Gripped: The Climbing Magazine August & September / Vol 21 Issue 4

Gripped is a magazine for climbers everywhere and is celebrating 20 years of being in print this year. Its core climbing content has included cutting-edge new routes in the alpine, on boulders and at the crag. David Smart and Sam Cohen started the publication in 1999 and since then, we’ve covered stories from around the world. Gripped has had thousands of contributors from every walk of life, with climbing being the common thread. The sport of climbing has changed a lot since the late 1990s and there are more climbers than ever, which is why we’re looking forward to the next 20 years of stories, development, competitions and more. In the first issue of Gripped in 1999, the term gripped was described as “a colloquialism in climbing meaning in a…

Camp Energy CR Harness $65 Camp updates their Energy harnesses for the Energy CR line, but the originals will still be available. The CR will come in new colours and will have fully adjustable leg loops. La Sportiva Cobra 4:99 $TBD The first shoe created for speed climbing with every feature of the sole and the uppers designed to be light weight and to provide maximum speed. Maybe we’ll finally see the sub-five-second time with these high-end speed machines. Keen Explore Women’s $150 The Keen Explore Women’s is a crossover hiking shoe that is lightweight and waterproof. The lugs give great traction and the Koonectfit heel-capture system keep your foot locked in a place. Comes in two Keen colours: tawny port and satellite. Black Diamond Z4 Cam $TBD Black Diamond’s…

Alastair McDowell is a member of the New Zealand Alpine Team, a group of climbers who regularly visit Canada and other alpine destinations. He and his team made the first ascent of King Cobra, a major variation to a classic Alaskan alpine route in the Ruth Gorge this spring. We touched base with McDowell after he returned home in June. 1. What is the New Zealand alpine team? The New Zealand Alpine Team (NZAT) is a group of climbers from New Zealand and some from Australia with two goals: to mentor young alpine climbers through a three-year mentoring scheme and to grow a group of expedition climbers for overseas trips, both working together to promote alpinism in New Zealand. 2. How many trips have you taken to Canada? I have…

Minihapa is a New Banff 5.6 Multi-Pitch In spring, Brandon Pullan and Alyssa Acchione established Minihapa, a four-pitch 5.6 that climbs the lowest tiers of rock next to Cascade Falls in Banff. The route is named after the Stoney-Nakoda First Nation’s name for Cascade Mountain, which translates to “mountain where the water falls.” The first two pitches had been climbed on for decades for top-roping, but the upper two pitches, which climb next to the waterfall, had not been climbed. The first pitch is 5.4, the second is 5.5, third is 5.6 and fourth is 5.3. It starts a few metres to the right of the lowest waterfall. Slovak Direct Climbed Marc Toralles and Bru Busom made the 10th ascent of the Slovak Direct on Denali, one of the world’s…

Em Pellerin Flashes 5.13d Quebec climber Em Pellerin was just in France where she flashed Hulkosaure 5.13d in the Verdon. Sean McColl Celebrates 150 Sean McColl made it to finals at the Vail world cup in June and finished sixth. It was his 150th world cup competition. Babsi Zangerl Austrian Babsi Zangerl made a quick repeat of Everything is Karate 5.14d in California. Her partner, Jacopo Larcher, also sent the steep granite sport route. Laura Rogora Laura Rogora, 18, of Italy, made the first ascent of Rèveille-toi 5.14d at Cueva di Collepardo in Italy in early June. In 2016, at the age of 14, Rogora became the first Italian female and second youngest climber ever to climb 5.14d with her send of Grandi Gesti in Italy. Pia Graham Zozobra Ontario…

The Ontario Alliance of Climbers (OAC) organized The Rattlesnake Project in partnership with Conservation Halton, with the goal of creating new sport routes for climbers to enjoy. In the end, they bolted 30 new routes, mostly from 5.6 to 5.8, and created spaces for learning about rope systems. Bolting the routes wasn’t cheap, the whole project cost over $5,000. We encourage Ontario climbers to donate to the oac, so it can continue to maintain access. The routes were showcased at the first annual Rattlesnake Spring Fling, which brought together industry leaders to mentor new climbers on and off the rock. The rock talk mentorship clinic was an opportunity for experienced locals to pass along their values and traditions to the next generation. The goal was to help shape the behaviour…