Skyward Mountaineering

Raising the Bar

SMF — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:39:14 +0000

A lot of people have asked my opinion of the recent events on Cerro Torre. Here they are for any that are interested. Probably no surprises for those that know me.
Patagonia’s Cerro Torre, once considered a premier alpine climbing destination, has rapidly become one of the world’s premier cragging destinations. As the summits there become more and more accessible to more and more people, it has lost much of it’s fierce reputation. The recent actions of Jason Kruk and Hayden Kennedy, however, have helped to restore true alpinism to this beautiful mountain. By not only ascending the mountain’s Southeast Ridge by fair means but also, by removing many of the offensive and unnecessary bolts placed during the first attempt at climbing this route, and I stress the word attempt, they not only removed litter, but also made the summit of Cerro Torre much less accessible. They, and others have proven that Cerro Torre’s summit is not inaccessible, one only needs to serve the proper apprenticeship and develop a high level of competency and craftsmanship in alpinism prior to attempting an ascent. To stand on the summit of Cerro Torre is once again not just something one is entitled to, requiring only moderate climbing experience and good weather. You can no longer cheat to arrive on top of Cerro Torre; it must be earned!
No doubt, some have and will continue to cry foul of their actions, calling them elitists. And, elitists they are as should be anyone able to stand on top of Cerro Torre. It is a proud and distinguished peak; those capable of ascending it are truly among climbing’s elite. There is nothing wrong with that and the notion that, for some, it simply is beyond their abilities. This concept of inaccessibility seems to have been neglected and forgotten neglected recently. There are and truly should be some places on our planet that are inaccessible due to their remoteness and/or ruggedness. The means of ascent by which Jason and Hayden have altered was in no way an important climb in the world of alpinism. It was, however, quite controversial, and rightly so, since it was nothing more than cheating. Cheating is frowned upon in every other sport, why should it be any different in climbing, especially Alpinism? In that, and in light of the obvious nefarious original intent (to help cover up a lie), the actions of Jason and Hayden should be commended, not condemned as some have.
I, for one, commend and applaud them and encourage others in the climbing community to do the same. I also admit that I may not have the requisite skill to ascend the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre. I appreciate the tremendous effort and dedication to excellence that it would take to succeed at that endeavor.
Regardless of the country or region in which this beautiful and daunting mountain resides, it deserves better than what amounted to a glorified via ferratta by which to attain it’s magnificent summit. It deserves far better. I can only hope it inspires others to better themselves and better consider the means to the end which they seek.
Thank you Jason Kruk and Hayden Kennedy.

Vince Anderson
Grand Junction, Colorado, USA

Mild GJ Weekend

SMF — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:48:31 +0000

We took advantage of the mild early winter weather here in the Grand Valley for a family biking outing.

Is there no standard anymore?

SMF — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:36:13 +0000

I lifted the title to this post from a Pantera song. It’s kind of fitting, though (especially if you’re familiar with said tune). I climbed Bird Brain Boulevard a few weeks back and recently had some revelations about my experience on it. When climbing, I noticed most of the route to be equipped with rap anchors. From time to time I’ve seen them up there, but now it had anchors most of the way up, until just before the traverse. At first, I thought nothing of them, but as I got higher, I thought about cleaning them out. I didn’t though. Now I regret that. My mistake was not to clean them.

While I think it was fine that whomever was up there and had to bail for whatever reason they did (I’ve had to bail on plenty of routes) and leave those anchors, I think it is part of the responsibility of future secessionists to clean it up. This is pretty much the same as when you decide to back up an existing rap anchor with new material, you really should clean out the bulk of the old stuff, leaving just the best single old piece in addition to the new material that you leave. This keeps things clean. As for these anchors on the route of ascent on Bird Brain, some will argue, and rightly so, that having the anchors on the way up will make it much more convenient for some to simply rap the route or even quickly bail from any given point. Though it would be more “convenient”, I don’t think that convenience necessarily equals improvement. Besides, It is much better to do the standard rap or into the Ribbon than to rap the route. I know, I’ve done it before and can attest to the numerous stuck rope opportunities there are in rapping down the route. Having known rap anchors on BBB greatly reduces the seriousness and commitment involved in climbing that route. It is a special route for Colorado in that it is one of the few winter cragging routes that could get a grade IV or V level of commitment. I think it is worth maintaining that. As well, with a lower level of commitment, you get a lower level of competence needed to safely ascend the route. This will attract more climbers with less experience and (besides simply crowding the route a bit more) will increase the likelihood that people will go up there and get in over their head; perhaps having an accident. Believe, me, BBB is NOT a route to fall on. The fact that it is serious and revered by most, has helped ensure that most suitors have served an appropriate apprenticeship prior to leading such a climb. This is respect and there is something to be said about that.

I’m not trying to preach or rant here, but just wanted to point out that I made a mistake by not cleaning up the rap anchors on this route when I had a good opportunity (and to some extent, as a guide, the obligation) to do so. If I go up there again this season, I will certainly do this, however, I would hope that someone else will have felt similarly and already done so.

Happy climbing!

Climb Fast!

SMF — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:14:08 +0000

I’m prepping for a weekend course on getting someone to climb faster on moderate terrain. It’s something that a lot of people can improve on. One thing that has helped me succeed on getting up (and down) big, technical routes at high altitude is the ability to move efficiently on the moderate terrain. As a guide, I often encounter other parties on the classic routes, especially in popular areas like the Canadian Rockies and the Alps. I’ve found that while most do just fine on the technical cruxes, its on the moderate terrain and at belay stations that people seem to spend more time than they need to. The M7 crux will (and should) take as long as it needs to; that’s why it’s called “the crux.” But, there is no need climbing the rest of the WI4-5 pitches at the same snail’s pace.
I think that so many people spend the bulk of their time working on climbing harder grades, that they neglect honing their speed and efficiency on the “easy” terrain. The good news is that the prescription is simple. It’s a mantra that is echoed by many of the ultra heavy metal bands I frequently listen to: MAXIMUM VOLUME YIELDS MAXIMUM RESULTS! It really does boil down to doing a lot of climbing at and below your maximum grade. Sure, pushing your grade and comfort zone has it’s place too, but the bulk of your time out should be on terrain you are completely comfortable with so you can forget about the climbing and focus on maximizing your efficiency. You shouldn’t be worried about falling off or getting pumped. Instead, you should think about things like: “Can I move my body higher before replacing the next tool? Can I move up without looking at my feet? Can I climb with one ax daggering? Can I go any further before placing the next screw? Is my pace right at or below my threshold for this length of pitch?” Or, simply “What can I be doing to move quicker here?” These and many other things are what can help you motor up the easier stuff, saving time (and energy) for the truly harder pitches and for successfully completing longer objectives.

One of the most common reasons for climbing slower on moderate terrain is due to swinging the axes more often and harder than need be. This is usually due to the desire for more security found by having an ax solidly placed and done frequently. However, you can often get by with fewer swings and less secure placements by having more secure feet, The best way to work on feet is on moderate and easy terrain. The more time you devote to getting better, more secure footwork, the more efficient and faster you will climb, especially on the moderate pitches!

Also, though a subject for a post in and of itself, the construction, management and transitions at the belay stations are other places where time can be gained or lost. Being as thoughtful and efficient as possible here will really impact the time. Saving 5 minutes per belay station on a 12 pitch route saves one hour! Also, remember that in the winter, it gets dark fast AND once it’s dark you’ll move at half speed if you’re lucky. Sometimes, moving faster means being safer. I can think of numerous times when I’ve had to climb under seracs or avalanche threat on moderate ice and wanted to spend as little as time as possible there. These are places where moving fast and efficiently is imperative to maintain some semblance of an acceptable level of risk.
So work on your efficiency on the moderate terrain and at the belay stations to get up and down(or at least to the bivy site!) those bigger routes before it get’s too dark.

Palisade Rim Trail

SMF — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:08:54 +0000

I had the good fortune to ride the newly improved Palisade Rim Trail this afternoon. The mild, late autumn weather has put skiing on hold, but has allowed for some great riding conditions here in the Grand Valley. This may all change this week, however, so I figured this may be my last chance to get on this trail before next spring. I’m glad I did as it is is quite a gem. It is short, but sweet; only about 4-5 miles of trail in total, but there are a lot of offshoots to explore and it is easy to spend and hour or more riding up there. It is also one of the more scenic trails I’ve ridden around here, which is saying a lot considering the other trails here in Grand Junction and Fruita. The riding is also technically challenging enough to keep you engaged while riding in either direction. It’s not a free ride trail, but it’s not some flowy, smooth green groomer type thing either. Think Phil’s World meets the Lunch Loop. There’s also some really cool petroglyphs to check out along the trail. The potential for more great trail looks incredible there and I can’t wait to see what else get’s developed in the Palisade area. Many thanks to COPMOBA and all the people that helped develop this excellent trail system!

Here’s a few shots from the ride.

Black Canyon Access Update

SMF — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:04:00 +0000

I just got word from Leigh Goldberg, the Access Director of the AMGA, about the comment period regarding the new proposed access restrictions to climbing in the Black Canyon. Following is a summary of how things are.

First off, THANKS to everyone that took the time to make a comment! It sounds like there were many who did so.

According to Leigh, the Park received over 400 letters, the majority of which were in opposition to the Black’s proposal to ban guided climbing. This one issue definitely received considerable attention and the bulk of the comments with respect to the Wilderness and Backcountry Management Plan. The bolt restrictions also received some comment. The Park expects to publish a summary of the comments after Jan. 1 (they are compiling and analyzing the data in-house so it will take some time) and then a decision will be reached sometime thereafter. The Regional Director would need to approve their proposed Plan and then it would go through the NPS Director’s office in DC. Given the amount of attention this issue received, the Park does not expect a very quick approval process. The Superintendent of the Black has already briefed the regional office in Denver letting them know that the public didn’t favor the Park’s proposal to ban guided climbing access.

So for now, things are unchanged for a while. After the New Year, we will find out more from the Park Service.

Once again, thanks to everyone who took the time to comment!

Bird Brain Boulevad: The Rack

SMF — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:35:16 +0000

A lot of people ask me what to bring for this route, so here’s a photo of what I brought along yesterday.

It’s interesting because it’s kind of a rock climb, kind of an ice climb and kind of a chimney grovel. There’s not many ice screws needed and the shorter ones work best. The bulk of the cams are mostly for building anchors. There’s a lot of run out climbing and marginal intermediate protection and the anchors are often hard to make bomber so you may end up belaying off of your harness more often than directly off the anchor. I end up with a lot of four piece anchors on this route. The big cam is helpful, if for nothing else, to protect an awkward offwidth section on the last pitch. It is also handy, but not necessary in several other places. The secret weapons here are the knee pads! Think of them as tape gloves for your knees. They let you smear and scum your knee with confidence in so many areas where chimneying is the only way to go; often with little or no protection!

Packing for Ice Climbing

SMF — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:31:13 +0000

I was getting my things ready to go ice climbing tomorrow and figured I’d post a video of what and how I end up packing for a day of cragging for those that are interested.

Commitment (revisited)

SMF — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:16:48 +0000

Commitment. There’s a word that is used a lot in climbing and has a lot of different meanings to different people. Quite some time ago, I wrote about this as it applies to what I consider to be the first step in “commitment” on any given climb: that is, simply committing to going on the climbing trip in the first place. I’m reprinting that original post in its entirety as I feel it is a good early season reminder of how to start realizing your goals, by making a commitment (in this case, a financial one) to doing so, by buying your plane ticket to where ever it is the climbing is to take place. Simply doing this, makes you much less likely to fail at trying your objective since knowing that you’ve invested something in it this early, you will focus your mind and body towards making the proper preparations towards realizing your goal. This level of commitment also builds the trust in the partnership that you’ll no doubt need on any serious climb, since you and your partner(s) will have the same level of investment towards the trip. For me, committing to a goal by buying a plane ticket, paying for entry, making a deposit, etc. also lets me relax some and not worry so much about which is the “best” use of my time and money, since I’ll have the satisfaction of already making a decision. I don’t look back and waste time on regrets. I simply make a good decision about my goals, make some form of commitment towards achieving them, and then focus on developing the map towards getting me as prepared as possible for success (whatever you define that as).

Of course, commitment is only the first step and you will have many others to complete along the way, but having made commitment first, it will make you more accountable towards and, hence, more likely to completing the other necessary steps for any successful climbing trip.

Here it is:

“Buy the fucking plane tickets!” I believe I heard this from Jack Tackle once. He says it to his climbing partners. In a simple sense, buying the plane tickets firmly cements one’s commitment to an objective. If you are serious about it, you will get the tickets right away as it is going to be much harder to back out after you have purchased expensive plane tickets.I am sure that many reading this have experienced: “Dude, I going to have to bail on our plans for Alaska (or wherever)” before. It is classic and seems to happen more often than people actually following through with their barstool inspired dreams (delusions?) of grandeur.

It is not uncommon for people to lose their enthusiasm for your big plans as the time draws nearer. Thoughts of sport climbing, skiing locally and likely fear will often extinguish the flames of anticipation and lead to a change of heart. Once you have shelled out a bunch of cash, however, things are much different. It is often the hardest thing to do. So, my advice is if you really want to make a dream trip happen: find a willing partner, agree on dates, then BUY THE FUCKING TICKETS! You’ll be satisfied as it takes all the second guessing and worrying away. You are safe in your knowledge that, in a sense, your fate is sealed. You are going. All the other details, like equipment, route specifics and other logistics will work themselves out. The ticket (pretty much) ensures that both you and your partner are going and you ain’t going to bail. It is a good show of commitment.

Of course there are some other small things to consider, as well. If you are going to Asia, for example, you may need a VISA. So, get on this right away as it can take a while to process these applications. Also, if you are going to need a permit for your objective get someone working on this as soon as you have made your decision to go. These are important, but I find that once the ticket is purchased, the gig is on!

Early Season Pre-flight Check

SMF — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:17:34 +0000

OK, now ice climbing season is truly upon us. For those willing and able, exciting frozen cragging awaits. But before you pack your sack and head for the hills, you’ll do yourself a favor by making an inspection of all your equipment. If you’re like me, after your last alpine or ice adventure of the spring/summer season, you’ve put your cold weather climbing equipment away in safe storage for the past several months. Inevitably, there is bound to be a loose pick or dull front point that you should take care of before heading out on your first ice climbing excursion of the season. The base of the route is not the place to be trying to do this type of pre-season maintenance either. I like to get my stuff out, visually inspect it and even pack my sack with gear to make sure it is good to go beforehand. Maybe, you just got a bunch of new stuff. Well, this too, needs to be checked out first prior to heading out and climbing with it.

So go get your stuff, a file and appropriate wrenches and lay it all out somewhere you can take a look at it all.

Here’s a list of some of the things I like to check on before heading out.

Axes:

Check the picks. Are they tight?
Are they the ones you want in there this time of year (T picks for mixed and hard use, B for more delicate or brittle ice)?
Are they sharp? If not, either sharpen or replace them.
Adjustment tools: do you have a small kit of them to keep with you in your pack? It is easy for the picks to come lose out on the ice during the first day.

Crampons:

Are the points sharp? Probably not, since most people don’t sharpen these as much as they do their picks and especially so if your last climbing was on an alpine route. It is really important to have the bottom points nice and sharp this time of year since a lot of the stream bed ice is not yet covered in snow, so you’ll be walking around a lot on very slippery surfaces. Take a file (I’ve even used a grinder to speed things up) and sharpen all the points on your crampons.
If you have replaceable front points, you may consider putting in new ones. I’ll often just sharpen up my old ones for the early season and save the new ones for a little later on when the ice is nice and fat.
Are the straps trimmed to proper length? This is more of an issue with brand new crampons, but it never hurts to check them anyway. Excessively long straps are a menacing nuisance!
Bail keeper tabs? You know, the bendy, metal thing with the ring in it that is connected to your toe bail and allows you to pass your strap through it. If you still have these on crampons with bails, take them off! Cut ‘em with wire cutters. Why they are put on bailed crampons I have no idea. One thing I do know is that if you use them and your heel clamp slips off of your heel (which DOES happen), then the crampon can fall completely off of your boot. Without this, the strap will secure more tightly around your ankle (and be much shorter), keeping your crampon attached to your boot should the heel clamp slip off.
Antibots: are they in good condition? Do they need replacement?
Check all the bolts to make sure they are secure and properly tightened.
Put them on your boots to make sure they are adjusted for the ones you are going to use. If you last used them on your double, plastic boots and now plan on using single, leather boots, they probably need to be adjusted to fit. Make sure to check this. I have seen countless people show up for the first climb of the season with crampons that don’t fit their boots well. Often, they seem to fit well at home, in the living room, but not so well out in the field. You need to make sure that you’ve got a tight snap of the heel clamp while getting a secure, solid clasp of the bail around your boot toe rand. There should be little to no side to side movement of your boot toe in the bail. If there is, consider modifying the bail shape or, better yet, get a smaller bail that better fits the shape of your boot toe. This is an often overlooked part of the equipment use.

Boots:

Check the soles and outer fabric to make sure all is in good condition. Do the soles need to be replaced? Are their any excessive wear marks or holes in the fabric on the uppers? If so, can it be repaired?
Treat you leather with good weather sealant.
Check/replace laces.
Try them on and make sure they still fit you well. You may even want to wear them around your house a bit to make sure they’re going to be OK for that hour long approach hike. I’ve seen people get terrible blisters from the hike that prevented them from climbing as a result of wearing new boots all too often.
Consider replacing or getting new custom footbeds. These not only feel nicer under foot, but will help you be much more precise with your feet (and warmer!) due to a better fit and connection between your foot-toes and the boot (and, eventually by extension, the crampons).
All in all the foot to crampon connection should be very secure and comfortable feeling. When your foot is in the boot with the crampon on, you should feel little to no play or movement of your foot within the boot when pushing the crampons from side to side, up and down and so forth. Also, check to make sure there is no discomfort. If you are guarding your foot due to pain or discomfort, you won’t be able to kick an place it very effectively.

Other:

Gloves. Check all your gloves and make sure they have no holes and are treated with weather proofing. People will spend a lot of money and time getting a good set of boots, but then cheap out and neglect their gloves, which are the basically boots for the hands. Get a FEW pairs of good fitting, durable, high performance gloves and you will notice huge improvements in your ice climbing.
Screws. I like to check them all to look for burrs and nicks in the threads and teeth. If I see any, I set them aside for either home maintenance (difficult) or for sending into Ouray Mountain Sports to have them professionally resharpened. If I’m in doubt, I have them resharpened. Dull ice screw suck. No explanation necessary. Getting them professionally resharpened is like getting brand new screws for a fraction of the cost.
Helmet. If you’ve been using it for rock climbing lately, it probably is not adjusted to fit your head with a hat on. Adjust it to do so. In the field adjustments will likely result in an improper fit. Then you’re likely to have a helmet that falls off to the back of your head when you’re looking up, exposing the frontal lobe to the battering from above. Make sure your helmet fits well at home.
Pack. Make sure that any holes in the fabric, broken buckles or zippers are repaired. Also, make sure that everything fits nicely in and on it.
Clothes. Ditto with these, but I won’t go on about them.

So, suffice it to say, there is a lot you can do now that will save you frustration and possible fright in the field with your ice climbing equipment. This is the perfect time to get the stuff out, check it out, fondle it (yeah, I said fondle) and get psyched for that first trip out ice climbing!