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Gripped e-Mag, Issue 13, Full Edition |
May, 2008 |
In This Issue
Welcome to The Gripped e-Mag |
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Senja Palonen on the Enduro Corner 5.11c, Astroman, East Face Washington Column, Yosemite ValleyThe Gripped e-MagWelcome to the May issue of the Gripped e-Mag! 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.Please feel free to forward the 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.
Gripped Interviews Jasmin CatonBorn in B.C. and now living in Salt Lake City, Jasmin Caton is one of a new group of female climbers focussing almost exclusively on hard traditional climbing. Last fall, Caton redpointed Fallen Arches 5.13a, making her perhaps the first Canadian women to redpoint a 5.13 trad route. We caught up with Caton and discussed the climb, why she prefers traditional climbing and what it takes for other women to send at this grade.
Jasmin Caton on Fallen Arches 5.13a, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UtahCongratulations on redpointing Fallen Arches. Some of our readers may not be familiar with the route. Can you describe the line and the difficulties you experienced during your redpoint attempts?Fallen Arches is a steeply leaning 30 m crack line in Little Cottonwood Canyon, near Salt Lake City, Utah. The route begins with a few metres of relatively easy jamming and liebacking on flared hand cracks and flakes which lead to a sustained, left-leaning off-fingers sized crack. This was one of the most challenging sections of the route for me. It was very difficult finding fingerlocks in the flaring crack and secure stances to place gear. The leaning nature of the crack required standing on tiny chips for footholds and I used an edging shoe on my left foot and a soft slipper on my right foot for jamming. The crack is also situated on the wall of a gully with a leaning slab below. As you climb, you remain pretty close to the ground and require closely spaced gear, which is strenuous to place, to keep from decking. After the finger crack, fun jamming moves lead to several metres of almost horizontally traversing flared handjams and the only decent rest before the technical crux. The crux is essentially an upwards crack switch, requiring a long, dynamic move from an undercling in the lower crack. I found this move very difficult and used a tenuous left foot to reach the upper crack. I also found a solid pinky jam for my left hand which helped me reach the upper crack. From there it is just plain fun 5.11 crack climbing to the anchor. Why have so few women have attempted this classic, accessible trad line?Honestly, I am not sure. It is the most inspiring line I have seen in Little Cottonwood Canyon, it’s accessible and protects well. The guidebook rates it 5.13a/b owing to a less-frequently climbed extension leading to a second anchor – maybe this grade is intimidating. Finally, the lower wide-fingers section is a difficult size for women with smaller hands. Fortunately, I possess some burly man-hands. Why haven’t more Canadian women climbed traditional 5.13 before now?I don’t think there are all that many 5.13 trad climbs in Canada. I know of some in Quebec and some in Squamish, but there are more than ten 5.13 cracks in Indian Creek alone. The short climbing season in Canada makes it more difficult as well; it sometimes feels like you’re just hitting your peak climbing fitness when the rain sets in for the fall. Finally, there are several women who I climb with around Squamish who are capable of climbing 5.13 trad routes. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time and got lucky with a long, dry fall in Salt Lake. Being super stubborn doesn’t seem to hurt either. Most women are drawn to sport climbing and bouldering. You seem more interested in trad climbing. Why?Because it’s really fun. Believe me, there is nothing sexier than offwidth scabs on your shoulders, a chaffed waist from 15 kg of gear dangling off your harness and hands that look like they belong to a sloppy butcher. But seriously, I learned to climb in Squamish, so trad climbing was what I was doing right from the get-go. It’s what my friends did, and since they were the ones dragging me up things I really had no choice in the matter. I have always been a stronger trad climber than sport climber, and let’s not even get into bouldering. To me, clean crack lines are the most aesthetically appealing. I also enjoy placing gear and the control it gives you as you lead a pitch. When a route is bolted you are held to someone else’s idea of where the protection is safest or easiest to clip, but when you place your own gear, you get to create your own protection strategy, which adds to the problem solving challenge of a route. What do you think is necessary to get women more involved in traditional climbing?More media recognition of female trad climbers would provide role models for aspiring trad climbers. Quality instruction is also important. It’ll help female climbers realize trad climbing is just as safe and fun as sport climbing. Where did you hone your trad climbing skills?Squamish, Indian Creek and Yosemite. You’ve have a strong alpine and bigwall tick list. What are your favourite routes and why?Hmmm, that’s a tough one. Wallflowers VI 5.7 C2 in the Vampire Spires, NWT is a favourite simply due to the adventure of being isolated in such a pristine wilderness setting. Amelia Patterson and I spent 4 nights on that route. In terms of quality crack climbing, the upper headwall pitches on Moonlight Buttress’s V 5.12+ or 5.9 C2 in Zion are tough to beat – incredible splitter red sandstone cracks and amazing position high above the Virgin River. Finally, the South Ridge of Gimli IV 5.9 offers moderate and fun free climbing in the stunning alpine setting of Valhalla Provincial Park, B.C. These are the mountains where I grew up and spent time in the backcountry with my family. When we interviewed you a few years back, you seemed focused on longer backcountry routes. Are you still drawn to those lines, or are you now more interested in difficult single pitch routes.I have been an ACMG Assistant Rock Guide for the past two summers, which has kept me busy during the prime alpine season. I really love guiding in the summer and since the busy season is relatively short, I try to work my personal climbing around guiding. Single pitch projects can be attempted after a guiding day, and are an easier bet when the weather is dodgy. Hopefully after this year I will be finished with grad school and have more time in the spring and fall for some overseas climbing expeditions. Like most climbers, I’d love to bag a long FA on good rock somewhere remote, beautiful and culturally interesting. We’ll see what the future brings. Each year those sport climbing trips to Greece get more difficult to pass up for alpine suffer-fests. Now that you’ve sent Fallen Arches, what are your future climbing plansI’d really like to get back on Moonlight Buttress this spring and try to free it. This will require some serious Indian Creek training time and I hope my school schedule will permit it. I have yet to do some of the classic long free routes in Squamish like University Wall and Northern Lights and I am excited to try the some single pitch classics like Leviticus 5.12d and Zap Crack 5.12d. Due to school, I haven’t made it to Yosemite in the since 2001, so I would love to get there this fall and maybe flail around trying to free something on Half Dome or El Cap. Although it’s difficult for me to say exactly where I will be climbing in the future, I am pretty sure it will be on good rock with great friends.
Better BetaNine Tips for the Spring Climbing SeasonThe crags are drying, the weather is warming and the snow is finally melting. Time to think about getting back on the rock. But before rushing out and throwing yourself at last year’s project, spend some time preparing your equipment and yourself. RubberClean rubber is sticky rubber. An easy way to increase the stickiness of high-tech shoes is by cleaning the soles. Water and a clean cloth works wonders but for the best performance use rubbing alcohol. Not only does it remove dirt, but it also breaks down any oily residues and dries quickly. LubeSticky carabiner gates and cams are not only a hassle but can compromise safety. Make sure your gear is working properly by regularly cleaning and lubricating any moving parts. Use a lube like Metolius’s Cam Lube which goes on dry and does not attract dirt and grime. RopeDuring climbing, the last five metres of your rope see the most abuse. This is the section that catches the most falls and is subjected to wear during extended working sessions. Examine the sheath for damage and thin spots. The rope should feel round and firm. If there are any signs of excessive wear, retire the rope immediately. Some climbers cut the worn ends to extend the overall life of their rope. This tactic removes the most abused sections of rope but does not create a new rope. The remaining cord should be examined frequently for any further wear. HarnessRegular use will eventually chew-up the tie-in points of any climbing harness. If the protective sheath sewn into the tie-in points is worn through, replace the harness right away. Some climbers are hesitant about regularly replacing worn equipment and even ridicule anyone using new gear. For them, it’s become a badge-of-honour to wear the oldest equipment believing it somehow makes them seem more hardcore. What they may not know is climbers have died using old and worn-out gear. Using a worn-out harness is foolish and dangerous. BelayAfter a winter of sloppy top rope belays in the gym, spend some time brushing-up on your belay technique. Pay attention to the leader and always keep your hand on the break end of the rope. BrushWinter run-off can cover critical holds with dirt and grime. Bring a brush just in case you need to clean the crux holds. FootworkUnlike indoor gyms, most rock routes are more vertical and lack the easy-to-find coloured footholds of plastic climbs. Before going outside, hone your vertical rockclimbing skills and pay particular attention to your footwork. Familiar RoutesClimbing on rock requires a different skill set from most gym routes. With more technical movement and less obvious holds, spending a day or two repeating familiar easier climbs will smooth the transition to the real rock. Stay AlertRock breaks, footholds get greasy, and protection can fail. Outdoor climbing is inherently less controlled than indoor gyms. Stay alert and avoid dangerous situations that can ruin your day at the crag. Classic mistakes include pulling on loose blocks, getting off-route and trusting dubious fixed gear. Unlike indoor gyms, you are responsible for your own safety.
BootyHirundos – Petzl
With innovative construction and user-friendly features, the light and comfortable Hirundos is one of the few harnesses that easily transitions between sport and trad climbing. Petzl pioneered the secure, easy-to-use Doubleback buckle used on the Hirundos and now seen on almost all harnesses. Safety is further enhanced with reinforced tie-in points and a brightly coloured belay loop. The Hirundos isn’t just ultra-secure, it also has a unique, cool and comfortable construction. Most harnesses use non-breathable laminated fabric, which is comfortable until you spend some time hanging on your latest mega-proj. The resulting sweat-induced rash on your waist and legs will have doctors from the Centre for Disease Control throwing you in quarantine faster than Dustin Hoffman isolates illegally imported African monkeys. Luckily, Petzl’s patented Frame construction allows sweat to escape, leaving you relatively cool and dry. The harness edges are strengthened with load bearing bias tape while the centre of the belt uses open mesh and the leg loops are made of perforated foam. Not just a sport rig, the harness comes with four well-positioned trad-friendly gear loops. The Hirundos will fit most climbers since its versatile Y-style leg loops adapt to many body types. Women will appreciate the removable rear leg loops. An excellent addition to the Petzl harness line. |
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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