Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2018 i Gripped: The Climbing Magazine

Speed climbing has taken centre stage again, as many of the world’s best climbers are pushing themselves up big walls and mountains as fast as they can, which means there’s limited protection. While it might seem tempting to join in the race, keep in mind that those who achieve speed records are often the best climbers in the world at their style. For example, Colin Haley got the record on the Cassin Ridge on Denali this spring, but it was after years of preparation and hundreds of alpine solos. David Allfrey got the speed record on Zodiac on El Cap this year, but he’s one of the world’s best A5 big wall climbers. And Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold got the speed record for The Nose in under two hours,…

Canadian Compressor is New Multi-Pitch 5.11 Konstantin Stoletov from Edmonton and friends established another mega sport route on Ashlar Ridge near Jasper this spring. “Another big sport climb has been established by Edmonton team on Ashlar Ridge, Jasper,” said Stoletov. Canadian Compressor cuts in the middle of an impressive V-shaped face in the right face of the wall with the sustained headwall pitches that go at the grades of 5.11b, 5.11c, 5.11a, 5.10d and 5.11a. “The headwall pitches do not give you any rest with nonstop moves at the 5.11 range making Canadian Compressor a must-do for any strong 5.11 climber visiting the area,” said Stoletov. Mike Doyle Repeats R-Rated Test-piece Canadian Mike Doyle repeated the East Face of Monkey Face 5.13d in Smith Rocks on trad gear. He might…

Rock Respect is a new initiative by Ontario’s Leslie Timms and others to help educate indoor climbers about outdoor climbing ethics. The following is what is being called the climbers’ code of respect. It was created with the help of access groups across Canada, in an effort to unify climbing information and create a national resource for gym-to-rock transitioning. The mission is to educate climbers across Canada about outdoor climbing ethics, land stewardship, leave no-trace and how to make a safe and educated transition into the outdoor realm. Educate yourself about outdoor rock climbing ethics, safety considerations and how to lessen your environmental impact at the cliff.—Gripped Respect the Dangers Outdoor climbing poses many safety concerns that are not present in a climbing gym. Make sure that you are properly…

The Sea to Sky Corridor is one of the most spectacular and adventurous places on the planet and it has some amazing climbs. Mountains rising from the ocean, coastal rainforest and enough rock climbing for a lifetime. The Chief, being world-renowned, often lures climbers to its steep faces, but when you look around and begin to explore around Squamish, there’s a lot of great climbing waiting to be had. From the smooth, clean granite of the sea cliffs of the Howe Sound and the golden granite of Anvil Island, to Squamish Paradise Valley and the Cheakmus River corridor, you can then head north to the enchanted Nairn Falls and Green River walls and boulders. It’s getting busier on the West Coast, but you just need to be a little more…

First V12 for Catherine Vaillancourt Quebec-based Catherine Vaillancourt has sent A Tea With Elmarie V12 in Rocklands, South Africa, her first at the grade. Evan Hau Complete’s Planet X Evan Hau made the first repeat ascent of an Alex Megos route at Planet X in Cougar Creek in Canmore called Iron Butterfly 5.14c/d and continued work on a possible new 5.15 at the crag. Sarah Hart’s First 5.13c Squamish climber Sarah Hart sent her first 5.13c with a tick of Strange Days at Cheakamus Canyon, B.C. Annie Chouinard Spring Send Quebec climber Annie Chouinard made the first female ascent of Taxe Carbonique 5.13+ at Orford. New Horne Lake 5.14a Yannick Neufeld-Cumming made the first ascent of Jesus is a Dinosaur, the newest 5.14a at Horne Lake, B.C. Everest/Lhotse in a…

Iranian climber Samira Samimi is a PhD student currently researching meltwater retention on the percolation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet. When she’s not away from home and studying in the field, she spends her time climbing around Calgary. Before moving to Canada, Samimi travelled around Asia climbing and visiting remote places. We touched base with her after a climbing day at Back of the Lake in Lake Louise. How long have you been climbing? I started climbing and caving when I was 16. I am 31 now. Can you talk about going on expeditions while based in Iran? In Iran, there are many challenges associated with being a woman, especially around how we are supposed to dress and who we are climbing with. If I wanted to go climbing…

Projects often don’t go down in one day and they therefore demand two, three or maybe 20 visits before you redpoint it. Some climbers have their ultimate project, which might take years to climb, but having attainable goals in projects that you can send in a few sessions improves your skills as a project climber. You don’t want to spend your crag time hang-dogging on routes that are clearly too difficult for your current ability. All you’re going to do is kill your confidence and psych. It’s the sending itself that elevates you as a climber, so pick a project that you can climb in a few days or, at least, in one season. This is where outdoor climbing differs from indoor climbing in terms of working on a project,…

August and September offer excellent conditions and weather for alpine climbing in Canada. The difference between alpine climbing and other forms is that alpine often commits you to mountain features that you cannot easily descend from or that take multiple days. The following is a list of gear that will help you on your next alpine climb. Arc’teryx Alpha SL Glove $90 The perfect alpine climbing glove has long seemed impossible, until now. The Alpha SL Glove gives great sensation, is slim, durable and versatile. You can switch from swinging tools to rock climbing without having to layer down or up. They offer a good amount of warmth for summer alpine. Save these for your most demanding routes that require focused precision. Black Diamond Distance Plus FLZ Trekking Poles $149…

Gyms Quebec Allez-Up 1339 rue Shearer Montreal, QC 514.989.9656 allezup.com Escalade Horizon Roc 2350 Dickson Montreal, QC 514.899.5000 horizonroc.com Ontario Ajax Rock Oasis Ajax Community Centre 75 Centennial Rd. Ajax, ON 905.231.3434 905.231.9934 fax infoajax@rockoasis.com rockoasis.com Climber’s Rock 5155 Harvester Rd., Burlington, ON 905.633.7625 info@climbersrock.com climbersrock.com 40 min. from Toronto Climate controlled! 12,000 square feet 100 + toprope routes 108 feet of continuous top-out bouldering! The Guelph Grotto Indoor Climbing Gym 199 Victoria Rd. S Guelph, ON 800.454.0456 519.767.0838 519.767.2408 fax info@guelphgrotto.com guelphgrotto.com Joe Rockhead’s Climbing Gym 29 Fraser Ave. Toronto, ON 416.538.7670 joerockheads.com “Eating glazed doughtnut bracelets off the right arm of Jesus.” Of Rock & Chalk 482 Ontario St. Newmarket, ON 888.248.7625 rockandchalk@hotmail.com rockandchalk.com The Rock Oasis Toronto, ON 416.703.3434 infotoronto@rockoasis.com rockoasis.com Manitoba Vertical Adventures Climbing Gym 77…

The North Face Women’s Beyond the Wall High-Rise Pants $129 These slim-fitting pants are durable and perfect for wearing under your harness because they stretch with you. These are climbing-specific pants that are great for the crag or multi-pitches. Arc’teryx Phasic Sun Hoody $140 This might be one of the best layers of the decade. It’s comfortable, stretchy, bright, never stinks and is highly durable for long days out, while giving good sun protection. If it gets cold, it acts as a base layer. Wild Country Revo $175 A great belay device for novice climbers that functions the same no matter what way the rope is loaded. It gives smooth belays with its frictionless design and works with larger-diameter ropes. A must-have for crag days. Petzl Tikkid $34 This is…

The 500-metre high east face of Snowpatch Spire has been getting a lot of attention over the past decade and is quickly becoming one of the finest alpine rock faces in North America for free climbing. What used to be a face known primarily as an aid climbing venue, is now covered in free-climbing lines, although mostly difficult ones, usually requiring at least a couple pitches of 5.12. Perhaps the most amazing thing about it is that almost every pitch is good. “I don’t think there’s another mountain in western Canada that can boast that,” said Jon Walsh, who has been putting in countless hours of effort over the past few years to free aid pitches. “Like a big crag offering pure rock climbing in the alpine, it offers an…

Bataan offers some of the most challenging and best rock for sport climbing in the Bow Valley. Just over a decade ago, it was the go-to place on weekends and evenings for locals and visitors to push themselves. As other crags, such as Echo Canyon, Planet X, Raven’s Crag, Black Feather and Acephale (which has always been a place to go) saw new, hard climbs established, Bataan had fewer and fewer climbers. The crag was named after an infamous death march during World War II, although the one-and-a-half-hour hike up switchbacks and steep paths is not as bad as many make it out to be. Plus, we’re climbers and going up a hill shouldn’t stop us from climbing steep rock. There are over 100 routes from 5.10a to 5.13d and…

Fall of Heaven: Whymper’s Tragic Matterhorn Climb Reinhold Messner Mountaineers Books Before the dawn of the space age it was the conquest of geographic features of the Earth that captured the public imagination: the Northwest Passage, the North and South Poles, the Nile, Everest, and, about a hundred years prior, the Matterhorn. If you turn the pages of mountaineering history back to its origins you’ll read that Edward Whymper succeeded in climbing the unclimbable peak of the Alps in the summer of 1865, that a competing party climbing the opposite side of the mountain was a mere 200 metres down when his group summitted, and that four of his party of seven perished on the way down. Reinhold Messner wants us to relive and reassess these dramatic events. He…