SportCLIMBING+ The positive approach to improving your climbing Adrian Berry Steve McClure "I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to take their climbing to the Uncredited photos by Adrian Berry next level. The authors put their wealth of Other photos as credited climbing experience into an entertaining and easy-to-read manual." Illustrations by Ray Eckermann Chris Sharma Printed by Latitude Printing Distributed by Cordee (www.cordee.co.uk) "Finally a climbing improvement book has given tactics their true place alongside tech- nique and training, to offer a balanced way forward for any sport climber to draw from." Dave MacLeod First Edition published by ROCKFAX Ltd. December 2006 "This book is an excellent addition to the Second Edition published by UKClimbing Ltd. June 2011 © UKClimbing Ltd. 2006, 2011 'How to Climb' genre, offering techniques All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in and tips from a modern perspective. The a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the appealing layout helps to make this book copyright owner A CIP catalogue record is available from the British Library. an essential tool for people climbing at all grades, wanting to improve their sport climbing skills." Lucy Creamer ISBN 978 1 873341 86 5 "This book provides essential reading to anyone who wishes to fulfil their potential in www.rockfax.com sport climbing." www.ukclimbing.com Neil Gresham Cover: Francesca Sanders on Magic Flute (7b), Bernia Ridge, Costa Blanca, Spain This page: Steve McClure in the Grande Grotta, Kalymnos Airlie Anderson belaing at Owens River Gorge, California, USA. Matt Heason on Cedar Rouge (6c) Rocklands, South Africa. Photo by Sophie Heason. Contents 3 Introduction (4) Redpointing (108) Starting Out (6) What is redpointing all about Introduction The origins of sport climbing and and how it can help you achieve the basics for those who have never your maximum potential. Advice been sport climbing. on preparation, advanced route Starting Out Essential ropework skills for getting working methods, multi-day up and down your first sport route projects and tips for success. and advice on making the switch from other Gear types of climbing. The Mind (120) Gear (32) Rational fears and means of working them to your advantage. Dealing All the gear that you need for sport with lack of confidence in your own Ropework climbing, from ropes and shoes to ability leading on to some advanced more advanced items like clip-sticks mental preparation techniques. and bolts. Tactics Technique (130) Ropework (50) How to develop good technique The next level of ropework skills. to improve your climbing Includes techniques for improved performance. Multi-pitching efficiency as well as safe practices for climbing and descending. Training (156) Tactics (70) Onsighting Straightforward training advice Planning your climbing day so from planning your training that you can make the most out of to what works best for specific your time and climb safely to avoid improvements. Redpointing tiredness and injury. Self-care (170) Multi-pitching (82) The Mind How to look after yourself when The special techniques and skills your skin is worn and muscles are required when climbing longer tired. Techniques for avoiding and sport routes with more than one recovering from some common Technique pitch. injuries plus simple advice on diet. Onsighting (98) Destinations (178) Training How to maximize your onsighting Where to go. A concise listing of potential, covering advanced skills some of the best destinations for like route-reading and advice on sport climbing from around the your attitude and tactics. world. Self-care Airlie Anderson belaing at Owens River Gorge, Index (191) California, USA. Destinations 98 Introduction Starting Out Gear Ropework Tactics Multi-pitching Onsighting Redpointing The Mind Technique Training Self-care Destinations 99 Introduction Onsighting Starting Out Gear Ropework Tactics An onsight ascent is the purest style of rock climbing and perhaps the most rewarding. It is also the most difficult to achieve. An ‘onsight’ is an ascent without the aid of any information, Multi-pitching other than that gained from observing or ‘read- ing’ the route from the ground, or during the actual ascent. Onsighting Onsight climbing has a thrill that is hard to match, knowing you only have one chance Redpointing focuses the mind and getting the moves right first time is a great feeling! The flip side is that onsighting is a tough game; when onsighting at your limit there will be failures. Rests can be The Mind missed, sequences got wrong and crucial holds not seen. The chances are that you’ll blow some of the routes you have been aching to onsight – Technique c’est la vie! Training Self-care Matt James, Cocaine Gully, Smith Rock. Photo by Alex Messenger Destinations 100 Onsighting Introduction To onsight or not to onsight? Pick your route Whatever your situation you will always Sport routes are generally graded for a red- point ascent. The exception to this is easier Starting Out have both limited climbing time and limited energy. In our drive to climb lots of routes which tend only to be onsighted. great routes it is tempting to try to onsight Where the grade emphasis switches from everything simply because it is so quick. one to the other is a grey area but most Below your limit, onsighting is the way to grades above 7b will be redpoint grades. Gear go. You can cover a lot of ground and gain valuable experience in movement and Routes with complicated sequences that are boost your confidence. Closer to your limit ‘easy when you know how’ can be consid- Ropework a little more thought is required before div- erably harder to onsight than the grade ing into a hard onsight attempt. Be ambi- suggests. As a rule, longer, more stamina tious, but realistic at the same time. If your orientated routes tend to be easier to onsight hardest recent onsight is 6b, then you’ll than shorter, bouldery routes. Steeper routes Tactics probably want to push yourself to 6b+, or have more obvious holds than vertical routes even 6c if you’re feeling confident and the simply because they will be bigger. Multi-pitching route favours your strengths. However, it would be an unwise use of time and energy The biggest aid to reading a sequence is to to jump on a 7a, or even a 6b+, that does follow other people’s chalk. Pale grey rock not suit your style. doesn’t show chalked-up holds as readily Onsighting as darker rock and so is harder to read from If there’s a special route that you really want the ground. In addition, rain may wash to climb then be realistic in your style of chalk away; orange rock tends to remain attack. Assuming you give it your all and dry in the rain (grey streaks show where the Redpointing fall at around three-quarter’s height, you’ll water runs). be so tired that it’s unlikely you’ll have the energy for a redpoint attempt that day. At many venues, routes have ‘extensions’ Returning the following day most of the beyond the belay of the original route. The Mind moves will be forgotten and you’ll be start- These are fun to onsight because when you ing again from scratch. A better strategy get to the first belay, you have ticked the would have been to spend the first day route and the pressure is reduced – you can Technique working towards a redpoint in the after- view the extension as a bonus and have a noon, with the result that you will save the go and see what happens! next day to pursue a more likely onsight prey. An alternative strategy might be to Training watch someone else on the route and quiz them about the moves – getting ‘beta’ on how to do it – allowing you the possibility Self-care of ‘flashing’ the route, which might well be within your reach if you get the right ‘beta’. Though the onsight is the most coveted Destinations style of ascent, the ‘flash’ is also highly respected and for many the most enjoyable as it gives an onsight ‘feel’ without missing crucial or unobvious holds. Onsighting 101 Time is energy Introduction One of the main reasons an onsight ascent is so much harder than a flash or redpoint ascent is because it’s so easy to make a mistake. Though a mistake may not automatically result in a fall, more dif- ficult sequences and corrections of mistakes take time and use up Starting Out precious energy. As you become more tired, your thinking gets fuzzier and you become more likely to make mistakes, quickly falling into a vicious downward cycle until you simply don’t Gear have the strength to continue. Knowledge is power Ropework The traditional view of an ‘onsight’ is that you should walk up to the base of a route and climb it with no prior knowl- edge. If a climb is well within your ability, you should be Tactics able to climb it with the minimum of preparation, but the more ambitious you become, time spent on the ground will become increasingly valuable. Spending just five minutes eyeing up the route can easily make the dif- Multi-pitching ference between succeeding on the onsight, and hav- ing to come back for a redpoint. At the very highest level it is not unheard of for climbers to spend days working out the moves of a climb from the ground Onsighting before setting off. This practice is known as route-‘ reading’ and more than anything else, learning this skill will add grades to your onsight ability.