Rope – For top roping it is generally recommended that the climber use a 10+mm diameter dynamic climbing rope. 10+mm rope is generally heavy, but will last longer than a thinner rope and provide greater safety than thinner ropes especially if the top rope should happen to run over sharp rock (despite the climber using great caution to prevent this from happening!) or sees repeated pressure on individual areas of the rope. A dynamic climbing rope is a rope that stretches somewhat when weighted allowing the rope to absorb force during a fall. A climber should never use a static rope other than for rappelling or hauling.
Harnesses – There are many different harnesses commercially available today. It suffices to say that a well padded harness specifically manufactured for climbing is your best bet. There are also kids’ harnesses available which include the full body type.
Belay Devices – There are several types of belay devices. The author recommends that top rope climbers begin by using an ATC. An ATC is a tubular belay device that creates friction which slows the rope down. It is the most versatile device and can be used for any type of climbing and rappelling.
Carabiners – Carabiners come in many different shapes and sizes. The most important thing to remember is that the carabiner must be approved for climbing uses (not those of the key chain variety!) and that carabiners with locking gates, while heavier and more expensive, are always superior in strength to those without screw gates.
Webbing – Used to rig anchors, attach climbers to anchors, as gear slings, and for a number of other things. Webbing is made from either nylon or Spectra. Spectra is stronger and more resistant to abrasion or cutting, but has a lower melting temperature than nylon. Both are damaged by ultraviolet radiation from the sun and should be replaced once visible wear, discoloration, or damage become visible. Otherwise it is wise to replace webbing after a few years of use. Nylon webbing is typically 1” while Spectra comes only in 9/16” size. Webbing that is permanently sewn into a loop is available and is somewhat safer than straight webbing that requires the climber to tie their own knots. The drawback of pre-sewn loops however is that adjusting for size can become more difficult. Webbing that is not pre-sewn can be tied into a loop with a ring bend or water knot. Make sure that the webbing you use is manufactured with rock climbing in mind.
Cordelette – An alternative to webbing used to build anchors. Cordelette has the advantage of quick and simple static equalization, and is also invaluable in self rescue situations as it is ideal for tying Prusik knots. Cordelette commonly comes in 7 mm or 5.5 mm high-strength cord such as Spectra. While climbers typically carry 16-21’ sections of cordelette, I find 30 feet provides me with more options in building anchors. While this extra weight can be a concern on longer climbs, in top roping the weight of the gear is essentially irrelevant. Go with the longer cord, and leave yourself with more options for building more redundant anchors.
Discloures & Disclaimers: The author is not a certified climbing guide or instructor and the above post represents only what the author believes to be clear and accurate information. There is no warranty that this information is accurate or up to date, and the author and BayAreaClimbing.com assume no liability whatsoever in the event that climbers misinterpret or otherwise come to harm after reading the above information. Climbing is inherently dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
Tying into the Rope: Part II: Basic Belay Technique
Once you have acquired the necessary equipment you are ready to begin practicing basic belay techniques that will be used any time you tie into the rope. The following is a brief overview of these methods. While relatively straightforward, basic belay techniques are best learned in a safe environment, such as a climbing gym, from a certified belay instructor. This is especially important because the quality and efficiency of the belay is the link between you safely leaving and returning to the ground. A bombproof anchor built with the world’s sturdiest gear is meaningless if the quality of the belay is lacking in any way, shape, or form.
Tying Into The Rope
To tie into the rope, the climber uses a figure eight knot tied through both the bottom and top loops of his or her harness and backs this knot up with a fisherman’s or overhand knot.
Double check that the figure eight knot is tied correctly, the tail has been tied into a backup knot, that the harness straps are double-backed and that the figure eight passes through both the top and bottom loops of the harness.
Belay Technique Using an ATC
To belay your partner using an ATC device, clip the device through the harness belay loop with a locking carabiner. Pass a bight of rope through one of the slots of the device and make sure that both the gear loop on the ATC and the rope are securely inside the locking carabiner. Make sure that the rope is running through the device such that the rope going up to the climber is on top, and the rope going down to the brake hand is on the bottom. The hand you use as your brake hand will almost always be your right hand if you are right handed and vice versa.
Once the climber is ready to climb, he or she will ask ‘Belaying?’ to which the belayer - if prepared to belay - will respond, ‘Belay on.’ The climber will then announce that he or she is ‘Climbing’ to which the belayer will respond, ‘Climb on.’
Once the climber begins to climb, the belayer will begin pulling the rope in to remove slack with the guide hand, while pulling the rope through the ATC with the brake hand. The belayer will then bring the guide hand down to the brake side of the rope near the ATC and will grasp the rope firmly. The brake hand will then slide up next to the guide hand. The guide hand will be brought back up to the original position and will be ready to pull in more slack as the climber continues to make upward progress.
This process should be as smooth as possible so that there are no unexpected jerks or tension in the rope which could hinder the climbers’ ability to move efficiently.
The most important part of this entire process is that the brake hand must NEVER let go of the brake side of the rope. Let me repeat this again so that it is absolutely clear. THE BRAKE HAND MUST NEVER LET GO OF THE ROPE! The belayer must be ready to stop a climber’s fall at all times. If you release the brake hand from the rope, there is nothing to stop the rope from running straight through the belay device. Should the climber fall in this scenario, it is very unlikely the belayer would be able to catch the rope and stop a fall.
To catch a fall, the belayer bends the rope across the belay device creating enough friction to stop the rope from running through the device.
To lower a climber, begin in a fully braked position, and slowly let the rope slide through the device using both the guide hand and brake hand on the brake side of the rope to control the rate of descent. Lower the climber slowly and evenly back to the ground. Watch for overhangs, bulges, or other features on the rock that may require you to slow down so that the climber can pass these obstacles smoothly and without hitting their head or causing other injury.
Once safely on the ground and solidly balanced, the climber should announce that they are ‘Off Belay.’ Once the ATC has been disengaged from the rope, the belayer should state that the ‘Belay is Off.’
One way to get comfortable using proper belay technique is to rig an anchor to a tree and have the ‘climber’ walk towards the tree, while the ‘belayer’ practices taking in slack without ever letting go of the rope. The climber then walks backwards to the starting point, so the belayer can practice slowly and evenly ‘lowering’ the climber back to the ground.
Discloures & Disclaimers: The author is not a certified guide or instructor and the above post represents only what the author believes to be an accurate overview of the basic techniques for belaying a climber. There is no warranty that this information is accurate or up to date, and the author and BayAreaClimbing.com assume no liability whatsoever in the event that climbers misinterpret or otherwise come to harm after reading the above information. Climbing is inherently dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
Tying into the Rope: Part III: Building a Top Rope Anchor
Top rope anchors are built using a variety of techniques depending on the available protection and equipment. There is usually no one perfect way to build an anchor, but the information offered here should provide the reader with enough information to begin to understand and evaluate anchors. Once this apprenticeship has begun, the reader can practice these techniques and then gain the necessary experience under the close supervision of a certified climbing guide or experienced partner to begin exercising independent judgment. The intent here is to introduce the reader to the basic principles of anchor construction. Misinterpreting and/or misapplying any of the following information can and likely will result in injury or death. Therefore, it is critical that you thoroughly understand these concepts before applying them in real life situations.
All anchors should be evaluated based on their adherence to the principles identified in the well-known SRENE acronym.
Solid: Each individual component should be sound and solid to the greatest possible extent.
Redundant: The U.S. Navy Seals have a saying: “Two is one, and one is none.” This old adage is particularly germane to building anchors. Make sure there is at least two (or more) of each component in the system.
Equalized: The load must be as equally distributed among the anchor points as possible.
No Extension: The possibility that failure of one of the anchors in the system will suddenly cause the overall anchor to extend, and thus shock load the remaining anchor points must be eradicated.
Basic top rope anchors are built using trees, chockstones, bolts, belay poles, or a combination thereof. When evaluating each anchor point, remember they must be as solid as possible.
Trees – Any tree used for building a top rope anchor should be alive, have a strong and sturdy root system, and be 6” or more in diameter. The general rule is: The bigger, the better.
Chockstones – Chockstones should be solid, free from structural cracks, immobile, and of great weight and size. If there is any chance that the chockstone could slide off the edge of the cliff or break apart, do not use it under any circumstances!
Bolts – Only use bolts that are 3/8” or larger (not the old ¼” buttonheads), that are solidly and fully driven into the rock, and free from rust. Also, check to make sure that the rock surrounding the anchor appears solid and secure. Evaluating the condition of bolts is a difficult thing to learn, but if the bolts and hangars look free of rust, solid, secure, and of the appropriate size, it is usually safe to use them, provided there is more than one bolt. If there is any question whatsoever as to the quality of the bolts or their hangars, DO NOT USE THEM. One of the benefits of top-roping is that you do not have to trust your life to any gear that appears anything less than 100% solid. If you are retreating off of an alpine multi-pitch climb in a storm, you may have to use whatever is available to you. This is never the case in setting up a top-rope. If there is any question, find another place to climb! It is also important to note that just because a crag is popular and you know many people who have climbed there, does not mean that the condition of the fixed protection (or bolts) doesn’t change over time. Weather, inappropriate use of bolts by other parties, natural decay of the rock, etc means that the quality of the bolts can and will change over time. Always use your best judgment and never hesitate to just say No! Notice that while the hardware on the bolt in Figure A is a little bit rusty, the bolt is newish, is fully driven, is 3/8” or larger, and has been driven into solid rock. This is likely worthy of use. The bolt in Figure B however is a rusted out, old ¼” buttonhead relic that will most likely grant the fool who uses it an express trip to the emergency room. Never use these old buttonheads under any circumstances whatsoever. It is better to free solo (climb sans ropes) than to weight a rope on these coffin nails.
Figure A
Figure B
Belay Poles – Belay poles, like bolts, must be solidly driven into the rock and in no way loose or movable. Make sure the rock surrounding the placement has not become cracked or broken, and that the belay pole is relatively free from rust or cracking.
Let’s take a closer look at the SRENE system.
Solid – You should ask yourself the following questions (and more) when determining how solid the individual anchor points are: Are the bolts in good condition, fully driven into solid and stable rock, free from obvious rusting and wear? Are the hangers tightly fastened or are they loose and spinning? Inspect each bolt carefully. Are the trees being used in a system alive, of sufficient thickness, and with a large and sturdy root system? Are belay poles fully driven and free from rust or other damange? Have the belay poles been fully driven into solid and stable rock? Are chockstones solid, immobile, and capable of withstanding large forces? Are all knots tied off correctly and the slings/webbing in good condition and free from abrasions and UV damage? Are all carabiners in good working condition with the gates tightly screwed shut? Inspect these factors very closely. After all, your life depends on it.
Redundant – Is there more than one bolt (or other anchor point)? Is the rope connected to the anchor with two locking carabiners with gates in opposition? Are you using two slings to rig your anchor? If you see some hot shot building an anchor with a single sling or carabiner, don’t think, ‘Wow, what I’m doing must be overkill.” Instead, say to yourself, ‘I hope he or she doesn’t get killed.’
Equalized – The anchor points should be as close to evenly sharing the load as possible. This is accomplished in a variety of ways depending on the situation, but it almost always come down to the angle at which the webbing or cordelette connects the rope to the anchor points, and the direction of the force being applied to the anchor (i.e. straight down or diagonal). Any angle larger than 60 degrees is likely to be dangerous. Aim for 45 degree angles or less. (See Figure A below.) If you need to decrease the degree at which the anchor is connected to the rope, then simply extend your webbing or cordelette. The longer the webbing extends from the anchor points, the smaller the resulting angle. If the direction of force can be predicted, then static equalization should be sufficient. This means that if the route follows a line of ascent that is directly below the anchor, then the anchor can be built without a self-equalizing or sliding knot. A common example would be three bolts connected with cordolette and a master point tied off in the predicted direction of force. If using bolts or belay poles, self equalized anchors can be built such that changes in direction of force do not change the amount of load being distributed to each anchor point. This particularly important component of the SRENE system will be explained in much greater detail later in this series as we confront various sample anchor building challenges.
Angle => Force on Each Anchor
0 degrees 50%
60 degrees 58%
90 degrees 71%
120 degrees 100%
150 degrees 193%
170 degrees 573%
No Extension – The possibility that failure of one of the anchors in the system will suddenly cause the overall anchor to extend, and thus shock load the remaining anchor points, must be eradicated. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including an extension limiting knot or through the use of static equalization as is the case when building anchors with the use of cordolette.
Discloures & Disclaimers: The author is not a certified climbing guide or instructor and the above post represents only what the author believes to be clear and accurate information. There is no warranty that this information is accurate or up to date, and the author and BayAreaClimbing.com assume no liability whatsoever in the event that climbers misinterpret or otherwise come to harm after reading the above information. Climbing is inherently dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
Bouldering Basics
Bouldering is the most free form of free climbing, requiring the least amount of expense, equipment, or experience. Simply find a boulder or small rock outcropping and climb to the top. In past eras, climbers looked at boulders or small crags as merely practice for longer alpine mountain routes. But then John Gill, Jim Holloway, and several other climbers with phenomenal gymnastic strength came along and began to boulder at the exclusion of other types of climbing. Their intense focus on pushing the limits of difficulty through enhanced training, the use of chalk (which Gill brought to the sport of climbing from gymnastics), and extraordinary amounts of attention devoted to routes with only a few short, but extremely difficult, moves had caught the eyes of other climbers. In fact, much of the progress in terms of physical difficulty in traditional climbing has its foundations in techniques and strengths first developed with difficult boulder problems in mind.
While a climber can boulder alone with little more than a pair of climbing shoes and perhaps a chalk bag, there are a few pieces of gear that will make bouldering a much more pleasant, and safe, experience.
Gear List
Climbing Shoes –There are many styles and types of climbing shoes available on the market today. All feature sticky rubber that increases the climber’s friction with the rock. A beginner should aim for a versatile shoe that is recommended for gym climbing, rope climbing, and bouldering. This will often be in the form of a traditional lace-up shoe that should be one half-size smaller than the climber’s street shoe size. This is to allow for greater feel and to accommodate the natural stretch that all climbing shoes experience over time. Velcro shoes tend to be designed with bouldering in mind. These shoes often have a more aggressive shape and are less comfortable when worn for longer periods of time as in rope climbing. The benefit of the Velcro is that it allows a boulderer to quickly take off and put back on his or her shoes between different boulder problems or attempts. This keeps the sticky rubber clean and prolongs the life of the rubber soles. Slipper style shoes are also generally intended for bouldering. Check with different manufacturers for specific details and remember to find a shoe that is snug but well fitting. If your shoes aren’t comfortable or overly pinch your toes or feet your footwork will suffer and therefore so will your progress.
Chalk Bag - A simple chalk bag is all that is needed to keep the hands dry and improve grip on the rock. They come with either waist loops or loops to clip carabiners into, or both. This is a matter of preference. The bag should also have a drawstring at the top to limit spillage. Chalk is sold as a bag of loose chalk or in chalk socks that are akin to a pitcher’s rosin bag. Most climbers prefer to purchase a chalk sock that is refillable, and then purchase the cheaper loose chalk to refill the sock as it runs low. The chalk sock also has the benefit of preventing spillage.
Crash Pad – Crash pads are essentially mattresses or pads placed underneath a boulder problem to cushion a climber’s fall. Because all falls in bouldering are ground falls, the crash pad is almost essential to protect the climber’s joints and to help guard against more serious injuries such as broken bones or sprained ankles. If bouldering several hours a week without a crash pad, you will soon find stiff knees and bruised feet and ankles will start to impede your process. Crash pads come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Make sure the crash pad you purchase is of reasonable thickness and is not too soft (to prevent ankles from twisting, etc). Many crash pads today come with backpack straps sewn onto them. This is a huge benefit if having to hike for even a short distance to the boulders.
Carpet Square – If the crash pad you choose to purchase does not include a rough section for wiping clean the soles of your climbing shoes, a small square of carpet can supplement the boulder climbers’ tool kit. This is especially useful in areas that tend to stay damp or muddy for long periods of time.
Brushes – Bouldering brushes are used to clean mud or excess chalk off of holds. Do not use wire or metal brushes as they can mar or damage the rock. It is best to use a medium stiff nylon bristle brush. It is also not acceptable to use brushes for ‘gardening’ or removing lichen or moss from boulders. If the boulder hasn’t been cleaned by preceding parties it is best to find problems already cleaned or those naturally free of vegetation. If a problem is worthy of ‘development’ then it is because the problem is pushing the grade or standard and thus outside the scope of this text.
Tips for Bouldering
1. Do not climb any higher than a height at which you’d be willing to jump or fall from (usually 10 – 12 feet maximum.) As you gain experience and knowledge or your personal abilities and limits, you can begin to make decisions about what you are capable of. It is best in the early goings however to err on the side of caution and to keep your bouldering limited to short but hard problems.
2. Never climb up anything without first walking around the boulder to ensure there is a safe and manageable descent option. Do not get yourself marooned!
3. If you decide to boulder alone, climb only vertically above your crash pad or traverse low to the ground. If the route winds its way diagonally up the rock or features unsafe landing options then save it for a day when a spotter is there with you to slide the crash pad under you as you climb and to guide you safely away from any rocks, tree roots, or other impediment that is keeping the landing from being perfectly flat and soft.
4. When falling, keep your knees bent and aim for the center of your crash pad. Try to land feet first at all times. Relaxing your body helps to avoid serious injuries.
Tips on Spotting
1. Give your partner your complete and unbroken attention.
2. Keep your arms and hands up with your elbows slightly bent.
3. Focus on the climber’s waist rather than their arms or legs.
4. The goal is to steer the climber towards the center of the crash pad and away from any rocks or other hazards.
5. If the climber is falling backwards (for example off of an overhanging route), it is especially important to protect the climbers head and neck with cupped hands.
6. Do NOT try to catch the climber outright as a fall from even 10 feet could cause you serious injury if the climber lands on you.
7. Try your best to anticipate the direction of potential falls while the climber is climbing. This will not always be intuitive and knowledge of fall direction will develop with experience. Read the route as the climber climbs and move the pad and your body position accordingly. If the route is going diagonally up and right for example, move the pad along with your feet as you move laterally to the right staying ahead of the climber’s path as he or she is likely to swing further to the right in the event of a fall.
Bouldering Techniques
1. Take turns with your spotter when working on a boulder problem. The shared information or ‘beta’ is a great way to surpass your own creativity or insight.
2. Sequencing is a great method used for developing the moves necessary to complete a difficult boulder problem. To sequence a problem, climb up past certain difficulties on an easier part of the rock and work individual sections until you develop the coordination and muscle memory necessary to do each sequence separately. Once achieved, piece it all together and do the entire problem continuously. Careful though, some climbers consider this cheating. That said, if bouldering in the gym where such considerations carry less heft, this can be a great way to learn and develop new techniques.
3. To get the most out of available boulders, try to do eliminates or add a sit start to a problem. To do an eliminate problem, pick and choose holds that the climber may use to gain the top, eliminating jugs or other holds to increase difficulty. Sit starts can also greatly increase the difficulty of a given route.
Boulder Difficulty Ratings
Famous climber and boulderer, John “Vermin” Sherman, who began his climbing career at Indian Rock in the Berkeley hills (area covered later in this text) developed the V scale as an alternative to the Yosemite Decimal System (‘YDS’ scale) typically used to rate the difficulty of climbs in the United States. A comparison chart is provided below.
V Scale for Bouldering => Yosemite Decimal System (YDS)
V0 5.10a/b
V0+ 5.10c/d
V1 5.11a/b
V2 5.11b/c
V3 5.11c/d
V4 5.12a/b
V5 5.12b/c
V6 5.12c/d
V7 5.13a/b
V8 5.13b/c
V9 5.13c/d
V10 5.14a
V11 5.14b
V12 5.14c
V13 5.14d
V14 5.15a
Important note on ratings: I would encourage beginners to spend as little time thinking about ratings as possible. Many climbers get caught up in the numbers portion of the sport in which climbing the next higher grade becomes such as distraction as to cause the climber to forget why he or she took up climbing in the first place. Many people begin climbing because it provides a sense of accomplishment that is not monetary or entirely measureable in nature. Comparing oneself to others based on these rather vague rating systems or obsessing over ratings can quickly lead to frustration, feelings of inadequacy, or an unhealthy spirit of competition. Let ratings be your guide to those areas and problems which provide you with the best opportunity for an enjoyable experience and not as a way to measure yourself against others. It is also important to note that many climbs with lower ratings are more pleasurable and aesthetically pleasing than some of the hardest and most contrived problems or routes. My best advice is to go out and find routes or problems that inspire you or peak your curiosity and pour your energy into successfully accomplishing those climbs.
Climbing Techniques - Basic Principals
1. Climb with the strength of your legs rather than pulling your body up a route with your arms. The legs are a bigger and stronger muscle group that tire less quickly than your arms. The goal should be to place your hands on a given hold for balance and step up using your feet and legs.
2. Do not overgrip hand holds. Often, beginners will hold on as tightly as possible, partly because of fear, partly because they believe it will give them the greatest chance of success. This is wrong. The harder you grip, the more precious energy and endurance you waste on a hold that could be gripped with much less force.
3. Look Down! (And up, and around!) The best climbers constantly search their surroundings for the best foothold, handhold, or next sequence of holds. This saves time and allows the climber to avoid using an incorrect sequence. It is especially helpful to scan a boulder problem or top rope climb with your eyes prior to leaving the ground to get a better idea of the likely sequence of moves that will lead to the top.
4. With hand holds, the closer the fingers are together, the more power the grip will have.
5. The speed at which you climb will matter, but the most appropriate tempo for a given climb varies quite a bit. For a balance intensive friction slab, slow controlled movements can be a real benefit. On a steep overhang, a seasoned climber may realize the need to negotiate the sequence rapidly in order to pass difficulties before becoming ‘pumped’ or exhausted.
6. Look for places to rest. If a very large hold allows one hand to grip it without much effort, let go with the other hand, point the fingers down, and shake your hand to allow the blood that is swelling in your forearms to dissipate, and for new oxygen rich blood to take its place. One of the main factors determining whether or not a climber successfully completes a route is endurance. Short rests throughout a climb help preserve your energy for more difficult sections. Use them!
Types of Holds
1. Jugs are the most basic type of hold. A jug is a hold that can be held with the entire hand with minimal energy. To grip a jug, use a cling grip, or all fingers wrapped over the top of the hold, fingers close together.
2. Slopers are rounded knobs or slanted ledges that require friction rather than a gripping motion to keep a climber’s hand on them. Slopers are traditionally very difficult for beginners to use, due to the beginner’s tendency to try to pull up on them with the arms, rather than use them as a balance point for the hands while moving the legs and feet up. Once greater balance is learned, slopers can provide some wonderful challenges. Keep your arms straight and hang from them with as much of your hand on the hold as possible.
3. Pockets or Heucos are holes in the rock that allow you to hook in one to three fingers. For a one finger pocket (also known as a ‘monodoigt’) use your strongest finger which is generally your middle finger. For a two finger pocket, the middle and ring fingers are best. For three finger pockets, the index, middle, and ring fingers should be used. To increase strength, keep your hand in a fist if possible. Also, in vertically stretching pockets, it helps to stack fingers on top of one another.
4. Pinches are usually vertically oriented holds that require a climber to use the thumb to create inward pressure on the opposite side of the hold from the remaining fingers.
5. Crimps are the smallest holds that a climber can use. They require the climber to put the tops of the fingers directly down on the hold (rather than the finger tips) and then wrapping the thumb across the tops of the fingers (or against the side of the hold) to create the most powerful force. This creates incredible pressure on the joints and tendons and should be reserved for the intermediate to advanced climber who has developed sufficient finger strength to use this grip with less risk of injury.
Footwork
1. Edging is using the inside or outside edge of the climbing shoe on a hold to achieve balance.
2. Smearing means using the sticky rubber soles of the climbing shoe to create friction against the rock. Smears are best used on slab climbs or where there is a deficit of holds for the feet. To achieve a good smear, lean away from the rock and with toes pointed upwards, use downward pressure to create a high static coefficient of friction.
3. Flagging means moving a leg that is not in contact with a hold either behind the body or out to the side in order to maintain proper balance and position of the body. This is especially helpful if moving diagonally up the rock.
4. Twisting is a method of reaching a far away hand hold with as little straining as possible. This is done by putting the outside edge of the climbing shoe on a hold, twisting the same side hip into the wall and reaching up to the high hand hold.
5. Rock On technique is used to position the body over a high foot hold. If a high step is needed, it can be difficult to create enough downward pressure to step up over the hold. To avoid this straining (which often has the effect of pushing the climber away from the wall), simply put your foot up on the high hold and rock your body sideways and up, allowing the momentum to push you up over the hold.
6. Toe hooking is a move used to take weight off the hands or to assist the climber in maintaining proper body position while moving into the next sequence. If a pocket or edge exists near the feet, the climber can insert and pull with the toe while pushing with the heel. This creates a toe jam that can take weight off the arms and reduce the strain on the abdomen when reaching for the next moves. Similarly, a heel hook is effected by placing the heel on a hold higher than the level of the hips. This will take weight off the hands and arms and can be very particularly useful in overhanging or very steep bouldering.
General Notes on Footwork
1. Practice placing your foot or toe precisely on the best part of a foothold. Simply dropping your foot onto a hold without thought as to its best edge or use will result in sloppy footwork that will force the arms and hands to do more work balancing and stabilizing the climber. This lost energy will make a serious difference as a climber progresses into the harder grades.
2. Practice footwork by climbing a low angle slab or boulder without the use of the hands.
3. Traversing is another great way to improve both footwork technique and endurance. One advanced method for doing this is to do one arm traverses. Remember to do this with each arm individually and in both directions.
4. Another way to improve footwork is to climb an easier route with only one foot. This will greatly improve sense of balance and body positioning in newer climbers.
Climbing Movements
1. Manteling is a way to go from a face climb up onto a ledge and is frequently encountered when bouldering. To mantel, place both palms onto the ledge (or summit), walk the feet up as the palms press down onto the ledge, place one foot up on the ledge, and reach for the next hand holds for balance as you step up your other foot.
2. Stemming is a way for a climber to ascend a corner or chimney. Using opposing pressure against the sides of the corner or chimney, move one limb up at a time while holding yourself steady with the other limbs. Stemming can also be used to press against holds on a face climb, but is more often associated with corners, chimneys, and dihedrals.
3. Underclings require the climber to use the hands palms facing up to pull outward on a crack or flake of rock while pushing into the rock with the feet. Leaning out away from the crack helps to create pressure on the hands and feet.
4. Liebacking is achieved by pulling against the side of a crack or flake and pushing with the feet in the opposite direction while in a leaned back position.
5. Gaston is a technique for pushing outwards on opposing holds. Picture opening a sliding glass door with one hand on the wall and the other on the door and pulling them apart.
6. Dynamic Moves or ‘Dynos’ are used to gain out of reach holds by lunging upwards. The best method is to lean away from the direction of the coming leap and swing up and leap using the legs to jump for the hold. Aim to catch the hold at the apex or ‘dead point’ of the jump where the body stalls for a split second before it begins to fall. Catching a hold while already falling (due to over jumping) will make it much harder to successfully grasp the hold and will use much greater energy. If you miss when trying to dyno, you will fall. Thus using a dyno should be a boulderer or climber’s last option.
