Climbingtrip to France

We took the flight down to Nice in mid october for some climbing and nature based tourism in the nearby areas. We staid there for a couple of weeks and enjoyed the combination of incredible climbing in the daytime, and french wine in the evenings.

I want to dedicate this post to learn how to become a more efficient climber.

Dan Hauge and Douglas Hunter(2006) have written that efficient movement when climbing is more important than raw muscle power. This may be pretty obvious, but a lot of people thinks that the only thing that holds them back from sending the last problem is strength. Efficient movement rests on balance, which is the center of gravity related to the base of support (Hauge & Hunter, 2006).

To develop the best hand or foot placement possible, it is important to maximize the contact area between the climber and the rock. By also adding the thumb to different holds, it can help the other fingers to endure longer (Hauge & Hunter, 2006). To do anything efficiently it has to go fast without error. Translated to climbing it means that you have to move both feet and hands precise and fast to their optimal position and continuously move upwards. A tip from Hauge and Hunter(2006) is to move slow and plan the moves ahead while constantly looking on both feet and hand placement. The thought is placing feet without a sound and "glueing" hands to the holds.

It takes a lot of practise to learn climbing techniques and doing them efficiently, but by consciously thinking about efficiency while climbing speeds progression. By adding tasks to the regular workout like precise and silent foot placements the technique will improve after a while. When mastering this task it is time to move to the next which could be moving faster or placing fingers precisely (Hauge & Hunter, 2006).

References:

Hauge, D. & Hunter, D. (2006). Klatretræning fra begynder til elite. Danske Klatreforbund, Brøndby, Danmark.

First day, ready to send some climbs. Photo: Andreas

Climbing a nice route. Photo: Yngve Nordskag

Espen sending it. Photo: Yngve Nordskag

Main wall, looking from our lunch spot. Photo: Andreas

Climbing Course

We had a climbing course from the 27th to the 30th of August focusing on the basic skills. Knowing how to safely maneuver the crags, sport climbing methods and conveying these methods to others were key subjects this week. I want to use this blogpost to recall how to efficiently ascend a rope by prussics.

Colin showing how. Photo: Andreas 

Ascending Ropes

If the rope has to be ascended and you don't got a couple ascenders in your rack,  using two prussics would be an efficient alternative. It's also possible to use only one ascender and a ratchet. However the redundancy of two makes the system not only more secure, but also versatile. The length of slings varies from situations and size of person (Klassen, 1999).

Colin, my instructor on a climbing course a few years ago showed me his best way of ascending a rope.  

Colin ascending. Photo: Andreas

His method was using two long prussics as shown on the pictures. In this case we used two 5meter prussics. It's not hard to improvise with other equipment. Tie the first prussic ends into the harness with a figure eight. Do the same procedure with the lower prussic, but leave one of the ends for a foot loop (Moorhead, 2010).

When ascending you don't want to pull on the prussic because it can slip when loaded. A point to pull on can be made by tying a normal overhand knot beneath the prussic (Moorhead, 2010).

How efficient the rope ascending would be depends on the range you can move for every pull. The distance between the foot loop and lower prussic plus the distance between the harness and the higher prussic is crucial for speed.

The methods and whats best is pretty much individually. What matter is to practise so your ready when the situation occurs.



References:

Klassen, K. (1999). Technical Handbook for Professional Mountain Guides - Alpine, Rock, and Ski Guiding Techniques. ACMG, Canmore.

Moorhead, C. Personal announcement. 09. 13. 2010. Squamish.