Gripped e-Mag // Issue 8

Photo Andrew McGarry

Gripped e-Mag, Issue 8, Full Edition	June, 2007
In This Issue Welcome to The Gripped e-Mag Gripped Interviews Matt Maddaloni Better Beta – Seven Onsighting Tips Road Trip Vehicle Shoot-Out Booty	Subscribe to the Gripped e-Mag e-Mag Archive Contact Gripped Subscribe to Gripped Magazine Visit Gripped.com
Josune Bereziartu on Divina Comedia 7c (5.12d), Ordesa National Park, Spain The Gripped e-Mag Welcome to the June issue of the Gripped e-Mag! Published monthly and full of interesting articles on climbing personalities, destinations, techniques and new gear that you won’t find in the magazine, the Gripped e-Mag is FREE and a great complement to Gripped Magazine. Register now to receive the Gripped e-Mag and you will be entered for a draw to win a Faders Sum valued at approximately $85 (see sidebar for more details)! Please feel free to forward this e-Mag to any other climbers that would find it interesting! If you have any comments or suggestions please contact us at info@gripped.com. Return to top Gripped Interviews Matt Maddaloni With a tick list including big wall ascents in Baffin Island and Pakistan, it would be easy to stereotype Matt Maddaloni as just another talented big wall climber. Matt however has avoided such simple classifications by climbing a new 4500 ft 5.13 free route on Mt Combatant, a new 10 pitch 5.12 route in the Bugaboos and numerous deep water solo first ascents around the world. As the consummate all around climber, Matt also sport climbs up to 13b, occasionally boulders V10 and climbs M8 mixed routes. We caught up with Matt in Squamish and discussed climbing, big wall guidebooks and totem poles. Matt Maddaloni climbing Smoke Show 5.12d, Waddington Range, BC You have an extensive climbing resume with FA’s all over the world. What’s your most memorable route? John Furneaux and I climbed a 4500 ft 5.13 in 11 hours on Mt Combatant in the Waddington Range. It had a 2000 ft vertical tower called the Incisor with a 5.13 face pitch and bird beaks for protection at the crux. There’s also an overhanging 5.12b offwidth and a lot of 5.11 climbing. Above that was a 1500 ft knife blade ridge to a final 1000 ft vertical face leading to the summit. Best day I ever had, even though I took a huge fall and rendered my right arm useless. I had to pop between holds with one arm on endless 5.10 climbing to the top. Big walls, expeditions, or cragging – If you had to choose only one, what would it be? I’d pick expeditions but it would have to come with unlimited cash – that stuff is expensive! If I was broke, then cragging is the answer. Any serious moments on a route where you thought you might not make it back? John and I had to rap off Teng Kangpoche in Nepal during a huge storm. Constant slough avalanches were burying us while we tried to find anchors on blasted slabs under three feet of snow. We used 50 pins, several cams and all our slings to escape. I placed five quarter-inch bolts and some anchors consisted of only one bird beak. What advice do you have for climbers heading into the mountains? New climbers are scared of falling; old climbers are scared of things falling on them. Objective danger is your biggest enemy. Climb fast and start early. You’ve been involved with some well-publicized deep water soloing trips. What ’s the appeal of DWS? Deep water soloing is as fun as climbing gets. I love free soloing, but to keep it safe you need to stay well within your limits even when all you want to do is push the throttle and give’er. DWS lets you do that. With a water landing you can go as hard as you want. Climbing with a rope is always stop-and-go because your clipping gear, where DWS is a constant flow of climbing. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway, climbing? Tell us about some of the DWS opportunities in Squamish. I took Sharma out to a crag of mine on the Cheakamus river. It only had one route and even that wasn’t finished. It was a 5.12+ line that stopped halfway at the 40 ft mark because you entered into 5.11 campus moves over only four feet of water. Sharma onsighted the lower half but jumped off knowing I hadn’t sent the upper section. He then worked on a project to the right with deeper water, and though he never completed the line, it will get sent one day. Watching him got me so stoked I finally committed to the campus moves on my route and completed the climb. I called it Fight or Flight. That’s what I love about Chris, his energy is so positive. You recently published an aid climbing guide, Squamish Big Walls. What prompted you to do this? Any other guides in the works? Big wall aid climbing seemed to be loosing ground in Squamish because of the more accessible and less committing bouldering and sport climbing opportunities. Unlike bouldering and sport climbing, big wall aid routes remain a difficult and committing adventure. As David Chaundy-Smart wrote in the last issue of Gripped, “the big wall experience has not changed much for most climbers in the last 25 years.” I wanted to resurrect the sport because it’s still the biggest adventure you can have on the Chief. On the other end of the scale I think deep water soloing is the most fun you can have as a free climber, so I made another guide called, Thailand Deep Water Soloing, which is also available as a PDF on my website www.mattmaddaloni.com. Tell us about the Totem Pole you recently carved. Where is it currently located? My friends and I have a blog called climblife.blogspot.com. It’s mostly about the crazy shit we get up to from time to time including last week when John and I hiked a 80 pound, six foot totem pole I carved to the top of the second summit. We rapped into Angels Crest and left it in the hanging forest just before the Acrophobe towers. The totem has a local native story that you can find on the blog. Right now we’re into river surfing. That’s right, riding a standing wave in a local river with surfboards. My longest ride so far is thirty seconds but I’m sure we can go longer because the wave never moves. Any future climbing plans? Squamish! I’ve been elsewhere for the past two years so I’m stoked to immerse myself in Canada’s premier climbing centre. See ya, I’m going climbing! Return to top Better Beta Seven Onsighting Tips Kevin Wilkinson on Shaven Haven 5.14b, The Amphitheater, Riggins, Idaho With only one chance to onsight a route, its not surprising most climbers view an onsight as the pinnacle of good style and technical mastery. To be successful, everything needs to work perfectly. Here are seven tips to help you push the onsighting odds in your favour: Inspect the route from the ground Take some time and carefully look at the route. Try to identify obvious rests and crux sections and use this information to pace your climbing. This is also the ideal time to assess gear placements. Have a plan but be flexible. Unconventional holds Hand jams, knee bars, heel hooks and hip scums can help you recover during hard onsight attempts. Look for these unconventional rests during the climb and milk them for all they’re worth. If you are a sport climber, practice jamming and add it to your repertoire of moves. Gear climbers should spend some time learning to heel hook and kneebar. The energy you save could mean the difference between clipping the chains and having to come back the next day for another attempt. Read the chalk Heavily trafficked routes accumulate chalk on the major holds. Learn to read this code. For example, a series of heavily chalked holds leading to vanishing chalk most likely represents the last rest before the crux. Pockets will often have an obvious chalk mark at the five or seven o’clock location. These marks correspond to the thumb position when grabbing the hold and indicate the hand sequence. Pacing Too many climbers move slowly through difficult sections or don’t rest enough in the easier terrain. Learn to pace your climbing according to the difficulty of the route. Climb quickly when it’s hard and recover thoroughly when it eases off. Prepare mentality When you leave the ground focus on the climbing. If the route is well protected with safe falls, don’t squander energy thinking about falling or failing. Keep a positive attitude and go for it. Rack accordingly Rack your gear in the order you think you’ll need it. On certain gear routes it may be easier to use a shoulder sling. A few minutes spent organizing your gear on the ground can save significant energy during the climb. Look for footholds Many seemingly difficult sections can be unlocked by finding the right footholds. Next time you approach a crux, slow down and examine the foothold options. Look for shoe rubber on holds — particularly during cruxes. The rubber marks may disclose a foot sequence necessary for success on the route. Return to top Road Trip Vehicle Shoot-Out In the 70s and 80s, the classic climbing road trip vehicle was the VW Microbus. It was affordable, easy to fix and two climbers could easily live out of it for extended periods of time. Today, the Microbus has been replaced by a variety of new vehicles including pickup trucks, SUVs and wagons. Are any these newcomers legitimate challengers to the Microbus? We compare the five most common road tripping vehicle categories to see which one is ideal for today’s traveling climber. Subaru Outback. Photo courtesy of Subaru Canada. Pickup truck (Example: Ford Ranger) Pros Unsurpassed off-road capabilities and ground clearance, especially with the four-wheel drive models Easy gear storage Sleeping option with cap Cons Horrendous gas mileage Limited interior space No living space With their substantial ground clearance and four-wheel drive, pickup trucks are popular with climbers venturing into serious off-road backcountry climbs. Unfortunately, with gas prices hitting $1.25 per litre ($3.00 per gallon in the US) operating these rigs is expensive. The money spent on gas could be better used extending the length of your trip. Living space is also at a premium, even with an aftermarket cap for the truck bed. You’ll have enough space to sleep, but waiting out an extended spell of bad weather will make you claustrophobic pretty quickly. Verdict If you really need the off-road worthiness, get a pickup. Otherwise, there are better road-tripping vehicles. Full size van (Example: Chevy Cargo Van) Pros Excellent living space Easy gear storage Cons Poor gas mileage Drives like a boat Road tripping in a full-size cargo van is the pinnacle of luxury. With some minor modifications, you have a plenty of living space suitable for extended trips. Unfortunately, all this space comes at the price of poor fuel efficiency and drivability. Filling the gas tank will quickly empty your wallet and on- and off-road handling is less than sporty. Verdict If you can afford the fuel costs and comfort is your primary concern, look no further. Just be prepared to stay on paved roads and don’t be in a rush to get to the crags. Mini van (Example: Honda Element) Pros Good interior space Comfortable sleeping and living options Easy to drive Cons Mediocre fuel efficiency Not off road capable Minivans are a common sight at most climbing areas. They offer a reasonable amount of space, good driving characteristics and depending on the model, are more fuel-efficient than many other road trip vehicles. Verdict This is perhaps the best long trip compromise, as long as you don’t need off road capabilities. Wagon (Example: Subaru Outback) Pros Good fuel efficiency Adequate storage Some sleeping options Possible off road driving Cons Limited sleeping options No living space With plenty of storage space, wagons are a good option for travelling climbers with a limited fuel budget. These are the most fuel-efficient vehicles in the test and the easiest to drive – they feel like a car. Unfortunately, they also provide the least amount of living space so be prepared to pitch a tent or pony-up for a motel. Verdict The most cost effective travel option as long as you are willing to camp. SUV (Example: Nissan Xterra) Pros Comfortable ride Off road capabilities Good storage Cons Limited sleeping and living options Poor fuel efficiency For all their initial appeal, SUVs under perform as road tripping vehicles. Fuel efficiency is dreadful and the off-road capabilities and storage capacity are surpassed by more conventional truck designs. Verdict Good looking but expensive to operate with no clear performance advantage over the other options. Return to top Booty Super Loco – Mad Rock The first generation Loco climbed well but many felt the upper was overbuilt for such a high performance technical shoe. Achieving a snug fit required enduring a painful break in period many climbers were unwilling to tolerate. Luckily, the new Super Loco uses a more accomodating last, a softer upper and is now almost instantly comfortable. Fit has remained the same (mid to high volume in the forefoot with a mid volume heel) but the exterior has been updated with a molded heelcup, a new tensioned rand and new graphics. Performance in steep terrain is impressive. The Super Loco’s extreme camber allows you to pull on holds and provides enough compression for standing on small edges. Heel and toe hooking is excellent due to the molded heel design and the sewn rubber toe patch. There was some concern about the sewn patch tearing, but we did not experience this during our test. The interior of the Super Loco uses the same soft lining found in the original model ensuring comfort during extended climbing sessions. This lining however makes the Super Loco less than ideal for hot weather. If you were unsure of the original Loco because of the fit, do yourself a favour and check out the new Super Loco – you’ll get the same great performance and significantly greater comfort. Return to top	Contest of the Month Now you can win a brand new Faders Sum valued at approximately $85, by subscribing to the FREE Gripped e-Mag. Simply forward us your email address to be entered for the draw that will take place on July 20, 2007. Enter as often as you like, just as long as you provide a new valid email for a friend that would also like to receive the Gripped e-Mag for each new entry. Offer closes July 19, 2007. Enter your email or a friend’s email HERE Congratulations to Brent Ride. As the winner of the May contest, he is the proud owner of a new Simond Bumper Helmet valued at approximately $85. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publication Assistance Program (PAP) and the Canada Magazine Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage toward our mailing and project costs.
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