingthecrack,orreversed,withthepalmfacingoutofthecrack.
Thethumbispositionedeitheroutsidethefistoverthefingersortuckedintothepalm.Sincethereislessabilitytoexpandthehandinafistpositionthaninthehand
jamposition,itisimportanttorecognizeslightconstrictionsandpinchesinthecrackcontoursabovewhichtoplacethefist.
OffWidthCracks
Climbingoffwidthcracksthosetoowideforfistjamsbuttoonarrowtochimneyisawkward,strenuouswork.Furthermore,thepropertechniqueseemsdifficult
tomaster.Suchfissuresareoftenreferredtoas"awfulwidth."
Fortunately,fewmodernclimbingroutesinvolveoffwidthtechniquesincecontemporaryclimberstendtoavoidcracksthatrequireit.Historically,however,routes
followednaturallines,cracks,andchimneysystems,andthemostdifficultoftheseinvolvedoffwidth.Youmaythereforefindshortorlongstretchesofoffwidth
terrainonsomeoftheolder"classic"routes.
Offwidthcracksareclimbedsideways,withonefootandarminsidethecrack.andtheotherfootandarmontheoutside.Beforeyoulaunchupanoffwidth,you
needtodecidewhichdirectiontofaceasitisusuallyimpossibletoswitchwhileinthecrack.
Theinsidearmisusuallyinanarmbarpositionextendedintothecrackwiththepalmpressedforwardagainsttherockandtheelbowandupperarm

Page51

pressedbackagainsttheoppositesideofthecrack.Theinsidelegstrugglestofindsomecombinationofcounterpressurebetweenfootandkneeorkneeandhip.
Theoutsidelegmustprovidetheforcetomovethebodyupwardusingaheeltoejamorworkingoffedgesalongtheouterlip.Theoutsidehandcanbeusedhighor
low,pushingappropriatelytohelpkeepyouinthecrack.
Occasionally,thecrackmaynarrowdowntowherethehandscanbestackedforasecurejamuntilthelegsaremovedup.Ofcourse,youwillneedtogetsometype
ofgoodholdorjamforthelegs,oryourhandswillbestuck.
ProtectYourHands
Learningcrackclimbingcanbeapainfulexperienceasyoustruggleto
developefficientjammingtechniques.Manyclimberstapethebacksof
theirhandswithclothathletictapetoprotectfromabrasions.Todoso,
firstlayafewstripsoftapeacrossthebackofthehandtoformtheinitial
pad.Holdthehandinaslightlycuppedposition,flexedabitforwardat
thewrist.Beginningonthepinkiesideofthehand,bringastripfromthe
wristareadiagonallyacrossthebackofthehand,aroundtheindex
finger,andbacktothewrist.Repeatthisfromthethumbsideofthe
wrist,acrossthehand,andaroundthepinkiefingerandback.Finally,
wrapacoupleofcompleteturnsaroundthewristtolocktheendsofthe
diagonalwraps.Avoidmakingthewrapstootightly:Circulationcanbe
impededandmobilityofthewristandhandlimitedbythetape.

ClimbingChimneys
Whenthecrackisbigenoughtoaccommodateyourentirebody,itiscalledachimney.Chimneytechniquesvaryaccordingtothesizeofthegap,butascending
alwaysinvolvessometypeofcrossbodypressureagainstthesidesofthechimney.
Narrowchimneysareusuallyclimbedusingpressurebetweenthekneesandback.Theflexedkneesarepressedagainsttheforwardwall,whilethefeetandbackare
pressedagainstthebackwall.Maximizefootfrictionbykeepingthetoespointeddownwardandthesolesflatagainsttherock.Thehandspressforwardtostabilize
theupperbackasthebodyisratchetedupward.
Inwiderchimneys,crossbodypressureisaccomplishedbetweenthefeetandback.Extendedlegspressthefeetagainsttheforwardwall,andthearmsremain
downwardwiththehandspressedagainstthebackwall.Amoveis

Page52

madebypressingdownandbackwiththearmsenoughtoreleasethebackpressure,asthetorsoslidesslightlyupward.Onefootmaykickbackagainsttherearwall
toaidinpushingthetorsoupward.Forthenextupwardmove,thisfootisextendedtotheforwardwallandtheoppositefootkickedback.

Climbnarrowchimneysusingpressurebetweenthekneesandtheback.

CounterpressureTechniques
Thecrossbodypressureusedinchimneytechniquesisaformofcounterpressurewhereforceappliedinonedirectioncreatesanotherforceintheoppositedirection.
Counterpressuretechniquescanbeusedwhenthe

Page53

forcesyoumustapplytoholdsarenotdirectlyinlinewithgravity."Stemming"withthelegstocreatecounterpressurebetweentwolateralholdswilloftenyielda
secure,evenrestful,position.Classicstemmingisthetechniqueofchoiceforbridgingthespacebetweenthewallsofaninsidecorner.

Stemmingtoprovidecounterpressureforthefeet.

Faceholdsmayalsobestemmedtoprovideastancewhilehandholdsaresearchedout.Comingoutofastemonfaceholdsusuallyrequiresyoutorockyourbody
weightupintoabalancedpositionoveronefoot.Thismoveiscalledarockupandisfollowedbyasteptothenextholdbytheoppositefoot.
Somechimneysaresowidethatyoumuststemcompletelyacrossthegapwiththelefthandandfootononewallandtherighthandandfootonthe

Page54

other.Thecounterpressureproducedbythisspreadeaglepositionkeepsyouontherockwhileyourhandsandfeetshuffleupwardinsmall,carefulincrements.
Stemmingtechniquesarenotlimitedtosupportpositions.Occasionally,yourpositionontherock,particularlyonoverhangingfaces,willproduceatendencyforyour
bodytorotateorswingtooneside.Thissocalled''barndoor"effectcanbepreventedbystemmingafootouttothesidetoblocktheswing.Youcanalsousea
counterbalancetechniquetocorrectthebarndooreffectby"flagging"onelegofftherock,acrossyourmidline,andbehindyoursupportingleg.

Flaggingalegtooffsetthebarndooreffect.

Offsetcracksandcracksincornersareoften"liebacked"usingcounterpressurebypullingwiththearmswhilepressingwiththefeetintheoppositedirection.
Liebackingrequiresthatyoumaintaingoodhandcontactwiththerocksinceitistheleanoffyourarmsthatprovidesthecounterpressureforthefeet.Handsandfeet
maybeleapfroggedorshuffledasyoumoveupward.Liebackingisanotherstrenuoustechnique,butyoucanminimizefatiguebymaintainingstraightarms,thusplacing
muchoftheforceontheskeleton.

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Pureliebacktechniqueupacornercrack

TipsforClimbingOverhangs
1.Althoughyoumaybeunabletopositionyourweightdirectlyoveryour
feetonoverhangingrock,footworkisstillimportant.Lookforedges,
placestohookaheel,andotherfeaturesthatcanbeusedtotakethe
weightofyourlegsoffyourarms.
2.Oftenyoucanworkyourfeetuphighbetweenmoves,wheretheycan
helppushyouintopositionforthenextreach.
3.Whenreachingforahold,youmayneedtopullinquicklywiththe
oppositearmandhandclosetotheshouldertolockoffasyoumakethe
nextreach.Thisisastrenuousmaneuver,sotakeaimonthenexthold
andmovequickly.Fromsomepositionsyoucanreduceoverallarm
stressbykeepingthesupportarmstraight,insteadofpullingintoalock
off,andpushingthebodyupwardwiththelegs.

(tablecontinuedonnextpage)

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(tablecontinuedfrompreviouspage)
4.Lookandfeelforopportunitiestousecounterpressure,flagging,and
controlledbutdynamiclungestoavoidstrenuouspullups.Placingthe
outsideedgeofonefootonaholdandtwistingthebodyintotherockon
thatsidemaysometimesenableyoutoreachahighholdwiththeinside
armatechniquecalled"twistlocking."
5.Hangonstraightarmswhileinstaticpositionstoletyourskeleton,
insteadofyourmuscles,takemostofyourweight.

Usinga"twistlock"toreachahighholdonoverhangingrock.

ProtectingYourselfwhileClimbingHowtoSetUpAnchors
Ifmovementovertherockisthoughtofasthe"art"ofrockclimbing,protectingyourselfwithaharness,rope,andanchorsisthe"science,"althoughagooddealof
creativityisinvolvedhereaswell.Learningthepropertechniquesforropedclimbingisaseriousmattersincemostacci

Page57

dentsinvolvementalerrorsmadebyclimbers.Theuseofthefigure8followthroughknottotietheropeintotheclimbingharnesswascoveredinChapter2.This
chapterconcentratesontheanchorsystemanditsintegrationwiththeropetoprotecttheclimber.
Ofprimaryimportanceinropedclimbingisestablishingsolid,failsafeanchors.Inleadclimbing,theprimaryanchorisforthebelayer,thepersonwhomanagesthe
ropeandprotectstheclimberduringfalls.Mosttopropesetupswillinvolvetwoanchorsystems,oneforthebelayerandonefortherope.
UsingNaturalAnchors
Thebestanchorsareoftennaturalobjectsandfeatures,suchastrees,boulders,androckhorns.Oneadvantageofnaturalanchorsisthattheyareoften
multidirectionalorabletotakeforcesfromseveraldirections.Whenanchorsmustbedirectionalandcounterforcesinonedirectiononly,youmustcarefullypredict
themostlikelydirectionthatforcewillbeappliedinthesystem.Beforeusinganaturalanchor,checktomakecertainitissolidbyvigorouslytuggingandpushingonit.
Someclimbersusethe"sixbysix"rulefortrees:sixfeettallbysixinchesthickatthebasehowever,thisisratherarbitrary.Ofmoreconcerniswhetherthetreeis
livingandfirmlyrooted.
Naturalanchorsareconnectedtotheropeorclimberusingsewnortiedwebbingrunnersandcarabiners.Therunnerisdoubledorgirthhitchedaroundtheanchor.In
thecaseoftiedrunners,thewebbingloopmaybetieddirectlyaroundtheanchorwithawaterknottoalloweasieradjustmenttothecorrectlength.Placetherunner
closetotheanchor'sbasetominimizetorqueeffectswhichcouldbreakoruproottheanchor.
UsingArtificialAnchors
Whetheryouaresettingartificialanchorsforatopropesystemorworkingtogetintermediateprohalfwayupasteepfaceroute,theprinciplesofusingprotection
gear,called"chockcraft"bysome,arethesame.Youshouldtaketimetolearnthecorrectmethodsforplacingartificialanchordevicesandpracticeuntilyouare
familiarandefficientwiththegear.Settinguptopropeanchorsystemswithartificialgearenablesyoutolearnthebasicsinamorerelaxedsettingthanyou'llencounter
whenstrungoutonaleadwithyourforearmspumping.

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ChockcraftBasics
Anartificialanchorisonlyasgoodastherockitcontacts.Inspectthe
placementsiteandavoidsuspicious,crumblytextures,looseflakesor
blocks,anddirty,vegetatedslots.
Selectthesizeandshapethatbestfitsthecontoursoftheplacement
spotintherock.
Usethelargestsizethatwillfitappropriately.
Placethepiecesuchthatcontactareawiththerockismaximized.
Orienttheslingorcableinthedirectionoftheanticipatedforce.

PlacingNuts,Hexcentrics,andTriCams
Asartificialanchorsgo,nutsarehardtobeatduetotheirsimpledesignandoverallstrength.Thestandardnutistaperedontwosidesandwillfittwosizesofcrack.It
isalwaysbesttoplaceanutlengthwisetoprovidemaximumcontactarea.
Somenutsarecurvedslightlyandhave"left"and"right"orientationsforyoutochoosebetweenasthecrackcontoursdictate.Findthebestorientationtomaximize
contactwiththerock,and,inthecaseofaparallelsidedcrack,assureawedgewiththreegoodpointsofcontact.
Wheneverpossible,placeanutwherethecracknotonlypinchesoffinthedirectionofthemostlikelyforce,butalsopinchesintheoutwarddirectionthishelpsto
keepthepieceinthecrack.Agentletughelps"set"thenutinposition.
Itisimportanttoextendtheclipendofwirednutswithaquickdraworrunnertoprovideaflexiblelinktotherope.Adirectsidewayspullonthestiffcablecantorque
thenutandliftitoutofthecrack.Itisascarysightfortheleadertolookbelowandseeherlastnutslidingdowntheropetowardthebelayer.
Hexcentricsareabitmoredifficulttoplacecorrectlythannuts,but,onceset,arestronganchors.Hexesoffertwoplacementorientationsintheprimarylateralposition
andathirdwhenplacedendwiseinacrack.Theprinciplesinvolvedingoodnutplacementapplyforhexesaswell.Theunevensidesofahexandtheorientationof
thecordcanprovidesomepassivecammingforcewhenthepieceisforceloaded.Thiscammingactionisobtainedfrombothprimaryplacementpositions,butnot
fromtheendwiseposition.
TriCams
TheunusualshapeoftheTriCamenablesittofitsomespotsinaccessibletoothergear.TherearethreemodesofplacementforTriCams:wedgedabovea
constrictionlikeanutwiththeslingthreadedbetweenthespinerails

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Nutsmaybeplacedintwoorientation,buttheplacementontheleftispreferred.

Ahexcentricplacedendwise(left)andinapassivecammingorientation(right).

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ATriCamplacedasawedge(left)andasapassivecam(right)

SLCDsarestrongestwhenthecamsareevenlysetat10to50percentfulldeployment.

Page61

forpassivecammingactionandpokedintosolutionpockets,thencammedbehindthelip.
Whenconfiguredasapassivecam,thefulcrumpointshouldbeplacedinanindentationorbehindabump,withthespinerailsagainsttheothersideofthecrack.All
threepointsmustbeincontactwiththerock,andthepiecemustbesetwithatug.BewareofunstableTriCamplacement,andconsiderextendingtheslingwitha
quickdraw,asasidewayspullcanrattlethepieceloose.
UsingSpringLoadedCammingDevices(SLCDs)
Springloadedcammingdevicesaredesignedtofitparallelsidedcracksthatoffernoconstrictionforwedginganutorhexcentric.Thespringloadedcamsprovide
frictionthatholdstheSLCDinplace,whiletheirshaperesultsinatighterwedgewhentheunitisforceloaded.AlthoughSLCDsareoftentoutedas"simpletouse"
and"failsafe,"thereareseveralimportantpointstounderstandaboutthem.
Mostreported"failures"ofSLCDsaretheresultoftheunitsskiddingoutofthecrack.Insoftsandstone,SLCDshavebeenknowntoskidseveralincheswhen
severelyloaded.AlwaysconsiderthequalityoftherockinwhichyouareplacingaSLCD.Iftherockissoftorloose,bewary.
IftheactionoftheropecausestheSLCDtowigglebackandforth,itcan"walk"deeperintoacrack,makingretrievalimpossible.Youreducethistendencyby
extendingtheplacementwithaquickdraworrunner.
TheindependentspringloadedcamsonaSLCDenabletheunittoconformtoirregularcrackcontours,buttheunitmaynotbeasstrongwhenthecamsareoffsetin
thismanner.ThestrongestSLCDplacementsarethosewherethecamsareevenlysetat1050percentdeploymentandthestemorcableisalignedwiththemost
likelydirectionofanticipatedforce.Acamistoosmallforthecrack,anditsstrengthandstabilitywillbelow,ifitisnearlyfullydeployed,or"tippedout."Ontheother
hand,ifyouforceaunitwithnearlyfullycontractedcamsintoacrack,itislikelytogetpermanentlystuck.
SettingUpaTopRopeAnchorSystem
Thegeneralruleforanchoringtheropefortopropedclimbingistoconnectaminimumofthreeindependentanchorsatthetopofthecrag.Runnersareusedto
extendtheanchorpointsovertheedgeoftheclifftopreventtheropefromabradingoversharprock.Themiddleoftheropeisconnectedtotheserunnersbya
minimumoftwocarabiners,andtheropeendshangtotheground.Inthissetupthebelayermanagestheropefromgroundlevel.

Page62

Afterhikingupatrailorscramblingovereasyterraintothetopofthecrag,determinethebestlocationfortheanchorbinerstoextendovertheedge.Normallythe
anchorbinersareplacedattheendoftheroute.Whentheroutefollowsafairlystraightverticalline,theropewillalwaysbedirectlyabovetheclimberandfallswillbe
relativelyinconsequential.Iftheroutetraversestotheside,andtheropelineisatanangle,theclimberwillbeexposedtoapotentiallydangerousswingifshefalls.This
iscalleda"bellringer"andshouldbeconsideredwhenlocatingtheupperanchors.

Athreeanchortopropesysteminvolving(lefttoright)atreetiedoff
withwebbing,alongrunnergirthhitchedtoatree,andaSLCDinacrack.

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Lookaroundforconvenient,bombproofnaturalanchorsandplacementpossibilitiesforartificialanchors.Onceyouhaveestablishedtheanchorpoints,usewebbing
runnerstoextendtheanchorsoverthecliffedge.Ifasinglerunnermustbeusedtoconnecttwoseparateanchors,useaselfequalizingsliderbyputtingatwistonone
endofthedoubledrunnerbeforeclippingthebiners.Avoiddirectingtherunnersoveranysharpedgesthatcouldcutordamagethewebbing.Ifsharpedgesare
unavoidable,youcanpadtherunnerwithclothingorapack.
Clipaminimumoftwocarabinersthroughallanchorrunnerstoaccepttherope.Atleastoneofthesecarabinersmustbealockingtype.Wheneverpossible,usetwo
lockingbinersattheropeconnection.
Whenthecarabinersareplacedintopositionovertheedge,theextensionrunnersfromtheanchorsmustcometogetherattheropeconnectionsuchthatallangles
betweenrunnersarelessthan120degrees.Limittheanglesto90

Usingasinglerunnerasaselfequalizing
slidertoconnecttwoanchorpoints.

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degreeswheneverpossible.Keepingtheseanglessmallensuresthatnosingleanchorwillhavetoabsorbthetotalforcegeneratedinafall.
Oncethemiddleoftheropeisclippedinandalllockingbinerssecurelylocked,placethesystemovertheedgesuchthatthegateofthelockingbinerfacesout,away
fromtherock,withthegateopeningpositioneddownward.Thesecondcarabinershouldbeplacedwithitsgateinoppositiontotheprimarylockingbiner.
InReview
Doublecheckthefollowingpointsconcerningconnectiontheanchorsto
theropecarabiners:
Wheneverpossible,useindependentrunnerstoextendandconnectthe
anchorstotherope.Thisbuildsredundancyintothesystemshouldone
runnerfail.
Equalizethetensionfromallanchorconnectionstothedoubledbiners
thatwillaccepttherope.
Ensurethatnoanglebetweenanchorextensionsexceeds120degrees
anglesof90degreesorlessarepreferred.
Avoidplacingcomponentsoftheanchorandextensionsystemover
sharprockedges.Usepadswherenecessary.
Beforetossingtheropedown,makecertainthatitcontainsnoknots
thatcouldgetsnaggedinacrack.Coilitinonehand,andshout''rope"to
warnpeoplebelowthatit'scomingdown.Aimwhenyouthrowtherope
toavoidtossingyourlifelineintodirt,poolsofwater,orthetopsoftrees.
Oncetheropeishung,checkthattheanchorextensionsareatequal
tensionsothatforceswillbedirectedtoallanchorsevenly.Youmay
needtoshortenorextendsomerunnersappropriately.
Doafinalchecktoensurethatthecarabinersarepositionedcorrectly
andthatalllockingbinersarelocked.

Whensettinguptopropeanchors,takeyourtimetoestablishabombproofsystem.Ifyoumustworkclosetotheedgewhileriggingthesystem,putonaharnessand
tieintoananchor.Doublecheckallknotsandconnectionsbeforehikingdowntoenjoytheroute.
Topropedroutescanbebelayedfromthetopoftherockbyarrangingthelengthoftheanchorextensionstoplacethebelayeratthecliffedge,facingoutward.The
anchorcarabinersareclippedintothebelayer'sharness

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waistbeltandlocked.Theanchorextensionsshouldbeontensionwhenthebelayerisinpositionlestafalljerkhimovertheedge.
Whilethissystemprovidesthebelayerwithanexcitingperchandenableshimtotopropelongroutes,itdoeshaveafewdisadvantages.Theropewillusuallypass
overtheedgeoftherockandcouldbedamagedbyafallorwhenloweringaclimber.Oftenthebelayerwillbeunabletoseetheclimber,socommunicationmaybe
difficult.Also,morecareisrequiredwhenexchangingplacesbetweenclimberandbelayeratthetopofthecragthanwhenontheground.Whentheclimbingrouteis
shortenoughtoallowtheropetobedoubled,thegroundbelayisthestandardofchoicetoday.
Belaying
Tobelaymeanstomakesafeorsecure.Inrockclimbing,thebelayermanagestheropeandprotectstheclimberifafalloccurs.Thebelaysystemconsistsofthree
components:thebelayer,therope,andtheanchors.Theintegrityofthesecomponentsmustbemaintained,sincefailureofanyonecomponentwillusuallyleadto
disaster.
Intopropeclimbing,thesecurelyanchoredbelayerconnectstheropethroughabelaydeviceattachedtohisclimbingharnesswithalockingcarabiner.Thebelayer
thentakesinropeastheclimberascendsorfeedsitoutiftheclimbermovesdown.Oncetherouteiscompleted,ortheclimberwishestodescendforarest,the
belayerslowlyfeedsoutropeloweringtheclimbertotheground.Ifafalloccurs,itisthebelayer'sresponsibilitytoeffectivelyarrestit.
SettingUptheBelay
Taketimetodecideonthebestlocationandpositionfromwhichtobelay.Itmaytakesometimefortheclimbertocompletetheroute,andonce"onbelay"the
belayerislockedintothesystemwithlittleopportunitytomoveabout.Placethebelayabittothesideoftheclimbingroute.Thiswillminimizeexposuretofalling
rocksorotherdebristhatcouldbedislodgedbytheclimberortherope.Takecarenottoblockaccesstotrailsthatoftenfollowthelowercliffcontours.
Establishananchorforthebelaybygirthhitchingortyingoffabombproofnaturalfeature,orusetwoorthreeartificialanchorsandequalizethetensionbetweenthese
andthebelayer.Adjustthelengthoftherunnerssothatyouwillbeinlinewiththeanticipatedfallforceandinastablepositiontighttotheanchor.

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Clipintotheanchorsystemviaalockedcarabinerattachedtoyourharnesswaistbeltintheback.Duetothefrictioninherentintopropebelaysystemsandthe
relativelylowfallforcesgenerated,theimpactonthebelayerisnotusuallygreat.Manyexperiencedclimberscanholdfallseasily,andyoumayseeclimbersusing
unanchoredbelayswhentoproping.Still,ifthefallcomesunexpectedly,thebelayerisnotwellbraced,ortheclimberisheavy,anunanchoredbelaycanquickly
becometrouble.Thebelayercanbeyankedintotherockfaceorjerkedintotheair,causingtheclimbertofallagreaterdistance.Solid,naturalanchorsarealmost
alwaysavailableatthebaseoftoproperoutesusethem!
ManagingtheRope
Onceyouaresecurelyanchored,determinewhichhandisinthebestpositiontoprovidethebrakeforthebelay.Rigtheropeappropriatelythroughyourbelaydevice
toplacethefreeendinthis"brake"hand.Theotherhand,or"guide"hand,willgrasptheropeleadingtotheclimbertoassistinpayingoutortakinginropeasneeded.
Putalargeknotinthefreeendoftherope,ortieintoyourharness,topreventtheropefromslippingcompletelythroughthebelaydevice.
Whenbelayingaclimber,itisimperativethatthebrakehandneverleavetherope.Astheclimberascends,youtakeinropewiththeguidehandasthebrakehand
pullstheslackthroughyourbelaydevice.Toresetthebrakehand,slideyourguidehandbackuptheropeandreachacouplefingersacrosstograspthebrakeendof
theropeaheadofthebrakehand.Withoutreleasingthebrakehand,slideitdowntheropetoyourbelaydevice.Releasetheguidehandfromthebrakeendofthe
rope,andyouaresettotakeinanothercycleofslack.
Ifafalloccurs,ortheclimberneedstobesupportedbytherope,applyabrakebybendingtheropeacrossthebelaydevicewiththebrakehand.Youcanlowerthe
climbertothegroundbygraduallyreleasingthebrakepositiontoapointwheretheropecanslowlyslidethroughthebrakehand.Thespeedofdescentiscontrolled
bytheamountofbendintheropeacrossthebelaydeviceandthetensionofyourbrakehandgrip.Leaningbackontheropewillhelpyoumaintainbalancewhen
loweringtheclimber.
Keepyourattentionfocusedonyourclimber.Heisdependingonyouralertandeffectivebelay.Themorepopularcragsareoftencrowded,asareindoorclimbing
gyms.Whenalotofactionisgoingonitmaybetemptingtowatchandtalkwithothers.Suchdistractionsaredangerousamoment'sdelayinbrakingcouldallow
severalfeetofropetoslidethroughyourbelaydevicebeforeyoucanreact.

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A.Pullinslackthroughthebelaydevicewiththebrakehand.Theguidehandmayassist.
B.Toreset,slidetheguidehanduptheropeandgraspbothstrandsabovethebrakehand.
Withoutreleasingthebrakehand,slideitbackdowntothebelaydevice.
C.Applyabrakebybendingtheropeacrossthebelaydevicewiththebrakehand.

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HOWTOCOMMUNICATE
Therewillbeoccasionswhenthebelayerandclimberarenotinvisual
contactandmustuseverbalsignalsforcommunication.Manycragsare
closetoloudlyrushingwaterand,highonlongleadclimbs,thewindcan
mufflenormalconversation.Evenasawayofdoublecheckingeach
other'sreadinesstobegin,itisagoodhabittouseastandardsetof
shoutedverbalcommandsatalltimes.Incrowdedareasfolloweach
commandwithyourpartner'snametoavoidmistakinganothergroup's
commandforyourown.Alistofstandardcommandsfollows.
"OnBelay"

Thebelayerisreadytoacceptresponsibilityforthe
climber.Shehasdoublecheckedherharness
buckle,anchors,tieins,belaydevicesetup,all
lockingbiners,andbrakehand.

"Climbing"

Theclimberisreadytoascend.Hehasdouble
checkedhisharnessbuckle,tieinknot,andthe
belayer'ssetup.

"Climb"

Thebelayersignalstheclimberthathemaybegin.

"Uprope"

Theclimberasksthebelayertotakeinanyslackin
therope.

"Slack"

Theclimbersignalsthatheismovingdownorthat
theropeistootight.Thebelayershouldfeedoutthe
ropeabouthalfameterforeach"slack"signal.

"Take"

Theclimberwantstohangontherope.Thebelayer
shouldapplyabrakeandexpecttoholdthe
climber'sweightuntilhesignalsthatheismoving
againbyshouting"Climbing."(Someclimbersuse
"Tension"insteadof"Take.")

"Watchme!"

Theclimberisworriedaboutfallingandwantsthe
belayertobeveryattentiveandreadytoapplya
brake.

"Falling!"

Aclimberwhoisactuallyfallingmayhavethetime
andthepresenceofmindtoshoutthis.Thebelayer
shouldapplyasecurebrakeandbraceforthecatch.

"Rock!"

Alooserock,orotherdebris,isfalling.Watchout!

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(tablecontinuedfrompreviouspage)
"Offbelay"

Theclimberissecureatthetop,anchored,onthe
ground,orotherwisedoesnotrequireabelay.

"Belayoff"

Thebelayeristakingtheclimberoffbelay.The
commandshouldbeusedbeforethebelayisactually
dismantled.

"Gotme?"

Usedbytheclimberattheendofatopropeor
sportroutetoassurethatthebelayerhasabrakeon
beforereleasinghisholdtobelowered.

"Lowerme"

Usedbytheclimberwhenhewishestobelowered
backtotheground.

"Thankyou"

Agenericacknowledgmentbyeithertheclimberor
thebelayerthatthelastcommandwasheared.

SAFETYTIPS
Themostcommontopropingaccidentsresultfrommentalerrorscommittedbyclimbers.Keepthesefourtipsinmindtoprotectagainstthem:
Makesureeveryonehasconfidenceintheanchorsandthebelaysystem.Areallknotstightandalllockingbinerslocked?Ifthereisanydoubt,keepworkingto
makethesystemfailsafebeforeclimbing.
Makecertainyourharnessbuckleisdoubledbackandyourtieinknotiscompleteandsecure.Checkyourpartner'saswell.
Paycloseattentionwhenyouarebelaying.Youmustrespondquicklyandeffectivelytotheclimber.
Whenyoufinishtheroute,makeeyecontactwithyourbelayer,shout"Gotme?",andgetadefiniteconfirmationthatshehasabrakesecurelyonbeforeyoubeginto
descend.

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HowtoBeginLeading
Whileproperuseofequipmentandtechniquemayeliminatemuchoftheriskintopropeclimbing,leadclimbingisadifferentgame.Falldistances,andtheconsequent
forcesgenerated,canbeseverefortheleader,whoishighabovehislastprotection.Furthermore,mostfallsplaceforcedirectlyonsingleprotectionpiecesinsteadof
thebombproof,threeanchortopropesystem.Whenleadingouttherope,youmustknowwhatyouaredoingandbeabletodoitunderpressure.
Thissectionwillsummarizethebasicsofleadclimbing,butisnosubstituteforhandsoninstructionbyanexpert.Beforeyoubeginleading,spendalotoftimeworking
withartificialanchorsontheground.Settinguptopropeanchorsisagoodwaytopractice.Serveasan"apprentice"partnerforanexperiencedandsafeleader.The
roleof"seconding"theclimbwillgiveyouexperiencesworkingwithgearunderpressure,yetwiththeropeabove.
Theguidebooktoaparticularcragorareaisagoodresourceforselectingthosefirstleads.Pickoutacleanroutethathasalotofcracksforprotectionandisrated
wellbelowyourcurrentclimbingability.Workwithacompetentpartnertosetupastrong,anchoredbelayatgroundlevel.Organizeyourgear,doublecheck
everything,andyouarereadytogo!
HOWTO"RACK"THEGEARFORALEAD
Thegearcarriedonaleadclimbisusuallyorganized,or"racked,"ona
gearslingwornovertheheadandshoulder.Asyouwillwanttobeable
tofindaparticularpiecequickly,itisagoodideatouseanorganized
andconsistentpattern.
Rackartificialanchordevices,onepercarabiner,withthegatesupand
inward(towardyourbody).Thelargerpiecesshouldbetowardthe
backthesmallerwirednuts,severalperbiner,nearthefront.Clipfour
toeightfreecarabinersinchainsoftwoormoreatthefronttousewith
wirednutsorwhenextendingpieces.
Puttherackonfirst,thenplaceseveralstandardrunners,withone
carabinereach,overyourheadandoppositeshoulder.Afew
quickdrawsshouldbemadeupandcarriedonyourharnessgearloops
orthegearsling.

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WhentoPlaceProtection
Agoodpartoftheleadclimbingexperienceisreadingtherockforprotectionopportunities.Manyvariablescomeintoplay,andtheprotectionwilldifferfromclimb
toclimb.Ingeneral,protecttherouteaswellasyoucanyourlifemaydependonit.Thereareseveralprinciplestokeepinmind:
Protectearlyandofteninthelead.Verylittleropeplaysoutinthefirststagesofaroute,whichmeanslessstretchlengthandhigherimpactforcesinafall.Also,you
are"bouldering"withoutabelayuntilyougetinthatfirstpieceofprotection.
Asyouproceeduptheroute,maintainasstraightalineofropeaspossible.Youcanusequickdrawsorrunnerstoextendplacementsthatareouttothesideofthe
mainline.
Extendallwirednutswithaquickdraworrunner,asropemovementcantorquesuchpiecesoutofthecrack.
Avoidlong"runouts"withoutprotection.Falldistanceswillbeatleasttwicethedistancebetweenyouandyourlastprotectionpiece,andropestretchwilladdtothis
distance.Beespeciallywaryofgroundfallpotentialduetolargedistancesbetweenpieces.
Protectwheneveryoucananddefinitelybeforethecruxmoves.Anygoodstanceorrestpositionisagoodplacetogetinsomepro.
Workforsolidanchorplacements.Thisiswherepracticeprovesinvaluable.
UsingRunnerstoKeeptheRopeStraight
Whenstoppingafall,thehighestanchorpieceusuallytakestheforceinadownwarddirection.Therope,however,pullstighttoformastraightlinebetweenthe
climberandbelayer.Anypieceslowerinthesystemwillbestressedinthelineofpulloftherope.Iftheropezigzagsuptheroute,thepullcanbedirectedoutward
andupwardandthepiecesyankedout.Thisiscalled"zippering"theprotection.
Thisproblemisminimizedbyusingquickdrawsorstandardrunnerstoextendanyanchorplacementsthataretothesideofthedirectline.Thisalsohelpsreducethe
"ropedrag"orfrictionoftheropeagainsttheprotectionbinersastheclimbermovesupward.Ofcourse,suchextensionswillincreaseyourfalldistance,soavoid
extremesbettertoadapttotherouteoraccepttheincreasedropedrag.
Orientthecarabinerthatwillaccepttheropewithitsgatedownward,facingoutandawayfromtherock.Thismakesiteasiertoclipintherope.

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Atypical"rack"fortraditionalleading.

SAFETYTIP
Whenyoucliptheropeintoprotection,considerwhichsideoftheplacementtheroutewillfollowandclipsothatyourendoftheropeexitsthebineronthatside.If
youcliptooneside,thenmoveacrosstotheotherside,theropecanunclipfromthebinerasitcatchesafall.
ConsiderYourSecond
Consideryourpartner,or"second,"whowillbecomingupnextandretrievingtheanchorsassheclimbs.Whileprotectionisalwaysplacedinthebestinterestofthe
leader,avoidmakingitdifficultforyoursecondtoreachananchor.
Whentraversingaroutesideways,thesecondrisksasevereswingifshefalls.Asleader,youwillwantgoodprobeforethecruxmoveshowever,

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yoursecondwillappreciateproafterthecrux.Youshouldplaceprotectionatregularintervalsduringtraversesandroutesangledtothesidetoprotectthesecond.
AnchoringattheEndofaLead
Thekeytosettingupagoodbelayattheendofaleadisselectingthebestavailablespotandworkingcreativelytostructureabombproofanchorsystem.Lookfora
ledgeorstancewithavailableanchorpoints,preferablysomenaturalfeaturesandbombercracksforgear.Keeptrackofhowmuchropeyouhaveleftasyouclimb
soastoavoidcomingupshortinthemiddleofnowhere.Thebelayershouldcallouthowmuchropeisleftatpredeterminedintervalsmeasuredinmetersorfeet.Set
uptheanchorsystemsoyoucanbelaydirectlyinlinewiththerunoftherope.Establishaminimumofthreesolidanchorsthataredirectedforadownwardpulland
oneortwoanchorsdirectedforanupwardpull.Connectandequalizetheanchorpointsintoacentralclipinpointandsecurethistoyourharnesswithastrong
lockingbiner.
Howtoconnecttheropetoananchorpointusingtheclovehitchknot.

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Youcanusetheclimbingropetoconnecttheanchorsbytyingtheadjustableclovehitchknotontothecarabinersextendingfromeachanchorpoint.Thismethodis
fast,andtheclovehitchiseasytoadjust,buttakecarethatanyloadplacedonthesystemwillbeequalizedtotheanchors.
Ifyouhaveenoughextrarunners,usethemtoextendtheanchorstoamastertieinpointwithabiglockingbiner.Twoanchorscanbeextendedbyasingle,long
runnerusingtheselfequalizingslidersystemdescribedearlierinthischapter.Makecertainthatyoucliptheanchorbinerthroughatwistloopononeendofthe
runner.
Apopularsystemforconnectingtheanchorsemploysa4.9meterlengthof6to7millimeterstaticperloncordthatisfledintoaloop,or''cordelette,"usingthe
grapevineknot.Thecordeletteisclippedintoallanchorpointsandaloopispulleddowntightfrombetweeneachanchorthentied,alongwiththemainloop,intoa
clipinpointviaafigure8knot.Yourmastertieinbineristhenclippedintothisendloop.
Therearecountlessvariationsforsettingupanchors,sounderstandtheprinciplesandbecreativewhennecessary.Practiceonthegroundfirst.
Whenpossible,belayattheedge,facingout,topreventtheropefrom

Usingacordelettetoconnectthreeanchorpoints.

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abradingoversharprock.Makesureyouaretiedofftighttotheanchorstoavoidgettingpulledoverthelipbyafallingpartner.
Onceyouhavesetuptheanchorsandaresecurelyconnectedtothesystem,youcancallout"Offbelay!"Whileyoursecondpreparestofollowthepitch,youshould
gatheranyexcessropeandstackitneatlyonanearbyledge.Ifthereisnoconvenientledge,youmayneedtodrapetheropeacrossyourlaporoveraleg.Keepthe
stackneattoavoidtangles.Whenyouhavealloftheslacktakenup,placetheropethroughyourbelaydevice,doublecheckeverything,thencallouttoyourpartner,
"Onbelay."
HowtoBelayaLeader
Belayingaleaderisnotnecessarilycomplicated,butitdoesdifferfromthestraightforwardtopropebelay.Aswithallbelays,itisimperativethatyoubeattentiveand
remainfocusedontheclimber.Listencloselyforverbalsignalsaswell.
Youwillpayouttheropeastheclimberascends.Don'tallowslacktodevelop,butbecarefulofpullingdirectlyontheclimberormagnifyingropedrag.Feedoutthe
ropequicklyastheleaderclipsprotection,thentakeintheslackaftertheclipismade.Ropeisthentakeninastheleadermovesuptoandpasttheprotection,at
whichpointyoubeginfeedingitoutagain.
SecondingaLeader
Thesecondplaysseveralrolesduringanascent.Initiallythesecondwillbethebelayerfortheleader.Oncetheleaderisoffbelay,thesecondcanbegindismantling
thebelayanchorsystem.Maintainyourconnectiontoatleastonesolidanchor,however,untiltheleaderhasputyouonbelay.
Youshouldcarryarunner,slungovertheheadandshoulder,onwhichtocliptheprotectionasyouremoveor"clean"it.Carryanutpicktohelpyouremovejammed
pieces.Whenyoucometoananchor,findagoodstanceorpositionandthenfindthebestdirectionforremovingtheanchor.
Alwayscleantheprotectionfromtherocktotheropesothatanythingyouaccidentlydropwillremainclippedtotherope.Placeanyrunnersoveryourheadand
shouldersothesewillnotdroopandsnareyourfeetasyouclimb.
Ifyouhavedifficultyremovingapieceofgear,youmayhavetoaskthebelayerfortensionsoyoucanhangfromtheropewithbothhandsfree.Oncethegearisin
hand,youcansignalthebelayerthatyouareagainreadytoclimb.
ChangingLeads
Onalongrouteyourropemayrunshortbeforetherouteends.Insuchcases,youwillneedtostopandestablishananchor,thenbringupyoursecond

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beforeproceeding.Whenroutesarebrokenintosegmentslikethistheyaresaidtobe"multipitch,"witheachsegmentconstitutinga"pitch."Duringmultipitchclimbs,
theclimbersusually"swing"leadsbyexchangingtherackatthebelaysandleapfrogging.Whenthesecondarrivesatthenextbelay,heclipsortiesintotheanchor
systembeforegoing"offbelay.''Thegearisreorganizedandacarefulexchangemade.Thenewleadergoes"onbelay"andbeginsthenextpitch.Itisimportanttoget
protectioninearlyoneachpitchtopreventafalldirectlyontotheanchors.
Ifoneclimberisdoingalloftheleading,theropewillhavetoberestackedbetweenpitchestoputtheproperendontopofthepile.Thegeariscollectedfromthe
secondandorganizedontotherack.Thebelayisthenswitchedbackovertothesecond.
LeadingSportClimbs
Sincesportrouteshavepermanentlyfixedprotection,theleaderusuallycanleavetherackbehindandcarryaselectionofquickdrawsclippedtoherharness.Check
theguidebookcarefully,however,sincesomerouteswillrequireatraditionalgearplacementortwo.
Manyguidebookswillstatetheexactnumberofboltsonagivenroute,soallyouneedarethenecessarynumberofquickdraws.Itisagoodideatocarryacoupleof
extraquickdraws,however,incaseyoudropone.Youwillalsoneedacoupleofquickdraws,orrunnerswithbiners,toclipintotheanchorswhileyourethreadthe
ropetobelowered.
Whenyoucometoabolt,findthebestbodypositionformakingtheclip.Takeaquickdrawfromyourharnessandclipitdirectlyintothebolthanger.Reachdown,
pullupenoughropetoreachthequickdraw,andclipitintothelowerbiner.Onsteeprock,youwillneedtosteadythebinerwithyourmiddlefingerandmaketheclip
bygraspingtheropebetweenyourthumbandindexfinger.
Besuretocliptheboltsuchthattheropeendattachedtoyouexitsthesideofthequickdrawthatyouwillbeclimbingover.Ifafalloccursasyoucrosslaterallyover
aprotectionpoint,theropecanunclip,soplanyourclipsaccordingly!
Sportroutesusuallyendatfixedanchors,whichoftenconsistoftwoorthreeboltswithorwithoutchainextensions.Openhooks,knownascoldshuts,arealso
common.Oncetheanchorsareattained,theroutehasbeencompleted.
Coldshuts,"shuts"forshort,areconvenientinthatyoucansimplyfliptheropeovertheopenendstoenabletheclimbertolowerhimselftotheground.Bewareof
topropingoffcoldshutsthatarenotweldedtoformcontinuousloops.Someoftheseopenshutscanbendoutwardanddroptheropeunderlowforces.Forthe
samereason,goslowlyandavoidbouncingwhenloweringoffshuts.

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Theleader'sendoftheropeshouldexit
thebineronthesideshewillmovepast.

Iftheanchorsconsistofmultiplefixedpoints,suchasboltswithhangersorchains,youwillneedtoclipintotheanchorsanduntieinordertothreadtheropethrough.
Clipanindependentquickdraworrunnerthrougheachanchorandthenintoyourharness,preferablywithlockingbiners.Clipdirectlyintothebolthangersifpossible,
orintolinksofthechain.
Beforeyouuntie,pullupsomeropeandtieafigure8knottoclipintoyourharnesswaistbelt.Stayonbelay!Iftheanchorsblowoutwhileyouareuntied,therope
willholdyouatthenextboltdown.Thiswillalsoprotectyoufromgettingstrandedshouldyouaccidentallydroptherope.
Doublecheckeverything,andifalliswelluntiefromtherope,threadtheanchors,andretieintoyourharness.Untiethesafetyknotandhavethebelayertakeinall
slackandputyouontension.Onceyouuncliptherunnersorquickdrawsfromtheanchor,thebelayercanloweryoutotheground.
Thequickdrawsontheroutecanberetrievedasyouloweroff.Justrequest"tension"ateachpointandunclipthequickdrawfromthebolt,thenfromtherope.

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SAFETYTIP
Mostmodernsportroutesusestrong(3/8"or1/2")diametersteelboltsandcommercialgradestainlesssteelhangers.Whencorrectlyset,thesemodernboltsare
extremelystrong.Someolderroutessportrusty1/4"studswithhomemadehangersofunknownquality.Bewareofsingle1/4"boltsorboltsthatareheavilyrusted.
Boltsthataresetcrookedorarebentaresuspect.
HowtoGetDown
Gettingbacktothegroundfromtopropedorsportroutesisfairlystraightforwardyouareloweredoffthetopanchorsbythebelayer.Whenasafedescentby
beingloweredisnotanoption,youmustexploreotherpossibilities.Alwaysplanyourdescentbeforestartingtheclimb.
WalkingDown
Thefirstchoicefordescentistowalkdownovereasyterrain.Eventhe900meter"Nose"ofElCapitaninYosemiteValleyhasawalkoffroutefromthetop.
Guidebooksoftendescribehowtofindsuchwalkoffs.Usecautionwhenyouhavetobushwhackofftrail,becausehiddencliffsanddangerous,exposedslabsoften
emerge.
Rappelling
Whenawalkoffisnotanoptionandyoucannotlower,youmustrappel.Rappellinginvolvesafrictioncontrolleddescentoftherope.Itisoneofthefewinstancesin
freeclimbingwheretheanchorandequipmentmustsupportyourentireweightforanextendedperiod.Whenrappelling,youmustnotmakemistakes.
Firstandforemost,youneedastronganchor,oraseriesofanchorsiftherouteislongerthanaropelength.Thebestrappelanchorsareoftenstrongnaturalfeatures
thatyoucanslingwithwebbing.Theropeisdoubledandthreadedthroughthewebbingloopsoitcanbepulledandretrievedonceyouaresafelydown.Theanchor
setupisleftbehindwhenrappelling,soartificialanchorsareusedasalastresort.Makecertainthattheanchorissound,foritmustsupportyoufortheentirerappel.
Rappelanchorfailuresareusuallyfatal.
Manyrouteshaveestablishedrappelanchorsthreadedwithseveralwebbingloopsofvariousqualitiesleftbypreviousparties.Whoknowshow

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longsuchslingshavebeenexposedtosunlight,theweather,andotherdestructiveforces?Alwaysaddaslingofyourowntotheseanchors.Youcancutoutoneor
moreoftheolder,mostwornslingstomakeroomforthenewone,butpackthisgarbageoutanddeposititinatrashcan.
Sinceyoumustpulltheropethroughtheslingsaftertherappel,makesureitmovesfreelyandwillnotbindagainstthelipoftherock.Theropemustnotrunoverany
sharpedges,becauserappellingoftenproducesasawingactionontherope.
Onlongrappelsyouwillneedtojointworopeswithagrapevineknottoprovideadoubledrope.Rememberwhichropetopullaftercompletingtherappel,soyou're
notattemptingtopulltheknotthroughtheslingloop.Tiethefreeendsoftheropestogetherwithalargeknot,ortielargestopperknotsintotheindividualends,to
preventaccidentallyrappellingofftheendoftherope.Itisbesttomakecertainthattheropeswillreachthegroundorthenextsetofanchors.Ifyoucomeupshort,
youmustsomehowreascendandlocateanotherrouteastrenuousanddangerouspropositioninvolvingunprotectedhandoverhandpullupsoradvancedgear
techniques.
Lookovertherappelroutebelowcarefullytodeterminethebestwaytogettheropedown.Inmostcasesyouwillcoilandtosstherope.Bewareofpotentialsnags
ontreesorbushes.Tosstheropesinsectionsifnecessary.

Afigure8ringrappelsetup.Thequickdrawsshouldbemovedfromundertherope
toavoidabradingtheslingsduringdescent.Also,theropemaybepasseddirectly
throughtheanchorslingloop,withoutthecarabiners,asthesewouldbeleftbehind
whentheropeisretrieved.

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Youcanrappelwithyourbelaydevicealthoughthefrictiongeneratedcouldexcessivelyheatthelockingcarabiner.Themostpopularrappeldeviceisthefigure8ring.
Abightofropeispulledthroughthelargeringofthefigure8andloopedaroundthestem.Thefigure8ringisthenconnectedtoyourharnessbyalockingbiner
throughthesmallring.Thislockstheropeontothefigure8.
Beforebeginningtherappel,doublecheckyourharnessbuckle,therappeldevicesetup,theanchor,andthelocationoftheknotiftworopeswerejoined.Youwill
faceintotherockandwalkbackwarddownthefaceduringtherappel.Keepyourfeetslightlyspreadforbalanceandsitbackontheropetoproduce
counterpressureforyourfeetontherock.Callout"rappelling"loudlytowarnanyonebelowthatyouarecomingdown.
Yourguidehandisusedforbalanceontheuphillropewhileyourbrakehandcontrolsthespeedofdescent.Withafigure8device,thebrakehandwillincrease
frictionbybendingtheropebackacrossyourhip.Movingthebrakehandouttothesidewilldecreasefrictionandenableafasterdescent.Ifyouneedtostop
temporarilyduringarappel,applyahandbrake,thenwraptheropearoundonelegseveraltimesasafrictionbrake.
SAFETYTIPS
Walkslowlydowntherockwhenrappellingtoavoidextremeheatbuildupduetofriction.Avoidboundingandsidewardmovements,astheseincreasethesawing
actionoftheropeagainstthelipoftherockneartheanchor.Tiebackanylooseclothing,hair,helmetstraps,andgeartoavoidthesegettingsuckedintothefigure8
ringandjammingtherope.Suchjamsarealmostalwaysimpossiblefortherappellertoclearwithouthelpandasharpknife.
RetrievingtheRope
Whenyouaresafelyonthegroundorconnectedtoasecureanchorattheendoftherappel,youcandisconnectyourfigure8ringfromtherope.Beforeretrievingthe
rope,makesureitisfreefromanyknotsortanglesandthatyouwillbepullingthecorrectend.Ifyouareonthegroundoronahugeledge,itmayhelptowalkthe
endsoftheropeafewstepsawayfromtheclifffacethismakesiteasiertopull.Pulltheropesteadilyandshout"rope!"whenitpullsfreeoftheanchors.

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4
RockClimbingFitnessandSafety
Theclassicimageofrockclimbingisalarge,heavilymuscledmalecrankingaseriesofonearmpullupstothetopofthecrag.Experiencehastaughtmethatthis
imageisflawed.Ihaveseenindividualsunabletocompleteonepullupinthegymwhocandanceuptherockwithlittleappearanceofseriouseffort.Anattunedsense
ofbalanceandusingyourlegsto"press"yourbodyupward,ratherthanstrenuouspullingwithyourarms,arethekeystoefficientrockclimbing.
Ofcourse,routeswithradicaloverhangsandthosethatrequirelongreachesandpullswiththearmsdemandmoremuscularstrengthandendurance.Eventually,you
willprogresstothepointatwhichyoumust

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considerspecifictrainingandconditioning.Initially,however,youcanselectroutesthatarethemostuserfriendlygivenyourcurrentleveloffitness.Climbingareas
typicallyofferawidevarietyofroutesatalldifficultylevels.Thus,everyoneinthegroupcanfindanadequatelychallengingroute,makingforanenjoyableday.
PreparingtoClimb
Thepassagefromthecartothecruxoftheclimbmayprovearudeawakeningforyourbody.Beforeyoutieintotheropeandconfronttheroute,youshouldperform
somewarmupactivities.Thebasicwarmupshouldincludeasequenceof10to15minutesofaerobicactivityfollowedbystretchingandeasybouldering.
Theaccesshikefromtheparkinglottotherockoftenservesasagoodaerobicwarmup.It'sfunnyhowthecragisoftenatthetopofanextended,moderatelysteep
hillside!Thisbriefperiodofaerobicactivityoftenhelpstosettleyournervesabitaswell.Tento15minutesofaerobicwarmupwillincreasethetemperatureand
bloodflowinyourmuscles,preparingthemfortheclimb.
Aseriesofstretchingexercisesfortheupperandlowerbodywillhelpincreaseyourrangeofmotionandlikelyimproveyourreachforthosedistantholds.Some
expertsfeelthatstretchingbeforeexercisehelpspreventinjurytomusclesandconnectivetissuesaroundthejoints.
WarmupStretches
Afterthebriefaerobicwarmup,performaseriesofstretchesforthemajormusclegroups.Begineachstretchbymovinggraduallytothepointofslighttension.Avoid
stretchesthatcausepain.Holdeachstretchfor15to20seconds,thenreleasethetension,relax,andrepeat.Keepbreathinginaregularpattern.Repeateach
exercisewiththeoppositesideofthebodywhenindicated.

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Elbowpullacross
Raiseanarmaboveyourhead,thenbendthe
elbowtoplaceyourhanddownyourback.With
thepassivehand,pullthebentelbowtheshoulder.
Youcanaddatorsobendtothesideto
stretchthelateralback.

Forearmtwister
Thisstretchisgreatforyourwrists,forearms,
andupperback.Extendonearminfrontwiththe
palmup.Placetheelbowoftheoppositearminthe
crookoftheextendedarm.Flextheextendedarm
towardyouandrotatethispalmtoplacethefingersin
theoppositepalm.Nowpushoutward,awayfrom
yourchesttothepointoftension.

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Torsotwist
Inaseatedposition,extendonelegandacrosstheotheroveritattheknee.Usingarm
pressureagainsttheupperknee,twistyourshouldersawayfromtheextendedleg.Continue
thestretchthroughtheneckbylookingbackoveryourshoulder.

Hamstringstretch
Extendonelegforwardandbendtheoppositelegatthekneetoplacethesoleofthefoot
againstthethigh.Slowlybendforwardtoslideyourarmsdowntheextendedleg.

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Turnouts
Thisstretchwillgetyoureadyforthinmovesonverticalrock.Fromalyingposition
withyourspinestraightandyourlowerbackontheground,placethesolesofyourfeet
togetherandallowgravitytopullyourkneesopen.

Bigsteps
Fromakneelingposition,extendonelegbackwardswiththekneetouchingtheground.
Positiontheoppositelegforwardwiththesoleofthefootonthegroundandthekneeflexed
butbehindtheankle.Usingyourarmsforbalance,lowerthethighoftherearlegtowardthe
ground.Asyourflexibilityincreases,youcanstretchtheforwardfootfurtheraheadoftheknee.

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WarmupBouldering
Followyourstretchingwithaperiodofeasybouldering.Thiswillprovideaclimbingspecificwarmupandattuneyoutotherock.Beginbysimplywalkingalongthe
groundatthebaseoftherockasyougraspandpulleasilyonholds.Takeiteasy,andpracticesidepullsandunderclingsaswellasregularclinggrips.
Graduallystepupontotherockandtraverseit,usingshufflestepsandcrossovers.Uselargefootholdstoavoidoverstressingthearmsandfingers.Berelaxed,
breatheeasily,andpracticeresting.Useaspotterifyouneedone.
DevelopingClimbingSpecificFitness
Ifyouclimbonaregularbasis,yourfitnesswillgraduallybegintodevelop.However,youwillprogressfasterandenjoyagreatervolumeofclimbingbydoingsome
specifictraining.Aregularprogramofexerciseisparticularlyimportantfortheoffseasonandforthoseindividualswhocanonlygettotherockoccasionally.
ImprovingMuscularStrengthandEndurance
Agenericprogramofresistanceexercise,orweightlifting,designedforoverallmusclefitnesscangoalongwaytowardimprovingyourperformanceontherock.
However,mostclimbersagreethatmaximumbenefitsareobtainedfromclimbingspecificexercise.
OntheRocks
Boulderingremainsthemainstayofspecificmuscledevelopmentforclimbing.Workoutscanbetailoredtodevelopstrength,endurance,ortechnique.Tobuild
strengthandpower,performseveralrepetitionsofadifficultmovementsequence,fourtoeightsinglemoves,withuptofiveminutesofrestbetweenrepetitions.
Longroutes,ordifficultroutesthatrequiresignificantproblemsolvingtimedemandahighlevelofendurance.Youcanbuildendurancethroughboulderingbystaying
ontherockforadesignatedtimeperiod,suchas10minutes,andincreasingthetimeto15to20minutesasyouimprove.Movetoanewhandholdorfootholdevery
5to10seconds,andvarymovementfromhorizontaltraversestoverticalmovesanddownclimbs.
Youcanuseboulderinggamestoprovidevariety,motivation,anddevelopmentoftechnicalskills.Someofmyfavoritesare:
nosetouchEverytimeyouchangetoadifferenthandhold,youmusttouchyournosetothebackofthathandbeforethenextmove.Thisgame

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willalsohelpdevelopyoursenseofweighttransferandbalanceasyoupositionforthenosetouches.
allholdsDesignateasectionofrocktoexploreanduseasmanyholdsaspossiblebeforecomingdown.
addonYouandapartneragreeuponthreeholdstousetomounttherock.Youthentaketurnsselectingandusingtwonewholdstoextendtheroute.Ifyoufall
beforecompletingthesequenceofmovescurrentlyinthegame,youmuststartagainatthebeginning.
slomoWorkthroughbotheasyanddifficultproblemsinslowmotion.Thiswillhelpdevelopprecisehandandfootplacementsandtuneyouintoweighttransfer.
onefootoffMakeeverymovetoanewhandholdwithonefootofftherock.Thiswillhelpyoudeveloptheabilityto''flag"alegforcounterbalanceandincrease
theloadonthearmsforgreaterresistance.
TrainingwithaHangboard
Ifyoucan'tgetouttotherocktoboulder,orweatherisbad,ahangboardcanprovideagoodclimbingspecificworkout.Hangboardsaremanufacturedwithsculpted
holdsthatsimulateactualrockholdsandtextures.Youcanalsodesignandconstructahangboardoutofwood,usingblocksforedgesanddrilledholesforpockets.
Useasandertoroundoffanysharpedgesthatmightcausetendonstraininyourfingers.
Hangboardworkoutstypicallyinvolvestatichangsonavarietyofholdcontoursandpullupmovesonmediumtolargeholds.Ifyouarenotyetstrongenoughtodoa
fulltwoarmpullup,propyourlegsonachairorladdertorelievesomeofyourweight.
Tenminutesequencesarepopularforhangboardworkouts.Asetof10exercisesareidentified,andtheclimberhas60secondstocompleteeachexerciseandrest
beforemovingtothenextexercise.Atfirst,onecomplete10minutesequencewillconstituteaworkouthowever,youcanworkuptothreesequences,with5to10
minutesofrestbetweeneach.Withtimeandimprovement,youmayintensifyyourworkoutbyincreasingthenumberofpullups,usingsmallerholds,oradding
resistancewithaweightedbeltorvest.Hereisasample10minutesequence:
1.5doublearmpullupsonlargeholds.
2.10secondhangonlargeholds+3pullupsonpockets.
3.10secondhangonsmallholds+2pullupsonpockets.
4.10secondhangonpockets+3pullupsonlargeholds.
5.15secondhangonlargeholds.
6.10secondhangonlargeholds+2pullupsonsmallholds.

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7.3pullupsonlargeholds+3pullupsonpockets.
8.10secondhangonlargeholds+2pullupsonpockets.
9.20secondhangonlargeholds+2pullupsonlargeholds.
10.Maximumhangonlargeholds.

Ahangboardcanprovideclimbingspecifictraining
whenresourcesandspacearelimited.

SAFETYTIPS
Youshouldlimitstrenuous,strengthbuildingworkoutstotwoorthreeaweek.Climbingspecificexercisescanquicklyleadtoinjuredtendonsinyourfingersorhands
ifyoudon'trestbetweenworkouts.Whentrainingwithaddedresistance,suchasaweightedvest,usefairlylargeholdsandbeparticularlywaryofoverstraininyour
handsandfingers.

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DevelopingCardiorespiratoryFitness
Cardiorespiratoryexerciseisaerobic,whichmeansthatenergyexpenditureoccursinthepresenceofoxygen.Aerobicexerciseconditionsthepulmonaryand
circulatorysystemsandimprovesoverallendurance.
StudiesconductedintheUnitedStatesandFrancehaveobservedaerobicenergyexpenditureratesofbetween8and11kilocaloriesperminuteduringsustained
difficultclimbing.Theseenergyratesareapproximatelyseventoeighttimesarestingadult'saverageenergyexpenditure.Althoughthetimerequiredtocompletea
onepitchrouteisrelativelybrief,anongoingprogramofcardiorespiratoryfitnesswillhelpyoubattlefatigue.
Youneedn'ttrainlikeamarathonrunnertodevelopadequateaerobicfitnessforrockclimbing.Abasicprogramthatinvolvessustainedtotalbodyactivity,suchas
walking,jogging,cycling,andswimming,performedfor20minutesormore3to5daysperweek,shouldbeadequate.Crosscountryskiingandhikingwithskipoles
provideexcellentconditioningandinvolvethearmsandupperbodytoagreaterdegree.
Ifyouhavenotperformedsuchexerciseinawhile,begingraduallywithshortersessions.Asyourfitnessimproves,increasetheintensityanddurationofyour
workouts.Ifyouexperienceanyunusualsymptoms,suchasdizziness,persistentpaininthechestorarms,orlingeringmuscleorjointdiscomfort,consultyour
physician.
TheEffectofBodyComposition
Overallbodycompositionisdescribedintwocategories:fatfreeweight,whichincludestheskeleton,organs,andmuscletissuesandbodyfat,whichincludes
essentialfatandstoredadiposefat.Excessstoragefatwillworkagainstyouinrockclimbing.Anyexcessweightaddstotheforcesimposedonyourarmsandfingers
andincreasestheresistancethatmustbeliftedinpullupmoves.
Researchontheanthropometry(bodytypeandbuild)ofworldclassrockclimbers,bothmaleandfemale,hasfoundthat,althoughtheseathletesdidnotpossess
unusuallyhighabsolutestrength,theirstrengthtoweightratios(strengthperpoundofbodyweight)wereatthetopofthescale.Bodycompositionanalysesinthis
studyindicatedthatmuchofthefavorablestrengthtoweightratiowasduetolowrelativebodyfat.
Whileleannessmayprovideadvantagesinrockclimbing,therearesomeindicationsthatextremereductionsinbodyfatareassociatedwithlossofstrengthand
potentiallyseriousmetabolicproblems.Thereisabalancethebetterclimbersmaintainnutritionthroughlowfatdietssimilartothosefollowedbydistancerunnersand
otheraerobicathletes.

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Strictlydietingtorestrictyourcalorieintake,andthusreducebodyfat,resultsinaconsiderablelossofmuscleprotein.Aregularexerciseprogramthatcombines
aerobicactivitywithstrengthbuildingandenduranceexerciseisthebestwaytoburnexcesscaloriesandmaintainleantissues.
PROBLEMSOLVINGONTHEEDGE
Climbingisaboutmovementandproblemsolving.Althoughphysical
fitnessisimportant,thereismoretothegame.Muchofclimbinginvolves
one'sabilitytosensetherockthroughtouchandvision,interpretthese
sensations,andproducethepositionsandmovementsnecessaryto
proceed.
Thebestwaytodevelopproblemsolvingskillsistoworkonunfamiliar
movesandroutes.Asyourepeatagivenmove,yournervoussystem
beginstostoretherequiredsignalsthatactivatethemusclesina
coordinatedmanner.Itisawellknownphenomenonthatadifficult
boulderproblemorsequenceofmovesbeginstofeeleasierwith
practice.Themoreuniqueproblemsyousolve,thegreateryour
repertoryofclimbingmoves.
Cruisingfamiliarroutesisfun,butyoushouldspendsometimeworking
onnewanddifficultproblems.Lowkeycompetitiveboulderingsessions,
whereoneclimbersecretlyworksoutaproblemthenpresentsitasa
challengetoanother,canbequitevaluable.Avoidaskingforbeta
(informationabouttheroute)untilyouhaveattempteditunsuccessfully
severaltimes.
Fearofheightsandfearoffallingaretwoofthemostsignificantbarriers
tothedevelopmentofproblemsolvingskills.Anxietycannotonlyinhibit
youfromtryingdifficultmoves,butalsocanscrambletheappropriate
neuromuscularsignalsthatarenecessaryforsmooth,efficientmovement.
Spendsometimeontheropelearningtotrustthegearandbelays.
Expecttotakesomefallswhenyouarepushingyourlimits.Justmake
certainthatthesafetysystemisintactandworking!

IndoorClimbingWalls
Modernindoorartificialwallsandgymnasiumsaregoodplacestoworkonproblemsthatareaboveyourability.Theroutesareusuallyshort,andtheabundanceof
modularholdsonthewallsallowscountlessvariationsandproblemdesigns.

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Sportleadingonanindoorclimbingwall.

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Indoorclimbingwallsarefuntoplayonandprovideagreatsocialatmosphereforsharingtechniquesandstoriesaboutyourlatestadventures.Rehearsingcountless
difficulttechniquesinnearlycompletesafetywillrapidlydevelopyourclimbingskills.
However,becautiousofoverstrainwhenclimbinginthegym.Itiseasytoexposemusclesandtendonstoomuch,tooquickly.Also,therelativesafetyofartificial
wallscanleadtocarelessnesswhenclimbingoutdoorsonrealrock:Beawarethattheenvironmentsarenotthesame.
DressingfortheRock
Theoneguidingprincipleonhowtodressforrockclimbingismovement!Dressinclothingthatenablesgreatfreedomofmovement.ShortsandaTshirtortanktop
arethetraditionalmainstays.Avoidextremelylooseorfloppyclothesthatcouldgetcaughtintheropeoranchors.
Lycratightsarecomfortableanddonotblockyourviewofyourfeetwhenyouarestrugglingforpurchaseontinyedges.Forclimbsonabrasiverock,youmight
considerlongpantsmadeofdurablematerials.
Bepreparedforweatherchanges.Onmultipitchroutesyoushouldconsidercarryingasmallpackwithahoodedrainjacket,hat,andawarmshirtorsweaterforyour
upperbody.
ObjectiveHazards
Youcancontrolmanyaspectsofriskinclimbing,suchastheanchorsetup,qualityofbelaytechniques,andageandstatusofequipment.However,therearefactors
inherentintheactivityoverwhichyouhavelittlecontrol.Suchfactorsarecalledobjectivehazardsandprimarilyinvolveenvironmentalrisks.
Rockfall
Theoutdoorclimbingenvironmentisaneverchangingarenainwhicheventsareoftenunpredictable.Rockfallconstitutesoneoftheprimaryobjectivehazardsforthe
climber.Ahiker,otherclimber,oranimalatthetopofthecragcandislodgedebris.Sometimesaclimberortheropewillloosenrockssometimesthestonesjustfall.
Ahelmetprovidessomeprotection,butdon'taskfortroublebyclimbingonpoorrockorbelowobvioushazardssuchasdischargegullies.Beespeciallycarefulnotto
dislodgerockswhenothersarebelowyouorwhileyouaresettinguptopropeanchors.
Holdscanbreakoffanytime,evenonthemostsolidrock.Sandstoneisparticularlyfriableafterrains.Whenaholdbreaks,aclimberoftenfallswith

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thelooserock.Thisisamajorreasontoavoidfreesoloingallyourclimbingskillisuselesswhenyouarezippingthroughtheairgraspingabrokenhold.
Weather
Weather,too,canbeamajorproblem.Onshortroutesandtopropeclimbs,acoldrainorsuddensnowshowermaybenomorethananuisancethatmarkstheend
oftheclimbingday.Incontrast,onlong,multipitchroutesorinmountaineering,escapemayrequireseveralinvolvedrappelsifit'spossibleatall.
Lightningisaveryrealandimmediatedanger.IremembergettingcaughtonapinnacleinColoradoinasuddenstormwhichboomedandflashedallaroundaswe
quicklyrappelledoff.Laterweheardthattwoclimberswerestruckbylightninghighonaroutelessthanahalfmileaway.Befamiliarwithlocalweatherpatterns,and
restonthosedayswhenitlooksstormy.
PlantsandAnimals
Floraandfaunaalsoposeobjectivehazards.Thebasesofmanyrockcragsareadornedwithpoisonivyandpoisonoak.Learntorecognizeandavoidtheseplants.I
haverunintohornetsandwasps,rattlesnakes,bats,andevenfrogsonvariousclifffaces.Rousingapigeonfromanalcovecanbeasignificantfrightthatleadstoa
longfall.
SAFETYTIP
Assembleafirstaidkittoincludewithyourgear.ItisessentialtoincludeaselectionofBandAids,traumadressingsandbandages,butterflyclosurestrips,athletic
tape,woundcleansingpreparations,andanalgesictablets.Additionalhelpfulitemsincludeablisterrepairkit,antibioticointment,tweezers,sunscreen,insectrepellent,
andlatexgloves.Treatmentsforspecificallergies,suchasbeestings,shouldbeincluded.Nailclippersandasmallemeryboardareinvaluablefortrimmingcracked
fingernails.Tossinasharpcampingknifeforcuttingwebbingandcordtorigemergencyanchorsandrappels.Beforeyouleavehome,locatetheclosestemergency
servicesintheclimbingarea.

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EARTHWATCH
Accesstotherockisagrowingproblemforclimbersonbothpublicand
privatelands.Asrockclimbingbecomesmorepopularandthecrags
morecrowded,theimpactbecomesmoreserious.Itisveryimportant
thatwetakecareofthesewonderfulresources.
Keepclimbingareascleandonotlitter.Alwaysdisposeoftrashyou
encounteralongtheway.
Useestablishedtrailsandparticipateactivelyintrailsbuildingand
maintenanceprojects.
Donotdestroytherockwithhammersorgraffiti.Bekindtothe
surroundingvegetation.
Usechalksparingly.Tieloosechalkintoanold,thinsockandkeepitin
yourchalkbag.Thisencouragesyoutorationoutyourchalk.
Requestaccesspermissionfromlandownersandrespectnotres
passingsigns.

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5
TheBestPlacestoRockClimb
Ifyoulivenearmountainousterrain,findinggoodlocalrockclimbingwillnotlikelybeaproblem.Youcanclimbeveryweekendandprobablyneverexhaustthearea.
Thecombinationoffunmoveshighinthemountainairissatisfactionenough.
However,ifyoudon'thaveaviewoftheRockiesfromyourkitchenwindow,don'tdespair.Bouldersandcragsareusuallynottoofaraway.Inmyhomearea,along
theshoreofLakeSuperiorinupperMichigan,thehighestpointoflandisjustover300metersabovesealevel.WiththenormalwaterlevelofLakeSuperiorat180
meters,there'snotmuchreliefintheterrain.Still,thecragsareoutthere,nestledintothenorthwoodsandparticularlyalongtheshorelineofthebiglake.

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Myfamilyandseveralclimberfriendsenjoytakingclimbingvacations.Inwinter,whensnowcoverseverythingathome,weexploremapsandguidebooksanddream
ofwarm,sunnyrock.Onceourdestinationhasbeenidentified,wegatherinformationaboutthelocalhistory,geography,andnaturalenvironmentofthearea.Pre
planningsavesusalotoftime:Whenwefinallyarrive,we'rereadyfortherock.Whentheactualtripisover,wetakehomenotonlymemoriesoftherockandroutes,
butanenhancedappreciationofourbeautifulplanet.
Professionalguideservicesaregoodsourcesofinformationandcanprovidecompleteoutfittedexcursionsforallclimbers,beginnertoadvanced.Manyofthelarger
populationcentersanduniversitycommunitieshaveorganizedclimbingclubs,whichoftenofferinstructionandactivitiesatwhichyoucanmeetpotentialclimbing
partners.
ABOUTCLIMBINGGUIDEBOOKS
Guidebooksareyourmainsourceofinformation,andvirtuallyevery
establishedareahasatleastonepublishedreference.Miniguidesare
usuallypublishedinpopularclimbing/mountaineeringmagazinesand
presentcondensedversionsofthemainguides.
Theguidebooktoanareausuallycontainsaccessinformationandmaps
oftherocks.Individualclimbingroutesaredepictedonphotographsor
drawingstomakelocationandidentificationeasy.Someguidesprovide
detaileddiagrams,ortopos,ofthemorepopularorclassicroutes.
Asaminimum,thenameanddifficultyratingforeachestablishedrouteis
presented.Mostguidesalsoprovideaqualityrating,usuallyviaaseries
ofstars,andinformationconcerningtheavailabilityofprotectionpoints
forleadingtheroute.Modernguidebooksmaylistthelengthofaroute,
soyouwillknowwhetheranextraropeisrequiredfortherappeloffthe
top.
Otherusefulinformationthatappearsinmostguidebooksincludeslistings
ofmotelsandcampgroundswhereyoucanstayduringyourvisit,good
placestoeatandshop,andemergencyservicelocationsandphone
numbers.Climbinghistoryandsomeenvironmentalinformationare
commonaswell.

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UnitedStatesGetaways
ThegeologicaldiversityoftheUnitedStatesprovidesavastarrayofrocktypesandmoodsforclimbing.Variationsinseasonalclimatesenableseriousclimbersto
travelfromareatoareaandcrankrockingoodweatherallyearround.Nomatterwhenyoutakeyourvacation,thereisamajorclimbingareawaitingforyouinthe
UnitedStates.Ameresampleispresentedhere.
YosemiteNationalPark,California
YosemiteValleyisoneofthemostfamousrockclimbingareasintheworld.AsyouentertheValleyalongtheMercedRiver,thevaultedheightsandsheervolumeof
rockisastounding.Historically,Yosemitehasinspiredthebestmountaineersfromallovertheworld,anditremainsamustforaspiringclimbers.
Don'tlettheBigWalls,likethesheer600meterNorthwestFaceofHalfDome,intimidateyou.Therearemanyhighqualityroutestosavorthatareshorterand
easier.TakealookatTheGrackonGlacierPointApron,athreestar,fourpitchrouteratedat5.6.
WhilethewallsoftheValleyareimpressive,theneighboringareaofTuolumneMeadowsisunmatchedinbeauty.Dazzlinggranitedomesofallsizesspringfromlush
meadowsjustafewyardsfromyourcar.ThehigherelevationofTuolumneprovidescoolrelieffromtheswelteringsummerheatoftheValley.
TheeasierroutesinTuolumneoftensportboldrunoutsonsmoothgranite,andtheboltedsportclimbsaretough.Thesheervolumeofrock,however,yieldssomething
foreveryone.Mysixyearolddaughterdancedupthreefrictionroutesononeroadsideslab,totheapplauseofsurprisedtouristsbelow.
JoshuaTreeNationalPark,California
Whenotherareassufferfromunstableweather,JoshuaTreecomesintoitsown.ThebestperiodstovisitthishighdesertareainSouthernCaliforniaareOctober
throughDecemberandMarchthroughApril.Therockisquartzmonzonite,arough,abrasivetypeofgranitethattakestheformofdomesandbouldersscattered
amongopenplains.
Joshisprimarilyatraditionalleadclimbingandboulderingarea,butmanysportroutesarescatteredabout.Theareaisextensive,tosaytheleast.Themostrecent
guidebookliststhousandsofroutesandboulderproblems,ratedfrom5.0to5.13d.

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SmithRock,Oregon
Originallyalittleusedtraditionalclimbingarea,SmithRockvaultedtooneoftheworld'sforemostsportcragsinthe1980s.Actuallyagroupingofseveralcragswithin
acanyonoftheCrookedRiver,thisareapresentshundredsofroutesatalldifficultylevels.ThebeautyofthecanyonandtheviewofthesnowcappedThreeSisters
MountainsinthedistancemakeSmithascenicvisitaswell.
TherockatSmithisweldedtuff,volcanicinorigin,andoftencontainsfragmentsofrhyolite,calledxenoliths,thatpresentuniqueknobsandexcellentfaceclimbing
holds.Inaddition,thereareoftenremnantsofvesiclesthatformfingertiptobathtubsizedpockets.
TherearemanytraditionalleadroutesatSmith,butthisareacontainssomeofthebestfullyboltedsportclimbsaroundevenroutesinthelowergradeslikeBunny
Faceat5.7.Thecurrent(1995)mostdifficultrouteintheUnitedStates,JustDoIt(5.14d),islocatedontheastoundingMonkeyFaceformationatSmithRock.

ExposedclimbinghighontheMonkeyFace
formationatSmithRock,Oregon.

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RedRocks,Nevada
Just15mileswestofglitteringLasVegasliesamulticoloredescarpmentcutbymanycanyonsandundulationsthatoffersover1,000routestotheclimber.Thisisthe
RedRockCanyonNationalConservationArea,orRedRocksforshort.
TheRedRockscontaineverythingfrompowerful,boltedsportroutesto10+pitchtraditionalleads.TherockisAztecsandstone,beautifullyswirledincream,pink,
andlavendershadesthatappeartoleapfromthesurroundingdesert.YoucanclimbyearroundattheRedRockshowever,summertemperaturescanzoomtowell
over100degreesFahrenheitbyafternoon.
Boulder,Colorado
ThevolumeofgoodrockaroundBoulderissovastthatittakesseveralguidebooksjusttopresentinformationonthemostnotedcrags.Therichclimbinghistoryof
theareameansthatqualitytraditionalroutesabound,andtheoverallvolumeandqualityofrockmeansthattherearemanysportroutesaswell.
The300meterEastFaceoftheThirdFlatiron,at5.2to5.3,isoneofthelongestandmostexposedeasyroutesinthecountry.Someofthepitchesarerunoutwith
longdistancesbetweenprotectionpoints,butthebelayshavebombproofeyeboltstotieoff.Funmoves,breathtakingpositions,andagrandsummitviewmakethe
EastFaceaclassic.
WiththeconglomeratesandstoneoftheFlatirons,thesolidgraniteofBoulderCanyon,andthesteep,tightwallsofEldoradoCanyon,Boulderhasitall.Whenyou
havecrankedyourfillandneedadayofrest,numeroushikingtrailsprovidearelaxeddiversion.
HuecoTanks,Texas
Leadclimbs,topropes,andawealthofworldclassboulderingaretheluresofHuecoTanks.Theareagetsitsnamefromthenarrowlippedpockets,orhuecos,that
dottherock.
JustashortdistanceeastofElPaso,HuecoTanksisaprimewinterdestinationforclimbersfromaroundtheworld.Althoughitcanbecoolatnight,therockwarms
quickly,andrainisalmostnonexistent.
Devil'sTowerNationalMonument,Wyoming
ProbablynootherrockformationintheUnitedStatesstirstheimaginationlikeDevil'sTower.TheToweriscomposedoflargefourtosixsidedvolcaniccolumns
thatmakeforsteepprofilesonallsides.TheeasiestroutetothesummitofDevil'sTowerisratedat5.6,andthecruxmovesonthesecondpitchmayseemharder.
ThesurroundingprairielandsandtwistedBelleFourcheRiverprovidecalmcontraststotheTower'ssteepness.

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Crackclimbsabound,buttherearealsobigtimestemmingmovesbetweencolumns,likeontheclassicElMatador(5.10d).Someroutesventureupthecolumn
faces.TherearefewboltedsportroutesatDevil'sTowersobringafullrackofgear.Youwillalsoneedtworopesfortheseriesofrappelsfromthesummit.
TheNeedles,SouthDakota
TheNeedlesarefoundintheBlackHillsandareinformallydividedintotworegions.TheblocksandspiresaroundSylvanLakeandtheNeedlesHighwaypresent
intimidatingfaceandcrackroutes,oftenonairyspireswithminimalprotection.Incontrast,theroutesonformationsclosetotheMt.Rushmoremonumenttendtobe
moresporty,withwellboltedleads.
TheBlackHillsarebeautifulandtherockqualityisusuallyverygood,makingtheareaworthavisit.Don'tmissthefunandwildpositionsforphotosonThe
Gossamer(5.8),awaferlikefinintheMt.Rushmorearea.
GreatLakesRegion
TheupperMidwestcontainsseveralsmallbutbeautifulareaswithmuchtooffer.AlongthenorthshoreofLakeSuperiorinMinnesotaareanumberofhighquality
basalticcrags.ThetwoshowpiecesarePalisadeHeadandShovelPoint,bothofwhichrisedirectlyoutofLakeSuperior.Imagineworkingoutthinedgingmoveswith
asunnybreezewhippingaboutandthebluewatersofthelargestbodyoffreshwaterintheworldspreadbelow.
Mostroutescanbetopropedwithupperbelays,butyouhavetolowerofftheedgetogettothestarts.Localclimbershavedesignatedthesecliffsasnochalkareas,
sobesensitivetothisandleavethechalkbaginthecar.
JustsoutheastofMinneapolis/St.Paul,Minnesota,inthetownofRedWing,isBarnBluff,asmallbutsignificantsportcrag.Therockisatypeofdolomitelimestone
thattendstowardbeingverticaltooverhanging.Mostroutesareshortandwellequippedwithbolts.
InconspicuousintheheartofsouthernWisconsinisarealjewelDevil'sLakeStatePark.Theonemilelongclearwaterlakeissurroundedby150metertalusbluffs,
whichsupportextensivepinkandpurplequartzitecrags.Thisisanotherbeautifulplacetohangout,andacooldipinthelakecanberefreshingafteradayonthe
rock.
TheroutesatDevil'sLakeareshort,6to21meters,butthesteepnessandintensitymakeupforit.Mostclimberstopropefromeasysetups,buttherearesome
goodcracksforleading.Therearenoboltedsportroutes,soyouneedtobringarack.Longwebbingslingsarethestandardfortyingofftreesandblockstotop
rope.
Devil'sLakesportsseveralhundredqualityrouteswithdifficulties

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rangingfrom5.0to5.13.Althoughthelocalareaissomewhatrural,Devil'sLakeisclosetoseveralmajorpopulationcentersandcanbeverycrowdedonsummer
weekends.
TheShawangunks,NewYorkState
TheShawangunks(''Gunks"forshort)areanotherarearichinclimbinglore.Therockisawhitequartzconglomeratefamedforitshorizontalholdsandoverhanging
roofs.TheGunksareactuallyseveralseparatecliffscontainingmorethan1,000routesatalldifficultygrades.Althoughjust145kilometers(90miles)westofthe
urbanhustleofNewYorkCity,theShawangunksarenestledamidserene,forestedhills.Theexposurehighonthecragsabovetheforestisdramaticandmakesfor
breathtakingphotographs.
NewRiverGorge,WestVirginia
TheEndlessWallhighabovetheriverpresentsafourmile,continuouslengthofqualitysandstone,andthisisjustoneofthemainareasofthe"New."Thecurrentlist
ofestablishedclimbsheretotalsover1,200,rated5.4to5.13,withagoodmixoftraditionalandsportroutes.Theregionistrulywildandwonderful,offering
additionalopportunitiesforhiking,mountainbicycling,andwhitewaterriverrafting.
NotfartothenorthstandsSenecaRock,athin,verticalquartzitefinwithroutesuptofourpitchesinlength.ClimbingatSenecahasalongerhistorythantheNew
RiverGorge,andmostroutesrequiretraditionalgear.Steeprouteswithbigtimeexposurecharacterizetheclimbinghere.SittingatoptheSouthPeaksummitmay
haveyouwonderinghowthethinghaskeptstandingalltheseyears.Withallofit'sverticalityandexposure,Senecahasseveralclassiceasy(5.15.6)routestothe
summits.
RedRiverGorge,Kentucky
HereisanotherextensivesandstoneareaoftheEasternAppalachianMountains.Throughoutthe1980stheGorgewasprimarilyatraditionalleadclimbingarea.The
1990susheredinmodernboltingmethods,andthequantityofdifficultoverhangingsportroutesskyrocketed.
TheRedRiverGorgecanbequitehumidduringsummer,butfallisoutstandingandmanywinterdaysofferclimbableconditions.Thecliffsriseto61metersthough
mostroutesarelessthan24meters.
Chattanooga,Tennessee
TheChattanoogaareainsoutheasternTennesseesportsseveralcragsandwallsofhighqualitysandstonethatiseasyonthehands.Thevolumeofrockismorethan
adequatetokeepyoubusyforalongtime.

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SunsetPark,SuckCreekCanyon,andtheextensiveTennesseeWallarewithinminutesofdowntown.LessthananhourdrivetothewestisFosterFalls,ascenic
gorgewithanabundanceofboltedroutesrangingfrom5.5to5.13.AbitfurthertothenorthisBuzzardPoint,wherefinesandstonecrankingcombineswith
spectacularviews.
IfyoufindthesteepwallsaroundChattanoogaintimidating,headsouthtoSandRock,ashortdistanceoffInterstateHighway59innortheasternAlabama.Hereisa
sceniclabyrinthofqualitysandstonethatcanbetoproped,led,orbouldered.SandRockistoutedasoneofthebestareasinthesouthforbeginningrockclimbers,
butrouteslikeChampagneJam(5.12c/d)willalsoentertainthemostexperiencedcraggers.
CanadianClimbing
AlthoughnotedprimarilyforbigAlpinemountaineeringchallenges,Canadaofferssomefinerockcraggingaswell.Mostareasproviderelieffromthesummerheatof
moresoutherlylocations.
Squamish,BritishColumbia
ThedrivenorthwardalongHoweSoundfromVancouvertothetownofSquamishisscenic,tosaytheleast.BeyondSquamishliesanoutstandingwildernessof
forest,meadows,andglaciatedmountains.AlongthewayarenumerousrockcragsfromtheshorttopropesofLighthousePark,inWestVancouvertothe600
meterwallsofTheChief,dominatingtheskyaboveSquamish.
Thisisgranitecountry,offeringlongcracklinesandsomeofthemostsustainedliebackingyoucouldwishfor.Trytheamplefaceroutesandoverhangs.TheApron
areaofTheChiefdishesupsomelongfrictionslabsthatstretchtheropeoutforuptosevenpitches.
RestdayscaninvolvebeautifulAlpinehikinginGaribaldiProvincialPark,windsurfingintheSquamishRiverestuary,ormountainbikingonaforestroad.Vancouver
offersmoreculturaldiversions,suchasartgalleries,museums,andmarketplaces.
BowValley,Alberta
ExcellentlimestonerockclimbingisfoundwithinBanffNationalParkandeastwardtowardCalgary.OnefinecragisfoundatscenicLakeLouise,northofthetownof
Banff.FollowtheinitiallypavedlakeshoretrailfromtheChateautothebacksideofthelake,withtheicecladfaceofMt.Victoriahighabove.Mostoftheroutesare
bolted.
ManyadditionalpeaksandcragsrisealongtheTransCanadaHighway

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(Highway1)fromBanfftoYamnuskatotheeast.Summeristhebesttimetovisittheseareas.
AgoodspotforshortsportclimbsisGrottoCanyon,acrossHighway1AfromLacdesArcs.Theclimbsrangefromdelicateslabstosteepedgingroutesonexcellent
rock.

ThinlimestoneclimbingaboveLakeLouise,Alberta,Canada.

TheNiagaraEscarpment,Ontario
Ifyouarelookingforexposed,scenicclimbingonsolid400millionyearoldlimestone,thisistheplace.Therockisactuallydolostoneorsedimentarylimestonein
whichsomeofthecalciumhasbeenreplacedbymagnesium.TheescarpmentstretchesfromNiagaraFallsthroughtheBrucePeninsula,whichdefinesthesouthwest
marginofGeorgianBayinLakeHuron.Thereareseveralclimbingareasalongtheroute.

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ThebestcragforbeginnersandlargegroupsisRattlesnakePoint,abouta45minutedrivesouthwestofToronto.Routesareeasilytoproped,butmanyareleadable.
Expectacrowdonaniceweekend.
Lion'sHeadisoneofthelargestareasandfacesintoscenicGeorgianBayfromtheBrucePeninsula.TheroutesatLion'sHeadareexcellentandmostarebolted,but
climbingthereisserious.Youmustrappeltoveryexposedhangingbelaystolead.Ifyoulowerdowntotopropearoute,makesureitiswithinyourcapabilitiesor
thatyouhaveasafemethodforascendingtheropeifyougetstumped.
ClassicRockofTheUnitedKingdom
ClimbinghistoryintheUnitedKingdomisrichandcolorful,featuringaheartycollectionofscarytalesinvolvingdifficultmovesonsteeprockwithlittleprotection.
Beforetheturnofthecentury,BritishclimbersusedtheirlocalrockasatraininggroundforgreaterexploitsintheEuropeanAlps.Bythe1940sand'50s,however,
rockclimbinghadbecomeasportinitsownright.AvisittoBritaincanputyouonroutesthatwerefirstclimbed100yearsago.Hereyoucanalsoworkoutonsome
ofthemostdifficultmoderntestpieces.
England
YouwillnotfindthesustainedheightsofYosemite'sElCapitaninEngland,butcountlesscragsandshortwallsdotthecountrysidewiththousandsofroutestoselect
from.Adozenorsomajorcragsliewithinanhour'sdriveofManchesterorSheffield.Theguidebookstothevariousrockslistover10,000establishedroutes.You
canchallengethebestonsteep,slipperylimestone,orexperiencethehighfrictionofclassicBritishgritstone.
Wales
AvisittoWaleswilltakeyoubacktothemedievaldaysofknightsinarmorandwet,mistycragscoveredwithmoss.Mostoftheprimaryclimbingareasarewithinan
hour'sdriveofthevillageofLlanberis.Tothenortharethe60to120meterwallsofDinasCromlech.AtnearbyLlanberisPassyou'llfindthetallestrockinBritain,
Clogwyndu'rArddu,or"Cloggy."AtGogarth,theroutesrisedirectlyfromthesea,andPembroke,severalhourstothesouth,offersboltedsportclimbs.When
weatherisbad,asitoftenis,therearecastlestoexplore.

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EnglishgritstoneatBrimhamRocks,NorthYorkshire.

Scotland
Whentherockisdryandthecarnivorousinsectsarefew(usuallyinspringandearlysummer),Scotlandprovidessomebeautifulroutesintothesky.Thecoastal
shoresandinteriorhillsprovidecountlesscragsandoutcropstoexplore.You'llfindbigtimeexposureinScotland,evenontheeasyroutes.CheckoutJanuary
Jigsaw(5.4)onBuachailleEtiveMorintheLochabetDistrict,orthe260meterMinusOneDirect(5.7)onBenNevis,Scotland'shighestmountain.Anotherlong,
easyrouteisthesixpitchslabroute,ArdverikieWall,onBinneinShuasintheCentralHighlands.
AvisittoScotlandshouldincludethemagicalIsleofSkye,adramaticblendofrockypeaksandseascapes.ClimbingatSkyedatesbacktothe1800s,yetnewroutes
arestillbeingchoreographed.
SronNaCicheisamassiveshowpiececliffofthesouthernCuillinarea.HaftSrayupthefaceistheCioch,awildrockprotuberancewornslickbynearlyacenturyof
traffic.Theareapresentsmultipitchroutesrangingfromeasysauntersupto5.11.

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AEuropeanSampler
LikeCanadainNorthAmerica,EuropehashistoricallybeenaworldclasscenterofAlpinemountaineering.WhiletheglaciercladpeaksoftheAlpsstilldraw
climbersfromaroundtheworld,Europehasalsobecomethecenterforsportrockclimbing.Theacceptanceofampleboltprotectionhasenabledmodernrock
gymnaststopushthelimitsofhumanpossibilitiesinrelativesafety.Mostoftheworld'stopcompetitivesportclimbersarefromEurope,oratleastliveandtrainthere.
TheconcentrationofhighqualityrockoverarelativelysmallgeographicareamakesEuropeanattractivedestinationforvacationingclimbers.Onyourrequisiterest
days,youwillfindcountlessvillagesandhistoricalcenterstoexplore,andtheoceanisneverfaraway.
Spain
Spainisthebirthplaceofthestickyrubberusedforthesolesofrockshoes,soitisnowonderthatitoffersawealthofclimbing.JustoutsideMadridistheRegionale
ParkofCuentaAltaofManzanares,hometothehuge,pinkgraniteformationsofLaPedriza.YoucanfrictionupthelongexposedslabsofElYelmo,orpullfully
boltedsportroutesononeofthebouldersoftheRompeolassector.
Forsheervolume,thehighareaofMontserrat,orSawtoothMountain,offerscountlessspiresofgrayconglomerate.ThemountaincomescompletewithaBenedictine
monastery!YoucandrivetoMontserratortravelbytrainorbusfromBarcelona,finishingwithacablecarridetothemonastery.Thereisclimberfriendlycampingat
themonastery,whichalsohasagroceryandrestaurant.
FrenchDestinations
Franceisarockclimber'sparadisewithgoodweatherandrockeverywhere.AlthoughtheFrenchhavedominatedtheworldofcompetitivesportclimbing,their
homerockprovidesroutesofallgradestobesavoredbyeveryone.
TwokilometersnortheastofthevillageofVingraunearFrance'ssouthernborderisanenjoyableescarpmentofexcellentgraylimestone.Thesouthernhalfofthischain
ofcliffsisprimarilyaboltedsportclimbingareawithslab,face,andcrackroutesfrom5.3to5.13.TothenorthtowerstheclassicPetitDin.Theareareceivesmuch
sunshineandcanbeextremelyhotonsummerafternoons.Onedrawbackisthearea'shighincidenceoftheft,sodonotleavevaluablesinyourvehicle!
TotheeastisperhapsthesportclimbingcenterofEurope:theone

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Fig.5.7

Page113

kilometerlongcliffofBuoux.Hereyouwillfindhundredsofboltedroutes(5.85.14)from20to90metersinlength.Manyrouteshereareattheleadingedgeof
difficulty,andthebeginnertointermediateclimberwillfindlittletoenjoy.
Abitfurthereast,leadingintothebluewaterofLakeSt.Croix,istheaweinspiringVerdonGorge,with300meterwallsofwhitelimestone.TheRoutedesCretes
roadpassesabovethegorgeforadistanceofabout14.5kilometers.Mostoftheroutesareunderstandablylonganddifficult.Accesscommonlyinvolvesserious
multiplerappelsfromtherim.
AlongtheAutoroutedeSoleil,A6,justashortdistancefromParis,liesthebeautifulFontainbleauforest.Withsome60subareas,eachcontaininghundredsof
sandstoneboulders,the"Bleau"hasperhapsthebestconcentrationofboulderingintheworld.Allroutesaresoloed,butmostoffersoft,sandylandingsforthejump
off.
OneofthelargestconcentrationsofproblemsisatL'Elephant,sonamedaftertheappearanceofthefirstboulderencounteredasyoureachtherocks.Hereyouwill
findover400routesrangingindifficultyfrom5.2tohard5.11.Therearefivemaincircuits,whicharecolorcodedandmarkedaccordingtodifficulty.
Campingintheforestoramongthebouldersisnotallowed,butestablishedcampgroundsandlodgingsarenearby.Forropedsportclimbing,thenearbyareasofLe
ParcandLeSaussoisarepleasantoptions.ThebestseasonsforclimbingintheFountainbleauarespringandautumn.NovemberthroughMarchtendtobeverywet
months.
PullupsandPizzainItaly
Ifwellprotectedsportclimbinginterestsyou,theroutesinseveralareasnearthetownofArco,innorthernItaly,areparticularlyuserfriendly.Withparklikesettings
andbomberboltsandanchors,youcancranktoyourheart's(orforearms')content.AfteryougetyourfillofpullingtheoverhangsofMassone,ordancingtechnical
stepsatNago,samplesomegreatItalianfoodasyourecounttheday'sadventures.
LofotenIslands,Norway
Oneguidebookreferstothisarea,200kilometersnorthoftheArcticCircle,as"theMagicIslands."Indeedtheyare,withenchantingbeautyandperfectgraniteas
well.OnceinNorway,variouscombinationsoftrains,buses,andferriescangetyoutotheislandswhereallmajortownsareconnectedviabusroutes.Campsitesare
abundantinLofoten.
TheNordNorskKlatreskole(climbingschool)inHenningsvaeristheplacetoobtainlocalinformation.ThisisalsothelocaleoftheKlatrekafe'en,orClimbingCafe,
whereyoucanmeetpotentialclimbingpartners.

Page114

TheroutesintheLofotenIslandsaretraditionalstyleadventures.Bringafullrackofgearand50meterropes,asthepitchesandrappelsarelong.Junethrough
AugustisthetimetocometoLofoten,butdon'tcomewithoutwarmclothesevenduringthesummer.
ClimbingDownUnder
ThebestrockinAustraliaisconcentratedinthesouthbetweenSydneyandMelbourne.Tasmaniaalsoofferssomegoodrockalongthecoast.MountArapilesholds
perhapsthebestknownAustralianrock,withover2,000routesonhardsandstone.Agoodselectionofmoderateroutesplusplentyofseverecrankerswillkeep
everyoneentertainedfordaysatthisprimarilytraditionalleadclimbingarea.
ClosetoSydneyaretheBlueMountains,withtheirmanyboltedroutesandsandstonethatisroughandabrasivetothefingertips.Visitingthenearbyvillagesand
bakeriesisfunonoffdays.Campsitesarereadilyavailableneareachclimbingarea.Youcanfindsuitableweatherjustaboutyearround,butspringandfallarebest.
Summers(JanuaryandFebruary)cangethot.

Page115

Tasmaniahasseveralappealingareasalongitsnorthernandeasternshorelines.ThecapitalofHobartishosttothe1.6kilometerlongbandofbrownlimestoneknown
astheOrganPipesandseveralintownquarrieswithboltedsportroutes.FreycinetNationalParkisupthecoastfromHobartabit,onabeautifulpeninsula.There
arecrackclimbsatBluestoneBayandsmoothrunoutslabsattheHazards.
OtherSummits
Youcanclimbjustaboutanywhere.Whetheryouareonvacationorabusinesstrip,orattendinganinternationalconference,packyourrockshoesandsomegear!
AdditionalareasofnotearethebasalticcragsoftheIzuPeninsulaofJapanandLionRocknearHongKong.TheTodraGorgeofMoroccocontainssportrouteson
limestone,whilemanyroutes,traditionalandsport,aboundinthevicinityofCapeTown,SouthAfrica.WhilemostnotedforAlpinemountaineering,countriesalong
theAndesregionofSouthAmericaofferaconsiderableamountofpurerockclimbingaswell.
CheckwithoneoftheguidebooksourceslistedintheAppendixforreferencestoaparticularcountry.Thepopularrockclimbingandmountaineeringmagazinesoften
publisharticlesandminiguidestochoiceareasaroundtheworld.

Page117

6
PursuingClimbingFurther
Onceyouhavemasteredthebasicsandarehoningyourtechniqueandexpertiseontherocks,youmaydevelopaninterestinclimbingothermediums,suchasiceand
snow,orventuringintotherealmofhighmountains.Youmayalsowishtotestyourskillsinorganizedrockclimbingcompetitions.
Itiswellbeyondthescopeofthisbooktopresentcomprehensivecoverageoficeandsnowclimbingormountaineering.Thestructuredtrainingnecessarytobecome
aworldclasscompetitoriscomplexandbestpresentedatlength.Referencesontheseextensionsofthesportofrockclimbingareprovidedintheappendix.This
chaptergivesyouabasicdescriptionoftheseactivities.

Page118

CompetitiveSportClimbing
IwasfirstexposedtocompetitionclimbingasaspectatoratanInternationalWorldCupevent.Iconsideredmyselfprimarilyamountaineer,whoenjoyedthe
''freedomofthehills,"andwasskepticalaboutclimbingartificiallydesignedroutesunderasetofrules.Itdidnottakelongfortheexcitementoftheeventandthe
tremendoustalentoftheathletestowinmorethanabitofmyrespect.Sincethen,Ihaveevenfoundmyselfwaitingmyturnonthewallatlocalcompetitions.
Organizedclimbingcompetitionsdifferabitfromareatoarea,butmosthavesettledonanonsightdifficultyformat.Competitorsarejudgedonhowfartheycan
progressoverapresetroutewithoutanypriorinformationonorexaminationoftheroute.
Thereareusuallyoneormoreeliminationrounds,thenthetopscorersclimbanew,moredifficultrouteforthefinals.Ifaclimberfalls,that'sitherhighestpointis
identifiedandascorecalculated.
Theproliferationofmodularindoorwallshasbenefitedcompetitions,becauseuniqueroutesmaybedesignedthathaveneverbeforebeenattempted.Artificialwalls
providestandardized,weatherproofconditionsforallcompetitors,andfacilitatespectatorviewingaswell.
Ayearly,multipleeventWorldCupcircuitwaslaunchedinthelate1980sthatdeterminesindividualeventwinnersandoverallmaleandfemaleserieschampions.
However,youdon'thavetoschedulearoundtheworldtourtogivecompetitionclimbingatry.Mostindoorclimbingwallsandgymsoffersometypeofcompetitive
eventeachyear.Localclubssometimeshostoutdoorboulderingcontests,whichbringtheclimbingcommunitytogetherforadayoffuninthesun.Localcontests
usuallyhavesometypeofabilityandagegroupingsfortheawards.Storesthatcarryclimbinggear,indoorwallsandgyms,andmagazinesaregoodsourcesof
informationaboutupcomingevents.
Althoughyoumayfeelsomeanxietyasyouawaityourturninyourfirstclimbingcompetition,youwilllikelyfindthatthechallenge,socialscene,andjustplainfun
eventuallyoutweighthestress.Hereareafewtipsthatmayhelpyouprepareforandsurviveyourfirstonsightcompetition:
Ifpossible,getinsomepracticetimeatthesite.Becomefamiliarwiththeholdsandhowtheycanbeused.Thecoursesetterwillchangeeverythingaround,and
probablywilladdsomeunfamiliarholds,butbeingcomfortablewiththefacilitywillhelp.
Whenthecompetitionemploysanisolationarea,bringsomethingtomunchon,awaterbottle,andagoodbookoraWalkman.

Page119

AWorldCupsportclimbingcompetitionatSnowbird,Utah.

Page120

Warmupthoroughlybeforegoingouttoclimb.Iliketogetin15to20minutesofeasyjoggingorotheraerobicexercisetoeasethejitters,followedbyanextended
stretchingsequence.Ifaboulderingwallisavailable,Iwillworkthroughseveralshortsequencesthatinvolveupward,downward,andlateralmoves.
Knowthespecificrulesofthecontest.Aretherouteboundariesclearlymarked?Canyouattempttherouteagainafterafall,orisitonefallandout?Isthereatime
limit?
Checkoutthesafetyprocedurescarefully.Contactthepersonwhowillbebelayingyouandassurethatyourcommunicationsignalsareclear.
Remember,thechallengeisnotyouagainsttheotherclimbers.Rather,youwanttoseehowwellyoucansolvethepuzzle(theroute)thatispresentedandhave
somefunalongtheway.
IceClimbing
Whenthecragsarecoldandmantledbysnowandtheindoorgymsgetcrowded,somerockclimbersstillseekthejoyandexcitementofclimbingintheoutdoors.
Winterturnsthewaterfallsandseepagesofsummerintoavarietyoffrozenpillars,curtains,andhangingicicles,withcharacteristicsasvariedasrocktypes.
Iceclimbingsharesmanysimilaritieswithrockclimbing.Youmayboulder,toprope,orleadroutes,andthebasicbelaytechniquesarethesame.Thereare
differences,however,thatarecriticaltoyoursafetyandenjoymentofthisvariantoftheclimbinggame.Beforeyougearupforanascentofice,youshouldgetsome
expertinstruction.
Muchoftheuniquenessiniceclimbingcomesfromthespecializedequipmentemployed.Crampons,sharp,spiked,metalframes,arestrappedtothesolesofthe
climber'sbootstoprovidefootpurchase.Usingbotharms,handheldiceaxesareswunginanareintotheiceabove.Protectionforleadingcomesfromtubularice
screws,whichareturnedorhammeredintotheiceandconnectedtotheropewithaquickdraw.
Itisthemediumtheiceandthesettingthatdrawclimberstothisgame.Thevariablenatureoffrozenwater,fromtheStyrofoamlikequalityofperfectglaciericeto
thebrittlehardnessofaJanuarywaterfall,providesanarrayofchallengingsituations.Thesubtlecolorswithintheiceandthequietofwinterheightentheallureofthe
iceclimbingexperience.

Page121

IceclimbingintheRockyMountains.

AlpineMountaineering
Onthehighmountainsitallcomestogether.Youstepoffthetrailandheadcrosscountrywithmapandcompasstolocateyourchosenpeak.Youestablishcampon
aflatrockoutcrop,safefromthehazardsofrockfallandsnowavalanche,whereyoucanvisuallyscoutthemountainforthebestroute.
Yourisebeforedawnandmakeaquick,warmbreakfasttobreakthechill.Soon,cramponsareaffixedtobootsandyousettleintotherhythmoftheapproachupthe
glacier.Thesunbreaksthehorizonastheslopesteepens,theraysglitteringgoldandpinkofftheedgesofdeepcrevassesintheice.Thesedarkchambersmustbe
safelynegotiatedwhileyoukeepwatchforothersthatmaybehiddenbeneaththesnow.Yourropedteamofclimbersmustcoordinatemovementandspeedto
progressefficiently.

Page122

Theglaciergiveswaytoaribofbrokenrock.Youremoveyourcramponstoallowgoodfrictionontheblocksabove.Youarecarefulnottoloosenrocksthatcould
fallontheclimbersbelow.Adifficultsectionrequiresyoutosetupananchorandbelay.Youedgeandsmearcrimpandjamchimneyandstem.
Alwaysyouaresearchingthewayaheadforthebestroute.Youmustbalancethesafetyofsolidterrainandlotsofprotectionanchorswiththesafetyofmovingfastto
avoidgettingcaughtinasuddenstormorfacingdangerousavalancheconditionsintheheatoftheafternoon.
Finally,thesummit!Youarecontentedtohavenegotiatedthemountain'spuzzles.Theviewisinspiringandtheairinvigorating.However,thisisonly

ToppingtheRomanWallonMt.Baker,agiant
volcanointheNorthCascadesRange.

Page123

thehalfwaypoint.Acarefuldescentmustbeexecutedbeforetherealcelebrationcanbegin.
Descendingmayinvolvecarefuldownclimbingorcomplicatedrappels.Youmustrenegotiatetheglacier,inwhichnewcrevasseshaveopenedsincetheearlymorning
hours.Youaretired,physicallyandmentally,butmuststillexecutewiththesameperfectionthatgotyousafelytothesummit.Finally,yourcampisinsight,andyou
lookforwardtoconcoctingahotdrinkasalpenglowsettlesoverthemountain.
Thereisnothingquitelikeasuccessfultechnicalascentofahighmountain.Somepeaksofferpurerockroutes,butothersalsodemandiceandsnowclimbingskills.
Thesuccessfulintegrationofsuchskillsisarewardingexperience.
TherisksofAlpinemountaineeringareconsiderablyhigherthanthoseyouareexposedtoonaboltedsportrouteatanestablishedrockcrag.Problemswithweather,
looserock,avalanche,andthedifficultyofrescueinaremote,ruggedareacanbeserious.Theserisksarenotalwayspredictableyoumustbeabletoavoidmistakes
whenfatiguedandunderduress.Judgmentbecomesamajorfactorinsurvivingtoclimbagain,andthisisimpossibletolearnfromabook.
SAFETYTIP
Beforeyouventureontothebigpeaks,getsomespecializedinstructioninthefieldandapprenticewithpartnersyoucantrust.Theresourceslistedintheappendixwill
helpyoulocateaschoolorguideserviceinyourarea.
ClosingThoughts
Formany,rockclimbinghasbecomenotonlyachallengingactivity,butasourceofjoy.ThefamousFrenchmountainguide,GastonRebuffat,perhapssaiditbest:
"Toclimbsmoothly,betweenskyandearth,inasuccessionofprecise,efficientmovements,inducesaninnerpeaceandevenamoodofgaiety....Adifficulty
constitutesaquestionthemovementswhichresolveitarethereply.Thisistheintimatepleasureofcommunicatingwiththemountain...withitssubstance,asanartist
communicateswiththewood,stone,oriron....Boththeclimbingandthefeelingbecomelikespringwater,whichisbornoftheearthandflowsgentlyembracingits
banks."(OnIceandSnowandRock,1971)

Page124

Myseasonsofclimbinghavegivenmecountlessjoysandnotafewexcitingmoments.ThepartnerswithwhomIhavesharedtheropehavebecomefriendsforlife,
andourreminiscencesarepriceless.Ihopethatclimbingwillprovideyouwithmuchofthesame.Whetheryouareinterestedinbouldering,toproping,orleading,the
rockawaitsyou.Happyclimbing!

Page125

Appendix
ForMoreInformation
Organizations
Rockclimbingandmountaineeringorganizationsarevaluablesourcesofinformationconcerningnationalandregionalclimbingclubs,schools,andgoodplacesto
climb.TheAmericanMountainGuidesAssociationisagoodcontactforlocatingrockclimbingschoolsandguideservicesforaparticulararea.
AccessCommittee
AlpineClubofCanada
35FrontSt.E.
Toronto,OntarioM5E1B3
Canada
AccessFund
P.O.Box17010
Boulder,CO80308
U.S.A.
(303)5456772

Page126

AlpineClubofCanada
P.O.Box1026
Banff,AlbertaTOL0C0
Canada
AmericanAlpineClub
710TenthSt.,Suite100
Golden,CO80401
U.S.A.
(303)3840110/Fax(303)3840111
AmericanMountainGuidesAssociation
710KentStreet,Suite101
Golden,CO80401
U.S.A.
(303)2710984
AmericanSportClimbersFederation
125West96thStreet
Suite#1D
NewYork,NY10025
U.S.A.
BritishMountaineeringCouncil
177/9BurtonRoad
WestDidsbury
ManchesterM202BB
England
1614454747
FederationFrancaisedelaMontagne
20bisRueLaBoetie
75008Paris
France
ClubAlpinoItaliano
ViaUgoFoscolo3
20121Milano
Italy

Page127

NationalCentreforMountaineeringActivities
PlasyBrenin
CapelCurig
GwyneddLL24OET
NorthWales
NorskTindeklub
P.O.Boks1727
Vika
Oslo1
Norway
FederacionEspanoladeMontanismo
AlbertoAguilera34
Madrid15
Spain
Books
ClimbingAnchors,byJohnLong.Evergreen,Colorado:ChockstonePress,Inc.,1993.
ClimbingRockandIce,byJerryCinnamon.BlueRidgeSummit,Pennsylvania:RaggedMountainPress,1994.
HowToRockClimb!(2nded.),byJohnLong.Evergreen,Colorado:ChockstonePress,Inc.,1993.
Mountaineering:TheFreedomofTheHills(5thed.),DonGraydon(Ed.).Seattle,Washington:TheMountaineers,1992.
PerformanceRockClimbing,byDaleGoddardandUdoNeumann.Mechanicsburg,Pennsylvania:StackpoleBooks,1993.
Guidebooks
Practicallyeveryestablishedclimbingareaoffersawrittenguidebook,ifonlyastapledcollectionofphotocopiedsketchesoftheroutes.Publishedguidebooksare
usuallyavailableatlocalclimbingshopsorviamailorderfromoneofthefollowingsources.

Page128

BackcountryBookstore
Box6235CL
Lynnwood,WA98036
U.S.A.
ChesslerBooks
P.O.Box399
Kittredge,CO80457
U.S.A.
(800)6548502or(303)6700093
J.P.Books
Box10884
Portland,OR97210
U.S.A.
(503)2273308
TheSecondStep
YorkArcade
80IslingtonHighStreet
CamdenPassage
LondonN18EQ
England
1713596412
Periodicals
Climbingjournalsandmagazinesareusuallypublishedmonthlyorquarterlythroughouttheyear.Periodicalsprovideyouwitharticlesontechnique,equipmentreviews,
andminiguidestospecificareas.Theyalsoaregreatreferencesformailordersuppliersofequipmentandgear.
ClimberandHillwalker
OutramMagazines
PlazaTower
EastKilbride
GlasgowG741LW
Scotland

Page129

Climbing
1101VillageRoad,SuiteLL1B
Carbondale,CO81623
U.S.A.
(303)9639449/Fax(303)9639442
Rock&Ice
P.O.Box3595
Boulder,CO80307
U.S.A.
(303)4998410/Fax(303)4994131
Videos
Manyscenicandentertainingrockclimbingvideotapesareavailablefrommountaineering/rockclimbingspecialtyshopsandbookstores.Notalloftheseare
instructional,however.Hereisapartiallistofvideosthatprovidehistoricalandinstructionalinformation.
BasicRockClimbing
VerticalAdventuresProductions
3200WilshireBlvd.,Suite1207
LosAngeles,CA90010
U.S.A.
TheArtofLeading
ChockstoneProductions
526FranklinStreet
Denver,CO80218
U.S.A.
MovingOverStoneandMovingOverStoneII
RangeofLightProductions
P.O.Box2906
MammothLakes,CA93546
U.S.A.
PerformanceRockClimbingTheVideo
1478EastLogan
SaltLakeCity,UT84105
U.S.A.

Page130

RockClimbingLingo
Althoughyoucandevelopyourclimbingskillsthroughsilentbouldering,inordertoreapthesocialadvantagesofthesport,andtobeabletocommunicateinthemany
areasyouwillvisit,youneedtobecomesomewhatliterateinrockclimbinglingo.
aidAnabbreviationfortheuseofartificialaidstosupportone'sbodyweightorassistinprogressuptherock.AlsothestyleofClass6,orartificial,climbing.
barndoorTheeffectofanunbalancedpositionontherockthatcausesyourbodytoswingofftherocklikeabarndoor.
belayThesystemfor,oractof,managingtheropetoprotecttheclimber.
bellringerAfallofftothesideofanupperanchorpointthat,astheropebecomestight,producesawildseriesofswings,muchlikearingingbell.
betaSpecificverbalorwritteninformationaboutagivenclimbingroute'sholdsormoves.
binerShortforcarabiner.Gatedaluminumsnaplinksthatareusedtoconnectvariouscomponentsoftheclimbingsystem.
bomberOutstandingmaybeusedtodescribethequalityofprotection,anchorsforaroute,oraspecifichold.
camAnartificialanchordeviceemployingacurvedshapethattendstowedgethedevicetighterintherockwhenloadedbyforce.
cleanToremovetheintermediateanchors,orpro,placedduringaleadclimb.

Page131

compAnorganizedsportclimbingcompetition.
craterTofallandhittheground.
crimperAsmall,sometimessharp,holdthatrequiresyoutohyperextendthefirstknucklesofyourfingers.
cruxThemostdifficultmoveorseriesofmovesonaspecificpitchorroute.
exposureAcharacteristicofaclimbingrouteorpositionthatindicatesextremesteepnessordistancefromlevelground.
fixedproProtectiongearthatispermanentlyleftintherock.
freeAstyleofclimbingthatdoesnotrelyonartificialaidduringtheascent.AlsotheactofclimbingaformerClass6aidclimbwithoutartificialaids.
grippedScaredtothepointofbeingunabletoreleaseholdsontherockandthustoproceed.Acompleteerasureofallmojo.
hangdogTorestbyhangingontheropebetweenattemptstocompleteamoveorsequenceofmoves.Anascentwhichincludeshangdoggingisnotconsidereda
completelyfreeascent.
leadToclimbfirstonaroute,placingintermediateanchorstowhichtheropeisattached.
liebackAmovethatinvolvescreatingcounterpressuretomakethefeetstickbylyingbackandpullingwiththehandswhilethefeetpressintotherock.Very
strenuous.
mojoAstateofmindorpsychethatenablesonetoovercomeextremephysicalormentaldifficultiesinclimbing.Mojoisagoodthingmostofthetime,butithasled
someclimbersintofoolishness.
monodoightAsmallpocketintherockthatwillacceptonlyonefinger.
naturalgearProtectiongearthatyouputinplaceduringalead.
pitchThedistancebetweenbelaypointsonarouteorthenumberofbelaypointsnecessarytocompletealongroute(asinthreepitch).
proAnabbreviatedexpressionforprotection,orintermediateanchors.Alsousedasagenerictermforthegearusedtoestablishanchors.
problemAgenerictermforaperplexingordifficultsectionofclimbing.
pumpedAstateofrigorintheforearmmuscles,whichgrowengorgedwithbloodasaresultofextremeeffortduringaclimb.Associatedwithfatigueandan
inabilitytograspholds.
quickdrawAshortloopofsewnwebbingintowhichtwocarabinersareclipped.

Page132

runnerAtiedorsewnloopofwebbingusedtoconnectvariouscomponentsoftheanchorsystems.
runoutReferstoaparticularlylongsectionofclimbingbetweenanchors.
screamerAfallduringwhichtheinvolvedclimberemitssometypeofscream,yelp,orotheraudiblevocalization.
secondTheclimberwhoascendsaftertheleader,withabelayfromabove.Thesecondwillusuallycleantheprotection.
sequenceAspecificseriesofmovesthatarenecessaryforsuccessonaroute.
sewingmachinelegAphenomenonthatinvolvesaclimber'slegshakinginvoluntarily.Usuallycausedbymaintainingasetpositionforanextendedperiod,
particularlywiththeheelhigherthanthetoe.
thinLackingdistinctholdsortexturescanrefertoaspecificholdoranentireroute.
whipperAlongleaderfall,orafallthatoccurswithslackintherope,resultingintheclimberexperiencingawhiplikesnapastheropecomestaut.
yoyoToclimbupabit,placeprotection,andgetloweredtothegroundthenclimbupagain,placemoreprotection,getlowered,andsoon.
zipperToripoutasuccessionofprotectionplacementsduringafall.

Page133

Index
Note:Pagenumbersinitalicsrefertoillustrations.Pagenumbersinboldfacerefertoglossaryentries.
A
AccessFund,125
Accidents.SeeInjuriesObjectivehazardsSafety
Addon(boulderinggame),87
Aerobicactivities
forcardiorespiratory
fitness,89
warmups,82
Aidclimbing,8,130
Alberta,climbsin,104105
Alcove,3
Allholds(boulderinggame),87
AlpineClubofCanada,125,126
Alpinerockclimbingandmountaineering,1,36,111,121123
AmericanAlpineClub,126
AmericanMountainGuidesAssociation,10,125,126
AmericanSportClimbersFederation,126
Anchors
artificial,25,3034,32,5761
importanceof,57
natural,25,30,57
Anchorsystem
definitionof,56
equipmentfor,2529
placementof,7375
techniquesforusing,5661
fortopropeclimbing,6165,62,63
Andes,climbsin,115
Animals,hazardous,93
Arete,3
Armbarposition,5051
Artificialanchors,25,3034,5761
TheArtofLeading(video),129
Ascentstyles,910
AssymetricalDcarabiners,28
Australia,climbsin,114115
Autolockingbelaydevices,30
B
BackcountryBookstore(Lynnwood,WA),128
Balance,38,81
Barndooreffect,54,54,130
BasicRockClimbing(video),129
Belaydevices,29,2930
Belaying,29,6569,7375,130
''Bellringer"position,62,130
BentgateDcarabiner,28
Beta,10,130
Betaflash,10
Bigsteps(warmupstretch),85
Biner,130.
SeealsoCarabiners
Bodybelay,30
Bodycomposition,effectsof,8990
Bodyfat,8990
Bodyweight,8990
Bomber,130
Books,recommended,127.
SeealsoGuidebooks
Boulder,Colorado:
climbsaround,99
Bouldering
definitionof,4,5
equipmentfor,16,35(box)
asfirstpartofleadclimbing,71
fitnesstrainingduring,8687
partneringin,10
practicingclimbingtechniquesduring,3738,43
safetyduring,3839
asawarmup,86
BowValley,Alberta,104105
BritishColumbia,climbsin,104
BritishMountaineeringCouncil,126
Buckets,3
Butterflycoil,ofrope,23
Butterflywings,ofrope,23
Buttress,3
C
California,climbsin,3,78,97
Cams(camming),31,5861,130
Canada,climbsin,104108
Carabiners,25,27,2729,57,61,6364
Cardiorespiratoryfitness,89
Cavingropes,22
Chalk,19,94
Chalkbag,19
Chattanooga,Tennessee,103104
ChesslerBooks(Kittredge,CO),128
Chimneys
climbingtechniquesfor,47,5152,52
definitionof,3,51
Chockcraft,57,58
Chocks(nuts),31,58,59
Cinnamon,John:
ClimbingRockandIce,127
Class1climbing,8
Class2climbing,8
Class3climbing,8
Class4climbing,8

Page134

Class5climbing
ascentstylesin,10
definitionof,8
equipmentfor,2529
Class6climbing,8,130,131
Clean,130
ClimberandHillwalkermagazine,128
ClimbingAnchors(Long),127
Climbingclubs,1,125127
Climbingharnesses
costof,20
featuresof,20
safetywith,20,57
selectionof,19
Climbinginstructorsorguides,10,96
Climbingmagazine,129
ClimbingRockandIce(Cinnamon),127
Climbingropes
inbelaying,66
caringfor,23
characteristicsof,2122
costof,21
developmentof,21
dimensionsof,21
retiringof,22
retrievalof,80
storageof,2223
testratingof,2122
tyingin,24
waterrepellent(dry),22
weightof,22
Climbingtechniques
anchorusage,5661
belaying,6569
counterpressuretechniques,5256
crackclimbing,4752
fordescent,7880
faceclimbing,3947
grips,4346
movementprinciplesin,38
forsportleading,7678
topropeclimbing,6165
fortraditionalleading,7076
Climbingwalls,indoor,9092,91
Climbs
accessto,94
difficultyratingsfor,2,89
multipitch,76
protectionratingsfor,9
suggestedlocalesfor,95115
varietyin,2
Clinggrip("crimper"),44,46,131
Clothing,92.
SeealsoHelmetsRockshoes
Clovehitchknot,73,74
ClubAlpinoItaliano,126
Coilingofrope,2223
Colorado,climbsin,99
Communication,betweenclimberandbelayer,6869
Comp,131
Competitivesportclimbing,118120,131
Conditioning.SeeFitness
Cordelette,74,74
Counterpressureclimbingtechniques,5256,53,54,55,56
Crackclimbingtechniques
forchimneys,47,5152,52
forfingercracks,4749,48
forhandandfistcracks,47,49,4950
foroffwidthcracks,47,5051
protectinghandsduring,51
Crampons,120
Crater,131
"Crimper"(clinggrip),44,46,131
Crimpers(edges),3
Crux,131
D
Descenttechniques
inalpinemountaineering,123
rappelling,7880
safetyduring,80
walking,78
Devil'sLakeStatePark,Wisconsin,3,1113,102102
Devil'sTowerNationalMonument,Wyoming,99102
Diet,lowfat,89
Dihedral,3
Dry(waterrepellent)ropes,22
Dshapedcarabiners,27
E
Ecologicalconcerns
aboutchalkuse,19,94
aboutoveruseandlittering,94
Edges,3
Edging,3942,42
Elbowpullacross(warmupstretch),83
ElCapitan,YosemiteValley,78
Emergencymedicalservices,93
EnchantmentLakeswilderness,Washington,3
Endurance,trainingfor,8688
England,climbsin,108
Equipment.
SeealsoClothingRockshoes
costof,35(box)
developmentof,1
foriceclimbing,120
purposeof,1516
safetywith,20,29,36
typesof
anchorsystem,2529
artificialanchors,25,3034,32
belaydevices,2930
chalk,19
climbingharnesses,1920
climbingropes,2124
helmets,3436,92
used,15
Europe,climbsin,111114
Exercises.SeeFitnessPreparationWarmupsstretches
Exposure,131
F
Face,3
Faceclimbingtechniques
footwork,3943
grips,4346
mantles,4647
underclings,46
Falling.SeeCraterInjuriesSafetyScreamerWhipper
Falltesting,ofropes,21

Page135

Fatigue,duringaclimb,38
FederacionEspanioladeMontanismo,127
FederationFrancaisedelaMontagne,126
Figure8belaydevices,30
Figure8descender,30
Figure8followthroughknot,24,24,57
Figure8knot,74,77
Figure8ring(rappeldevice),79,80
Fingercracks,4749,48
Fingerlock"jammingtechnique,4748
Firstaidkit,93
Fistcracks,50
Fitness
asbenefitofrockclimbing,4,86
cardiorespiratory,89
preclimbtrainingfor,8692
Fixedpro,131
Flaggingtechnique,54,54,87
Flake,3
Footjammingtechniques,50
Footwear.SeeRockshoes
Footwork
forclimbingoverhangs,55
forcrackclimbing,48,50
forfaceclimbing,3943,42
Forearmtwister(warmupstretch),83
France,climbsin,111113
Freeclimbing,8,131
Freesoloing,8,93
Friends(cammingdevices),3132
G
Gear.SeeEquipment
Gearrackslings,34,70,72
Gettingstarted,10
Goddard,Dale:
PerformanceRockClimbing(GoddardandNeumann),127
Grapevineknot,25,26,74,79
Gravity,andweighttransfers,38
Graydon,Don,ed.:
Mountaineering:TheFreedomoftheHills,127
GreatLakesregion,climbsaround,102103
Gripped,131
Grips
forfaceclimbing,4346,4445
typesof
clinggrip("crimper"),44,46,131
opengrip,44,46
pinchgrip,45,46
wrapgrip,45,46
Guidebooks,8,70,96,127128
Gymnasticchalk,19
H
Hadrian(Romanemperor),1
Hamstringstretch(warmupstretch),84
Handcracks,4950
Handjammingtechniques,4950
Handpositioning.SeeGrips
Handprotection,51
Hangboardworkouts,8788,88
Hangdog,131
Hazards.SeeInjuriesObjectivehazardsSafety
Headgear(helmets),3436
Heelhooking,42
Helmets,3436,92
Hexcentrics,31,58,59
HMScarabiner,28
HongKong,climbsin,115
Horn,3
HowtoRockClimb!,2nd.ed.(Long),127
HuecoTanks,Texas,99
I
Iceclimbing,120121
Indoorclimbingwalls,9092,91
Injuries
crater,131
duringexercises,88
tothehands,51
fromobjectivehazards,9293
Instruction,10,70,123
InternationalWorldCup,118
Italy,climbsin,113
J
Jammingtechniques,47
"fingerlock"jammingtechnique,4748
footjammingtechniques,50
handjammingtechniques,4950
toejammingtechniques,48
Japan,climbsin,115
JoshuaTreeNationalPark,California,97
J.P.Books(Portland,OR),128
Jug,3
K
Kentucky,climbsin,103
Kernmantleropes,21
Knobs,3
Knots
clovehitch,73,74
figure8,74,77
figure8followthrough,24,24,57
grapevine,25,26,74,79
waterknot,25,26
L
Language
communicationbetweenclimberandbelayer,6869
lingo,130132
Leading
definitionof,131
equipmentfor,16,30,57
techniquesfor,7078
typesof,67
Leads,changingof,7576
Liebacktechniques,54,55,131
Lightning,93
Lockingcarabiners,28
LofotenIsland,Norway,113114
Long,John
ClimbingAnchors,127
HowtoRockClimb!,2nd.ed.,127
M
Magnesiumcarbonate,19
Mantles,46,4647
Maps
ofAustralia,114
ofCanada,106107
ofEurope,112
oftheUnitedKingdom,109
oftheUnitedStates,100101

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Minnesota,climbsin,102
Mojo,131
Monodoight,131
Morocco,climbsin,115
Moses,1
Mountaineering:TheFreedomoftheHills(Graydon,ed.),127
Mountaineeringequipment,36
MountEtna,1
MountSinai,1
Movementprinciples,38
MovingOverStone(video),129
MovingOverStoneII(video),129
Multipitchclimbs,76
MunterHitch,carabinersfor,28
Muscularstrength,trainingfor,8688
N
NationalCentreforMountaineeringActivities(Wales),127
Naturalanchors,25,30,57
Naturalgear,131
"TheNeedles,SouthDakota,102
Neumann,Udo:
PerformanceRockClimbing(GoddardandNeumann),127
Nevada,climbsin,99
NewRiverGorge,WestVirginia,103
NewYorkState,climbsin,103
NiagaraEscarpment,Ontario,105108
Niche,3
NorskTindeklub,127
Norway,climbsin,113114
Nosetouch(boulderinggame),8687
Nuts,31,58,59
O
Objectivehazards.
SeealsoInjuriesSafety
plantsandanimals,93
rockfalls,9293
weatherconditions,92,93
OffsetDcarabiners,28
Offwidthcracks,5051
Onefootoff(boulderinggame),87
Onsightdifficultyformat(forcompetitions),118
Onsightflash,10
Ontario,climbsin,105108
Openbook(dihedral),3
Opengrip,44,46
Openhooks(coldshuts),76
Oregon,climbsin,98
Ovalcarabiners,27
Overhangs
climbingtechniquesfor,5556,56
definitionof,3
OwensRiverGorge,California,3
P
Partners
inbouldering,10
inleadclimbing,6,70,7273
PerformanceRockClimbing(GoddardandNeumann),127
PerformanceRockClimbingTheVideo,129
Periodicals,128129
Personalchallenge,2
Physicalfitness.SeeFitness
Pinchgrip,45,46
Pinkpoint,10
Pitch,76,131
Plants,hazardous,93
Pockets,3
Poisonivyandoak,93
Preparation
aerobic,82
safetyduringexercising,88
warmupbouldering,86
warmupstretches,8285
Problem,90,131
Protection(pro).
SeealsoAnchorsAnchorsystemClimbingropes
definitionof,6,6,131
maintenanceof,34
placementof,71
zipperingof,71,132
Pumped,131
Q
Quickdraws,30,33,3334,76,131
R
R(runout),9,132
Racks,34,70,72
Ramp,3
Rands,16
Rappellingropes,22
Rappellingtechnique,7880
Rebuffat,Gaston,123
Recreationalmountaineering,1
Redpoint,10
RedRiverGorge,Kentucky,103
RedRockCanyonNationalConservationArea,Nevada,99
Resting
duringaclimb,38
hangdog,131
Rock
featuresof,3(box)
maintainingcontactwith,38
Rockclimbing.
SeealsoClimbingtechniquesClimbs
benefitsof,24
typesof,47
Rockfalls,9293
Rock&Icemagazine,129
Rockshoes
caringfor,18
compositionof,16
costof,16
fittingof,1617
stiffnessversusflexibilityof,1718
typesof,18
Rockuptechnique,53
Roof,3
Ropebags,22,23
Ropes.SeeClimbingropes
Runners,25,57,61,63,71,75,132
Runout(R),9,71,132
S
Safety.
SeealsoEquipmentInjuriesObjectivehazards
duringalpinemountaineering,123
duringbelaying,69
duringbouldering,3839
ofcarabiners,29

Page137

withclimbingharnesses,20
duringdescent,80
duringepisodesof"sewingmachineleg,"43
withequipment,20,29,36
withprotection,72
duringsportleading,78
Scotland,climbsin,110
Screamer,132
Second(seconding),6,70,7273,75,132
TheSecondStepbookstore(London,England),128
Sequence,132
"Sewingmachine"leg,43,132
Shawangunks,NewYorkState,103
Shoes.SeeRockshoes
Skills
developmentofspecialized,2
forproblemsolving,90,131
Slab,3
SLCDs(springloadedcammingdevices),3132,60,61
Slings(runners),25.
SeealsoRunners
Slomo(boulderinggame),87
Smearing,39,42
SmithRock,Oregon,98
SouthAfrica,climbsin,115
SouthDakota,climbsin,102
Spain,climbsin,111
Spectrarunners,25
Sportleading
definitionof,7,7
equipmentfor,30,3334,35(box),76
safetyduring,78
techniquesfor,7678
Spots(spotting),5,10,39
Springloadedcammingdevices(SLCDs),3132,60,61
Squamish,BritishColumbia,104
Stackingofrope,2223
Statictensiontesting,ofropes,2122
Stemmingtechniques,53,5354
StichtPlatebelaydevice,30
Strength,trainingfor,8688
Stretching.SeeWarmupstretches
T
Tasmania,climbsin,114,115
Techniques.SeeClimbingtechniques
Tennessee,climbsin,103104
Texas,climbsin,99
Thin,132
Thincrackclimbing,2
Threepointcontact,38
Toeingin,39,42
Toejammingtechniques,48
Topos(climbguides),96
Topropeclimbing
anchorsystemfor,6165,62,63
asanascentstyle,10
definitionof,5,6
equipmentfor,16,30,35(box),57
Torsotwist(warmupstretch),84
Traditionalleading
definitionof,6,6
equipmentfor,16,30,35(box)
techniquesfor,7076
Training.SeePreparation
Trespassing,avoiding,94
TriCams(LoweAlpine),31,5861,60
TuolumneMeadows,California,2,3,97
Turnouts(warmupstretch),85
"Twistlocking"technique,56,56
Tyingin,24
U
UIAA(UnionInternationaledesAssociationsD'Alpinisme),19,21,27,36
Underclings,43,46
UnionInternationaledesAssociationsD'Alpinisme(UIAA),19,21,27,36
UnitedKingdom,climbsin,108110
V
Videotapes,129
W
Wales,climbsin,108
Walkoffs,78
Warmup
aerobic,82
boulderingfor,86
stretchesfor,8285
Warmupstretches
bigsteps,85
elbowpullacross,83
forearmtwister,83
hamstringstretch,84
torsotwist,84
turnouts,85
Waterknot,25,26
Weatherconditions,92,93
Weightlifting,86
Weighttransfers,38
WestVirginia,climbsin,103
Whipper,132
Wisconsin,climbsin,3,1113,102103
Wrapgrip,45,46
Wyoming,climbsin,99102
X
X(nonexistentprotection),9
Y
YDS(YosemiteDecimalSystem),8
YosemiteDecimalSystem(YDS),8
YosemiteNationalPark,California,78,97
Yoyo,132
Z
Zippering,71,132

Page138

Acknowledgment
IfVeraT.Wattshadsaid,"Youbetterstayoffthoserocks!",Imighthavelistened,andtherewouldhavebeennobook.ButMomneverdidsaythat.IfAnnetteand
Salemhadnotsaunteredthehillswithme,Imighthavespentweekendsmowingthelawnandhadnofeelforfootholdsandhandholdsorhighsummits.Butmyfamily
understood,andwealllearnedthejoysoffreshairhighamongthecrags.Ifmyclimbingpartnershadnotgivensolidbelayswhenthecruxunderclingbrokeoffat
Smith,whenIgotpumpedandmissedthecriticalboltclipintheNeedles,orwhen...,therewouldhavebeenlittletotell.ButthosewithwhomIhavesharedthe
ropeheldthebelays,andourpastandfuturevisionsweaveatapestryforthetelling.Thankstoallofthese!

Page139

AbouttheAuthor

PhilWattshasinstructedhundredsofrockclimbersthroughvariousoutdoorprogramsanduniversitycourses.
Introducedtorockclimbingin1979,Philsincethenhascompletedmanyoutdooradventurecourses,includingan8dayTechnicalRockClimbingcourseatthe
CanadianOutwardBoundMountainSchool,a31dayNorthCascadesMountaineeringcourseattheNationalOutdoorLeadershipSchool,an8dayTechnicalIce
ClimbingcourseattheAmericanAlpineInstitute.Hehasextensiveclimbingexperienceonmanysurfaces,includinggranite,sandstone,basalt,andotherrocktypes.
Afterearningbothabachelor'sdegreeinhealthandphysicaleducation(1973)andamaster'sdegreeinphysicaleducationfromEastCarolinaUniversity,Greenville,
NorthCarolina,PhilcompletedaPhDinexercisephysiology(1980)fromtheUniversityofMaryland,CollegePark.Since1983hisresearchhasfocusedon
mountaineeringandrockclimbing.
Philhasdevelopedandtaughthisownoutdooradventureprogramsandcoursesandpresentedseveralworkshopsandcolloquiumsonthephysiologicalaspectsof
rockclimbing.HisworkhasappearedinsuchpublicationsastheJournalofSportsSciences,theJournalofSportsMedicineandPhysicalFitness,Summit,and
Rock&Ice.
PhilresidesinMarquette,MichiganwherelocalclimbershaveevennamedacragafterhimPhil'sHill.He'sanavidcrosscountryskiingcompetitorandenjoys
hikingandcampingwithhiswife,Annette,andtheirdaughter,Salem.