Crack Climbing Secrets
I admit, I have a tendency to see gear as something that demands expense, attention and maintenance. All things which could be better manifested as time climbing or playing with my dog. Yet I must be realistic. I have learned over the years that anything which is not helping me is hurting me, and I have a lot of small and specific gear habits that I am quite particular about. Gear is important. Getting it right will definitely free you up to enjoy the climbing more, especially when the climbing style is inherently pretty gear intensive….like at Indian Creek. Of course if it all becomes too much of a hassle, we can just go free solo 🙂
Recently I have been climbing at the Creek with lots of visiting friends, and I have noticed that I have a lot of fussy little gear preferences that they were interested to know about…so here is a list of personal Indian Creek secret weapons:
Cams.
What could be more important at Indian Creek than cams? Well, shoes. But we’ll get to that! As always, and especially when you are carrying a ridiculously large rack, LIGHT IS RIGHT. If you use Mammut Moses carabiners and Metolius Powercams, your rack will be lighter than everyone else’s by a significant percentage. I would rather go climbing than do math, so I can’t tell you what that percentage is, but it’s pretty easy to pick up one rack in one hand, and one in the other, and you will see what I mean.
An important trick I always use is to tape the sling of the cam, just above the biner, so the biner can’t spin (just like having an elastic for the bottom biner on a quickdraw). There is nothing worse than cruxxing out, usually in a layback position, and having the biner spin upside down just before you desperately try to clip the rope in.
Shoes.
Actually, shoes are even more important than cams….you use them even if you aren’t using cams! This one is very simple. You need Five Ten Moccasyms, one half size smaller than your hiking shoe. If you don’t wear these shoes, you will climb a full letter grade lower at Indian Creek, and you will also be in pain. They are not paying me to say this. It’s just true. If you don’t wear Moccasyms at the Creek right now, you have no idea what a difference it makes, but you will find out and you will be happy!
Tape.
Pagan Mountaineering in Moab carries a special version of Mueller tape which is made to be sold in Europe. It is called Eurotape. 🙂 Bizarrely enough, this is the exact same tape Mueller produces for sale in the US, but is twice as sticky. I know all this, because I actually called Mueller, trying to find the stickiest possible tape, when I was freeing the Salathe, because my tape was rolling on me and causing a problem and I was desperate for stickier tape. Luckily for me, after we discovered all this, Pagan started to stock Eurotape, so now I never have to be without it. It really does make a difference when your tape doesn’t roll, especially on thinner crack sizes. This is definitely a case of what isn’t helping you is hurting you, if you use less-sticky tape. I buy an entire box at a time, especially because it’s not possible to buy sticky tape in Yosemite, where it can really be an issue.
Aspirin.
Some cracks, and some particular sizes (ring locks!) are very painful. Wearing the right shoes helps a lot with the foot pain, and taping helps somewhat with hand pain. Also, you gradually get used to crack technique, and things don’t hurt as much in general. But at a certain point, especially if you are trying something specific and/or difficult, pain in your fingers and toes can be an actual logistics problem. I had the hardest time with this on the Salathe headwall, Pink Flamingo at Indian Creek, and Concepcion when I was working on those routes. I found that if I would take a few aspirin a couple of hours before I planned to start climbing, and then two or three more just before I started climbing, I was able to climb a lot more comfortably. Coffee seems to be a natural pain killer too, along with its many other virtues.
Dogs.
The best dogs for Indian Creek are heeler mixes. Though I have had great success with many other dogs as well. When you get down from a long hard crack battle (not that you will be battling, I’m just saying if!), there is nothing more wonderful than a wagging, smiling dog who is totally happy to see you safe and sound and back on the ground! They are also very helpful in cold weather and are more environmentally sound than hand warmers.
Make sure to bring a water dish up to the cliff, as it can get hot up there sometimes, even on crispy winter days. On the other hand, since it can get surprisingly cold as well, remember that your down jacket should always be tucked around shivering dogs rather than on you. You have other clothes.
Happy climbing!
“Low-dose aspirin (325 milligrams or less daily) has been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular blood clots. It can, however, cause gastrointestinal ulceration and major bleeding, thereby limiting its overall usefulness even at the lowest effective amount.”
Please do ot take too many of those. It can be bad for your Stomach.
Thanks for the great tips ! Rock on Sista.
Hi Steph,
I love your blog! I try to check it before climbing for inspiration and it always helps! As a wellness practitioner, I have just a couple of comments for you. I agree that aspirin is likely the better choice as an NSAID but natural is better. I highly recommend megadoses of Vitamin C (3-4000mg/d) for preventing the delayed onset muscle soreness often associated with intense physical activity. This should be taken before activity as a preventative measure. Also, omega 3 fatty acids are excellent natural anti-inflammatories. The very best form is in a high quality fish oil (no mercury, etc.) but for vegans flax oil is good too, it is just not as readily used by the body. Also, I would recommend almond milk over soy milk any day. You may do your own research..google “soy milk and carcinogens” and see what you find out!
Thanks again! Keep on rockin!
Sarah
As someone who is new to climbing, I find your blog inspirational as well as informative.
The previous suggestions of flaxseed oil and almond milk are good. (I developed an allergy to soy, and already had one with dairy products). I also take probiotics to boost the immune system, and found the Mckenzie Method of therapy when I slipped a disk and injured my back and knee [it always could be worse ;)]. The exercises are very similar to yoga, and after 6 months of therapy I’m about 97% pain free. They teach you certain exercises to do every day for pain management, and it works. And because I’m an older climber who has the beginnings osteo-arthritis I take chondroitin and glucosamine, MSM, and calcium as well, and they do seem to help. Thanks for all the excellent tips!
Love your blog! 🙂
M
Of all your tips, I of course find the ones regarding dogs tantamount to all others! Perhaps even superseding taping in precedence…?! Yay for dogs!
Though I would be remiss to not challenge your choice of breed…I of course think snow dog mutts are the best! Cuz they don’t steal one’s down jacket!!! They can even serve as one! (If you see them at all during the day that is… ;-))
And if it is tooo cold to climb, one can always rest assured that a workout will still be had scouring the cliffs and canyons for the inevitably missing wolfie!!!
XO
LJH
and Cotton, Lola and Hakuna
I want that tape! You should sell it here. I will call Pagan, but if you’ve got a better source, could you post it? Thanks for the advice! I’m gonna try the shoes, too.
There is a nice Crack climbing secrets. I am happy with this secrets. It is a good adventure sport. I like to do this but I am afraid from hight.
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Thanks for this great post, and sharing your thoughts. I’m actually shopping for “Creek shoes” right now–you might have convinced me to try Moccasyms.
I was interested that you chose aspirin over an NSAID or Tylenol–the aspirin really shuts down your platelets, and increases the risk of bruising (and bleeding). This can be a particularly bad problem if you happen to bleed into tissue that you plan on jamming with, i.e. your hands or fingers. Have you noticed this at all?
🙂 if you can hold out a little, Evolv and I are making some new crack slippers! But that can always be for your next pair (it will most likely be next fall for release).
So far I have managed to not pulverize my appendages to the point of hemorrhaging…..but, it’s always good to be cautious 😉 I avoid Tylenol and Ibuprofen when possible. What I like about aspirin is that its original composition comes from willow, which is a natural origin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aspirin. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are chemically synthesized, from inception to production. Also, aspirin is safe for dogs and tylenol and ibuprofen are not, so it’s just convenient to all use the same thing (I used to have to give aspirin occasionally to my dog Fletch who was suffering from arthritis). I do use ibuprofen when I get injured.
Steph, thanks for the great tip on the Moccasyms, I switched from Miuras and have not looked back. I climb at Frog Butress in Queensland Australia and the cracks are ryolite, quite slippery in places and the Moccasyms are perfect. I try not to tell people my secret weapon though. 🙂
Steph did you ever release your custom crack slippers?
The new Evolv Addicts will be released this fall!