I have always loved the idea of a small town. I want to live in a place where “the other side of town” is a five minute walk, and I recognize everyone I see. I want to live in a place where dogs don’t need leashes, and I can ride my bike to the crag. I want to live in a place where I can hear a river at night, not ambulances and trucks. I want to live where I can pee off my front porch.

So for all of those who are like me, people who love climbing and want to live in a town smaller than most public high schools, here’s my list of the five best climbing towns with less than a thousand residents.

#1) Springdale, Utah

Yes, I am biased on this one, because this is where I live. Springdale is the entrance to Zion National Park, home to the biggest, baddest sandstone walls in the country. The Park itself has a number of classic, moderate big walls, as well as some of the best hard multi-pitch free climbs you’ll find anywhere. The town is also only an hour away from high quality limestone sport climbing around St. George. What ultimately won me over, though, is the amount of unclimbed rock here. There are miles of untouched cliffs, both short and tall, waiting for the intrepid first ascentionist.

Notable Crags: Zion National Park, The Virgin River Gorge, Snow Canyon State Park, The Hurricave, various other limestone crags near St. George.

Worthwhile distractions: Deep Creek Coffee, The Bit ‘n’ Spur Saloon, Café Soleil, Zion Mountain School.

#2) Ouray, Colorado

Ouray is best known for the Ouray Ice Park, possibly the best place on earth to learn to ice climb, but in addition to the farmed ice, the surrounding mountain passes hold a huge array of ice and mixed lines, from fun moderates to modern test pieces. In the summer, climbers can head to any number of small local crags, drive a couple hours to desert sandstone, or get their alpine fix in the surrounding San Juan Mountains. There are few things better than ending a long day of climbing with a soak in the hot springs, provided by the Ouray municipal pool.

Notable crags: Ouray Ice Park, Camp Bird Road, Red Mountain Pass, Eureka, Pool Wall, Ophir Wall.

Worthwhile distractions: Ouray hot springs, Mouse’s Chocolates, Ouray Brewery, Ourayle House, Ouray Mountain Sports.

#3) Lee Vining, California

If you’ve ever driven to Yosemite from the east, you passed through Lee Vining. The town sits at the bottom of Tioga pass, the northeast entrance to Yosemite National Park, where Tuolumne Meadows is. Add the access to the High Sierra peaks, winter ice climbing, and the local welded tuff crags, and the Lee Vining area starts to look like the best little climbing town in California. Although the town is pretty sleepy, there is four star food and five star parties at the local Mobil station, where the east side and Yosemite crowds meet and dance to bluegrass shows in the summer.

Notable crags: Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows, Lee Vining Canyon, Dana Plateau, June Lake Boulders, Mammoth Lakes area cragging.

Worthwhile distractions: The Whoa Nellie Deli (in the Mobil station, music in the summer), Mono Lake.

#4) Mazama, Washington

The residents of this small town on the east side of the Cascades, named it after what they thought was the Greek name for “mountain goat.” It turned out that they were looking in the wrong dictionary; “Mazama” means mountain goat in Spanish, not Greek. Still, it is an apt name for the town, as it sits just below Washington Pass in the North Cascades. In addition to the roadside alpine rock and access to some of the best alpine lines in the lower 48, there is great cragging in the summer on several different rock types, and backcountry skiing in the winter. Mazama is truly a small rural town; there is no chain store or stop lights for 70 miles.

Notable areas: Washington Pass, Fun rock, Goat Wall, Gate Creek, Prospector area

Worthwhile distractions: Goat’s Beard, The Mazama Store, Old School House Brewery, Kelly’s at Wesola Polana, North Cascades Adventure Hostel.

#5) Ten Sleep, Wyoming

The only people who know of Ten Sleep are bikers, cowboys, and climbers. It’s also the only town where you’ll meet someone who fits into all three categories. If you drive east on Highway 16 into the Big Horn Mountains, you’ll find yourself gawking at the miles of cliffs in Ten Sleep Canyon, home to some of America’s best limestone sport climbing. The climbing is usually long, vertical, and very technical. The high alpine setting makes it a great area for the summer months, and in the winter there is backcountry ice to explore. There are also huge granite and gneiss walls deep in the Cloud Peaks Wilderness area, home to long, obscure adventure routes.

Notable Areas: Ten Sleep Canyon, Cloud Peaks Wilderness Area, various limestone canyons and spires in the Big Horn Mountains.

Worthwhile distractions: Dirty Sally’s, Ten Sleep Saloon, The Paintrock Inn.

I’m sure there are more out there, perhaps in New Hampshire, or deep in the southeast? More suggestions are appreciated!

Ethan Newman is a climber and writer based in Springdale, Utah. This is his first article for SplitterChoss.com.

Personally, I thought Friday was the strongest night of films, as almost everything that was shown made you want to stand up and cheer when it was over. The night started off fun and lighthearted with the kayak action flick Cascada, but quickly moved into more serious territory with the poignant Boy, before the humorous interlude of Shiver Bivy. From here the night really took off, with highlights being Wade Newsom and Jeremy Collins’ live animated poem of Participate, the beautiful Groundswell and the incredibly comedic and inspiring Crossing the Ice. This last film is a must see, chronicling the incredibly arduous journey of two hilarious Australians that attempt to be the first to travel from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back solely under human power. Definitely check this one out if you get a chance.

Saturday centered on a presentation by special guest Kyle Dempster, and paired with the film Road to Karakol of his solo biking and climbing adventures through China, made for a lasting impression. Also of note on this night was North of the Sun, about two guys who decide to live on a secluded, secret beach in Norway, in order to surf as much as they could. They build a house from scraps and debris they find on the beach, and have an amazing adventure that truly captures the joy of living a simple life.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch Sunday’s program, as I was leaving on a trip with a group of high school students climbing in Moab for the week. I did, however, catch the live Enormocast on Saturday, which was incredibly entertaining, and even if you weren’t there, you can check it out here.

If there was an overriding theme throughout this year’s festival, I would say it was exuberant optimism in the face of any and all adversity. After Saturday night’s show, I remarked to one friend that even though I consider myself a pretty positive person, I had a long way to go before reaching the levels shown in Crossing the Ice, The Bus and North of the Sun. No matter what obstacles arose, these folks took it all on with good humor as a challenge to overcome, not an inconvenience getting in the way of what they were really there to do. And any victory, no matter how small, was celebrated like it was the greatest accomplishment in the world. I’ll never forget seeing Aleksander Gamme in Crossing the Ice finding his food stash and realizing he had cheez doodles. You would think he had just won the lottery by the way he celebrated, but he really was just that psyched to eat some cheez doodles!

In true adventure, there is little room for the jaded and entitled attitudes so common in our society. The festival was a powerful reminder that life is all about the process, and we have full control over how we respond to the challenges that come along the way, using these opportunities to learn more about what we are capable of, and what truly lies within us.

A huge thanks to the 5Point crew for all they do to put this event on, including Julie, Sarah, Jake, Crosby and Tracy, and of course to all the volunteers as well. See you next year everyone!

2013 5Point Film Festival Trailer from 5Point Film Festival on Vimeo.

Old 6th bolt on Pretty Hate Machine.

There are thousands of bolts on climbs across the country, and some are in dire need of being upgraded. Pretty Hate Machine, in Rifle Mountain Park, is a local climb whose time had come to get the old, rusting bolts replaced with new ones that should last well into the future.

Situated in the Arsenal, Pretty Hate Machine is a severely overhanging route, making bolt replacement more than a pedestrian affair. Thus, the rebolting effort took on a life of it’s own, which I thought I’d share here.

I’ve come to like late winter/early spring for bolt replacement work for a few reasons; the weather isn’t always the best for regular climbing, the cool temperatures keep your glue flowing longer, and it’s an endeavor in strength and fitness building for loftier goals in the prime climbing months.

The quick story is this: 9 lead bolts replaced with ClimbTech WaveBolts, new C.A.M.P. stainless quick links on each bolt and some fresh C.A.M.P. steel carabiners where needed. 20 hours of work over 4 separate days, 2 old bolts broke, and one tired body.

Read on for the full details.

February 17th

2nd bolt – My first day on the route was less than three weeks following my arthroscopic knee surgery to clean up a torn meniscus initially inflicted on another steep Rifle route. I hobbled over to the base and proceeded to stick clip my way up to the anchors.

Just getting to the top and fixing a line on the route was a success for the day. An added bonus was replacing the second bolt because my two young kids, 19 months and 3 years, were plenty entertained at the base and got their own climbing in. I often have my kids with me for rebolting missions because it’s fun for them to get out of the house and play. The old bolt snapped at the head after a few cranks of the wrench, hence a new hole was drilled.

March 8th

New 6th bolt.

5th bolt – Second day on the route, and here I chose to drill a new hole because reusing the old holes is difficult work and not very feasible when there isn’t a good place to use gear for a directional.

6th bolt – I drilled a new hole because the old bolt was in a hollow block that is cracked all around. It’s hard to pick a good location for it and nothing seems ideal. I’m worried the new spot will be in the way of the climbing, but I prefer to have a super sound bolt rather than a questionable one. The old bolt snapped at the head with some ease, so drilling a new bolt felt like a fortuitous decision.

7th bolt – I drilled a new hole because I couldn’t get gear to hold well enough for a directional. One great thing about the WaveBolt  for bolting overhanging terrain is that you can weight it immediately without waiting for the glue to dry. Here, on the 7th bolt, being able to weight it immediately was super helpful in descending to the lower bolts.

8th bolt – Reused the old hole. I’m also reusing the old chain draws on the route because of the Chain Gang tradition in the Arsenal, a Grade V link-up that is marred by the fact you have to return to the ground after each pitch. New cable perma-draws would be nice, but the chain is fat and some traditions die hard.

9th bolt – Reused the old hole. This last bolt had an old aluminum carabiner so I swap that out for a new steel ‘biner. I don’t drill new bolts for the anchor because they look sound and they’re not taking big whippers.

March 10th

3rd bolt – My third day on the route found me cleaning out the old bolt only to run out of battery power. I felt so close to being finished it was frustrating to leave the route in an incomplete state but such is the nature of things. I drilled far enough with a ½” bit to fit a ClimbTech Removable Bolt, attaching the old chain. Although not ideal, I knew it would still hold if someone actually climbed on the route in the interim. My kids had fun getting out of the house and both played in the dirt and did some climbing so all was not lost. I later finished this bolt on March 20th.

4th bolt – Reused the old hole and put the chain back on with a new link, as I’m doing with all of the bolts. The old links appear bomber but I hope these new glue-in bolts are going to last a lifetime so based on the recommendation of Greg Barnes, American Safe Climbing Association, I’m making the initial point of contact stainless on stainless to prolong the life of the hard-earned glue-ins.

New 1st bolt.

March 20th

1st bolt – Completed just over a month from when the project began. I didn’t leave a line fixed so I had to stick clip up to the fifth bolt and work down. No big deal but I forgot to grab my ascenders and aiders from the van, and being lazy, I figured I could just monkey my way up with a Trango Cinch. After my abs stopped quivering from the core workout, I went to work on this last bolt.

I reused the old hole by clipping in short to a small cam in a crack, unscrewing the old bolt and then drilling out the remnants. The hole was eventually widened to 5/8” to fit the ClimbTech WaveBolt (link: ). New stainless quick links, chain and C.A.M.P. Gym Safe steel carabiner were attached to complete the package.

Job done. Four separate days, approximately 20 hours on the route. Time for a beer!

Mike Schneiter is the owner of Glenwood Climbing Guides. He has donated countless hours to upgrading the hardware at our local climbing areas, so be sure to throw him an enthusiastic high five if you see him out at the crag.

Steep climbs have lots of bolts, but slabs have very few.

The steeper a cliff gets, the safer the falls. So why do steep routes generally have bolts fairly close together, while slabs, which are not fun to fall on (and may even be dangerous), generally don’t offer much in the way of protection? Even when they ARE bolted, the bolts are usually few and far between. So when it’s dangerous, we run it out, and when it’s safe, we grid bolt. With that kind of logic we should be in politics!

“Sporty” means runout, but “sport climbing” is casual.

The description in the the guidebook read “this route gets a little sporty moving from the crack onto the face.” A new comer might think that was a good thing, as sport climbing general means routes that are safely protected by bolts, but “sporty” really means it’s going to be exciting! I’m guessing this comes from a time when climbing was still considered more of a “game,” and something that was “sporting” was in good style? I don’t know, any input on this one?

We put chalk on our hands because they are sweaty, but too much chalk makes us need more of it.

Have you ever brushed the holds on a really popular route you were working on? It’s amazing how much texture is hiding under those layers of chalk! At least slippery holds make us stronger, which is nice.

A group of people we don’t know is a crowd, a big group of friends is a party.

We rolled into Creek Pasture late one night, and were a bit taken aback by how many people were camping there. Now, if we knew all those people, we be like, “Oh cool, Johnny and Chris made it.” But instead our gut reaction is, man, why are there so many people here? I guess I have a lot of friends to make so everyone can be in the “in” crowd.

9+ is harder than 10b.

Much like Newton’s Third Law, I don’t understand how or why, but I do know that it’s true. And while maybe not as often, sometimes 10+ is waaaay harder than 11a.

Many people at the crag are generally nice, many climbers on the Internet are generally mean.

Actually, this makes sense to me. If we are outside, we are happy. If we are inside, stuck in front of a glowing screen, we are mean. Seems pretty simple to me. Outside = good, glowing screen = bad.

Any other big ones out there you can think of?

The Secret is Out: Jailhouse Open Access from Access Fund on Vimeo.

Red Rocks: Open Access from Access Fund on Vimeo.

Rumbling Bald: Open Access from Access Fund on Vimeo.

It’s 9 o’clock on New Years Eve, and to an outside observer, the silver mini van making it’s way through the desolate stretch of country between Wells and Las Vegas, Nevada would appear no different than the few other cars on the road this night. However, if you could zoom in and see what’s going on inside the car, you’d get a completely different picture. For one, you might wonder why the driver has no shirt on, and why they occasionally keep opening the window for several minutes at a time, even though it’s ten below zero out. And you might wonder why they have so many gallon jugs of water in the car. And what’s up with that massive freezer in the back?

We were on our way down to Las Vegas, after spending Christmas with the family in Idaho. Pulling into Wells, we were alarmed by massive amounts of white steam pouring out the front of the vehicle. That can’t be good! A few phone calls later and we pulled into an emergency roadside garage. The verdict? A leaky radiator. The prognosis? Tomorrow was New Year’s day, so nothing was open, they could order the part the day after and it would be here the day after that. Wait, what? You want us to spend three days here? Huh, OK. We thanked them and headed back into the car.

After some back and forth, and phone calls to friends with varying levels of expertise, from “oh yeah I’ve dealt with that” to “you’ll probably be OK,” we were getting close to making a decision. We didn’t want to blow up the car, but we also knew the problem had been going on for a little while, as we found out it was connected to our heater not working great over the last week or so. And as the temperature was dipping well below zero that night, we didn’t want to be stuck on the side of the road without any heat, waiting for AAA for hours on end. There were conservative options and risky options, and ultimately, we decided to go for it. We bought a bunch of water, planning on stopping to fill the radiator as much as necessary, and at 7pm, we were off.

It was nerve racking at first, watching the road but constantly eyeing the temperature gauge for any sign of fluctuation. We blasted the heat to take as much off the engine as we could (I’m not sure if this is a real thing, but if seemed reasonable at the time). It also felt good at first, since it was so freakin’ cold outside. We stopped at 80 miles, and had only lost a little bit of fluid, added some water and kept going.

We made it to Ely, and faced another decision point. Do we stay here or keep going? It’s getting late, and there’s NOTHING between here and Vegas. Keep going, let’s do this! Eventually it’s so hot in the car that we were down to our skivies, and opened the windows from time to time to get some relief.

It’s amazing how little there is along this stretch of road, and the moonlit mountains in the distance appeared as lone sentinels in a land that had been forgotten by all but a few stray travelers. The night had a magical feel, powered by the raw energy of this uncertain adventure we were living out. At midnight we pulled over at a random gas station, in front of an inflated dinosaur, and shared a kiss to welcome in the new year.

It was well after 2 am when we finally pulled into the driveway of my cousin’s house, tired but elated, we had made it. The mechanic had told us not to drive 20 miles, so we drove 400, had a great adventure, and a good story to tell.

What did we learn? Several things, I suppose, though really it came down to taking risks versus choosing the safer path. In this case, the reward to us, seeing family and getting to climb, were worth the risk of potentially being stranded in the middle of nowhere for a few cold hours, waiting for AAA to take us back to the garage that told us not to go anywhere in the first place. Sometimes the safe option is probably best, but calculated risk is a big part of this climbing thing, and in life too, sometimes you just have to go for it.

5. Live Podcasts

Want to be part of something fun and unique? This year both the Enormocast and Dirtbag Diaries will be doing live podcasts from the event. This is a great chance to meet the people behind the voices and stories that make us laugh, think and cry. Plus you can heckle the special guests, and who doesn’t enjoy that? Chris Kalous of the Enormocast will also be the MC for the Saturday night show, making this event a must for die hard Enormo fans!

4. Special Guests

Speaking of special guests, 5Point features a veritable who’s who of the outdoor film and adventure athlete crowd. For the climbing crew, confirmed to be at the event are Jeremy Collins, Chris Alstrin, Fitz Cahall, Kyle Dempster, Alex Honnold, Tim Kemple, Hayden Kennedy, Michael Kennedy, Brendan Leonard, Renan Ozturk & Austin Siadak. It’s likely there will be others as well, and I’ve heard rumor that Kelly Cordes will be in attendance for the live Enormocast.

3. Carbondale

If you’ve never been, this is a great time to come check out our little town. Surrounded by mountains and endless recreation, you can play hard during the day, hit a great restaurant in the evening, and then check out the films at night. The snow has been great, so bring your skis and go for a peak descent, or maybe if it drys out you can sample some of the over 1000 climbing routes within the surrounding area. New routes have been going in almost weekly this spring, whether you like cobbley sandstone, techy granite or steep limestone!

2. Incredible Films

Every year you think, how can it be any better than last year? But it always is. This year looks to be no different, with the usual wide range of subject matter from a blind skateboarder to surfing in the Arctic. I’ve also heard there might just be a surprise entry or two as well! Plus, of the over 50 films you can see over the course of the weekend, more than 20 of the films being shown will be premiered for the first time at this event.

1. Friends

This has quietly become one of the premier gatherings of our outdoor tribe, and friends will be gathering from far and wide. We already have people who are sleeping in every available space in our house, and will probably pick up a few others along the way. It’s also a time to make new friends, and start new journeys. I can’t wait to see all of you there!

Tickets to each show are $22 for adults, $13 for 18 & under, and prices will go up April 24^th. A festival pass is available for $120, and all tickets can be purchased online.

Whenever a new guidebook comes out, most people who have the current version want to know whether the new one is worth another $32.95. So here are the stats for the new Indian Creek guidebook:

• New routes: Around 100.
• New walls: 0
• New photos: 4, the rest are all the same from the previous edition.
• New essays: 0
• Camalot Edition: Because so many people now use Camalots, the idea was to put the recommended gear in Camalot sizes, as opposed to the historical use of Friends. The problem with this is that there are crack sizes that fit in between Camalots, and any Creek veteran knows that it’s best to have other cams, like Wild Country Friends or equivalent, to cover the gaps. For example, a #3 Friend is a really baggy #2 Camalot, but not big enough for a #3 Camalot (unless you want to go home without it), and in Wingate sandstone, you don’t want your cams tipped out, even a little bit.

In the gear section of the book, it says that where Friends are needed it will be noted in the gear list for the climb. However, flipping through the book you’ll find that only eleven climbs are listed as needing Friends. I can tell you without a doubt that this is simply beyond false, and if people follow this recommendation, they are either going to get a bunch of cams stuck that are a little too big for the crack, or they are going to be looking down at tipped out cams wishing they had something in between. Friends may not be as popular as Camalots, but their sizes most closely approximate the size of the crack. So a 2” crack takes #2 Friends. It might also take tight #1 Camalots, but maybe not. Also, listing gear in inches is the standard in guidebooks for trad climbing areas across the country, and I don’t see why Indian Creek should be any different.

Beyond this, errors, typos and inaccuracies are hard to completely eliminate from any guidebook, no matter how many people are involved in the editing process, though some of the ones in this book seem like they should have been caught.

That’s what I’ve observed, hopefully this will help you make an informed decision about whether or not to upgrade to this version of the book. If you are interested in purchasing it, you can do so on the Sharp End website.

How many times have you been at the crux of a route, only to hear your friends shouting encouragingly “Use your feet!” In the back of your mind, you’re thinking, I AM using my feet, my legs are on the wall aren’t they?

As a tall climber, who learned to climb at the Gunks, I developed some bad habits early on. I was rewarded for making big reaches between the positive horizontals, and not worrying too much about what was going on below my waist. Once I latched the next set of jug,s I would just reel them in, shuffle my feet up and continue on.

This realization didn’t occur to me until a couple of years ago, on my first trip back to the Gunks after being gone for about 10 years. A few months before the trip, I’d had the opportunity to do a personal coaching session with movement and technique Jedi Justen Sjong, which I will forever remember as the day I discovered what my feet are really for in climbing. It was with him that I learned about initiating all movement with the lower body, dropping and driving off the foot holds, and other things that people who know how to use their feet well already know.

In the last contest post, about weaknesses, only one person mentioned their footwork, but my guess is it’s something all of us could work on, though perhaps we aren’t as aware of it as something more tangible like finger strength. I was recently reminded of this when Justen came out to do a coaching clinic and I realized I’d been way to focused on strength training this winter and had not given nearly enough attention to the subtleties of technique. It’s less fun to practice, but takes determined repetition to make it part of your repertoire.

What about you? Is technique something you practice on a regular basis? Are you aware of how best to “use your feet” or are they still just those things that weigh you down?

Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win your choice of a new pair of shoes from Evolv. Few tools are as important to your climbing as your shoes, and if you don’t feel confident standing on your feet, you won’t be able to use your lower body properly. Be sure to click the ad below to browse Evolv’s entire shoe line, and start drooling over what pair you’ll choose if you’re the lucky winner!

Contest closes on 4/30/13, one entry per person. Winners will be chosen by random drawing through the Splitter Choss super computer. If you won last month, you can’t win this month. Folks affiliated with Splitter Choss aren’t allowed to enter, more fine print, etc, etc, etc.

I had first met Matt Samet a month earlier while developing a new crag outside Carbondale. His slovenly appearance didn’t seem to match his impressive record as a climber, clad in loose fitting sweatpants, sporting grisly facial hair, and looking a bit soft around the midsection. Nevertheless, as soon as he tied into a rope, he displayed the careful grace of an experienced climber on every route he tried. He didn’t fit the profile of a 5.13 climber, but I also had nary a clue that when I met him he was going through the living hell that is benzodiazapine withdrawal. Later that year, he would try to take his own life, the story of which forms the beginning of his memoir, Death Grip: A Climber’s Escape from Benzo Madness.

Death Grip is a powerful story, shaped by Samet’s engaging narrative of his life. Readers may recognize Samet’s name from his days as editor of Climbing magazine, or as author of The Climbing Dictionary, and he has long been renowned as one of the leading climbing writers of our day, which is certainly apparent throughout the book.

From a climber’s perspective, it was fascinating to read about his climbing exploits and how his ruthless pursuit of success contributed to his underlying issues, as the real meat of the story is Samet’s struggle with anxiety, his increasing dependence on a line of drugs called benzodiazapines, and his long battle to break free of their hold.

I think non-climbers will still enjoy the story because climbing takes more of a backseat to the central issues, and Samet also takes effort to explain climbing lingo and the importance of climbing to his issues. And whether you climb or not, it’d be hard not to find his struggle with anxiety, benzos, and the psychiatric world to be riveting.

If you are in the Carbondale area, and happen to climb Van Loomavision, you’ll notice a couple of studs next to the second bolt. Occasionally, I hear talk about why there is a mess of botched bolts on such a new route. After reading Death Grip, I came to understand the literal mess at that bolt is a tiny representation of the much bigger issues Samet was dealing with when he was taking out his frustrations on a couple pieces of metal that weren’t lining up like they were supposed to.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death Grip and would highly recommend it as a powerful, personal tale. Samet’s writing is vivid and descriptive, and his story is unique, with enough twists and turns to leave you blurry eyed from long nights of turning the pages.

Death Grip retails for $25.99 (Hardcover) and can be purchased at Amazon.

For more info, see Matt’s Facebook page, and be sure to check out a recent interview with Samet on the Enormocast to hear more about his book and the process of bringing this story to the world.

Mike Schneiter is the owner of Glenwood Climbing Guides.