June - July 2007
rock news
McClure does “Proper” 14a Onsight
In many ways, Steve McClure is a bit of a throwback to the 90s. Though pretty handy on a boulder problem and with a trad rack, the Brit is best known as one of the top sport climbers in the world with high-end ascents such as Northern Lights 5.14d and onsights up to 5.14a. And by his own admission, he’s best on continuous, stamina based climbs rather than bouldery ones with big moves. He’s even been photographed on more then one occasions in tights.
McClure’s latest, an onsight of a 5.14a at Terradets, Spain while placing the draws will do little to dispel that perception. The debate over the validity of pink points vs. red points has long since been settled: few climbers would dismiss an ascent of a sport climb with pre-placed pro, but even fewer would argue that it does not add a tangible degree of difficulty to a climb. Although 5.14a has been onsighted numerous times, this is likely the first time that it’s been done without pre-placed quick draws.
King of the Forest
The prolific Markus Bock has become the undisputed king of Frankenjura. Bock has put up many of the hardest lines there and repeated many others.
Bock has continued his recent streak of resurrecting abandoned projects. This time it’s the discarded line to the right of Drive By Shooting 5.14b, at Barenschlucht sector. The new line climbs the first half of Drive By Shooting, then veers right through three big crossovers into a six move crux off monos and small crimps before the 5.13b Im Auge Des Zycloben.
The finished product at 40 moves is one of the longest lines in the Frankenjura, and Bock thinks it’s a solid 5.14c. More impressively, he ranks it one of his top five first ascents in terms of quality. Typical of his recent output, Bock has yet to come up with a name for the route.
Pearson 8b Flashes
British climber James Pearson’s winter training plan was obviously a great success. Having completed his project The Promise E10 7a (around 5.14a), a candidate for hardest grit route, Pearson turned his attention to the granite boulders of Switzerland. On an initial two-week trip, Pearson dispatched the third ascent of Vecchio Leone V13/14, a
problem first put up by Bernd Zangerl in Ticino. Pearson describes it as “a steep wall of pristine granite via five of the nicest holds I have ever climbed on.” With that in the bag, Pearson set to work on the “wagon” project of Dave Graham and Chris Sharma featured in the film Dosage IV. Pearson managed to stick the crux jump moves in a few attempts and quickly figured out all the other moves, but ultimate success eluded him as he kept coming up short when trying to link the moves.
With time running out, and his whole hand save the tips scored with cuts, Pearson switched tactics on the last day and decided to try something crimpy which would require only the use of the uncut tips of his fingers. Settling on Ganymede Takeover V13, a steep 65 degree granite face featuring small but positive crimps, Pearson made the most of his attempt and flashed it on his first go.
On a return trip to Switzerland this April, Pearson had better luck with his ability to flash than with his project in Sonlerto, which he was close to sending when he was asked to leave by the landowner. After watching Ben Moon work and send The Great Shark Hunt V13 on the previous trip, Pearson was psyched to attempt the flash ascent. Spending the interim month training specifically for the problem, according to Pearson it was still a close-run affair. “It was a real fight, and I came close to falling on the top easy moves due to numb fingers from the tiny edges but held it together long enough. Topping out was fantastic!” With two record-setting flashes in the bag, Pearson is off for two months to sample the rocks on offer in southeast Asia.
Business as Usual for Graham
The indefatigable Dave Graham has taken advantage of the sunny climes of Spain this winter. Coming off a long layoff due to persistent injury, Graham seems well on the road to recovery. At Perles, Graham repeated Esclatamasters 5.14d, and flashed El Percal 5.14a and a 5.13d on the same day at Tres Ponts. His last known whereabouts were the Hulk cave of Rodellar, a spectacular and steep crag even by Spanish standards.
Graham made short work of the main feature of the cave, Ali Baba 5.14c, put up by Dani Andrada, who seems to have almost single-handedly developed every 5.14+ in the country. Having already ticked the Hulk 5.14b in the same cave, Graham seems set to take to on the testpiece Ali Hulk link-up at 5.14d/15a.
Competition Report
The European Bouldering Championship took place in Birmingham, England on March 16 to 18. The event was a replacement for the aborted event, originally slated to take place last July in Ekaterinburg, Russia. The Ekaterinburg event was cancelled at the eleventh hour on the grounds of safety, after it was discovered that the local organizers had failed to secure enough mats to surround the boulders.
The Austrian wunderkind David Lama, the winner of the difficulty event in Ekaterinburg, picked up right where he left off, leaving the event holding the European Champion title in both disciplines. Lama was flanked on the podium by Nalle Hukkataivel, a new force on the competition circuit from Finland, in second; and veteran competitor (as well as former World Cup difficulty champion) Tomas Mrazek, from the Czech Republic, in third.
Juliette Danion of France held off a strong challenge from reigning world champ Olga Shalagina and Olga Bezhko to take the win, relegating the Ukrainian duo to second and third respectively. However, Shalagina took her revenge just two weeks later in the opening round of the UIAA Bouldering World Cup in Erlangen, Germany. Danion was firmly in the driver’s seat for the first two rounds of the competition, qualifying comfortably in first place while Shalagina struggled to scrape through both rounds. In the finals, however, Shalagina came good, sending the final’s four problems in only six tries to take the win, while Danion faltered, taking 11 attempts to finish all the problems for second place.
On the men’s side, Mykhaylo Shalagin, brother of Olga, kept it not only in the country but in the family as well. The stacked men’s field produced a chaotic competition, with finishing order scrambled after each round. In the early goings, France’s Stephen Julien looked to be a lock for the win, cruising into provisional first place by flashing all six problems in the opening qualifier, only to come undone in the semis, missing the cut for finals. Heading into the finals, Finn Nalle Hukkataivel was in the lead followed by the always consistent Killian Fischuber, with Shalagin lying in fourth place. Like his sister, Shalagin turned it on for the final, completing all four problems in a stunning five attempts, the only competitor to do so. Fischuber managed to hold on to second place by virtue of completing three of the problems in one less attempt ahead of a charging Jonas Bauman (Germany) who, perhaps buoyed by the hometown crowd, produce his best international result to date to bump Hukkataivel down to fourth.
Along with last year’s World Cup bouldering champion Olga Bibik of Russia, the latest round of bouldering World Cup, showed in stark relief that eastern European competitors, previously confined to the winner’s circle in speed events, are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the discipline of bouldering.
Eastern Tour de Bloc Regional Finals
April 14, 2006 saw the Tour de Bloc Eastern Regional Finals at Montreal’s Allez-Up. As usual, competitors from throughout the east came in droves either to test their limits or simply to have fun. In the open category, the list of the contestants was abundant. Consequently, the final, loaded with hard problems, was a blazing fight for the three top spots for both the women and the men. All the competitors gave remarkable performances, but the return of Jeremy Smith to competitions gave us a wicked spectacle. A welcome surprise was a new structure, built and installed specially by the Allez-Up crew: a 20 ft adjustable wall, set at 45 degrees for the final.
Eastern Regional Results |
|
|---|---|
Women |
Men |
1. Erin Ford |
1. Jeremy Smith |
2. Catherine Brunel-Guitton |
2. Thibeault Varin |
3. Éva Pépin-Hélie |
3. Ayo Sopeju |
Atlantic Regional Results |
|
Women |
Men |
1. Elizabeth Maltais |
1. Dustin Curtis |
2. Shaunna Post |
2. John Bowles |
3. Tania Wong |
3. Jonathon Audy |
Western Regional Results |
|
Women |
Men |
1. Sydney McNair |
1. Sean McColl |
2. Claire Lam |
2. Jason Holowach |
| 3. Thirza Carpenter | 3.Marshal German |
mountain news
Mountain Equipment Co-op Makes Massive Donation for Skaha
Access to Skaha, BC’s most popular sport climbing area, has been given a significant boost by two programs of the MEC. In early April, they announced that they would match member donations, up to a total of $100,000, to purchase a 750 acre plot of land for permanent access. Later in the month, the MEC made a further donation of $250,000 to the Land Conservancy to purchase the Skaha land.
That’s a total of up to $350,000, the largest land purchase grant in the MEC’s history.
Since 1987, MEC has contributed nine million dollars to environmental causes and this spectacular move is part of the Co-op’s ongoing commitment to access. Also in April, the MEC joined the “One Percent for the Planet” program, begun by climber-entrepreneur Yvon Chouinard, which accredits companies who donate one per cent of annual revenues to environmental causes.
At the time of writing, about half a million dollars remain to be raised, so further donations are very important. Temporary access has been arranged for the 2007 climbing season, courtesy of local landowner Hugh Dunlop (who has also made a large donation to the purchase), but this is only for the 2007 climbing season. The purchase, if successful, will prevent real estate development from permanently impeding climbing access and encroaching on the fragile environment of Skaha, which hosts several rare species, including the pallid bat, desert night snake and California bighorn sheep.
The MEC had its roots in Canadian climbing and throughout its history has nurtured local access to important areas across the country, but this is a new level of involvement. Regardless of whether you climb at Skaha, this is great news for climbers in Canada. Every area we can keep open is a triumph for the sport.
To donate, go to: https://secure1.conservancy.bc.ca/donate/appeals/donate.asp?id=W-00013
Steck Sets Eigerwand Speed Record
Swiss climber Ueli Steck clocked a blazing three hours 54 minutes on the Eiger’s 1938 route. The previous record, set in 2003, was four hours, 30 minutes. The 1938 route gains 2,000 vertical metres over a circuitous, but ingenious line. Steck made his climb on February 21 in good winter conditions. Now there are few summer ascents of the route because global warming has led to constant rockfall and poor snow conditions on the upper face. Steck used a short section of rope doubled through anchors and pulled up after him on the Waterfall and Exit Crack cruxes, but free soloing most of the route accounts for his incredible time.
Canadian Firsts on Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis, the highest point in the British Isles, where Canadian climbing legends Bugs McKeith and Bill March first climbed ice, saw a difficult first ascents by Canadian mixed master Sean Isaac. In early March, the British Mountaineering Council’s International Winter Meet gathered climbers from around the globe to climb on the traditional ice and mixed routes of the area. Isaac paired up with British alpinist Ian Parnell to make the first ascent of a Scottish grade VIII, Curly’s Arête, named for the late Karen McNeill of Canmore who, with American Sue Nott, was lost last year on Mt Foraker. Many other hard climbs were made during the meet, including repeats up to grade VIII. IX is the current top of the Scottish winter climbing grade system.
Winter Firsts in Alaska
Alaskan winter climbing is one of the most ferocious and therefore undeveloped mountaineering seasons in the world. High altitudes, massive snowstorms and incredibly cold conditions have frequently kept climbers off the summits of many peaks which are regularly climbed in the warmer seasons. On March 10, 2007, however, Japanese climber Masatoshi Kuriaki (AKA the Japanese Caribou) summited Mt Foraker (17,400 ft) the sixth highest peak in Alaska. It was the first winter solo of Foraker, and Kuriaki’s third climb and second solo of that mountain. Conditions were cold but stable and Matotoshi said, “If there were a sudden change in weather while I was attempting to reach the summit, the result might be fearful.”
On March 12, Jed Brown and Colin Haley climbed the Nettle-Quirk route on the west face of Mt Huntington (12,240 ft) to make the first winter ascent of that peak in a lightning, 15-hour round trip.
Vancouver International Mountain
Film Festival News
Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival
Tenth Anniversary
Story Jeremy Frimer
The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) has established itself as one of the premier mountain film festivals of North America. Several years ago, I found the touring Banff Mountain Film Festival so boring that volunteering to gain free admission was no longer worth my time. VIMFF, on the other hand, has remained true to form, screening a far more authentic set of mountain films and bringing only the top mountain athletes to its stage. I would even pay to attend the VIMFF!
The tenth annual festival ran from February 16 to 24, with 12 separate events covering various facets of mountain life. With more than 500 people in attendance, Beth Rodden and Tommy Caldwell gave us a personal take on their recent adventures in Yosemite. Highlighting their presentation was a film documenting Tommy’s astounding day on El Cap: The Nose and Freerider, both free, in under 24 hours. For me, the defining moment of the film was when, some sixty pitches into it and climbing by headlamp, Tommy fell off one of the last hard pitches of Freerider. In a moment of frustration, we saw a brief glimpse of Tommy’s human side before he lowered off, found a twelfth wind, and superhumanly sent the pitch second try.
Kelly Cordes of Colorado headlined the Alpine Climbing evening, retelling stories of thirst and commitment on the longest rock climb on the planet on Great Trango; shallow, flaring cracks on Shingu Charpa (both in Pakistan); and weaving through rime tunnels on the summit mushroom of Patagonia’s Cerro Torre. Kelly’s humble yet inspired tone embodies his message: try something hard for you, and expect to fail much of the time. I particularly appreciated how he put his presentation within the context of world affairs by challenging American media’s negative portrayal of Muslim people.
Coming from the commercial side of the mountains, Dan Mazur, an American guide, told the story of rescuing Lincoln Hall high on Everest. His decision to abandon a summit attempt has been contrasted with the decision of 40 or so people that stepped over a dying David Sharp just one week previously, lower on the same route. In a CBC report on the rescue of Hall, the rescuers were described as heroes, their decision to help in terms of moral courage. This seemed odd to me. Kelly Cordes captured my sentiment perfectly when asked about the debacle on CBC radio: “Oh my god, it’s a no-brainer…” He said “The fact that there’s even a debate about this stuff just boggles my mind.” It would seem that Everest has earned special moral status in the eyes of some. To these people, when it comes to the normal principles regarding human decency on the Big E, all bets are off.
The festival was capped by Basque climber Josune Bereziartu (a name deemed unpronounceable judging by most attempts) giving insights to her own successes and failures as perhaps the world’s strongest female rock climber. Canadian boy Sonnie Trotter was also in the house, telling of his unidirectional progression from sport climbing to traditional crack climbing, culminating in his recent freeing of Cobra Crack 5.14b/c in Squamish.
To me, the best films were the ones that not only displayed authentic mountain action, but also explored the people behind it. One favourite was E11, a film about Dave MacLeod’s repeated attempts and twenty-plus metre whippers off Rhapsody, a 5.14d route in Scotland with no bolts. Another favourite was Knowing Andy, that followed Andy Kirkpatrick up Scottish winter climbs. In contrast, the VIMFF film jury seemed to focus on how the films were put together, with little consideration for content per se. A good example of this would be their selection for the best film on mountaineering, Looking for a Time without Master Fibi, by Pole Marek Klonowski, with his “solo” slog up Denali (for what may have been the 72,000th ascent). The jury’s film selection was but a minor low point to an otherwise excellent festival. I suspect that many of the 4,500 others in attendance would agree.
An Interview with
Josune Bereziartu, Rikar Otegi and Sonnie Trotter
at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival
Story Meghan Jones
In 2006, Josune Bereziartu onsighted Hydrofobia, becoming the first woman to onsight 5.13d/5.14a. Sonnie Trotter redpointed Cobra Crack 5.14, currently the hardest crack climb in the world. I spoke with Sonnie, Josune and her partner Rikar Otegi while they were giving slideshows at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival. What do these climbers have in common other than being two of the sport’s top athletes?
Most of us know their climbing history, their home crags and a whole lot of other facts, but what about who they are as individuals, not as famous climbers on a magazine cover? And what lies beyond the mountains of 5.uber climbing sends and inhuman strength?
The mind is one of the most powerful tools when working out a sequence, so I decided to delve into the minds of these very talented athletes; not to discuss their latest victories, but to explore their passion for the sport and to analyze some current issues in the climbing community.
If you hadn’t pursued climbing, where do you think
you would be now?
Bereziartu: I don’t know. All I know is that right now I am here, I feel alive and true to myself. I really enjoy being in the mountains. I just go step by step, minute by minute, day by day. Every day you must make choices and I feel lucky because I don’t regret any of the choices I have made.
Trotter: There weren’t any mountains in Ontario where I grew up, but I always saw pictures, and I just knew. I think one way or another I would have found rock climbing. If I didn’t find it at 16 years of age, maybe at 20, maybe at 22, but eventually I would have found myself in the mountains.
Bereziartu: I feel the same as Sonnie. I just try to find open air because that’s where I feel free. It’s where I feel like myself and find myself in harmony. One part of this open air, this freedom, is climbing.
When you decided to devote your life to climbing, were there any barriers?
Bereziartu: I am 35, and I’m also a woman. When I started climbing, sport climbing was just developing and it wasn’t very popular. I talked to my family and they spoke with people who didn’t know the mountains very well. They all thought that I was a little bit crazy. They’d say, “You’re going to be killed! It’s very risky and blah, blah, blah.”
Fortunately, sport climbing has become very popular in Basque country and now people understand it more. There has been a significant increase in women climbing, but when I started, it was a little bizarre to see a woman climbing. My male friends weren’t a barrier. It was the opposite; they pushed me and helped me a lot. I think that it was more than a sport in those days, it was an open mind, and it was like another form of thinking.
Do you think climbing has changed?
Bereziartu: Yes. Younger people are really focused on numbers or competing. I respect that, because I was the same way when I was younger, but I think now many young people come from the gym and haven’t experienced the romance of the mountains. I don’t mean that years ago we were better than today, it’s just different.
What barriers did you find when immersing yourself in climbing, Sonnie?
Trotter: It was difficult for me to travel to the United States when I was young because the exchange rate was really bad at that time. I would work very hard for four months to save my money, then I’d go to the States and it would only be worth half. I’d have $1,000, and it would be $500. Shit! To survive a winter, I’d sleep in my truck and do all those things so I could climb. I was envious of the people who lived in Colorado because their families were all climbers and I had friends from California who could climb all year round. It got easier, every year. As I made more and more friends, there were more opportunities.
Otegi: Are you a professional now?
Trotter: I climb full time, but I don’t make much money. I pay the rent, I travel, and I climb, but I don’t live very extravagantly.
How do you keep your focus and passion
for rock climbing?
Bereziartu: The main reason I am able to maintain this high level of climbing is that I really enjoy training. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve liked to train. I’m extremely disciplined so I can maintain this cycle, but I find that even when I’m fit, if my mind isn’t fit, I’m not motivated.
Trotter: I agree. It’s in your head. I like to be physical, but I don’t train with a system. But as far as the mental goes, I have to see a line, and then everything gets heightened. I see it, and I know, “That’s the one.”
Bereziartu: You’re like a butterfly going from flower to flower. You may feel strong and on the outside you portray a powerful image, but if you don’t feel that energy because you’re not motivated for that line, then it’s not worth it.
Rikar and Josune, you two have been together for a very long time. Do you ever drive each other crazy?
Bereziartu: The connection between us is really strong but sometimes it’s very hard. Not when we are at home, and relaxed, but when we are trying our projects because we are at our limit. Not because we are in danger, but because we are tired and at our mental limit. Very small things can make a big storm.
Otegi: When Josune is focusing on her project, I have my own thoughts and problems. Sometimes they cross. Since we are a couple, our personal issues can cause problems when trying a route. If you are feeling good, everything is easy. If I am doing badly on a route, or Josune is doing badly, we can irritate one another. We know this, so we have learned to be conscious of it.
Bereziartu: One thing I don’t like at all in sport climbing is that you can become really selfish. To do well on a sport route you don’t need your partner. On a multi-pitch or an alpine route you can share everything, but in sport climbing it’s just one pitch. Sometimes when you finish the day, you think you are the centre of the world. I can be doing well on a climbing project but maybe Rikar, at the same time, isn’t doing very well with the same climb. These two different feelings come across: happiness and sadness. I can’t feel 100 per cent happy because I love Otegi. The older I get, the more conscious I am of that. We have learned to put our love and our life above climbing.
Do you think climbing plays a significant role in your relationships Sonnie?
Trotter: I go through phases. One year I’ll say, “That’s it, no climber in my life.” And then I try that and it goes for two or three months and then I say “Shit, that didn’t work. OK, a climber.” Then no climber, climber… I’ve tried it a couple of different times. I don’t think it’s as important now as when I was younger. When I was travelling I always wanted to have a climbing partner with me. It’s about timing in life, I’m 27 and my priorities have changed. When I was 20, it was me, me, me! “I’m going here, I’m going there, If you come that’s great, if not see you, bye bye.” Now I’m willing to make sacrifices to be with a partner. I need to put an effort in and I have more energy to put into relationships because psychologically I’ve grown and I’ve changed.
What about women in climbing?Bereziartu: I think things have changed since I first began climbing. Now the women competing also climb outside, and I think many of them are climbing hard. In general though, women, not just in climbing but in all sports, tend to set up barriers for themselves. We are very ashamed of doing a sport because we see someone in the gym and think, “Oh, what is that man going to say because I’m not very good at this.” If we are able to cross this barrier, we still find other barriers in the mountains and in climbing. For example, many routes require gymnastic-type moves which are not very suitable for some women. Another barrier, mostly for women, is that they aren’t very tall, which can make reaching moves difficult. But I don’t know if either of those are really barriers. Ultimately, I think it’s in your mind. If you want something, you must at least try it. Having the courage to try it is the real success. If you don’t get it, it’s not a failure because just in trying it you succeeded.
Otegi: Maybe that’s the main challenge for women in general. They don’t try. They put up that barrier, and then they don’t go any further:
Trotter: I agree with that. Recently, I read something very interesting. It compared ascents of El Cap between Dean Potter, who is 6'4", and Beth Rodden who is 5'0". Over the course of 3,000 ft, Dean Potter can do it in about 2,000 hand movements, while Beth needs to do about 3,000.
This can be distilled down to a sport climb. Women and men cannot be compared to one another. They have to play a different game and they have to focus on their own game. That’s one thing Josune has done very well.
Bereziartu: One thing is obvious, women and men are different. Naturally, men have more power but I think that in all routes you can manage to find another position, another foot, another intermediate hold.
Meghan Jones is a climber and writer living in BC
