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C L I M B I N G.C O M | 3

C O N T E N T S I S S U E 3 2 9TrainingGet your core strong for steeps with these 10 exercises.

NutritionA tasty oatmeal recipe for all-day energy with topping tips from oat-loving pros.

G E A RPrimerDissected: See what parts make up a climb-ing shoein detail.

Big ReviewRock shoe buyers guide! Find the pair thats right for you.

TestedThe latest gear obses-sions from our testers.

C L I N I C SBegin HereLearn to use the shelf on your multi-pitch anchor.

Ripped From the HeadlinesMinimize the risk when you nd yourself stuck in a lightning storm.

Shop TechUse the science of fric-tion to your advantage.

VO I C E SAsk Answer ManWhats the nal word on booty?

The Wright StuffCedar Wright talks naked climber chicksyep, you read that right.

Semi-RadThe accidental art of punting.

Yosemite ProfilesMeet Yosemite reporter and historian Tom Evans.

T H E F LOW

F L AS H

THE APPROACH Editors Note

Letters

Archives

Re-GramReader-submitted #climberproblems.

Off The WallThe ne art of climbing.

T H E C L I M B G U I D EAdvice Jonathan Siegrist sent his rst 5.15 this year. Heres what he learned.

EpicenterChattanooga, Tennes-see is the capital of Southern climbing.

Instant ExpertSend chimneys like Santa Claus with tips and techniques from Rob Pizem.

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Cover photo by Andrew Burr: Jasmin Caton gets high on Orange Plasma (5.11a), Tuolumne Meadows, California.

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I S S U E 3 2 9Jonathan Hemlock enjoys the

stunning light of golden hour on Everlasting (5.11b) at the supreme fall destination of Devils Tower, Wyoming.

Issue 327. Climbing (USPS No. 0919-220, ISSN No. 0045-7159) is published ten times a year (February, March, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December/January) by SkramMe-dia LLC. The known of ce of publication is at 2520 55th St., Suite 210, Boulder, CO 80301. Periodicals postage paid at Boulder, CO, and at additional mailing of ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Climbing, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast FL 32142-0235. Canada Post publications agreement No. 40008153. Subscription rates are $29.97 for one year of postal delivery in the United States. Add $20 per year for Canada and $40 per year for surface postage to other foreign countries. Canadian undeliverable mail to Pitney Bowes IMEX PO Box 54, Station A, Windsor ON N9A 6J5. Postmaster: Please send all UAA to CFS. Retailers: Please send correspondence to Climbing c/o Retail Vision 815 Ogden Avenue, Lisle, IL 60532-1337. List Rental: Contact Kerry Fischette at American List Counsel, 609-580-2875 kerry. schette@alc.com Climbing magazine is a division of SkramMedia LLC.

BargainingWith God When four young climbers with big-mountain dreams went to the St. Elias range to take on Canadas tall-est peak, they had no idea how close they would come to never returning home. In rst-person accounts, each tells a dramatic story of pain, hunger, facing death, and how it changed them all.

Everyday HeroesUnless youre part of a search and rescue team, you dont head out for a day of climbing expect-ing to be thrust into a life-or-death situation. Dougald MacDonald combed through dozens of stories of regular climbers helping other climbers to nd ve amazing examples of ordinary people who saved anothers life.

The Mind GameTheres no way around itclimbing is scary! We all feel the fear at one point or another, and aft er a particularly har-rowing experience, Matt Lloyd decided to do some research on how pros like Alex Honnold and Steph Davis quash their anxiety and doubt. His ndings could take your climbing to the next levelsafely.

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S I S T E R H O O D : S E V E N D A Y S I N B I S H O P W I T H

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8 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

C L I M B I N G.C O M | 9

Every once in a while, one route emerges as a collec-tively agreed-upon benchmark for the worlds strongest climbers. These routes can be about more than just hard climbing with a high gradetheyre about history. First bolted and named in 1989 by Jean-Cristophe Lafaille, Biographie went unclimbed until Arnaud Petit added an anchor at the halfway point and sent the rst portion in 1996. Five years later, Chris Sharma climbed the full route. In classic Sharma style, he didnt grade the climb, but he did give it a name: Realization. (French tradition calls for the route to be named by the bolter; U.S. tradition calls for the route to be named by the rst ascensionist, hence the dual moniker.) The route saw six more ascents over the course of 13 years, when American Jonathan Siegrist kicked off a send train in early June 2014 aft er a month of working it (see p. 26). Alex Megos (pictured) followed suit on July 11, completing it on the third try of his rst day, and 11 days later, Adam Ondra senttwo years aft er he tried to ash it while the world watched via social media. One week into August, Japanese strongman Sachi Amma rounded out the sends with the eleventh total ascent.

Alex MegosBiographie (5.15a), aka Realization Cse, France

MIKEY SCHAEFER

F L A S H

10 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

Despite her position as one of the strongest female climbers in the world, with dozens of interna-tional podium appearances, a half-dozen national bouldering championships, and countless V12 sends under her belt, Alex Puccio had yet to tick V13 as of June 2014. Then on July 1, she headed to Chaos Canyon and sent the diffi cult Top Notch (V13) on her second day working it. Five days later, she put away Nuthin But Sunshine, another V13 in Chaos Canyon, which she said was not quite as hard as Top Notch. The summer of sends didnt end there: On August 2, she ticked her rst V14 with an

ascent of Daniel Woods iconic testpiece Jade, also in Chaos Canyon; it was the rst try of her fourth day on the problem. The lady-crushing rounded out with two more women climbing V14 (see opposite page), Angie Payne getting the rst female ascent of her four-year project Freaks of the Industry (V13) in Chaos Canyon (read the backstory at climbing.com/odetothealpine), Brooke Raboutou nabbing her rst V13 with Fragile Steps in Rocklands, South Africa, and Ashima Shiraishi sending Betta Move (V13), also in Rocklands.

JOEL ZERR

Alex PuccioTop Notch (V13) Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

C L I M B I N G.C O M | 11

Shauna CoxseyNew Base Line (V14)Magic Wood, Switzerland

Aft er breaking her leg in Magic Wood two years prior, 21-year-old British crusher Shauna Cox-sey came back for revenge this summer, which she got in spades with her send of New Base Line, securing her position as the third woman in the world to climb V14. It was a erce race for second place. Coxseys ascent came only a few days aft er Ashima Shiraishi, 13, became the second female to send the grade with her ascent of Golden Shadow in Rocklands, South Africa (inset). (In October 2012, Japanese climber Tomoko Ogawa, 34, nabbed the top spot when she sent Catharsis in Shio-bara, Japan, aft er three years of effort.) Coxsey, who is known as a top competition climber, includ-ing an overall second place nish in the 2014 IFSC Boulder World Cup, visited the Wood to wrap up some two-year-old nemesis projects: Piranja (V10), which she broke her leg on in 2012, and One Summer in Paradise (V13). When she sent both quicker than expectedsaying they lacked the ght I had been cravingshe moved on to New Base Line, a problem that was at the top of her wish list. Despite three days of rain and an emotional battle with a committing move toward the end, Coxsey stuck with it and secured her place in climbing history.

LUKA TAMBAA

(INSET) KENJI TSUKAMOTO

F L A S H

12 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

C L I M B I N G.C O M | 13

Mike Brumbaugh Original Avluntning (5.11a) Lofoten Islands, Norway

With gigantic granite walls rising straight out of the ocean, a latitude that lies within the Arctic Circle, and a surprisingly temperate climate for how far north it is, the archipelago of the Lofoten Islands is a multi-discipline climbers dream. Think: World-class ice climbing in the winter meets accessible all-day alpine ridges, big walls, and countless boulders in the summer (by all day, we mean 24 hours of daylight with the char-acteristic midnight sun). Several main islands with fj ord-laden topographical features and an exceedingly long coastline mean this area is rife with rock. Climb-ing in Norway originated in this region about 150 years ago, and there are currently enough estab-lished lines to ll a lifetimewith enough new-route potential to ll 10 more. Here, Mike Brumbaugh thinks about his next move on Original Avluntning, graded 7 on the Norwegian scale.

ANDREW BURR

F L A S H

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C L I M B I N G.C O M | 15

James Pearson and Caroline CiavaldiniRocklands, South Africa

In recent years, boulderers have ocked to Rocklands for the seemingly limitless rock and op-posite optimal season (our sum-mer is their winter), but these small stoneminded developers largely ignored the potential for trad lines in the uniquely shaped sandstone. Briton James Pear-son and Frenchwoman Caroline Ciavaldini (whos originally from La Runion, a French island in the South Indian Ocean) visited the area for three weeks this summer, establishing several hard new trad routes on the sculpted rockmany of which were within sight of camp-sites and popular bouldering spots. Growing up climbing on the gritstone of the United Kingdom, Pearson is no stranger to climbing hard through scary runouts over tricky gear, but he found the opposite in South Africa: The amazing rock is full of horizontal cracks, making gear placement really easy. The routes are oft en steep and athletic, and almost always completely safeRocklands is a trad-loving sport climbers dream. That was perfect for Ciavaldini, who got her start on the lead competition climbing circuit, but eventually moved to repeatingand now estab-lishing hard lines outside. Its almost guaranteed that the duo will be back for what Pearson calls potential for literally thousands of new routes.

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C L I M B I N G.C O M | 17

T H E A P P R O A C HT H E A P P R O A C H

E D I T O R S N O T E

A Days WorkBY SHANNON DAVIS

My neighbor Ben is a great dude. Our kids ride bikes to the park together; our wives race triathlons and gossip; we share beers and laughs around many a cookout. Were

the prototypical neighborhood friends, as if out of some TV show. A couple weekends ago, he was late meeting up and apologized. Bad climbing accident, he said, still a little shaken. Skull fracture. Bens the park manager at Eldorado Canyon State Park, and he was a responder to a ground fall from 60 feet up on Little Peanut Wall. The climber, Front Range hardman Wayne Crill, was wearing a helmet, and it was one of the fastest rescues you could imagine. In a litter, through the scree, down the trail, and nally to a helicopter within an hour. With severe head and other internal injuries, Crill has a ways to go, but he survived because of Ben, longtime climbing ranger Steve Muehlhauser, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, and other climbers quick actions. That makes them heroes in my book. But to Ben and others in his line of work, stuff like this could happen on any given day. Its part of the job description. Have you ever deeply considered the job description of climbing part-ner? On page 19, we asked what qualities you value most in a partner. Spoil-er alert: Keeps me laughing when things get rough won. Im all about that (insert fart jokeor actual farthere), but when you rope up with someone, it involves way more than one-liners. In Everyday Hero by Dougald Mac-Donald (p. 60), we found ve climbers who saved anothers life, people who fully embody the type of partner we should all strive to be.

C O N T R I B U T O R S

A N D R E W BY D LO NThis perma-stoked 28-year-old founder of the Boulder, Coloradobased Caveman Collective (a com-mercial photography group) shot portraits for Everyday Hero (p. 60) and has this advice: Make strong eye contact and listen to your subject. This will help estab-lish a deeper connection and a more honest image.

M AT T L LOY DBorn in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised in Europe and the U.S., Lloyd eventually settled in Denver for its prox-imity to several lifetimes worth of climbing. This professional climber and guide researched fear and how to manage it (The Mind Game, p. 72) and found that its as important to train your mind as it is your body. I nd this comforting, he says. It means you dont have to be born a certain way to achieve a healthy, productive relationship with fear in our sport.

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Laughing at ourselvesI have two appers and a blood blister right now, and our readers shared photos of their #climberproblems, too.

Laughing at Cedar Wright If youre doing the dirtbag thing, you know that odd jobs put gas in the tank and PBRs in your mouth. In this months edition of The Wright Stuff, Cedar details what is surely one of the oddest odd jobs in climbing history. Without giving too much away, lets just say he learned a lot about anatomy.

Learning more about fearControl it to climb harder.

Being in aweDont worry, I am the strongest motherfucker on the planet. I had the notion that if it meant walking to Seattle I would do it. The limitation was time, not my determination. This powerful line from our heroes feature (p. 60) is just one of many that will put a re in your gut.

R O B P I Z E MBig wall dreams can only come true by mastering offwidths and chimneys. Dont hold your climbing life back by avoid-ing them, just get in there and embrace the gap! says Grand Junction, Coloradobased family man, teacher, and pro-fessional climber Rob Pizem. Take the rst step in master-ing the art of ascending extra-extra-wide cracks by reading Robs hard-earned chimney tips on page 32.

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@climbingmag @climbingmagazineletters@climbing.com /climbingmagazine

K E E P I N T O U C H

Chris Sharma: The Early YearsClimbings rst mention of Chris Sharma (in the December 1995 issue) began with a question: Who the hell is Chris Sharma anyway? At the time, the 14-year-old had just won his age group at the 1995 sport climbing Youth World Championships, earning his rst-ever magazine photo (above) and beginning his reign as one of the worlds top climbers. Perhaps most impressive is that hed only begun climbing two years prior at age 12, and he was already sending 5.13c outside with little effort. The article states:

His first experience was in the Kids Belay program at Pacific Edge climbing gym in Santa Cruz, California. Chris breezed through the grades, mastering 5.12 within his first year of climbing. His mentors began setting more difficult and devious routes in hopes of thwarting the youngster, who had begun to sport a bit of an attitude, constantly downgrad-ing the gyms hardest routes.

Climbing The RanksOnly four issues after his initial appearance, Sharma graced the back cover of our June 1996 issue in this Five Ten ad. At this point he was climbing 5.14a (pictured), and had won another handful of com-petitions. Within the next year he would redpoint Americas hardest testpieces of the day.

Opening StatementsIn our rst Sharma interview (August 1997), the 16-year-old

phenom stated his opinion on the practice of red-tagging a project (the act of a route developer claiming a climb, to keep others from taking the rst ascent). The quote below came after he had bagged a years-old Tony Yaniro project, but his sentiment remained when he found his own mega-project in La Dura Dura (5.15c), which was rst climbed by Adam Ondra just last year.

Its like teasing someone, Look at my project, but you cant get on it. If I bolt something, Im not going to put a red tag on it. I wouldnt think it would discourage you to watch somebody else climb a project that you had spent a lot of time on. It should motivate you to work on it more.

O V E R H E A R D

I could climb it, but Im not sober enough to drive there. Boulder, CO climber on soloing the Second Flatiron (5.0) at midnight on a Monday.

Its funny to think about all the climbers out there that would be fat hephers [sic] if they didnt rock climb.

Pro climber Joe Kinder, on Facebook.

Luckily, the 10 minutes following my ascent where I couldnt get down off the boulder werent caught on camera.

Shauna Coxsey, on her blog, describes becoming the third woman to climb V14, and then being unable to climb off it.

In his July 2014 column, Cedar Wright lamented the end of the classic Yosemite dirtbag era. The digital version at Climbing.com elicited opinions, nostalgia, and longing from our readers. See the full story at climbing.com/dirtbag.

V I R T U A L D I S C U S S I O N

COMMENTSNews Flash: Its dead. If you dont think so, try buying a climbing T-shirt. $75 for a short- sleeved climbing shirt.

Shiloh Dorsett 07/30/14 04:30:23

My wife and I gave up dirtbagging many years ago. We miss it terribly. When the weight of responsibility presses down hard on us, I tell her, One day, my love, we will do it again. I may never onsight 12a trad again or do the Nose in a day again, but we will live poor and free again.

Peter L. Scott - 07/30/2014 9:59:58

The dirtbags of yesterday are the pros of today, thanks to so many climbing companies putting money into the sport.

db - 07/30/2014 4:37:11

If I were in my 20s, Id live in a tent again in a heartbeat.

Rob Hanson - 07/30/14 04:42:11

Dirtbags arent dead. Theyre hiding. My advice to aspiring dirtbags is to go up to the North Cascades. No crowds. You can still run into Beckey out there and the next guard.

Beck - 07/30/2014 5:40:21

Modern climbers lead a balanced life compared to the climbing-centric days of my youth. Dirtbagging was a means to an end. Somehow it morphed into a gloried alternative lifestyle, with its practitioners regarded as modern-day ascetics who are better than those enjoying a more comfortable existence.

Marc B - 07/31/20144:45:59

There are still some of us out here. Id send you a picture of my Tacoma, but the house is too messy from my latest trip to take a picture right now.

Mike - 07/31/2014 9:17:40

C L I M B I N G.C O M | 19

R E - G R A M

#ClimberProblemsLife changes when you become a climber. Your body becomes lean and captivating. Gravity becomes a force that can be overcome. Pickle jars become easy to open. On the other hand, climbers face unique, everyday challenges that our proportionately forearmed brethren will never under-stand. Here is a small sampling of those #climberproblems, shared by our readers.

Five guides were getting ngerprinted for work at a climbing camp. We had a contest to see who had the most shredded tips. I won with ve rejected prints.

- @erikthatcher

Put me in a dress and heels on a boat, but noth-ing changes. I still try to climb everything and anything.

@kaderines

My girlfriend is too small to properly spot me, so I strapped together three Mondos and a sit pad.

@carerommel

This fella cheese-grated down Breashears Crack in Morrison, incurring a burly flapper in the process.

@_ha_vee_air_

Finally found a way to dry my ropeand a use for the ironing board that sits in my closet gathering dust.

@aparker_ut

The search for boulders isnt always easyor cleannear Laramie Peak in Wyoming.

@ghoulish

At Washoe Boulders, NV. I ripped the best hold off Hal-loween Hangover (V7) and onto my domepiece.

@jazzy_monkey

O B V I O U S L I N E S

Keeps me laughing when things get rough

Super psyched

Other

Nice, soft catches

Strong enough to lead all the hard pitches

Always brings post-climb beers

Anyone who can breathe/safely operate a belay device

Owns a huge rack of expensive, shiny pro

Whats the most important quality you look for in a climbing partner (assuming theyre safe)?

35 *Source: Climbing reader survey. Join at climbing.com/readerpanel.

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33

41

46

55

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107 OTHER:Can bail on routes, but not on plans.

I only climb with my wife. Anyone else would be considered cheating.

Will pick up the sharp end when Im so scared that I question why I ever started climbing in the rst place.

After cruising up Fake Pamplemousse (V11), Fraser McIlwraith nds the descent harder than the climb.

@pennylopeorr

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What inspired you to paint Face To Face?When I started dating my husband, the rst piece of artwork I ever gave him was a colored pencil drawing of him climbing. He loved it. Since then, every year he says, When are you gonna do another painting of me? I kept thinking, If I do that, I really want to do something that has a good sense of what its like with him on the rock, how hes built, and how he climbs.

Tell us about the painting.Its 48 tall and 24 wide and about 1.5 deep. Its on wood. So its all painted; there are no tiles or anything. The little tile shapes that youre seeing are like littles hexes. Its kind of a spin-off. I wanted to use the actual shape, but theyre not perfectly symmetrical. The whole thing took more than 300 hours.

How did your husband react when he saw it?He loves it. He acts like a proud parent. He showed it to the group of guys he climbs with. I think hes just really proud that his wifes a painter.

Are you a climber yourself?I could probably climb a 5.8 or a 5.9, but I dont have the nerve for it. Its in Tims blood. When we rst started dating, I really thought, Hell probably climb for like 10 years and then lose interest. Oh no, hes only built up steam.

Whats next?I think a series with alternative outdoor sports, like kayaking and hang gliding would be really fun. Ive had people approach me and say, You should do more of these. Theyre incredible!(See more at schwarzkarststudio.com.)

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T H E A P P R O A C H

O F F T H E W A L L

Climbing as ArtMeet two artists who are pushing our sport into ne art galleriesBY KEVIN CORRIGAN

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ITS NOT OFTEN THAT rock climbers are admired in New York City art galleries, but Missoula, Montana painter Barb Schwarz Karst has accomplished just that. Her painting Face to Face shows her husband of 28 years, Tim Karst, climbing Witness The Tickness (5.11a/b) in Mill Creek, Montana. The photorealist portrait has been featured in places from the retired art teachers home state to Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

WEVE ALL SEEN those woven climbing-rope rugs and thought about making one. Boulder, Colorado artist Mick Tresemer takes them to the next level. His pieces feature intricately woven colors, words, and even three-dimensional designs.

Howd you get started?Every year for Christmas I make family presents. Id seen the woven rope rugs and decided to try a few as gifts. I was like, Oh, this is really fun. At the time, I was using one single color. Then I started mixing colors because I had all these different ropes from the outdoor consignment shop I work at. I really love to re-use.

Where do you get all the ropes?I did nd myself running out of ropes in the beginning. Not any more. I made a deal with a climbing gym in Boulder. I made them a huge rug for their entrance, and they let me know when they have rope. And actually people started bringing them to me, too. Im the rope guy now.

Did the difculty increase when you shifted to the third dimension?It adds a dimension of difculty for sure, literally. But I think it adds 10 times the interest. I use hot glue and it will melt the rope and stick it together. Its like welding almost. The rst time was an accident. I got some glue on the side, and I was like, Ohhhhh! Accidents drive a lot of art. I dont think just mine, but a lot of peoples art.

Any tips for anyone that wants to try this at home?Dont hold yourself back. A rope is just like a line on a piece of paper. If you can draw then you can make anything you want. Its limitless.(See more at micktres.com.)

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T H E A P P R O A C H

There was a climber leading a sport route. The belayer was half belaying and half messing with a tangle. Halfway up the route, the climber stopped at a ledge, then untied and threw the rope down so that the belayer could sort ev-erything out. He wasnt clipped in to anything. After straightening out the rope, the belayerafter many triestossed the rope back up to the climber, who tied back in. He wasnt safe until he reached the next clip, though. When he tossed the rope down, it had fall-en out of the lower draws.

L.V., via Climbing.com

LESSON: Given what gravity and sudden impacts can do to a body, you should never be on a route unanchored. Its too easy to lose your balance and pitch off the wall, especially when

youre doing something like, say, trying to catch an airborne rope. The best course is to prevent these problems be-fore they start. Always ake your rope at the base of a route before starting a climb to eliminate knots and tangles. If you do nd yourself in a situation like this, either go in direct while your belayer sorts it out, or suck it up and lower, x the problem, and start over. Its better to waste 10 minutes than to fall off a cliff.

I met a group of climbers working a route on toprope. The belayer was using an anticross-loading carabiner, which was connected to his leg and waist loops instead of the belay loop or tie-in points. It was also unscrewed, and the leg loop was jammed on the in-ner gate, holding it open. By some

miracle, the Grigri hadnt fallen out. No one noticed the oddly open biner until I yelled for them to close it.

Rui Rosado, via Climbing.com

LESSON: Carabiners are signi -cantly weaker when loaded along their minor axis (width-wise instead of length-wise). Anticross-loading biners are designed to prevent this problem by xing themselves in the proper orientation. This bene t is completely negated when the gate is open, which reduces a carabiners strength the same as cross-loading. A simple check to make sure your carabiner is locked should be part of your pre-climb routine. Better: Use an auto-locking carabiner and make sure its closed. Also, belay from your belay loop. Thats what its there for.

I climbed a multi-pitch sport route with a friend recently. He led and built an anchor. When I got to the top, I saw that he had the tube-style belay device clipped to the chains only by the wire at the base of the device.

Cody, via Climbing.com

LESSON: The wire on a belay device is called a keeper loop. Its purpose is to keep the device from sliding up the rope during a rappel. Its not load-bear-ing. Had the climber fallen, it would have likely been a grounder. Even if the wire didnt break, the device wouldnt have stopped the rope from moving through it because it was not set up correctly in guide mode. Make sure you know how to properly use your device.

See something unbelayvable? Email unbelayvable@climbing.com.

U N B E L A Y V A B L E !

Scary (and true) tales from a crag near you

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24 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

T H E C2 6 G U I D E // 3 9 G E A R // 4 7 C L I N I C S // 5 3 V O I C E S

C L I M B I N G.C O M | 25

L I M B

Patrick Kingsbury demonstrates perfect froggy style technique on Scream and Slither (5.11) in Long Canyon, Utah, an area that has six of legendary offwidth

climber Craig Luebbens 10 favorite wide cracks. Turn to page 32 for a quick but comprehensive look at climbing chimneys of all widthsfrom true squeeze

slots to full-body stems with stellar advice from wide-crack expert Rob Pizem. Then check out route developer and crusher Jonathan Siegrists suggestions for

redpointing at your limit, and make sure to start any day of hard climbing with our ridiculously delicious oatmeal recipe. Its goodwe promise, especially if you

follow Conrad Anker and Kate Rutherfords customized topping suggestions.

ANDREW BURR

26 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

Its not authentic French climbing without a little agging action! Jona-than Siegrist locks it off on Biographie/Realization, a historic 5.15a in Cse, France. The American climber, who has put up several 5.14 rst ascents (sport and trad), spent more than a month working the route, with the ultimate goal of using it as a 5.15 benchmark for his own original lines back in the States.

G U I D ET H E C L I M B

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I wanted this route more than Ive wanted anything in my life, Jonathan Siegrist told me, as we sat drinking espresso (his was decaf) in Chamonix, exactly two weeks after he nabbed

the eighth ascent of Biographie (5.15a), aka Realization, in Cse, France. Chris Sharma rst sent the full route in 2001 and chose not to grade it, but it was widely speculated (and later conrmed) to be the worlds rst 5.15.

Siegrist, 29, has been a xture in the national climbing scene for the past ve years, ticking off hard sport routes across the globe, adding his own 5.14 lines (both bolted and on gear), and bringing a smile and pos-itive attitude to every crag he visits. Although his father, Bob Siegrist (who, at 64, sent his rst 5.13 in July 2014), had always urged his son to try the sport, Siegrist didnt start climbing until he was 18. Eventually climbers in Colorados Front Range began to see him everywhere, send-ing the areas hardest lines. He gained international attention in 2009 when he visited Kentuckys Red River Gorge and cleaned up: three 5.14cs, three 5.14a ashes, three 5.13c onsights, and more than a dozen other 5.13 and 5.14 routesall dispatched quickly. According to his website (jstarinorbit.com), Siegrist has about 150 5.14 sends (many of

them ashes and rst ascents) and more than 400 5.13s under his belt.Siegrist thought sending Biographie was important to his credibility

as a route developer because it represented the next level of difficulty. I want to add some of the hardest sport routes in the U.S., and with my routes La Lune and La Rve, I speculated they could be 5.15, but I didnt know, he said. I thought Biographie would give me a respect-able benchmark so I wouldnt have to speculate about grades. I could say, OK, now I know what this difficulty feels like, he explained. It was also encouraging to know that shorter climbers had done it, like Ramon Julian Puigblanque and Enzo Oddowhos actually huge now. (Siegrist is 5 5.5)

Siegrist also wanted a challenging objective that would inspire him to train and try harder. The challenge forced me to train in a new way, to adapt my lifestyle, to approach my climbing differently, and to re-ally improve, he said. That dogged attitude meant months of hang-boarding, campusing, and weightlifting, which led to what he calls his rst quantiable improvement since 2010, when he sent his rst 5.14d (Kryptonite in western Colorado). When [sending Biographie] nally sank in, it felt like more than just a reection of the last six months. It was a reection of the last 10 years of my climbing life.

What Jonathan Siegrist learned from sending his rst 5.15

Breaking Barriers

1 2 3 4 5JUST DO ITHard redpointing is bigger than climbing. It allows you to grow as a human being because you have to deal with failure, frustration, inner dialogue, stress, and anxiety. Its not always fun when its happening, but what it cre-ates is a much more valuable and meaningful experience in the end. You shouldnt be stressing every day about the weather or your skin, but having that process at least a few times is great. It makes you a better person.

STAY POSITIVE Sometimes its OK to walk away, but it depends on how much the route means to you. I prepared by telling myself I would try it for 11 weeks, but it would be OK if I got on the plane and had sent nothing. This goal was about improving and learn-ing somethingmore so than ticking a 5.15. You want to look back and know you gave everything you had, even if you didnt send. If it becomes a negative experi-ence, consider moving on.

TRAIN AWAY WEAKNESS I dont have inherent talent, but I worked really hard. I trained for months and tried the route for 30 days. Every-thing I did, day and night, was for the route. I made sure my skin was good, ate healthy, drank a gallon of water a day, slept well. I love running, but I stopped so I could focus all my energy on climbing. My biggest weakness is power, so I trained two hours a day on the campus board a few times a week.

ADAPTNot reaching your goals is hard. I remind myself that its important enough to me that Im just going to keep trying. Instead of pressuring myself with each attempt, Im always thinking ahead: OK, I have partners for Tuesday, Thurs-day, Friday. Whats the route going to be like in late June when its hotter? Embrace the general attitude of this could take a while, instead of feeling pressure to send every day. I also quit caffeine; cof-fee gave me the jitters!

EMBRACE THE ROLLER COASTER Going through the range of emotions is mandatory, and thats one of the coolest and most frustrating things. I get emotional. I get close in the beginning and think, Im gonna do this thing! Then its, Im never gonna climb this thing! No matter how much you want to skip the highs and lows, you cant. Youll often nd success in the next phase when you nally say, Im just gonna keep trying, and maybe one day Ill do it.

BY JULIE ELLISON

How to Redpoint Like a Pro

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TRAD TOPROPE BOULDERINGSPORT

Catoosa Wildlife Management Area

Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area

Pisgah National Forest

Cherokee National Forest

Daniel Boone National Forest

Chattahoochee National Forest

Great Smoky Mountains

National Park

Nashville

Knoxville

Asheville

Kingsport

G U I D E C R A G S

POWERED BY

G U I D E

Epicenter: Chattanooga, TNTeaming up with our friends at mountainproject.com, were creating the ultimate primers to our countrys premier climbing towns. In this issue, we spotlight one of the Souths most happening areas. BY CAROLINE MELEEDY

Nowhere in the South is there such a high concentration of lifelist climbing destina-tions. Within an hours drive of Chatta-nooga are eight crags, each with enough routes to last most climbers a lifetime. And if you ever get tired of Chattanooga (not likely, its population has grown every year for the past 20), there are dozens of other climbing areas to keep you busy near Nashville to the northwest and Knoxville to the northeast, both less than two hours away. The city of more than 170,000 just opened one of the countrys most innovative rock gyms. High Point Climbing and Fitness has 28,000 square feet of climbing insideand out. The facility has transparent exterior walls with multiple routes. The town has even lured badasses like Lisa Rands and Wills Young to take up residence; the pair runs High Points climbing school. In short, this laid-back town is a must-stop for any road tripper or itinerant rock climber looking for a home. Much of the climbing in Tennessee is on the Cumberland Plateau, a 300-mile

ridge that stretches into Alabama and Kentucky. The rock is hard, high-quality sandstone, and the terrain can include long crack climbs as well as overhanging jug-fests; the variety is incredible. The area boasts climbing year-round, and in the dead of winter, youll see climbers on the rock in their T-shirts at south-facing crags like Tennessee Wall (aka T-Wall). When summer is at its hot-test, Sunset Park is a great destination; the west-facing cliff stays shady until well into the afternoon. But its not all milk and honey; it can get sti ingly humid in summer. Plan for a fall or winter visit. Oc-tober and November are pitch-perfect. Theres plenty to do no matter what your climbing style. For trad leaders, T-Wall and Sunset are the top choices; others include Suck Creek Canyon and Prentice Cooper. Sport climbers can clip bolts at Foster Falls and Obed. And theres a little of both at Leda. For the truly adventurous who want to carve out their own routes, theres Big South Fork, a real climbing frontier.

Southern Cragging CapitalT H E S C E N E

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NORRIS LAKE1 DWS route

KINGS BLUFF40 routes

LOOK ROCK8 routes

BIG SOUTH FORK31 routes

DEVILS RACETRACK24 routes

OBED & CLEAR CREEK198 routes

SUNSET PARK81 routes

FOSTER FALLS100 routes

DOG BOY VILLAGE2 routes

CASTLE ROCK7 routes

TENNESSEE WALL185 routes

STONE DOOR6 routes

DEEP CREEK28 routes

STONE FORT171 problems

Chattanooga

SUCK CREEK CANYON19 routes

LEDA40 routes

STARR MOUNTAIN7 routes

DAYTON POCKET/ LAUREL FALLS

5 problems

BLUE HOLE FALLS18 problems

BACKBONE ROCK5 problems, 2 routes

HIGHBALL AREA9 problems

Tyler Wilcutt on the rst ascent of the hardest route near Chattanooga: El Camino del Diablo (5.14b).

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30 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

L O C A L S K N O W

Where climbers:[stay]If you want to set up camp, hit the parking lot of Tennessee Wall in the Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area. There are plenty of car camping sites and a pit toilet. Bonus! Its freerst come, rst served. If youd like a real bed and roof (or need to nd climbing partners), try out the Crash Pad (crashpadchattanooga.com, 423-648-8393). This hostel is the unofcial basecamp for visiting climbers (hikers and boaters, too) with community rooms (starting at $28 per night for a bunk) and private rooms. Nice: free Wi-Fi and a DIY breakfast bar. [eat/drink]Check out the Flying Squirrel (ying-squirrelbar.com). This local bar and restaurant is a favorite among traveling climbers. Open until 3 a.m., this joint serves everything from kale salads to duck tacos. They have a Sunday brunch menu as well, with Sriracha Bloody Marys and a dish called Dirtbag Benny (two small pieces of wafe, fried eggs, avocado slices, and bacon bits with molasses). With an extensive list of craft beers and house cocktails, this place is sure to please. (Tip: If youre staying at the Crash Pad, be sure to mention ityoull get a discount on your bill.) If youre looking to get caffeinated before a day of climbing, head to Mean Mug

Coffeehouse (423-825-4206) for locally roasted coffee, specialty lattes, and a full lunch menu. [gear up]Rock/Creek (rockcreek.com, 888-707-6708) has four locations in Chattanooga alone. They carry a wide variety of outdoor gear, from ap-parel to any climbing gear you left as booty at the last crag. These guys are super-involved in the climbing scene in Chattanooga and have helped with many projects over the years, including building the parking lot and camping area at Tennessee Wall. Look around the store for local gear company Granola. They hand-build chalkbags, day packs, and the Camp Grounds Coffee Kit, which includes an AeroPress, a burr grinder, two cups, and locally roasted coffee. [learn the ropes]Let Rocky Top Guides (rockytop-guides.com, 706-333-2089) show you around. They offer a wide variety of courses, including a rescue course and a Transition from Indoors class, for those who want a bit of training before taking on real rock. Or look up Lisa and Wills if you stop into High Point Climbing and Fitness (highpointclimb-ing.com, 432-602-7625). They offer everything from basic instruction to personal training and guiding. M

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A welcome hands-free rest on the pumpy

Twistin in the Wind (5.12c) at T-Wall.

G U I D E C R A G S

M E T R I C S

STYLEParadise of sport and trad cragging

Trad384

Sport461

TR25

QUALITYNearly 600 routes at 3 stars or higher

4 stars

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DIFFICULTY A moderate climbers heaven

240

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Chatty Classics The 10 best 4-star routes as ranked by Mountain Project users

Golden Locks (5.8+) Tennessee WallBeautiful splitter crack with exposure above the Tennessee River, the most popular and perhaps the most sand-bagged route. Open Casket (5.9)Tennessee WallYou think this cannot be 5.9, yet un-likely reaches to secret jugs with wild stemming across the chasm and locker hand jams under the huge chock-stones prove you wrong. High Indiana Jones value on this one. Holy War (5.9) Foster FallsArgued to be the best of the grade at Foster Falls, and I would have to agree. The climbing is pretty continuous and interesting with a

wide variety of movescrimps, jugs, flakes, and even a mono pocket!

Hurts So Good (5.10a)Foster FallsA long, fairly sustained route with a bouldery start followed by a very thin nish with lots of jugs in between. Crux comes at the roof and the thin face crimpers near the end.

Stepping Stone (5.10a/b)Tennessee WallThis is one of the best single pitches you will do anywhere. Place your pro well on the bottom section. Easy and well-protected terrain leads to a committing situation on the arte, at which point youll want to begin chan-nelling your inner sport climber by ring for the top like you really mean it. Good pro is there for the taking,

but itll cost you some burn time on those forearms. Somethings Always Wrong (5.10d)Foster Falls No argument about it. Best 5.10 at Fosters. Move left after the roof for a good rest before you tackle the overhanging face at the top.

Sugar in the Raw (5.11a)Tennessee WallClassic route with bouldery moves and small but good gear. Milk all the rests and dont pass up any place-ments. Pull a hard roof and then move to good stances. Follow the thin cracks with decent pro to the crux that comes in the middle, then go up through several moderate roofs to the anchor.

Heresey (5.11b)ObedProbably my favorite climb at the Obed. The sloper crux down low is a fun little boulder problem, and the jug-fest roof is just good, clean fun. Highly recommend this one. Its like climbing a sandstone jungle gym. Solstice (5.12a)ObedThis is a pumpy climb with an amaz-ing roof. Fall off anywhere, and youll have a heck of a time getting back on the route. Twistin in the Wind (5.12c) Tennessee WallTouted by some as one of the best sport routes in the South. Certainly one of the best at T-Wall and is a must-do if you have what it takes.

R O U T E S

*Stats are for the immediate Chattanooga area. Get route beta, photos, and topos for the whole state at mountainproject.com/tennessee.

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32 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4

Conquer chimney sections with these experience-driven techniques

Squeeze TacticsBY JULIE ELLISON

Gear No tight, downturned shoes; think at, stiff, and supportive. Check belay loops, waistbelt, and leg loops for damage. Use a webbing strap to move your chalkbag (side or front). Pants, pants, pants! Protect your legs with jeans or canvas. Put all pro on a sling. If the chimney gets tight, hang the gear down and out of the way by clipping it to the belay loop. Tie your knot with a longer bight so its below your crotch. Take your helmet offjust put it back on when its over!

MentalI tell myself that the rst ascensionist would have placed a bolt if it were really bad! The only reason youll fall is if you quit or go limp. Start on shorter chimneys to build endurance and

technique, then attack the longer ones. Plan on being runout at times, but totally secure. Breathe and climb from rest to rest. This will keep you focused on the few feet in front of you.

ProtectionPlace when you can, not when you want to. That means taking everything you can get: small nuts, slinging blocks, or walking a huge cam up next to you. Look for spots on the face, too. Pro will be limited, but your position is surprisingly secure.

RestFind a way in which you are not applying external pressure but you still wont slide down. Turn your upper body so your shoulders are wedged, or inhale to lodge your chest in place. In froggy style, lean forward so your chest is against the rock, or sit down on your wedged feet. Look for any holds, bumps, or edges to put your feet on. You have to rest your way up.

CHIMNEY CHEATS with Rob Pizem

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ROYAL ARCHES, Yosemite. KOR-INGALLS ROUTE, Castleton Tower. DURRANCE ROUTE, Devils Tower. What do these super-classic moderates have in common? They each have a physically demanding chimney. This term refers to any ssure that your body ts inside, ranging from a squeeze chimney (one to two

feet wide) to much wider, where you must stem the gap with a foot and hand on each side. Each width requires its own set of unique movements, so we talked with wide-crack wizard Rob Pizem (who points out that this was one of the earliest climbing techniques) to break it down into a step-by-step process.

Movement

A S Q U E E Z EThe tightest of the tight, where just breathing in can prevent you from moving upward. Remove any bulky gear (pack, shoes on harness, etc.), put it on a sling, and clip it to your belay loop so it hangs down. Choose a side to stick in rst: If the crack gets tighter as it goes deeper, put your dominant hand inside for jamming, or if there are more edges on one side, face it so you can use them for holds. This style is anything goes, but every movement should be small and approached with patience. Look for narrower sections to wedge your feet with heel and toe smeared on opposite sides, like youre standing. Try heel-toe cams, twisting your ankle so your foot cams sideways into place (Pizems favorite), or a T-shape (feet perpendicular, with the heel nested into the arch of the other

foot). Hands should be doing anything: nding edg-es/crimps (including on the face next to the crack!), smearing with palms, and arm-barring or using a chicken-wing (palm on one side and upper arm on the other)try elbow up and down. Inhaling may lock you into place, so exhaling might release you.

B F R O G GY ST Y L EThis is required for chimneys that are just bigger than squeeze but not expansive enough to fully stem. Back on one side, knees pushing into the other. With the soles of your feet pressing into the back-side, push out with your palms ngers pointing down or to the sidekept low for lever-age. Lean your upper body slightly forward, and push down and out with your feet and hands so you can scoot your butt and lower back upward. It

will be slow and steady, but push with everything to hold you in place while your upper legs lift your body. Repeat pushing to slide your legs up.

C ST E M M I N GFor the widest chimneys out there, put your left foot and hand on one side with the right hand and foot on the other. Press and push your feet and hands outward, trying to maintain as much external pressure as possible. Think about pushing through the wall, Pizem says. Most people slip because they are pushing down when the holds actually require them to push out. Always be looking for edges, bumps, or slabbier sections to use as foot-holds. Pull down on holds above or palm the wall to get some downward force so you can move up one foot at a time.

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Sling

Ergonomic Rubber Thumb Pull

A STRONG CORE IS CRUCIAL to progressing as a climber. Body tension, keeping your feet on, moving efciently, toeing-in on overhangsit all re-volves around the core. Plus, a solid core helps prevent injury. Youve probably heard a core-strength evangelist preach the benets before, and youve prob-

ably been pointed toward endless crunches or even expensive programs like Pilates, TRX, or yoga. Get ready for a new approach: varied exercises that are specically targeted to work multiple parts of your body at the same timejust like climbing does.

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Complete CoreG U I D E T R A I N I N G

BY CAROLINE MELEEDY

Build a powerful base with these 10 effective (and fun!) exercises

GUIDELINESPick ve or more of these exercises and do them at least three (and up to ve) times a week for best results.

Add as many sets or exercises as you need to feel the burn; you should be struggling to complete the last set.

Do these any timeend of a climb-ing session, on a rest day, in the morning before workbut avoid doing them right before you climb, as this could make your base tired and give you poor, injury-caus-ing technique.

A good core workout hits all aspects of your trunk, not just the abs in the front. Each of these exercises has varied motions to work your front, back, and sides.

Take at least one to two rest days every week to let your muscles recover.

If you have a history of back or neck problems, consult your doctor before starting high-intensity exercises like these.

1. Hanging Leg LiftStart on the jugs of a hangboard or a pull-up bar. Keep your arms straight, shoulders engaged (squeeze shoulder blades together), and legs straight down. Lift your legs up so your hips are at 90, without bending your knees. When you lower back down, keep your body as still as possible (youll have a tendency to swing). Raise your legs again without using momentum. Do three sets of 15, resting about one minute in between.

Variation: For a tougher challenge, raise your legs with knees bent, pulling them all the way into your chest. Or try just hanging with knees bent, hips at 90, and have a friend put weight on your lap. Start with 10 to 15 pounds, hang-ing for 15 seconds. Have your friend remove the weight before lowering legs.

Focus: Abs, lower back, hip exors

2. Arm DipStand straight, feet shoulder-distance apart. Choose a dumbbell that will provide good resistance; 15 pounds is a good starting point. Hold it in your left hand and slowly lower your left shoulder straight down, as far as it will go. Try to keep your right hip in line with your body; dont let it jut out to the side. In a controlled motion, bring the weight and your body back up to the starting position. The up and the down should be two separate motions. Do 20 reps and then switch arms.

Focus: Obliques

3. Sit Up, Stand UpLie with your back on the ground, knees bent, feet at on the oor. Hold a weight plate (start with 20 lbs.) near the ground with arms straight out from your head. Using momentum, do a sit-up with the plate in the air, get your feet under you near your butt, and stand up all the waykeeping the plate in the air. Lie back down in the starting position (plate doesnt have to be up when sitting back down, but dont put it on the ground); repeat 15 times.

Focus: Abs, hip exors, hamstrings, quads, shoulders

4. Wheelbarrow WalkThose wheelbarrow races you did as a kid are actually great for your core. Get into a high plank, with your hands directly below your shoulders. Have a partner lift you by your ankles. Keeping your body straight (dont dip at the waist) and looking straight ahead, move your right hand forward about six inches. Then move your left hand up six inches past your right, nding a good pace for you and your partner to avoid face planting. Keep your core and glutes contracted to maximize the movement. Go about 30 feet, then switch with your partner. Try to do ve rounds, without com-promising technique.

Focus: Obliques, abs, lower back, glutes, shoulders, arms

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5. Oblique Knee Raise PlankStart in a high plank. Bend one leg and bring your knee to just outside the cor-responding elbow. This should open your groin up to the ground as you move your knee up. Return to starting position and repeat with the other leg. Keep it controlled but maintain a steady pace. Do this for one minute.

Focus: Abs, lower back, obliques, glutes, hip exors, shoulders, chest

6. Farmers WalkPick two weights that are in the high end of your comfort range. Holding one in each hand, start walking. For this motion to be effective, keep your core tight and your posture straight, standing as tall as you can. Either go for distance (50 yards) or time (1 minute). If you want to test yourself, walk until your arms are about to give out; just be careful not to drop the weights.

Variation: Instead of using the same weight in each hand, hold a weight thats about ve pounds heavier in one hand. This will force you to keep your core tight as you try to balance the two different weights.

Focus: Lower back, obliques, abs, forearms, hamstrings, quads, calves

7. A-Frame Arm DropBegin in a C-sit position, knees bent at 90, abs engaged so upper body is off the oor, and just heels on the ground. Put both arms straight above your head, holding palms together. While keeping your upper and lower body com-pletely still, slowly lower your arms down to the right of your hip, tap the oor, and bring them back up overhead. Now lower to the left side. Do 30 total, 15 per side.

Focus: Abs, obliques, lower back, shoulders

8. Plank VariationsWith a full-body burn, its hard to ignore planks as an effective core-strength-ening exercise, but here are a few variations to keep it interesting. For each, keep muscles engaged and actively holding the plank. Start with three rounds of one minute, resting one minute between rounds.

Elevated plank: This is a standard high plank, but you want your toes up on an elevated surface (bench, chair, etc.), so that your whole body is parallel to the oor. Use a wobbly exercise ball for increased difculty.

Sideways walking plank: Get into high-plank position. From here, move your right hand about six inches to the right, and then move your left hand six inches right. Move your left hand back to starting position and follow with your right. Go to the left side, then repeat.

Side plank with leg raise: In a side-plank position (left hand on oor directly under shoulder, body straight, balancing on outside edge of left foot), raise the right leg so your feet are wider than your shoulders and hold.

Focus: Full body

10. The MatrixStart on knees that are hip-width apart with a straight back. Hold a weight near your belly button and slowly lean back as far as you can, keeping your back straight. Hold for three seconds, and then slowly come back to the starting position. Repeat 20 times.

Focus: Abs, lower back, glutes, quads, hip exors

9. Kettlebell Figure EightStart with legs a little wider than shoulder width, and bend at the waist, keeping your back flat and head up. Use a lightweight kettlebell and go around your right leg with your right hand, then pass it under your right leg to your left hand. Repeat on the left side. Thats one rep; repeat 15 times.

Focus: Abs, lower back, glutes, hip exors, obliques, arms, quads

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1 tablespoon brown sugar1 banana, chopped 1 tablespoon molasses1/4 cup raisins

G U I D E N U T R I T I O N

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1 cup water 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Dash of salt 1 to 2 cups milk, depending on desired thickness

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring water and salt to a low boil. Add oats and cook about ve minutes, stirring frequently.

Add milk and brown sugar, then return the mixture to a low boil. Add molasses, banana, and raisins, continuing to stir until oatmeal reaches desired thickness. Remove from heat. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes if you have the time.

Finish by adding other desired toppings and a splash of milk.

T I P : Use any kind of milk you want: dairy, soy, almond, etc. Start with one cup and add more to achieve your desired consistency.

Wild OatsPower up for long days with this energy-lled breakfast

OATS FIRST HIT the breakfast scene in about 1000 B.C. in cen-tral Europe. Theyve been the quick and gut-lling choice for farmers, warriors, and anyone else with a big day ahead (hello, climbers) ever since. Sadly, oatmeal also has a tendency to

go down like glue. Until now. Bijus Oatmeal is not only quick and simple to make, but its also tastyand super-charged to help you tackle huge objectives. Add the fact that its easy on sensitive stomachs, inexpensive, and a great base to customize to your personal taste, and youve got an unbeatable morning meal. Make it at home or on a camp stove, and the complex carbs and ber will give your muscles long-lasting energy and keep you full until lunch, all while warming your body from the inside out. The sugar, molasses, and banana provide immediate energy, while the added water makes the oatmeal easy to digest. Use Bijus as the starting point and then add whatever you want, from chia seeds to dark choco-late chips to almond butter (check out the next page to see pro climbers picks). Vegan (with non-dairy milk), vegetarian, gluten-free, and delicious, this is the perfect kick-start to a day of hard climbing.

BY LESLIE HITTMEIER

Energy 490 calFat 6gSodium 181mg

Carbs 102gFiber 10gProtein 19g

per serving (half total amount)Nutrition Facts

FILL UP!*Republished with permission of VeloPress from The Feed Zone Cookbook. Try more recipes at feedzone-cookbook.com.

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OVERNIGHT OATSA no-cook breakfast for alpine starts

If youre heading out early, throw everything in a jar the night before, leave it in your fridge, and in the morning, youll have fresh-made oats ready for youno stove required! If you prefer hot oatmeal, add a splash of water in the morning (to keep it from drying out) and put your meal in the micro-wave or on the stove for a few minutes. Oats soak up whatever liquid you leave them in, so you can use any kind of milk or yogurt. The difference for overnight oats is that using only milk, rather than part milk, part water yields better results. Use equal parts oats and milk, but add or subtract based on the thickness you prefer. Dont forget to jazz it up with your personal additions (chocolate chips, chia seeds, cinnamon, ba-nanas, etc.).

Steph Davis: I love oatmeal. Iusually like to

add dried mango and dried bananasthe whole, soft kind, not banana chipswith powdered soy milk and cinnamon.

The kind of bananas Davis uses are much healthier because theyre simply dried bananas, while banana chips usually have added sugar and oil. Powdered soy milk is a great way to add texture and thickness to the oatmeal if you dont do dairy. Research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that cinnamon slows digestion after meals, so seasoning a high-carb food like oatmeal

with cinnamon can lengthen the time that your body draws energy from breakfast.

Conrad Anker: Oatmeal is the best. I suggest

adding soy-based protein powder, dates, and dried blueberries. Mix every-thing in a bowl before you go out, and then package into pre-built meals. In the Himalaya, you can use tsampa instead, which is roasted barley flour.

Roasted barley our is high in complex carbs, ber, protein, and certain vitamins and miner-als; it also has a moist texture and nutty avor. Sometimes real nuts or protein sources are

a luxury when weight counts, so replacing those with packable protein powder that offers the nutrients without the weight is a great idea. Dried fruit is also lightweight and adds sweetness when you cant t a bottle of maple syrup or agave.

Kate Rutherford: Whatever you doadd fat! My

favorite is real butter, nuts, or nut butter. Coconut shavings are awesome,too. Otherwise Im hungry again all too soon.

Healthy fats like the ones Rutherford suggests are an ideal part of a morning meal as they help you feel fuller longer, offer sustained energy,

and, of course, make every-thing taste better!

Adrian Ballinger: I have a love/hate relationship

with oatmeal. It works; its fuel; its warm. But damn, I hate it most of the time! My secret for big-mountain, high-altitude oatmeal is a heft y pad of butter and some good dark chocolate. It makes a gooey, chocolatey, high-calorie, high-fat mess that keeps me warm and climbing hard. I learned the trick from my Alaska mentor Aaron Zanto on my rst trip to Denali. It kept me warm then, and now I look forward to it when Im cold and wet in a tent, waiting for daylight. Eating it means Ive got a big day coming up.

Again, added fat is good for climbers. And theres nothing wrong with that little extra sugar; youre de nitely going

to need those calories on big days. Some other sources of good fats: avocados, nuts, seeds, eggs, and even olive oil if you prefer a savory avor.

Will Gadd: Plain oatmeal is horrible, a

gastronomic crime right up there with serving spaghetti without sauce. But add some dried apricots, a little maple syrup, some pecans or cashews, a bit of salt, and boom! Now you have food instead of glue! I look at oatmeal as a platform on which to do culinary experiments with whatever is hanging around my house or camp pantry.

Pecans, cashews, salt, apricots, and maple syrup are brilliant suggestions. A great balance of protein, sodium, sugar, and carbs adds a huge amount of avor to your breakfast bowl.

Next LevelHow the pros do oatmeal

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C L I M B I N G.C O M | 39

G E A RT H E C L I M B

Rock Shoe sAn embarrassment of riches. Thats what this fall brings to the rock shoe scene. New models and new companies are offering more womens-speci c pairs as well as high-quality budget options. Our test team tried them all out and narrowed it down to the 11 top performers on the following pages. But rst, take a look at how climbing shoes are made.

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Step 1 The last is a hard plastic cast that is in the shape of the foot and ankle; this is the foundation that the shoe is built around. Every size of the shoe has its own last, and while multiple models can use the same last, most styles require a unique one.

Step 2 Since climbing shoes conform closely to the wearers feet, the materi-als that make up the shoe (upper, sole, lining, and closure systems) are cut us-ing stencils made from molds that were formed around the last.

Step 4 Aft er the sole is on, the shoes are put into a special machine that compresses the whole unit to get a tight seal on the newly glued rubber.

Step 3 Pieces of the upper are sewn into a bootie, which is put on the last. The rand and sole rubber parts are heated, stretched, and then applied. Stretching the rubber before applying, called tension randing, creates a snug t and helps funnel power to the toe.

Step 5 The nal step is hand-grinding the outside to get clean, fray-free edges on the rubber, including a brushed nish on the sole and rand for extra strength and durability.

See the sum of the above partsthe Mad Rock Lotuson page 43.

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G E A R

Rock Shoe RoundupTop out with these 11 new kicks

Thanks to the wide-spread growth of climbing as a sport, new companies are popping up (or expand-ing into the rock shoe market), veteran manu-facturers are rounding out their collections with more models, and many brands are target-ing the female climbing populace with addi-tional womens-specic options. The result is tons of new rock shoes for fall, and our test team cant complain. They took more than a dozen pairs of top contenders to some of the best climbing hot spots in the U.S.: big walling in Zion, topping out boulders in Little Rock City, Tennessee, bolt-clipping at Wild Iris, Wyoming, getting funky in the Gunks of New York, and lots of other crags in between. Rock shoes are the one piece of gear that can make an immediate impact on your climb-ing, and no matter your discipline, we promise youll nd your next favorite pair in the subsequent pages.

Performance

Shoe

Conclusion

Prole

Right out of the box, the Satori impressed testers with well-thought-out details, a near-perfect t, and an aggressive feel. The forefoot is designed to scrunch your toes for precision and power, but designers lifted the roof of the toe box to give those cramped digits space, instead of smashing them down. Boreals proprietary Toe Flexion System also kept the forefoot very exible. I could wear these bouldering V6 in the alpine, and then rock them for three-hour sport sessions in the gym, one tester said of the Sato-ris versatility and comfort, the latter thanks to a foot-hugging sock-like lining on the top that sits underneath a padded tongue. The lacing system is the best of two worlds. You get the simplic-ity of a single Velcro strap, but laces cover more than half your foot, so you can dial in a snug, tightened-down-all-over t, one tester said. It really locked my foot in place, which was great when combined with the all-rubber, narrow heel cup that made even the most technical heel hooks a breeze. By placing additional toe rubber over the entire top of the forefoot, testers could toe hook at all types of angles, even on the most extreme and awkward features. However, the shoes overall stiff feel, even in the upper, made these less than perfect on anything slabbier than vertical.

Boulderers and bolt-clippers take note: These shoes rival some of the highest-performance climbing shoes on the market with their aggres-sive downturn, super-sticky rubber, chiseled toe, and dedicated heel cup.

These are like a decked-out Formula 1 race carthey just scream performance, one tester said after using the Booster S on roofs in Wild Iris, Wyoming, and American Fork Canyon, Utah. The ultra-downturned platform and perfectly chiseled toe combined with ample rubber on the top of the forefoot and a suction-cup heel make this a masterpiece of a rock shoe. It has ruined me for all other shoes. Testers found the toe to be very sensitive (especially compared to the manufacturers other high-performance shoes, which are stiffer) and the midsole incredibly exible, which together made nding the sweet spot on the tiniest nubs and toeing in hard on steeps quite easy. Proprietary Tri-Tension Active Randing places a piece of rubber on the midsole that funnels power and precision from the sides and the back of the foot to the forefoot and toe, without sacricing any ex or sensitivity. The amount of power my toes get is unbeliev-able, considering how lightweight and minimalist this shoe is, another tester said. The two Velcro straps dialed in a great tbetter than other Velcro shoes in the testthanks to the design that places one strap low over the top of the foot and one high, with opposite tightening directions, meaning one closes on the right and one closes on the left. Con: Price is high.

If your project is past vertical, in a cave, has a roofthis is the shoe for you. A sensitive and precise toe sits in front of a exible midsole that offers maximum torque, which then leads into a narrow, snug-tting heel thats wrapped with a band of rubber that pushes power to the toe.

Bottom Line Stiffness for Steeps Overhang Ace

Boreal Satori$159; e-boreal.com

Scarpa Booster S$175; scarpa.com

B I G R E V I E W

BY JULIE ELLISON

[AGGRESSIVE] [AGGRESSIVE]

C L I M B I N G.C O M | 41

Present-day Gunks-goers and Eldo-lovers will be smitten with this super-stife just as much as the Stonemasters would have loved it for their bold, long, technical ascents in Yosemite, one tester said. And thats exactly where the designer got his inspiration for this comfortable, board-lasted kick. Its got a time-tested design with a modern aesthetic and thoughtful updates. Putting small patches of memory foam against the pinky toe on the interior of the shoe makes foot jamming fair-ly comfortableIve never said that before! one tester exclaimed. Plus, a padded tongue kept the tops of boney feet happy, making the shoes easy to wear all day. To-the-toe lacing means you can dial in a solid t so the shoe doesnt slide around when youre in a precarious position, but the low prole, lack of metal, and eyelets in the added toe rubber mean the laces dont dig in when jamming. This has more support and stiffness than some of my approach shoes, one tester said of the multi-part sole that includes a full-length midsole, an additional layer of memory foam under the heel and arch, and a soft footbed. That rigidity made it excellent for edging, and it stood out on slabs and straight-vertical terrain alike. The absolute stiff-ness and support of the Mantra means sensitivity and precision you get from a softer shoe are miss-ing, but testers found it still smeared well.

Traddies and alpinists who want full support and stability from a sticky-rubber rock shoe will love the Mantra and its old-school style that has added comfort and thoughtful features.

Downturned but not too downturned. Soft but not too soft. Stiff but not too stiff. One tester called these the Goldilocks of performance shoes because of the balance between comfort and technical performance. However, the shoe did go to one extremeSticky, sticky, sticky! is how another tester described the tried and true Stealth C4 rubber. The aggressive prole, pointed toe, and sensitive feel made this great for the overhangs and steeps of Little River Canyon in Alabama, but a stiffer midsole meant that testers could still edge well on the vertical walls of Shelf Road in Colorado. Wears like a slipper, performs like a Velcro, said one tester of the single strap, which is placed high over the arch of the foot to lock everything in place. A slightly oversized toe box allowed testers toes to have room to curl up so they could wear them for long gym sessions and only take them off a few times. Plus, the unlined leather upper proved itself to be stink-free for four different testers after ve months of use. Even though it is a leather shoe, meaning it will stretch slightly over time, the sizing is quite small, so go up at least a half size from your street shoe. Testers found it was dif-cult to get onlike putting a large orange in a small sock. Narrow-heeled testers said the heel felt slightly baggy and insecure.

With a comfortable t and medium-high level of performance, the Hiangle is excellent for climb-ers looking for their rst pair of aggressive shoes or those who want a higher level of performance in the gym.

Ideal for harder multi-pitch routes, because it feels like a comfort shoe, but it has the performance of a more precise kick, one tester said. A atter, less-downturned prole and a supportive midsole that runs from the forefoot down to the start of the heel made this shoe great for when one tester was on her feet for ve pitches of foot jamming in Rocky Mountain National Park. A tension-randed piece of rubber underneath the arch of the foot provided ad-ditional support and rounded out the easy-t features. However, the Lyra has the extra toe rubber, the dedicated heel cup (one piece of rubber as opposed to rubber and leather or syn-thetic leather), the precise toe, and the band of rubber that wraps around the Achilles (pushing power to the forefoot) of a high-performance rock shoe. Designers added a few more strips of soft Velcro, so testers could change the angle of the closure straps based on foot size and shape. Bonus: With everything I can wear this shoe forbouldering, trad climbing, after-work gym sessions, sport climbingthis is a true bargain! Testers reported the rubber started to wear down after about two months of use. Though not quite as sticky as other shoe rubber in the test, this degradation didnt affect performance. It immediately became my go-to shoe.

One shoe to conquer them allthe Lyras atter build and supportive midsole make it easy to wear all day outside or for hours in the gym, but certain features (heel cup, precise toe, power platform) give it excellent performance.

Stiff Trad Goldilocks Perfomance Ladies Quiver of One

Butora Mantra$145; butora.com

Five Ten Hiangle$150; veten.com

Mad Rock Lyra$105; madrockclimbing.com

GENDER BIAS Womens-specic climbing shoes might be a relatively new addition to the market, but dont let the gender label fool you: Men might nd these shoes t better than some unisex models. Originally, designers would take a mens last (see p. 39 for denition) and chisel it down to create a shoe with less volume. But that wasnt good enough. Mens and womens feet are similar, but not the same. If you start with a mens last, it wont t a woman perfectly, even if you make several changes, says Mad Rock Sales Manager Kenny Suh. With the number of ladies in the climbing scene growing rapidly, manufacturers have chosen to start from scratch, building lasts that are more specic to womans foot. Typically women have higher arches, a thinner Achilles, and narrower feet, says Suh, so we are doing things like Arch Flex technology that creates a higher arch in the shoe, minimiz-ing dead space and increasing tension throughout, so it hugs the foot all the way around. Although theyre designed for women, it doesnt mean some men dont share the same foot traits, and in the end, its all about nding the right t for your foot. The opposite also rings true: Some women might have wider, atter feet. The moral of the story is to choose a shoe based on the t for your specic foot shape, regardless of gender. LESLIE HITTMEIER

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G E A R

With some of the best climbing shoes on the market coming out of Europe, American shoe brands denitely have something to prove, and California-based Butora has charged out of the gate with some of our favorite shoes of the year. The Sensa is a classic slipper design with a exible, at sole. One tester loved it for foot jamming on Melvins Wheel in Lumpy Ridge, Colorado, but also found the sensitivity and softness great for smedging (smearing + edging) on the dime edges of J Crack, also in Lumpy. Testers found the proprietary Butora rubber to be just as sticky as the name-brand rubbers of other shoes in the test: From rst wear, I never questioned the stickinessespecially because that rst wear was on slightly damp granite! A synthetic upper wont stretch over the life of the shoe, so size accordingly. Su-per-awesome, far-out bonus: The price! Dont be fooled by that sub-$100 price tag; these shoes are truly high quality, one user said. This two-man startup, run out of a garage, owns the factory where they produce shoes, and they intention-ally keep overhead minimal so they can keep prices low. This shoe quickly proved itself to be on par with some of the best currently on the market. Full sensitivity means just that, and some users expe-rienced foot fatigue and/or pain after wearing them for all-day routes. Like most classic slippers, its slightly challeng-ing to get them off and on.

Slipper purists that dont want anything fancyjust a sticky-rubber sockwill love the Sensa for its simple