CU Belay Glasses
From the moment I put these on, I knew I had to add them to my kit. The comfort of belaying without straining your neck is too blissful to put into words. No longer do you have to take breaks from belaying to let your neck recover, with these you can keep the good times rolling all day long.

Stick Clip
Want to rile up some egos? Mention the use of a stick clip in a room full of “trad” climbers. “I don’t use stick clips, I’ve never even seen a stick clip, blah blah blah.” What these misinformed souls don’t realize is that a stick clip is a very useful sport climbing tool. They’re great any time you are concerned about making it to the first clip without falling, or if the rock at the start isn’t the best. And sometimes routes are actually bolted in a manner such that the first bolt is meant to be sticked. As for me, I pretty much stick the first bolt on everything, as I find it allows me to flow through the opening moves and get in a good rhythm for the rest of the climb. Minimum danger and maximum fun, it’s what sport climbing is all about.

Gri Gri
It’s amazing how many people I see sport climbing without Gri Gri’s. Sure, they are kind of expensive, but they last a long time, and they are an invaluable tool.

Flip flops
Gotta have the flip flops. After cramming your feet into tight (or even not-so-tight) shoes for a pitch, it’s nice to reward them with some room to breath. They are low profile and can strap to the side of your pack without adding hardly any additional weight. Of course, if you climb in a place like Rifle, they can also double as your approach shoes. Bonus!

Belay Gloves
This is another one that some folks scoff at, at least, until they get their own pair, whereupon they are usually hooked themselves. Most ropes are dirty, and using gloves keeps all that grey goop off your hands. Plus, they are nice for lowering, and great for rappelling when you clean an anchor. One caveat, if you get a new rope, wash your belay gloves before using them on the new cord or you’ll leave a trail of grease after the first lower.

Tape/Grip Ball
I’ve had some finger problems in the past, so the two ways I deal with it are tape and a grip ball. A hand doctor told me the tape couldn’t hurt, and might even be doing some good, so I tape. (At the very least it reminds me to be kind to my fingies.) The grip ball I use to warm up my digits by squeezing on the hike to the cliff, and before I start up a climb.

Toothbrush
This little guy sits on the back of my harness, unused most of the time. However, when I need to brush off a dusty hold or clean something up, I can pull it out and get the job done quick. This is especially useful when climbing at areas that are relatively new and not as clean.

That’s what’s in my kit, how about yours?

As we read further, the enlightened book suggested that the best climbers are those who are constantly learning from their climbs, not just focused on adding another progressively harder tick to the list. Most of us go out to “send”, and likely give little thought to the numerous factors that come together to get us to the top, aside from strength.  The irony is that strength is only one piece of a larger puzzle, and there are many others (technique, speed, tactics, etc.) that can contribute to a successful ascent.

And while trying harder climbs, failure is usually the best place for learning to occur, especially in these other areas. When you succeed, you likely did at least a couple of things right, and may or may not remember why. But when you fail, you have to learn why and figure out how to do it right, in order to eventually succeed. Hopefully, that means doing more than just “pulling harder” next try. Plus, if you truly value learning above all else, you’ll have fun every time you go climbing, not just when you get everything right and “succeed.”

I wish I could say I remembered what we had read, and casually hung on the rope, staying calm and collected as I studied the rock to understand why I was getting my ass kicked, and what I could learn from it. I did eventually get to that point, and even made some positive progress, but not after some serious frustration and WTF? moments. Once I did get my head in check, though, and focused on the learning, I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, even though I doubt my frail ego will recover any time soon.

After that sobering experience, I went out and bought two things, a Gri-Gri, and a helmet that finally fit. I gave away the big, clunky, uncomfortable one that someone had given to me, and which I had a host of reasons for not wearing. It still took many years, however, after buying that first blue Petzl Elios helmet, to finally commit to wearing it consistently. I would often leave it at home, or in the bottom of my pack, continually justifying it to myself with thoughts like, I’m ONLY going sport climbing, or, I’m going to an area with solid rock.

These days, I live in the land of the infamous “Splitter Choss,” where the rock isn’t always as solid as one might hope. And, I can finally, proudly say I now take my helmet wearing seriously.

As such, it was exciting news when I saw the ads for the new Petzl Elia helmet, encouraging Steven Segal to re-grow his manly locks because this was the perfect brain bucket for him. I, like many, laughed at the creativity of the marketing campaign, while at the same time was intrigued by the idea of a helmet that you could rock a pony tail in. Although they included Segal in their ad campaign, the Elia is most definitely a women’s specific helmet (though there probably ARE some men who might enjoy it as well.)

When my Elia arrived, I could tell right out of the box that it was different from other helmet designs I had seen before. They didn’t just take a dude’s helmet and make it pink. Like most Petzl products, they developed well thought out features that come together to make a high performance women’s helmet.

Here’s a brief rundown of the features that I’ve found most useful over your standard helmet:

• Instead of having a behind-the-head adjuster system, they moved it to the side, so that it won’t tangle in your hair.
• The helmet suspension is adjustable from top to bottom, but sits high on the head allowing for a pony tail or varying thicknesses of hair.
• Despite sitting high, it’s a low profile helmet so that you don’t feel like a mushroom head.
• Often it’s simpler to throw my hair in a pony tail, versus the two girly braids that 9 out of 10 climber ladies wear, (and which is often required with other helmets) so in essence it’s made my life that much simpler.

The colors are pretty good, though the blue I have is probably my least favorite, but it’s what was available at the time I got it.

Apparently the magazine ads are working, because other women often take notice of the Elia out at the crags, and once they try it on several have proclaimed that they were going to go home and order one that evening. I guess Petzl found a solid niche with this one.

Now, it’s not all roses, but the only real gripe I have with the Elia is the size of the helmet (52-58 centimeters). This range is a little big for my head, and it’s a bit puzzling to me that they didn’t offer it in two sizes like their popular Elios and Altios models. Both of those have a small size with a range of 48-56cm, which is ideal for someone like myself. So if you know you need a smaller helmet, you should keep that in mind while checking out the Elia, as it might not offer a proper fit, despite all its other benefits.

Overall, though, the Petzl Elia is an excellent helmet with thoughtful features that most women climbers will find is a worthwhile step up from what they are currently wearing.

Back at the 5 Point Film Festival in May, we were treated to several excellent film segments from the guys at Sender Films, including the haunting Point of No Return, which detailed Johnny Copp and Micah Dash’s fateful trip to China. Each one was well done, and reported to be part of an upcoming box set. That box set launched today as First Ascent: The Complete Series, and can be purchased over at the Sender Films website.

The entire series was co-produced with National Geographic, and has received awards and accolades from across the world. While some of the episodes have been seen here and there, the box set is the first time for fans in the US to get the complete series.

The first 2 discs of the box set feature the following episodes:

1. Alone On The Wall
   Twenty-three year old Alex Honnold is taking the high-stakes sport of free solo climbing to new heights. Climbing truly massive walls without a rope, and zero chance of survival if he falls, Alex is calm and fearless (except when it comes to girls). But attempting the 2,000-foot wall of Half Dome, the greatest free solo ever attempted, would finally teach Alex the meaning of fear.
2. Patagonia Promise
   Climber Stanley Leary and his two friends venture across South America to the wild peaks of Patagonia on a journey of the heart. Their mission: to attempt a first ascent, and spread the ashes of Stanley’s lover Roberta from the summit, thus granting her dying wish.
3. Impossible Climb
   For a decade, Chris Sharma has ruled the climbing world, establishing the most difficult first ascents in existence. Now Sharma has found the longest, hardest, most beautiful climb of his life. Training for months on end, braving hundred-foot falls and throwing every ounce of his superhuman energy and ability at this seemingly impossible route, he aims to once again.
4. Point Of No Return
   Elite alpine climbers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash travel to a little-explored and treacherous mountain range near the border of Tibet to make a first ascent of a high-altitude face. When tragedy strikes, the dark and dangerous side of climbing is revealed.
5. Brother’s Wild
   Two brothers – Timmy O’Neill, a pro climber, and Sean O’Neill, who is paralyzed from the waist down – push the limits of adaptive climbing, conquering the 3,000-foot face of El Capitan. Then it’s on to the Ruth Gorge of Alaska, where they cross a treacherous glacier to climb a remote rock wall. In a storm-stricken land that would challenge even able-bodied climbers, Timmy and Sean face their greatest challenge yet.
6. Fly Or Die
   Aerial samurai Dean Potter combines his two passions of free solo climbing and BASE jumping to create the most outrageous and visionary style of climbing ever conceived: The BASE Free Solo. Climbing with no rope, and only a parachute to catch him if he falls, Potter turns the adrenaline levels up to maximum and pushes climbing into new and dangerous territory, while chasing ever closer on the heels of his childhood dream of human flight.

“First Ascent: The Series” Trailer from Sender Films on Vimeo.

The 3rd disc features over an hour of bonus footage, with outtakes, behind the scenes, making-of, trailers and additional climbing, high-lining and BASE jumping scenes. The entire box set retails for $49.95, which isn’t bad considering you get 3 DVD’s worth of footage.

The episodes we saw at 5 Point were incredible, and I can’t wait to check out the rest. Stay tuned for a full review once we get our hands on them!

There were numerous drills running throughout the canyon during the day, and it wasn’t just the high end routes that got some lovin’. Several of the popular easier climbs also got fully rebolted with brand new stainless hardware, thanks to the ASCA & ARI. Other work included some trail upgrades and a few nice benches in the Wasteland.

Rifle is a climbing paradise, which is made all the more enjoyable by the fact that the City of Rifle is fully in support of climbing in the canyon. They allow many routes to have fixed draws, and have been granting bolting permits for new climbs for the last couple of years. This has meant a steady flow of new stuff to climb on, whether you send 5.13 or just enjoy a casual 5.9. And given the City’s support, it’s important that as climbers we give back each year to show our thanks and help maintain the crag that is so loved by many.

This event also serves as a great example of how a lot can get done when everyone lends a hand. Bolt replacement is tiring, body crushing work, especially on the steeper routes. With a small army of volunteers, however, it’s impressive to see how much can get done. Here’s a recap:

• Spuds in Space (5.8), 9 bolts replaced.
• Hot Potato (5.9), 8 bolts replaced.
• James Brown’s Wild Ride (5.11d), 13 bolts (including new anchors) replaced with glue-ins.
• Merry Maids (5.10a), all route bolts replaced, with an extra bolt added near scary bottom crux.
• Lost and Found (5.12b), all bolts replaced.
• Dirty Johnson (5.12b), extra bolt added on run-out at top.
• Bumble Bee (5.9), two bolts added, to eliminate scary run-out.
• Popular Demand (5.10c), 8 bolts replaced, with some being moved into better positions.
• Guilt Parade (5.12c), all bolts replaced, including new anchors in a better position (Also note some choss has been removed, making climb safer).
• Ruckus (5.12b), anchors replaced and perma-drawed.
• The Beast (5.13a), anchor bolts replaced,perma-draws added,bad bolts replaced on Beast with two Backs extension.
• Never Believe (5.12d), new perma draws.
• Quickdraws (5.12c), rebolted with 9 new bolts.
• Living in Fear (5.13d), perma-draws and new anchors added.
• Let it Burn (5.13d), bolt added to eliminate run-out on Sam Elias’ new route.
• Mousetrap (5.12c), bolt added to protect 30-foot run-out scramble start, with dangerous choss blocks removed. The start is much cleaner and much safer now.
• Defenseless Betty (5.12a), bad bolt above roof replaced.
• Irie Meditation (5.11d), perma-drawed.
• Bottom Feeder (5.11b), perma-drawed.
• Sometimes Always (5.13c), rusted first bolt replaced.
• Rehabilitator (5.11c), first two bolts replaced with new perma-draws.
• Brothers Carruthers, bolts on traverse perma-drawed, and steel biners added to anchors.
• Climb-a-dime-a-ding-dang (5.12b), bad crux bolt replaced and moved lower for a better clipping position with chain/steel biner added.
• Rendez-Spew (5.13a), bad bolt above crux at lip of cave replaced.
• Pile Driver (5.11b), perma-draws added.
• Pygmy Mastodon Boner (5.12b), anchors added.
• Cracked Open Sky (5.13d), three glue-ins added.

• A better trail was built at entrance to Bauhaus in order to eliminate further erosion to the muddy soil.
• The bridge leading to the Sno Cone area was fixed.
• Two benches at Ruckman cave (one super-deluxe with beer holder)
• One bench at Project wall
• Two benches at Anti-phil
• One bench at Wichester
• Two benches at Bauhaus
• Two benches at Wasteland
• One bench at Arsenal

As usual, the BBQ afterwards was a great time to catch up with friends, and lots of folks won some gear in the raffle. Thanks to everyone who came out and lent a hand!

Some good friends that climbed with us at City of Rocks in June had spent the spring in Kalymnos, and came back with a pair of these magical glasses. They raved about how great they were, how you could see straight up while looking straight ahead. I put them on to give my friend a top rope belay and was instantly sold. I could watch her the entire time without bending my neck once. I used them a couple more times throughout the day and knew we had to add a pair to our bag of tricks.

I have used them regularly for the last month, and they are now, without question, an indispensable part of our climbing gear. I’ve had some shoulder/neck issues in the past, and it’s incredible to belay someone for a full pitch, watching them the entire time, and not be left with a sore neck at the end. As a bonus, while you are standing there looking straight ahead, you can actually focus on maintaining good posture as well, which we as climbers generally suck at.

Now, some folks don’t pay attention while belaying, for whatever reasons, but I want the person whose rope I’m holding to know I’m with them the whole way. Holds break, angry armies of bees sting and things happen, so I pay attention. And these glasses give you one less excuse not to be the most vigilant belayer the world has ever seen. As a plus, they are a great conversation starter with other climbers, and most will want to check them out. Also, like any glasses they tend to make you look smarter, which we could all use help with, I’m sure.

As a disclaimer before you go out and buy a pair, some people get a little disoriented while using them the first time, and others can just put them on and are good to go. One tip to help with this is to not use them until the climber has gotten past the second bolt on a standard sport route. Above  fifteen feet or so you should have minimal distortion and your eyes will have an easier time adjusting. The other weird thing is that they make routes look slabby which takes some getting used to, but again, I’ve had no issues with it.

The glasses retail for $150, which some think is a little steep, but that easily pays for itself with the two massages or chiropractor visits you wont need, and I think they are well worth the cost. If you’ve got any shoulder/neck issues, these should be a no brainer, and I think everyone else will probably enjoy them as well.

You can get more information, including ordering info, on their website.

• Bench building at a couple of the cliffs
• Fixing the bridge to the Sno Cone Wall
• Fixing the Bauhaus trail.
• Hardware Replacement

If you’d like to help out with any of those, meet at the Feline parking lot from 9:30 to 10:30 to get your marching orders. At the end of the day (6:30pm) is the party at the Community House, just past the top of the canyon on the left. There will be free food, and beer from Avery Brewing, as well as a prize raffle with lots of great schwag. Afterward there will be music, dancing and general socializing until the wee hours. For those who don’t want to drive back home, there is free camping available at the group site.

See you there!

I found a couple of accepted methods, this is how we did it:

Using a standard washing machine, run the machine one cycle on empty to flush out any chemical residue that might be in there. If you use hippie green washing detergent, you probably have nothing to worry about, but better safe than sorry.

Next up, daisy chain your rope. This keeps it from becoming a tangled mess in the machine. Some folks will also put it in a mesh bag, but you can skip that step if you like.

Lastly, run the machine on a gentle cycle with cold water. You can use a mild, non-detergent soap, or pick up some of Sterling’s Rope Wash.

Hang dry the rope in a cool, dry place for at least a night, maybe more if you live in a wet climate.

You can also use a bathtub, more info on that method here.

A quick side note, there’s a couple things you can do to help keep your rope as clean as possible, aside from a rope bag. One, don’t use worn quickdraws. Once you wear through the anodizing, it leaves a lot more aluminum on the rope than newer ‘biners. And two, wash your belay gloves before handling that new cord. Your gloves are probably a mess of aluminum oxide, and only one or two lowers will coat the outside of your new line with all that muck. Those two steps alone will help preserve that new rope feel that just makes us all tingly inside.

The deadline for voting is September 10th, and the winners will be announced on Sept 16th at the Reel Rock premier in Boulder. Winners get a prize package from the Reel Rock sponsors and their films will screen in over 100 locations worldwide, so it’s a pretty big deal for those that are competing.

Check it out!

I had good intentions. All of my appointments would be in the morning and early afternoon, leaving the evenings free for some climbing. Somehow the OR Show just has a way o f taking over, however, and climbing didn’t happen. We did get to check out a lot of the latest and greatest coming out next year, and here’s a look at our top picks. There’s a ton of gear at these shows, but this was the stuff that made us say, yeah, that’s cool, I want one.

Five Ten

It seems like these guys crank out new shoes year after year. They had quite a few offerings this show, but a few really stood out from the rest. Most climbers spend their time on vertical to slightly overhanging terrain, and the Quantum was designed with these folks in mind. It resembles a downturned version of the Anasazi pinks. Of all the Five Ten shoes I’ve had, the pinks are still my favorite, so throw in an aggressive toe and it sounds like a winner to me. It also features Stealth Mystique rubber, an S-lacing system, and a low volume heel cup.

The Supermocc is a beefed up version of the tried and true Moccasym. The key feature is the split toe rand, designed to give you more power from your toes. It’s also got a better heel cup, and they’re white, the most stylish climbing shoe color around. We have a tried and true Moccasym fan on our staff, so it’ll be interesting to see how these stack up.

Petzl

Yeah, yeah, the Gri Gri 2 is rad, but so are the new CORE batteries for their Tikka 2 and Zipka 2 headlamps. This is a rechargeable battery that will save an estimated 900 batteries from going into a landfill over the course of it’s lifetime. And if that wasn’t cool enough, you can program it to your desired output. Say you are doing an endurance race and want steady light for 7 hours. No problem, just connect it to your computer, change the settings via their simple software and you are good to go. Definitely a little dorky for most, but I think some folks are going to find this super useful.

And then there is the Gri Gri 2. It’s everything you could have wanted improved on the old Gri Gri. It’s smaller and lighter, which will probably prompt more folks to take it on multipitch routes. It lowers better, so they say, and gives you even more fine control over how much rope you are letting through the device. And of course, my favorite, it’s now certified to work on single ropes down to an 8.9mm. While many have been using ropes under 9.8mm with the old Gri Gri for years now, you definitely felt like you were maybe getting away with something. Now you can rest easy knowing it’ll clamp down on the skinniest of ropes as your partner lobs off their project…again.

Mammut

Gri Gri’s are an incredible tool, but they aren’t the right one for all applications. To that end, Mammut is introducing the Smart Alpine, which works just like a Reverso, but locks up in a fall both in normal and seconding belay modes. It’s not a certified autolocking device, as it actually allows some rope slippage to dissipate the fall forces on your gear. I got to play with it a little, and it seems to feed easy, and lock up well. It’s designed as a go anywhere, do anything device, and it’ll be fun to see how it works in the real world.

Rab

We love Rab. They are everything most clothing companies in the US aren’t. They build gear that works, and there is no lifestyle fluff. That being said, the new Boreas pullover is right off our dream list. You’re out cragging for the day and want a light pullover, with a hood, that you can throw on at belays, and that’ll keep you warm in a light wind and dry in a light rain. The Boreas does all that, as it’s got the functionality of a jacket but wears like a shirt. Very cool.

Camp

I love the trend of everything getting lighter, but I’m not so psyched on smaller. At some point it becomes hard to work with gear that is really small, especially under winter conditions. Enter the Camp Photon, a full size wiregate that weighs in at only 29 grams, which is about the same as the Black Diamond Oz, and the crewgate version that clocks in at a scant 42 grams. (By comparison the Petzl Attache 3D is 55g.)  Now that’s something I can get excited about.

Black Diamond

Climbers like to talk a lot about redundancy in our systems, but belaying is one place where we are relying on a single piece of gear. That being said, several companies have tried to address the matter of preventing a cross loaded belay ‘biner during a fall. BD’s solution is the Gridlock, which attaches to the belay loop on your harness via a unique system on the end of the carabiner, and it doesn’t involve any bulky plastic pieces.

An honorable mention on this list is a program that Beal has instituted with their ropes. Each cord has a unique code on it, which you can register on their site. It will then send you email reminders about the age of your rope, so you know when to replace it. No more wondering, did I get that last year or the year before?

There was a lot of other stuff out there, including new shoes from Sportiva, fun stuff from Metolius and much, much more. At the heart of it, though, are all the great folks that work in the industry, and friends that we’ve had for a long time. It’s these connections and the friendly faces that really keep us coming back year after year, and why we’d go even if there wasn’t any of this fun shiny stuff to look at.