Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023/January 2024 Vol. 25 Issue 6 i Gripped: The Climbing Magazine

No-hangs are one of the newer methods of training your fingers. This type of finger training comes in two forms. The first is an over-the-head no-hang, where the climber pulls down on the edge of a hangboard. The second involves lifting a weight off the floor. While the hangboard is an incredible training tool, it has inconsistencies. The fluctuating strength of the torso and arms provide different distributions of weight to the fingers between attempts. Although perfect form manages against this problem, true consistency is impossible to replicate. A no-hang removes these points of inconsistency by loading measured weight throughout the hand. Instead of inconsistent weight distribution between different shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers, the only place for inconsistent loading between sets exists in the fingers themselves. Tracking consistency is…

Interior B.C. has some of Canada’s best long ice routes, with several of them forming every year. North of Kamloops in Marble Canyon stands Icy BC, a longtime classic that draws climbers from around North America every winter. Icy BC and its neighbour Deeping Wall make for a fun no-avalanche-danger, short-approach day out. Icy BC follows three pitches with treed ledges in between. The final pitch is the stoutest, sometimes with funky ice. During cold winters, it will form by late December. To reach Icy BC, hike across the frozen lake and into the trees at the base. The climb is the farthest to the right and starts with a pitch of WI3, which is broken into two tiers. The second WI4 pitch is short and punchy. The final pitch…

It was obvious to many in the climbing community that Connor Herson was going to push the limits of crack climbing after he free-climbed The Nose, a 30-pitch 5.14a, at the age of 15. He became only the sixth climber in history to achieve the feat with his 2018 ascent. Over the past few decades, many climbers have made memorable redpoints as a teenager, but few have continued to evolve as a climber as they age. Herson, however, has not only continued to progress, but he’s pushing the bar higher for what’s possible in the world of trad climbing. As many climbers might remember, Herson followed up his send of The Nose with a repeat of the sport climb Empath, a proposed 5.15a in California. Herson then went on to…

Arc’teryx Granville Carryall Bag $160 A simple design that can hold up to 30 litres of stuff, from climbing gym gear to snacks for a bouldering sesh. It has a large main compartment and a smaller front pocket. It’s far more durable than any other carryall on the market thanks to the material that’s been tested against harsh conditions and weather. A perfect bag for winter activities. Yeti 414 ml Stackable Mug $40 Every climber needs a reliable mug for trips to the ice climb and walks to the climbing gym. This is a perfect size for a morning coffee, has an easy-to-grip handle and can be washed in the dishwasher. Valandre OLAN -25 C $160 Most down boots will keep the feet warm in chilly temps, but few will…

Royal Robbins:The American Climber David Smart Mountaineers Books, 2023 Winner of the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival 2023 Climbing Literature Award In Dehumanization of Art and Other Essays, the Spanish philosopher Jose Ortegâ y Gasset wrote, “Biography is a system in which the contradictions of a human life are unified.” It’s been said that Ortegâ’s own works were like an iceberg; that which was visible above the water, and all that mass beneath the surface of it. I cannot think of a more fitting metaphor to describe the subject covered, the challenge undertaken, and the outcome achieved, by accomplished author David Smart in this exciting new biography of the legendary climber Royal Robbins, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 82. To gather the story of…

Arc’teryx Horium Hoody $600 A classic Arc’teryx jacket that’s been revised for this winter. Nice and warm, but you won’t overheat. It’s a step up from the Atom in terms of loftiness. The double zipper allows you to zip up from the bottom while belaying. A perfect layer for every ice climber. Camp Photon Wire $11 This is one of the best full-size wire gates on the market. It’s light, affordable and is easy to clip—even with gloves on. The 30-gram weight makes it ideal for having on your ice climbing rack. Clip two of them together on a few slings and you have a great rack of extendable draws. Black Diamond Belay Parka $350 The newest belay jacket from BD doesn’t disappoint. From single-pitch cragging in sub-zero temps to…

Ethan Salvo, 21, represents a new generation of boulderers in Canada. Originally from Markham, Ont., Salvo started climbing shortly before his 16th birthday, and the sport quickly became an obsession. Rising through the bouldering grades at breakneck speed, he cleaned out many of Niagara Glen’s most difficult problems and established a few hard lines of his own. He moved to Squamish in spring 2022, and since then he’s repeated and opened some of the proudest lines in town. Salvo’s climbing story as a Squamish local begins with Deadlift V14. First climbed by Squamish legend Tim Doyle in 2020, Deadlift works its way up the very steep southwest corner of the massive Octagon boulder in the forest below the Grand Wall. The line was a major goal for Salvo when he…

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In October, American alpinists Matt Cornell, Alan Rousseau and Jackson Marvell spent nearly a week making the first ascent of Round Trip Ticket, a 2,700-metre M7 AI5+ A0 on the north face of Jannu in alpine-style. It’s arguably one of the finest new alpine routes to be established in the Himalaya in a generation. The three climbers had already accomplished some of the most audacious first ascents in remote ranges of the past decade, but this climb is in a league of its own. We touched based with Rousseau shortly after their ascent. What was the technical crux? There are many pitches that may have been the crux. From 7,000–7,500 metres was pretty much all vertical drytooling. Fortunately, we all had enough to scrape by, and we were protected well…

The first major ice route climbed in Yosemite Valley was Sentinel Falls. Kevin Worrall, Jim Orey and Mark Chapman made the first ascent of the Upper Yosemite Falls in December 1974. The full climb has reportedly only been climbed once, by Walt Shipley and Kevin Fosburg. “I was clad in corduroy bell-bottom jeans with no gaiters,” said Chapman about their first ascent, which took them three days. “We post-holed east under Sentinel Dome and then headed for the Four Mile trail, which took us to the Valley, sunshine, and food. Shortly thereafter Jim took leave of us and Kevin and I turned our sights to the obvious encore—the Widow’s Tears.” Chapman and Worral would go on to make the first ascent of the seven-pitch Widow’s Tears WI5 in 1975. It’s…

Scarpa Phantom 6000 HD $1,350 At this price tag, you’re asking for a lot, but luckily this amazing new boot delivers. If you’re familiar with Scarpa’s line, these are a trimmed down version of the Phantom 8000L HD, so basically it’s made for technical mountaineering up to 6,000 metres. Thanks to their design, they make for an excellent moderate ice climb boot, one where you’re on the move for most of the day. They’re light and very comfortable. Scarpa uses environmentally friendly materials that give the same great precision and performance as anything out there. The insulation will keep you warm on the coldest days and the sole edges nicely on rocky approaches. La Sportiva G Tech $799 These are the best new ice climbing boots on the market. They…

I’ve tried to climb The Auger Sanction twice over the past 20 years. I would’ve tried more often, but finding a partner who’s keen on the long, avalanche-prone approach was never easy. The two partners who did join me on separate occasions both agreed with me mid-approach that “this is nuts.” So, I guess I’ve never tried The Auger Sanction, but I’ve tried to reach it, twice. I’d heard stories about the daunting route that forms on Simpson Ridge during the early 2000s while attending university in northwestern Ontario. I was new to ice climbing, but those in the know who also attended the Nipigon Icefest in 2002 shared a few details about the climb. From what I recall, they said it was steep, remote, and reserved for only those…