Thanks for the comments and emails on the Religion topic. I'm getting ready for the show tonight plus some other stuff, but wanted to note that looking for spiritual answers and through that mental exercise feeling connected to the world is something I am very much interested in. Mocking someone else's attempt at spirituality is often a defense mechanism for one's own beliefs rather than an attempt at understanding and sharing the joy of being alive together as humans. I've been reading more Buddhist writing lately, a big part of that is questioning and thinking rather than trying to work in absolutes. Absolutes are limiting and not much fun; thinking and growing mentally are far more engaging, at least when I stop being a lazy bastard and work at it...
Anyhow, I know that there are powerful experiences in life that resonate more deeply with us as individuals than others. Those moments where we all go, sometimes silently and sometimes at the top of our lungs, "Wow!" Whether we attribute those moments to God, the Flying Spaghetti Monster (there's actually a religion on that too, Google it...) or just our visceral response to the amazing world we live in is perhaps less relevant than feeling the moments move us. The "grit" of daily life sometimes wears away at me, those moments are what help rebuild at least me. Some friends of mine just sent some photos of climbing in the Austrian mountains this morning, I just know they were having some great "Wow!" moments. May we all have more of these.
WG
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Slideshow in Calgary Thursday night, Religion
I'm doing a show Thursday (tomorow night) in Calgary as a benefit for the Canadian World Championship Paragliding Team. It's turned into a really well-organized event, 20 foot screen etc., fired up to see many friends there and meet some new people too! Some beer will be consumed, it's at Shanks in the Northwest (link to map).
Religion/faith: I've had a bunch of great email responses in response to the recent fatalities in climbing, thanks, these responses mean a lot to me. Several of them have been from various Christian viewpoints; I'm all for anyone practicing any sort of religion that doesn't damage other people. Several of my friends are fairly devout, which makes long drives more fun as we always have a "default" conversation topic that can eat up the road. I'm pretty sure most religions are fabricated without divine intervention, while most of those who believe seem positive that God had a role. I find this somewhat humorous, as the followers of each sect are all certain that the others, along with me, are doomed. From this alone I've come to the conclusion that faith is something I have little faith in. Maybe I'm just a heartless skeptic, but I have the same problem with a lot of "new age" stuff (Iridology, homeopathy, aura adjustment, there's a long list of stuff people have faith in without much in the way of evidence). I do think a more wholistic viewpoint toward physical and mental health is called for (fighting heart disease in its latter stages misses the point of why we get heart disease in the first place for example), but that's a relatively simple cause and effect relationship (whether genes or McDonalds). Anyhow, I found a great collection of quotes about religion and faith on a Craigslist site, pasted 'em here for your amusement. As always, I welcome any conversation pro or con about life, the most interesting sport of all.
"It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science." [Darwin]
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." [Voltaire]
"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." [Einstein]
"Faith means not wanting to know what is true." [Nietzsche]
"I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul.... No, all this talk of an existence for us, as individuals, beyond the grave is wrong. It is born of our tenacity of life – our desire to go on living … our dread of coming to an end." [Edison]
"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." [Lincoln]
"Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?" [Arthur C. Clarke]
"Religions are all alike – founded upon fables and mythologies." [Thomas Jefferson]
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile." [Kurt Vonnegut]
"Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race." [Bertrand Russell]
Religion/faith: I've had a bunch of great email responses in response to the recent fatalities in climbing, thanks, these responses mean a lot to me. Several of them have been from various Christian viewpoints; I'm all for anyone practicing any sort of religion that doesn't damage other people. Several of my friends are fairly devout, which makes long drives more fun as we always have a "default" conversation topic that can eat up the road. I'm pretty sure most religions are fabricated without divine intervention, while most of those who believe seem positive that God had a role. I find this somewhat humorous, as the followers of each sect are all certain that the others, along with me, are doomed. From this alone I've come to the conclusion that faith is something I have little faith in. Maybe I'm just a heartless skeptic, but I have the same problem with a lot of "new age" stuff (Iridology, homeopathy, aura adjustment, there's a long list of stuff people have faith in without much in the way of evidence). I do think a more wholistic viewpoint toward physical and mental health is called for (fighting heart disease in its latter stages misses the point of why we get heart disease in the first place for example), but that's a relatively simple cause and effect relationship (whether genes or McDonalds). Anyhow, I found a great collection of quotes about religion and faith on a Craigslist site, pasted 'em here for your amusement. As always, I welcome any conversation pro or con about life, the most interesting sport of all.
"It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science." [Darwin]
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." [Voltaire]
"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." [Einstein]
"Faith means not wanting to know what is true." [Nietzsche]
"I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul.... No, all this talk of an existence for us, as individuals, beyond the grave is wrong. It is born of our tenacity of life – our desire to go on living … our dread of coming to an end." [Edison]
"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." [Lincoln]
"Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?" [Arthur C. Clarke]
"Religions are all alike – founded upon fables and mythologies." [Thomas Jefferson]
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile." [Kurt Vonnegut]
"Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race." [Bertrand Russell]
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Hari Berger by Simone Moro
A friend sent me some words about Hari from Simone Moro. I saw Simone speak at Banff this year, great show, and his words below put a lot of what I've been thinking about into a clearer form. I think all of us who wrestle with the risk and reward of our sports have had similar thoughts. Thanks Simone.
FOR HARALD BERGER
by Simone Moro
"My mobile phone was off, I had almost completely cut myself off from the thousands of things I need to do prior to departing for the Karakorum. I wanted to concentrate of the final things concerning comunication, internet, satellite phones. But as soon as I reconnected to the outside world, towards evening, the disasterous news hit me. It rendered me speechless, it took my breath away for a few ceaseless instances. But the giant block of ice which hit Harald Berger at 14:15 at Flachgau, close to Salzburg, left no room for escape. In a few hours time he would have become a father... It all came to an end beneath 150 tons of ice. For ever.
When a friend dies, someone you know, someone with whom you've worked together, who you had met a few days ago and had heard on the phone and by email just a few hours ago, you realise just how fragile and ephemeral the cords are on which our destiny rely. Harald had not wanted to go to Mexico two weeks ago for a sponsor we have in common so as to not leave his wife at home, he hadn't come to Chamonix for the same reason. He had almost completely quit base jumping so as to avoid unecessary risks, in other words, he had decided to steer clear of danger and he had decided to stay at home in 2007 without projects for distant travels. But seeking refuge, protection, is useless because destiny, once again, travelled on a different frequency, abiding a completely different logic.
Harald was a true athlete, a formidable man, careful. Despite his three victories in the ice climbing world cup he still wanted to learn and to listen, not just to show and demonstrate what he was capable of. Rock, ice, air - these were the elements in which he dreamed and which made him dream. We've now got to live with just these. Dreams and thoughts. Because the reality is that Harald has closed his book of life, after 34 years of pages and an immense desire and ideas to write more, exalting and full. There is no end, no moral, no explanation with which to close these thoughts, to help accept what happened in such a cruel way to Hari, his life companion and his child which will be born shortly.
Once again I ascertain that life must really be lived to the full, intensely and in every single instant, without putting our spaces and exalting, full moments too far off into the future. All I can do today is salute you and pray for you. Staying close to your companion and your future child is what we can promise in our greeting. Bye Harald."
Simone Moro
FOR HARALD BERGER
by Simone Moro
"My mobile phone was off, I had almost completely cut myself off from the thousands of things I need to do prior to departing for the Karakorum. I wanted to concentrate of the final things concerning comunication, internet, satellite phones. But as soon as I reconnected to the outside world, towards evening, the disasterous news hit me. It rendered me speechless, it took my breath away for a few ceaseless instances. But the giant block of ice which hit Harald Berger at 14:15 at Flachgau, close to Salzburg, left no room for escape. In a few hours time he would have become a father... It all came to an end beneath 150 tons of ice. For ever.
When a friend dies, someone you know, someone with whom you've worked together, who you had met a few days ago and had heard on the phone and by email just a few hours ago, you realise just how fragile and ephemeral the cords are on which our destiny rely. Harald had not wanted to go to Mexico two weeks ago for a sponsor we have in common so as to not leave his wife at home, he hadn't come to Chamonix for the same reason. He had almost completely quit base jumping so as to avoid unecessary risks, in other words, he had decided to steer clear of danger and he had decided to stay at home in 2007 without projects for distant travels. But seeking refuge, protection, is useless because destiny, once again, travelled on a different frequency, abiding a completely different logic.
Harald was a true athlete, a formidable man, careful. Despite his three victories in the ice climbing world cup he still wanted to learn and to listen, not just to show and demonstrate what he was capable of. Rock, ice, air - these were the elements in which he dreamed and which made him dream. We've now got to live with just these. Dreams and thoughts. Because the reality is that Harald has closed his book of life, after 34 years of pages and an immense desire and ideas to write more, exalting and full. There is no end, no moral, no explanation with which to close these thoughts, to help accept what happened in such a cruel way to Hari, his life companion and his child which will be born shortly.
Once again I ascertain that life must really be lived to the full, intensely and in every single instant, without putting our spaces and exalting, full moments too far off into the future. All I can do today is salute you and pray for you. Staying close to your companion and your future child is what we can promise in our greeting. Bye Harald."
Simone Moro
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Ouray Results
My girlfriend, Kim is down in Ouray judging and teaching clinics, it sounds like it's the usual fun time, wish I were there! Injuries suck.
Anyhow, the results are up on the web. I was happy to see my bud Evegeny win (not super surprising, he's a strong guy!), and also very happy to see Audrey Gariepy take second overall. Audrey is a very strong young Quebec climber--she is also a she, grin, so fantastic result for her! Rich Marshall was third overall, striking a solid blow for all climbers on the dark side of 40, nice work Rich!
WG
Anyhow, the results are up on the web. I was happy to see my bud Evegeny win (not super surprising, he's a strong guy!), and also very happy to see Audrey Gariepy take second overall. Audrey is a very strong young Quebec climber--she is also a she, grin, so fantastic result for her! Rich Marshall was third overall, striking a solid blow for all climbers on the dark side of 40, nice work Rich!
WG
Friday, January 12, 2007
Ice Screw Testing
I met the guys doing some human "crash test dummy" testing with ice screws when I was in Ouray last year. They've put together a nice trailer of hucking themselves off various ice climbs (link below). The fact that most of the ice screws held is encouraging for sure, but a few notes:
-No crampons on the test falls. My biggest concern with falling off while ice climbing isn't that a seemingly good screw will blow, but that I'll catch my crampons on the way down. I've done a few rescues involving various smashed lower appendages, and had several friends toast their ankles from even relatively short falls. The problem is that the crampons tend to bite in, and then either rip hell out of various soft tissue attachments or bones as the climber falls by. I've also seen climbers flipped upside down really violently as their crampons catch and the climber does a fast 180 around the frontpoints and smacks his head into the ice... This happens in the video even without crampons on.
-Very controlled setting. No ledges to hit, relatively smooth ice. Not really your typical fall scenario.
I think testing ice screws for holding power is good, we do a lot of it at Black Diamond, but the focus of the trailer seems to be on learning to trust ice screws to hold falls. That's sort of interesting, but equating the sorts of falls in the video with those experienced in combat really misses the point that falling on ice climbs is a really bad idea, even if the screw holds. My own personal maxim is that if I don't believe fairly strongly that I can climb the pitch without falling then I back off. I don't think I would have lasted this long while ice climbing if I were operating under the assumption that a fall is an acceptable outcome on an ice climb. It's almost always possible to simply stop and hang off a tool while ice climbing, there's no reason to be whipping off (either clip into the hole in the spike or loop a sling over the lower hook if it's a leashless tool if the pump starts to interfere with safe climbing).
Still, definitely worth watching this video, and good work by the guys involved. I love redneck engineering and this is classic, plus it's well-shot.
PS--thank to Brian Spreadbury for sending me the link, I lost it somewhere.
-No crampons on the test falls. My biggest concern with falling off while ice climbing isn't that a seemingly good screw will blow, but that I'll catch my crampons on the way down. I've done a few rescues involving various smashed lower appendages, and had several friends toast their ankles from even relatively short falls. The problem is that the crampons tend to bite in, and then either rip hell out of various soft tissue attachments or bones as the climber falls by. I've also seen climbers flipped upside down really violently as their crampons catch and the climber does a fast 180 around the frontpoints and smacks his head into the ice... This happens in the video even without crampons on.
-Very controlled setting. No ledges to hit, relatively smooth ice. Not really your typical fall scenario.
I think testing ice screws for holding power is good, we do a lot of it at Black Diamond, but the focus of the trailer seems to be on learning to trust ice screws to hold falls. That's sort of interesting, but equating the sorts of falls in the video with those experienced in combat really misses the point that falling on ice climbs is a really bad idea, even if the screw holds. My own personal maxim is that if I don't believe fairly strongly that I can climb the pitch without falling then I back off. I don't think I would have lasted this long while ice climbing if I were operating under the assumption that a fall is an acceptable outcome on an ice climb. It's almost always possible to simply stop and hang off a tool while ice climbing, there's no reason to be whipping off (either clip into the hole in the spike or loop a sling over the lower hook if it's a leashless tool if the pump starts to interfere with safe climbing).
Still, definitely worth watching this video, and good work by the guys involved. I love redneck engineering and this is classic, plus it's well-shot.
PS--thank to Brian Spreadbury for sending me the link, I lost it somewhere.
Kandersteg Ice Fest, Travel Round two
Just returned from the Kandersteg Ice Festival, a really fun event in Switzerland. Sean Isaac and I did "Canadian Ice" shows in English to the huge crowd, good fun. Unfortunately there was very little ice, people were dry tooling in the mud at the local crags and generally looking a bit aggravated, but the festival still had great attendance. I ended up climbing during my clinics on the drytool walls, which didn't do my elbow any good--I just can't resist climbing when it's right in front me. I did manage to refrain from the drytool competition, which was incredible. I think the ice-festival model is the future for winter climbing competitions--Ouray, Festiglace and Kandersteg are all based on participation from the public and a "party" vibe, this just works a lot better than the World Cup style events. The Euro level is really high; Marcus won for the men and Ines for the women, they are both in good form and really getting after it. Ines has decided to quit the world cup and focus on her trips, but I think Marcus will be hard to beat on the world cup (although my bud Albert may be giving him a good run for the money!).
The travel back was pretty much a reprise of the trip over, except I was able to avoid Heathrow Hell. I had to pay an extra $50, I regard that as money very well spent. Unfortunately there was still some good travel hell--the flight back west from Europe is normally slow as it's into the prevailing wind, but the winds were stronger than normal so Zurich to Toronto was supposed to be an 11 hour flight. We flew over Greenland, you could see the snow getting whipped off the peaks in wild plumes for hundreds of K, definitely wind. And of course once we were all loaded onto the plane there was a malfunction of some kind, so we sat there for three hours with "updates" every 15 minutes. All told I spent about 14 hours on that flight, about the same as going to Australia... Missed the connection in Toronto and ended up on the red-eye, finally got home at around two in the morning, or 10 in the morning Euro time. Nothing like a 24-hour travel session to ruin the brain, but worth it to see the energy in Switzerland.
The travel back was pretty much a reprise of the trip over, except I was able to avoid Heathrow Hell. I had to pay an extra $50, I regard that as money very well spent. Unfortunately there was still some good travel hell--the flight back west from Europe is normally slow as it's into the prevailing wind, but the winds were stronger than normal so Zurich to Toronto was supposed to be an 11 hour flight. We flew over Greenland, you could see the snow getting whipped off the peaks in wild plumes for hundreds of K, definitely wind. And of course once we were all loaded onto the plane there was a malfunction of some kind, so we sat there for three hours with "updates" every 15 minutes. All told I spent about 14 hours on that flight, about the same as going to Australia... Missed the connection in Toronto and ended up on the red-eye, finally got home at around two in the morning, or 10 in the morning Euro time. Nothing like a 24-hour travel session to ruin the brain, but worth it to see the energy in Switzerland.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Modern Travel
I’m in Switzerland for the Black Diamond Kandersteg Ice Festival, one of the bigger Euro Festivals and always a good time. It’s a really short trip--I don’t like this sort of mad travel, but some swirling combination of schedule, an injured elbow, airline tickets and life landed me in Switzerland for the weekend. Worse things could happen. But before I write about the best iceless ice festival I’ve ever been to I need to discuss travel in the post-911 era.
On the flight over to London I’m bumped to business class thanks to sitting on lots of other airplanes. Air Canada’s business class is called “Executive First,” which is nicer than the cattle call on the back of the plane I normally ride. I get a hot meal, free drinks, a reasonable seat with some leg room and the biggest luxury of all, a small ditty bag with various “in-flight essentials.” All of this added up to a pretty tolerable flight, but then it hit me: when I first started traveling internationally all of the things I was currently enjoying in business class used to be part of coach class travel… Years ago I flew full first class back from Europe, and remember the insane full bottles of scotch, near one-on-one service from the staff, and the overall comfort. This business class wasn’t nearly on par with that, yet my ticket said executive first. Overall airline travel today sucks in comparison with what it used to be. But it’s not just the in-flight creature comforts that make the difference, it’s the attitude of everyone involved in the process, including me. Travel used to be relaitvely rare and a bit of an occasion for most people, now it’s an A to B process done as cheaply as possible. Lower-cost travel has opened up the world to many of us who likely couldn’t afford it otherwise, but the experience is only slightly less odious than going to the dentist.
This trip started in the Calgary airport security line. I’m traveling with only my boots, harness and helmet to make it all work as a carry-on (land in Zurich at 4:30 p.m., drive three hours, show at 8:00, not a lot of time to collect bags). While in line we are repeatedly admonished to put all of our gels and liquids into a single clear plastic bag. Not two bags, one, of the supplied size only. Which my contact lens solution doesn’t quite fit into. The bottle is half-full, but the container is over 100ml, so a dour security guard informs me that it’s too big as the bottle says 150ml. I point out that it’s less than half full, so it can’t possibly have more than 100ml in it. Nope, rules are rules, I have to either check it or toss it into the bin with all the other dangerous substances such as water bottles. I ask if I could dump out all the solution and take the bottle perhaps? Yes, this would be OK, empty bottles aren’t dangerous. And if I had a container to hold the solution could I put it into that? I’m eyeing my travel mug and thinking I’ll pour the solution into there, then pour it back into the bottle once I’ve survived security. But no, less than 100ml of contact solution in an open container isn’t allowed. So if I had a screw-on lid for my mug that would be OK? The security guard is getting frustrated and tells me to “follow the rules or I’ll become a problem passenger requiring more screening… I surrender the solution.
During the whole 20-minute security process I have to deal with getting told about three times that I’m at the wrong security gate for my flight. Yes, I’m aware of that, but you can move from terminal to termainal on the far side of security, and the “idiots who travel too much special holding area,” also known as the Gold status lounge, is in the A terminal… I point this out and am allowed to proceed toward the contact lens solution confiscation point. After about five people in line in front of me figure out that the metal detector does indeed detect metal, so that huge crucifix dangling around their necks might just set it off, or possibly the numerous metal rings on their fingers, or the Frisbee-sized belt buckle… I’m always amazed that person after person fails to figure this out. The whole vibe is suspicious and rude, and I suspect, largely ineffective. I can think of a half-dozen ways to get explosives or serious weaponry through the “security,” and that’s just while standing in line for it.
Finally I’m in my seat on the plane. It’s a good thing they took away my dangerous contact solution (Slate did a great piece on how it’s basically impossible to brew up a good bomb by combining liquids on a plane…), I just feel so much safer. I’m also strangely comforted by the fact that I get a plastic knife to cut my chicken up with—never mind that I’m given a large glass tumbler for my scotch, and that there are numerous wine bottles on hand. Now I’m no expert on weapons, but I’ve always feared a broken bottle in a bar situation, and I’ve cut myself on enough broken glasses while dishwashing to have a healthy respect for broken glass. I can’t bring a contact lens solution on board, but I’m given all the raw materials to make a hell of an effective knife? I briefly contemplate smashing my glass to have a more appropriate edge for dealing with the chicken, but that might lead to the plane being grounded so I could be wrestled off by local security forces…
The flight goes by peaceably, and after about ten hours I land in the worst damn airport in the world, Heathrow. We stand in line to get in line for the shuttle to the other terminal, stand in line to get on the escalator to stand in line for passport control, then stand in line for 45 minutes to go through security--again. And despite it being winter, the British have somehow figured out how to keep it jungle-hot, just what you need when nursing a free-booze hang over after being up for 30 hours straight. An old woman is visibly wilting in front of me, yet is treated like a potential terrorist when she politely asks a guard if she could sit for a bit on a chair just outside the maze while waiting her turn. I have to ask the guard if he would treat his own mother this way, it’s just wrong, a minor glare-fest ensues. The guard gets his back when I have to stuff my computer bag into my climbing pack to meet the one-bag rule, which doesn’t apply to the first-class passengers in a special line… I’ve already taken the computer out, and when the bag doesn’t quite fit into the “one bag only” box I start kicking the shit out of it until it does. The head of security comes over and decides my bag is OK, but it takes about five minutes to get my bag out of the “no bag bigger than this” cave I’ve just stuffed it into. I’m starting to almost enjoy the process. We used to be able to take two bags on, and I’ve always played by the rules of keeping them reasonably sized. Now it’s one bag, unless you’re a woman with a huge purse, a pet dog in a little mesh box and a carry-on with this season’s full Dior fashion line in it. The dog is OK with me.
Finally I’m in the line to stand in line for the next stage of security; a vast maze lies in front of me, which we all dutifully shuffle back and forth through like rats trying to find the reward. The guards and passengers are all surly; there’s a strong sense of futility and barely-restrained hostility permeating the atmosphere. Occasionally someone will break and start yelling at the security guards, only to be whisked off to wherever surly passengers are taken. I joke with a sun-baked surfer about the whole situation until the guards take notice of someone potentially having fun with the madness and start eyeing us up. We pull our sheep costumes back into place and keep our eyes downward lest we arouse the interest of the rubber-finger clad… It takes a full two hours to finally get through it all, and by the time I arrive at the next gate I’ve really had it with the British empire. Still, I’m loads better off than the old Sikh guy in front of me waiting to get into the waiting area at the gate—he makes the mistake of asking if he has enough time to get some food before the flight leaves. Another failed prison guard tells him “No, the flight leaves in 15 minutes, get in now or be denied boarding." Then we sit in the holding area for an hour because the plane is late. The Sikh had to be hungry to even ask about eating British airport food, so another hour could have killed him. I’m seriously surprised there isn’t more insanity in the airports from passengers driven over the brink.
Whatever you do, avoid Heathrow if at all possible, it’s a soul-choking mix of British clerk hell and old Soviet-style endless cues to stand in line for the next cue. I’ve flown through London three times in the last three years, apparently I forget the sheer idiocy of it all after about 364 days.
The only fun part of the trip comes when I drop a bunch of change on the floor and the muslim guy behind me directs his kids as they scoop it all up and offer it back. It’s pretty cool, I give all the change to the kids not because they look like they need it but because they figure out it’s Canadian and are psyched on it. A rare moment of humanity in the cluster of modern travel….
Next report: Kandersteg, which had almost no ice but sure was fun!
I’m in Switzerland for the Black Diamond Kandersteg Ice Festival, one of the bigger Euro Festivals and always a good time. It’s a really short trip--I don’t like this sort of mad travel, but some swirling combination of schedule, an injured elbow, airline tickets and life landed me in Switzerland for the weekend. Worse things could happen. But before I write about the best iceless ice festival I’ve ever been to I need to discuss travel in the post-911 era.
On the flight over to London I’m bumped to business class thanks to sitting on lots of other airplanes. Air Canada’s business class is called “Executive First,” which is nicer than the cattle call on the back of the plane I normally ride. I get a hot meal, free drinks, a reasonable seat with some leg room and the biggest luxury of all, a small ditty bag with various “in-flight essentials.” All of this added up to a pretty tolerable flight, but then it hit me: when I first started traveling internationally all of the things I was currently enjoying in business class used to be part of coach class travel… Years ago I flew full first class back from Europe, and remember the insane full bottles of scotch, near one-on-one service from the staff, and the overall comfort. This business class wasn’t nearly on par with that, yet my ticket said executive first. Overall airline travel today sucks in comparison with what it used to be. But it’s not just the in-flight creature comforts that make the difference, it’s the attitude of everyone involved in the process, including me. Travel used to be relaitvely rare and a bit of an occasion for most people, now it’s an A to B process done as cheaply as possible. Lower-cost travel has opened up the world to many of us who likely couldn’t afford it otherwise, but the experience is only slightly less odious than going to the dentist.
This trip started in the Calgary airport security line. I’m traveling with only my boots, harness and helmet to make it all work as a carry-on (land in Zurich at 4:30 p.m., drive three hours, show at 8:00, not a lot of time to collect bags). While in line we are repeatedly admonished to put all of our gels and liquids into a single clear plastic bag. Not two bags, one, of the supplied size only. Which my contact lens solution doesn’t quite fit into. The bottle is half-full, but the container is over 100ml, so a dour security guard informs me that it’s too big as the bottle says 150ml. I point out that it’s less than half full, so it can’t possibly have more than 100ml in it. Nope, rules are rules, I have to either check it or toss it into the bin with all the other dangerous substances such as water bottles. I ask if I could dump out all the solution and take the bottle perhaps? Yes, this would be OK, empty bottles aren’t dangerous. And if I had a container to hold the solution could I put it into that? I’m eyeing my travel mug and thinking I’ll pour the solution into there, then pour it back into the bottle once I’ve survived security. But no, less than 100ml of contact solution in an open container isn’t allowed. So if I had a screw-on lid for my mug that would be OK? The security guard is getting frustrated and tells me to “follow the rules or I’ll become a problem passenger requiring more screening… I surrender the solution.
During the whole 20-minute security process I have to deal with getting told about three times that I’m at the wrong security gate for my flight. Yes, I’m aware of that, but you can move from terminal to termainal on the far side of security, and the “idiots who travel too much special holding area,” also known as the Gold status lounge, is in the A terminal… I point this out and am allowed to proceed toward the contact lens solution confiscation point. After about five people in line in front of me figure out that the metal detector does indeed detect metal, so that huge crucifix dangling around their necks might just set it off, or possibly the numerous metal rings on their fingers, or the Frisbee-sized belt buckle… I’m always amazed that person after person fails to figure this out. The whole vibe is suspicious and rude, and I suspect, largely ineffective. I can think of a half-dozen ways to get explosives or serious weaponry through the “security,” and that’s just while standing in line for it.
Finally I’m in my seat on the plane. It’s a good thing they took away my dangerous contact solution (Slate did a great piece on how it’s basically impossible to brew up a good bomb by combining liquids on a plane…), I just feel so much safer. I’m also strangely comforted by the fact that I get a plastic knife to cut my chicken up with—never mind that I’m given a large glass tumbler for my scotch, and that there are numerous wine bottles on hand. Now I’m no expert on weapons, but I’ve always feared a broken bottle in a bar situation, and I’ve cut myself on enough broken glasses while dishwashing to have a healthy respect for broken glass. I can’t bring a contact lens solution on board, but I’m given all the raw materials to make a hell of an effective knife? I briefly contemplate smashing my glass to have a more appropriate edge for dealing with the chicken, but that might lead to the plane being grounded so I could be wrestled off by local security forces…
The flight goes by peaceably, and after about ten hours I land in the worst damn airport in the world, Heathrow. We stand in line to get in line for the shuttle to the other terminal, stand in line to get on the escalator to stand in line for passport control, then stand in line for 45 minutes to go through security--again. And despite it being winter, the British have somehow figured out how to keep it jungle-hot, just what you need when nursing a free-booze hang over after being up for 30 hours straight. An old woman is visibly wilting in front of me, yet is treated like a potential terrorist when she politely asks a guard if she could sit for a bit on a chair just outside the maze while waiting her turn. I have to ask the guard if he would treat his own mother this way, it’s just wrong, a minor glare-fest ensues. The guard gets his back when I have to stuff my computer bag into my climbing pack to meet the one-bag rule, which doesn’t apply to the first-class passengers in a special line… I’ve already taken the computer out, and when the bag doesn’t quite fit into the “one bag only” box I start kicking the shit out of it until it does. The head of security comes over and decides my bag is OK, but it takes about five minutes to get my bag out of the “no bag bigger than this” cave I’ve just stuffed it into. I’m starting to almost enjoy the process. We used to be able to take two bags on, and I’ve always played by the rules of keeping them reasonably sized. Now it’s one bag, unless you’re a woman with a huge purse, a pet dog in a little mesh box and a carry-on with this season’s full Dior fashion line in it. The dog is OK with me.
Finally I’m in the line to stand in line for the next stage of security; a vast maze lies in front of me, which we all dutifully shuffle back and forth through like rats trying to find the reward. The guards and passengers are all surly; there’s a strong sense of futility and barely-restrained hostility permeating the atmosphere. Occasionally someone will break and start yelling at the security guards, only to be whisked off to wherever surly passengers are taken. I joke with a sun-baked surfer about the whole situation until the guards take notice of someone potentially having fun with the madness and start eyeing us up. We pull our sheep costumes back into place and keep our eyes downward lest we arouse the interest of the rubber-finger clad… It takes a full two hours to finally get through it all, and by the time I arrive at the next gate I’ve really had it with the British empire. Still, I’m loads better off than the old Sikh guy in front of me waiting to get into the waiting area at the gate—he makes the mistake of asking if he has enough time to get some food before the flight leaves. Another failed prison guard tells him “No, the flight leaves in 15 minutes, get in now or be denied boarding." Then we sit in the holding area for an hour because the plane is late. The Sikh had to be hungry to even ask about eating British airport food, so another hour could have killed him. I’m seriously surprised there isn’t more insanity in the airports from passengers driven over the brink.
Whatever you do, avoid Heathrow if at all possible, it’s a soul-choking mix of British clerk hell and old Soviet-style endless cues to stand in line for the next cue. I’ve flown through London three times in the last three years, apparently I forget the sheer idiocy of it all after about 364 days.
The only fun part of the trip comes when I drop a bunch of change on the floor and the muslim guy behind me directs his kids as they scoop it all up and offer it back. It’s pretty cool, I give all the change to the kids not because they look like they need it but because they figure out it’s Canadian and are psyched on it. A rare moment of humanity in the cluster of modern travel….
Next report: Kandersteg, which had almost no ice but sure was fun!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Pick Filing and Hyalite
David d. sends the following:
Speaking of oddball but interesting stuff, here's a guy with a sense of
mission and 'way too much time on his hands. If I had to do this, I'd NEVER
get climbing. Some different approaches pick shape, though...
http://www.summitpost.org/article/179394/so-you-want-to-sharpen-your-tools-e
h.html
Generally good info, although I disagree with his "bipod" idea as shown in figure 25, at least in his photos with that pick--the first tooth will cause the tip to "rocker" off small holds, not what you want for thin edges. Figure 26 shows a better pick for mixed. I also don't like notching the top of my pick so far down toward the tip, makes it get stuck in ice and likely weaker for agressive camming. It's the top of the pick above the pick clamp that contacts the rock during stein pulls, that's most important. But overall good info and nice piece, thanks to Dd for the tip and JScoles for putting the article up (and no cursing as suggested in the article, grin!).
-WG
Speaking of oddball but interesting stuff, here's a guy with a sense of
mission and 'way too much time on his hands. If I had to do this, I'd NEVER
get climbing. Some different approaches pick shape, though...
http://www.summitpost.org/article/179394/so-you-want-to-sharpen-your-tools-e
h.html
Generally good info, although I disagree with his "bipod" idea as shown in figure 25, at least in his photos with that pick--the first tooth will cause the tip to "rocker" off small holds, not what you want for thin edges. Figure 26 shows a better pick for mixed. I also don't like notching the top of my pick so far down toward the tip, makes it get stuck in ice and likely weaker for agressive camming. It's the top of the pick above the pick clamp that contacts the rock during stein pulls, that's most important. But overall good info and nice piece, thanks to Dd for the tip and JScoles for putting the article up (and no cursing as suggested in the article, grin!).
-WG
Friday, December 29, 2006
Charlie too. What the hell are we doing?
Charlie Fowler and Chris Boskoff went missing about a month ago in China. Their friends helped organize a massive search effort, which eventually found Charlie's body a few days ago. Chris is likely in the same area. The duo were two of the most motivated climbers around, and losing two more good people is again really sad. I've known Charlie for so long that I've forgotten where and when I met him, he's just always been around in the climbing world. A couple of years ago we worked a film job in the desert together, and snuck off to go climbing on a down day. The rock was pretty bad but we sure had fun, including downclimbing a reasonably hard corner because we couldn't find a solid anchor and didn't want to leave evidence of our passage on the cliff. On that same film job I pulled onto the top of a wild tower after a "safety scout," while Charlie had been helicoptered onto the top to do some rigging for a film crew. The last time I'd been up there the top of the tower had hosted a really ugly cluster of manky bolts, horrendously weathered drilled angles and some weird old bits all tied together with yards of ugly webbing. I pulled over the top to find two very, very solid but well-camouflaged anchors, and all the mess perfectly cleaned up, a much more elegant solution but perhaps controversial due to the tower's location (we were there legally). Charlie looked at me, looked at the anchors, and said in his unmistakable Charlie voice, "Well, those sure do look nice. Wonder how old they are?" The desert wind hadn't blown the dust away yet, I about fell off the top laughing as Charlie just slyly grinned. We sat up there in the sky for a while grooving on the amazing place and life before the film circus started again, it was nice. I'm sad that Charlie's gone, but he died with his boots on after a pretty damn solid life by anyone's standards. I'll grieve for him, but also laugh a bit more thinking about Charlie being Charlie. I'm looking forward to getting into the desert dust again, I know it has some Charlie mixed in it.
Some of Charlie's friends are sharing stories here.
I've been depressed over the loss of Hari Berger for the last week, it just rips me up to imagine Kirsten and Zoe without Hari. Now this, and following the loss of Todd this fall, Sue and Karen in the spring, and some other people I knew less well but who were also once vital parts of the adventure world. 2005 was also a hard year on my friends, stacking 2006 on top of it is near-incomprehensible. I'm not sure how to sort this all out, it's going to take some time to make emotional and intellectual sense of such horrific carnage. It's like someone repeatedly blasted the well-woven fabric of our community with a shotgun. Hari, Karen, Sue, and Charlie were all likely at the Ouray Ice Festival a few years ago, now they are all gone. Here's to hoping 2007 is a better year, play safe enough.
Some of Charlie's friends are sharing stories here.
I've been depressed over the loss of Hari Berger for the last week, it just rips me up to imagine Kirsten and Zoe without Hari. Now this, and following the loss of Todd this fall, Sue and Karen in the spring, and some other people I knew less well but who were also once vital parts of the adventure world. 2005 was also a hard year on my friends, stacking 2006 on top of it is near-incomprehensible. I'm not sure how to sort this all out, it's going to take some time to make emotional and intellectual sense of such horrific carnage. It's like someone repeatedly blasted the well-woven fabric of our community with a shotgun. Hari, Karen, Sue, and Charlie were all likely at the Ouray Ice Festival a few years ago, now they are all gone. Here's to hoping 2007 is a better year, play safe enough.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Berger Family Fund Raisers, Happy Solstice
I'm heading over to the Kandersteg Ice Festival in Switzerland next week, always a fun event. Black Diamond Europe is giving all the proceeds from the slide shows to the Berger family, amazing generosity, thanks! If you're in Europe I hope to see you at the shows, should be fun!
There are a lot of people working to raise small and large bits of money on both sides of the Atlantic, somehow this is in keeping with the true spirit of celebrating life, friends and family at this time of year. I like Christmas too--almost every culture has some sort of winter solstice celebration. The cool thing is that from here on out every day is a bit longer, yeah!
best,
WG
Training: Ran like a SOB in the dark last night, best run of the year so far. I've been really into night running lately, cruising through the woods by headlamp, great time to think and just let the night trail roll by. I've always liked running at night, it feels more free somehow, plus the hills seem shorter when you can't see the top of 'em... Chili Dog also seems to like it, chases the headlamp beam along the trail in front of me. Then of course too much eggnog at night, grin. Elbow slowly improving, rest seems to do more than anything else, plus drinking copius amounts of water all day and hydrations beers at night.
There are a lot of people working to raise small and large bits of money on both sides of the Atlantic, somehow this is in keeping with the true spirit of celebrating life, friends and family at this time of year. I like Christmas too--almost every culture has some sort of winter solstice celebration. The cool thing is that from here on out every day is a bit longer, yeah!
best,
WG
Training: Ran like a SOB in the dark last night, best run of the year so far. I've been really into night running lately, cruising through the woods by headlamp, great time to think and just let the night trail roll by. I've always liked running at night, it feels more free somehow, plus the hills seem shorter when you can't see the top of 'em... Chili Dog also seems to like it, chases the headlamp beam along the trail in front of me. Then of course too much eggnog at night, grin. Elbow slowly improving, rest seems to do more than anything else, plus drinking copius amounts of water all day and hydrations beers at night.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Help Kirsten and Zoe Berger
Albert Leichtfried is a good friend of the Berger family, and is helping to fund raise for them. There is information up on his site about how to help if you can.
There is also some talk of a fund-raiser at Ouray, I'll post details as they develop.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the direct information from Albert in case that link isn't working:
According to the words of Kirsten I would like to inform you, that the dougther of Hari Berger and Kirsten Buchmann was born this night at 0.31 AM and is well and healthy. The name Zoe was given after the wish of her father Hari.
To improve the critical financial situation of Kirsten and Zoe two fund raiser are set now, from friends of hari and from the guide association. See the accounts below.
Please help them to improve at least one of their worries!
Thank you!
Spendenkonto / fund raiser "Berger Harald - Spendenkonto"
Bank: Hypo Salzburg
BLZ/bank-nr.: 55000
Konto.Nr./account: 114 0000 1016
BIC: SLHYAT2S
IBAN: AT68 5500 0114 0000 1016
There is also some talk of a fund-raiser at Ouray, I'll post details as they develop.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the direct information from Albert in case that link isn't working:
According to the words of Kirsten I would like to inform you, that the dougther of Hari Berger and Kirsten Buchmann was born this night at 0.31 AM and is well and healthy. The name Zoe was given after the wish of her father Hari.
To improve the critical financial situation of Kirsten and Zoe two fund raiser are set now, from friends of hari and from the guide association. See the accounts below.
Please help them to improve at least one of their worries!
Thank you!
Spendenkonto / fund raiser "Berger Harald - Spendenkonto"
Bank: Hypo Salzburg
BLZ/bank-nr.: 55000
Konto.Nr./account: 114 0000 1016
BIC: SLHYAT2S
IBAN: AT68 5500 0114 0000 1016
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Hari Berger Lost
Harald Berger, three-time ice climbing world champion and father-to-be, died while ice bouldering yesterday in Austria. His partner, Kirsten, had the couple's baby last night. She must now be super-human, but I trust she will because she is.
This whole situation is crushing. The wheel of living and dying turns with such savage cruelty sometimes. Hari was a good man--a good climber, a moral human and, as he often demonstrated while staying at our house, a good cook. I'm sure he would have been a fantastic father to his new daughter. None of us get to choose when or how we die, but this is a rough one.
Peace and love to Kirsten, and Hari's many friends around the world.
WG
PS--These photos show the sheer scale of the situation.
Web translation of the German story:
ce climbing world champion exhausted by ice with a collapse of the ice chapel with Hintersee (flat gau) died on Wednesday the threefold ice climbing world champion Harald Berger. With the enormous avalanche cone a eisscholle broke off, which buried him. Photo: Ferdinand Farthofer torso under 150 tons ice bury the 34-jaehrige ice climbing professional, who originated from Linz and lived in Salzburg, climbed into approximately three meters height of an overhang. Against 14.15 o'clock might have released a Pickelschlag a nuclear chain reaction in the ice - the enormous over-hanging eisscholle broke off. Berger was buried by approximately 150 tons, estimates the task forces. Like enormous the "Hinterseer glacier" and/or. "Eiskappelle" in the Salzburger flat gau is, shows the size comparison to an aid of the task forces. The dead one could be saved only after some hours - specialists of fire-brigade, mountain rescue and alpine police divided the 30 times 25 meters large and two and a half meter thickened ice block with Schremmgeraeten. With a lifting cushion the fragments were then raised, in order to save the 34-Jaehrigen. Berger leaves high pregnant woman Mrs. Berger leaves a high pregnant woman woman. With it three further Kletterer were with the ice chapel for training. These witnesses of the misfortune were not hurt. Fragments at the accident scene according to data of the eye-witnesses only one blow with the eisbeil is sufficient, in order to produce in the unstable ice tongue a long transversal crack, before the ice masses fell on Harald Berger. Heavy accident before 30 years already before approximately 30 years occurred in the ice chapel a particularly tragic accident: A German vacationer placed herself under the gewoelbe, so that their man could make a photo. After the Knipsen of lightning the ice chapel broke down and buried the woman under itself. She could be saved likewise only dead. Avalanche cone a popular goal the ice chapel below the Wieserhoerndls in the Osterhorngruppe is a popular moves and ice-climbing-obtains: The numerous avalanches, which go off into the valley boiler on 850 meters sea-height, melt often the whole year long not completely. As is the case for a glacier columns and caves in the old snow, which can collapse at any time, form.
This whole situation is crushing. The wheel of living and dying turns with such savage cruelty sometimes. Hari was a good man--a good climber, a moral human and, as he often demonstrated while staying at our house, a good cook. I'm sure he would have been a fantastic father to his new daughter. None of us get to choose when or how we die, but this is a rough one.
Peace and love to Kirsten, and Hari's many friends around the world.
WG
PS--These photos show the sheer scale of the situation.
Web translation of the German story:
ce climbing world champion exhausted by ice with a collapse of the ice chapel with Hintersee (flat gau) died on Wednesday the threefold ice climbing world champion Harald Berger. With the enormous avalanche cone a eisscholle broke off, which buried him. Photo: Ferdinand Farthofer torso under 150 tons ice bury the 34-jaehrige ice climbing professional, who originated from Linz and lived in Salzburg, climbed into approximately three meters height of an overhang. Against 14.15 o'clock might have released a Pickelschlag a nuclear chain reaction in the ice - the enormous over-hanging eisscholle broke off. Berger was buried by approximately 150 tons, estimates the task forces. Like enormous the "Hinterseer glacier" and/or. "Eiskappelle" in the Salzburger flat gau is, shows the size comparison to an aid of the task forces. The dead one could be saved only after some hours - specialists of fire-brigade, mountain rescue and alpine police divided the 30 times 25 meters large and two and a half meter thickened ice block with Schremmgeraeten. With a lifting cushion the fragments were then raised, in order to save the 34-Jaehrigen. Berger leaves high pregnant woman Mrs. Berger leaves a high pregnant woman woman. With it three further Kletterer were with the ice chapel for training. These witnesses of the misfortune were not hurt. Fragments at the accident scene according to data of the eye-witnesses only one blow with the eisbeil is sufficient, in order to produce in the unstable ice tongue a long transversal crack, before the ice masses fell on Harald Berger. Heavy accident before 30 years already before approximately 30 years occurred in the ice chapel a particularly tragic accident: A German vacationer placed herself under the gewoelbe, so that their man could make a photo. After the Knipsen of lightning the ice chapel broke down and buried the woman under itself. She could be saved likewise only dead. Avalanche cone a popular goal the ice chapel below the Wieserhoerndls in the Osterhorngruppe is a popular moves and ice-climbing-obtains: The numerous avalanches, which go off into the valley boiler on 850 meters sea-height, melt often the whole year long not completely. As is the case for a glacier columns and caves in the old snow, which can collapse at any time, form.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Skinny Slings and Beacon Batteries
Slings keep getting thinner and thinner, to the point where they wouldn't work even for the most optimistic G-String in Vegas. Kolin over at BD just did some more research on joining these slings to others, interesting results. Thanks to Chris Willie for the link. Kolin's pages are always good reading.
There's also been some talk of late about avalanche beacons and batteries, just had the following forwarded to me from Steve Christie at Backcountry Access via Garth Lemke, thanks:
"“Batteries: Three AAA/LR03 alkaline batteries. Do not use rechargeable,
lithium, Oxyride or any other non-alkaline battery.”
The Powerpix batteries increase the voltage of the unit. This in turn
increases the background noise level in the beacon. You will see this issue
with all avalanche beacons, not just the Tracker.
If you would like to post my response on the internet chat rooms that you
frequent I would appreciate it. I am getting this email quite often, it
seems to be circulating out there in internet land."
WG
There's also been some talk of late about avalanche beacons and batteries, just had the following forwarded to me from Steve Christie at Backcountry Access via Garth Lemke, thanks:
"“Batteries: Three AAA/LR03 alkaline batteries. Do not use rechargeable,
lithium, Oxyride or any other non-alkaline battery.”
The Powerpix batteries increase the voltage of the unit. This in turn
increases the background noise level in the beacon. You will see this issue
with all avalanche beacons, not just the Tracker.
If you would like to post my response on the internet chat rooms that you
frequent I would appreciate it. I am getting this email quite often, it
seems to be circulating out there in internet land."
WG
Fun Links
In my experience, injuries=monitor time. Here are some of the better, or at least more engaging, sites I've stumbled across:
Zefrank. Smart, funny, random, WTF on all the ducks? Thanks Jim.
Chernobyl: Still going on. Stay tuned for 24,000 more years or so. Forget nuclear power, it's just not worth it. It's like most mining--the total costs don't add up to being worth more cell phones, gold bits or new cars. These are all things I own so I am guilty...
Is Iraq following the El Salvador plan? Thanks to Stoltz. Bit conspiracy theory, but maybe not.
Detroit Blog: What the future looks like?
Happy Surfing!
Training: Not going so great. I've been doing PT on the elbow regularly, plus massage, plus not working out, and it's just not getting a lot better. I can climb on it OK on easy ice so that's something, but enough whinging. I've been injured so little in my career that I've got nothing to complain about, this too will pass. I'm going kite boarding now, at least that's super fun and doesn't seem to hammer the elbow too much. Yoga, running, situps, do what I can and hope it improves sometime. I have a big trip to Sweden in January that I'm doing if I have to climb one-handed.
Zefrank. Smart, funny, random, WTF on all the ducks? Thanks Jim.
Chernobyl: Still going on. Stay tuned for 24,000 more years or so. Forget nuclear power, it's just not worth it. It's like most mining--the total costs don't add up to being worth more cell phones, gold bits or new cars. These are all things I own so I am guilty...
Is Iraq following the El Salvador plan? Thanks to Stoltz. Bit conspiracy theory, but maybe not.
Detroit Blog: What the future looks like?
Happy Surfing!
Training: Not going so great. I've been doing PT on the elbow regularly, plus massage, plus not working out, and it's just not getting a lot better. I can climb on it OK on easy ice so that's something, but enough whinging. I've been injured so little in my career that I've got nothing to complain about, this too will pass. I'm going kite boarding now, at least that's super fun and doesn't seem to hammer the elbow too much. Yoga, running, situps, do what I can and hope it improves sometime. I have a big trip to Sweden in January that I'm doing if I have to climb one-handed.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Climbing and quotes
The Arc'teryx Canmore ice festival is in full swing, good fun. Taught a clinic yesterday and climbed, elbow slightly better. Climbing sure is fun, best reason I know for doing it. I really like teaching clinics also, the people always fire me up. They are also great for my climbing as well, I honestly didn't truly learn to ice climb until I taught others how to ice climb. I got "busted" by my clinic people for bad techique a few times yesterday, pretty cool to see people catch on to moving well so fast. Other sports have well-defined teaching curriculums, climbing is just starting to reach that point. Of course, techniques change and improve (Bode Miller on skis is a good example of this, he breaks a lot of the old "rules"), but understanding enough about the movement to teach it is a good start.
My old high-school friend Michelle sent me the following quotes, thought I'd share 'em because they're good.:
Hello everyone!
Since next Thursday is my birthday, I thought I'd put together and share some quotes I picked up off the Internet that are interesting (at least to me) to keep in mind. Some are funny, some insight, and others.....well they just leave your mouth hanging wide open!
Enjoy the short read! Some of these are too true!
Michelle
To alcohol! The cause of and solution to all of life's problems! Homer Simpson
In politics stupidity is not a handicap. Napoleon
A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it is written on.
Samuel Goldwyn
Haven't we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?
--George w. Bush, Washington, DC, 11/26/2002: To economic advisers discussing a second round of tax cuts, as quoted by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil.
Life is hard. After all, it kills you.
Katharine Hepburn , 05/12/1907 - 06/29/2003,US-actress
There are laws to protect the freedom of the press's speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press.
Mark Twain 11/30/1835 - 04/21/1910, US author
When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.
Mark Twain
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.
Mark Twain
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
Mark Twain
You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford 07/30/1863 - 04/07/1947, Founder of the Ford Motor Company
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
Albert Einstein 03/14/1879 - 04/18/1955, Nobel Prize Laureate (Physics)
I believe that Ronald Reagan can make this country what it once was - an Arctic region covered with ice.
Steve Martin 08/14/1945 - - US actor, writer and producer
If you want to make God laugh, tell him your future plans.
Woody Allen 12/01/1935 - - US writer, actor and director
If A is a success in life, than A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.
Observer, Jan. 15, 1950, Albert Einstein
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Henry Ford
I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.
George Carlin US Comedian
If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted?
- George Carlin
Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.
- George Carlin
"I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?
- George Carlin
Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
- George Carlin
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.
Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
I was a prisoner too, but for bad reasons.
--George w. Bush, Monterrey, Mexico, 01/13/2004 to Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, on being told that all but one of the Argentine delegates to a summit meeting were imprisoned during the military dictatorship.
Let me put it to you bluntly. In a changing world, we want more people to have control over your own life.
--George w. Bush, Annandale, VA, 08/09/2004
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.
Henry Ford
Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
Ben Hecht (1893 - 1964)
America is a mistake, a giant mistake.
Sigmund Freud, 05/06/1856 - 11/23/1939, Austrian neurologist & the founder of psychoanalysis
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
Bob Hope, 05/29/1903 - 07/27/2003, Engl. actor and comedian
Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.
John Maynard Keynes, 06/05/1883 - 04/21/1946, English economist
A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
Winston Churchill, 11/30/1874 - 01/24/1965, British politician and Nobel Prize Laureate
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau, 07/12/1817 - 05/06/1862, US author and philosopher
A day without laughter is a day wasted.
Charlie Chaplin, 04/16/1889 - 12/25/1977, English actor
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
from his book "Mostly Harmless"
Douglas Adams, 03/11/1952 - 05/11/2001, English humorist & science fiction novelist
Without music, life would be a mistake.
Friedrich Nietzsche,10/15/1844 - 08/25/1900, philosopher and lyricist
The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.
in the Appendix to Man and Superman: "Maxims for Revolutionists"
George Bernard Shaw, 07/26/1856 - 11/02/1950, Erse dramatist, author and Nobel Prize Laureate
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 08/28/1749 - 03/22/1832, German poet
To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
Paul Ehrlich
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.
Danny Kaye, 01/18/1913 - 03/03/1987, US actor and Oscar-Prize-Laureate
The great question - which I have not been able to answer - is, "What does a woman want?"
Sigmund Freud, 05/06/1856 - 11/23/1939, Austrian neurologist & the founder of psychoanalysis
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.
The Age of Reason
Thomas Paine, 01/29/1737 - 06/08/1809, "Founding Father" of the US
I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.
Mae West, 08/17/1893 - 11/22/1980, US-actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein
My old high-school friend Michelle sent me the following quotes, thought I'd share 'em because they're good.:
Hello everyone!
Since next Thursday is my birthday, I thought I'd put together and share some quotes I picked up off the Internet that are interesting (at least to me) to keep in mind. Some are funny, some insight, and others.....well they just leave your mouth hanging wide open!
Enjoy the short read! Some of these are too true!
Michelle
To alcohol! The cause of and solution to all of life's problems! Homer Simpson
In politics stupidity is not a handicap. Napoleon
A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it is written on.
Samuel Goldwyn
Haven't we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?
--George w. Bush, Washington, DC, 11/26/2002: To economic advisers discussing a second round of tax cuts, as quoted by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil.
Life is hard. After all, it kills you.
Katharine Hepburn , 05/12/1907 - 06/29/2003,US-actress
There are laws to protect the freedom of the press's speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press.
Mark Twain 11/30/1835 - 04/21/1910, US author
When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.
Mark Twain
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.
Mark Twain
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
Mark Twain
You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford 07/30/1863 - 04/07/1947, Founder of the Ford Motor Company
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
Albert Einstein 03/14/1879 - 04/18/1955, Nobel Prize Laureate (Physics)
I believe that Ronald Reagan can make this country what it once was - an Arctic region covered with ice.
Steve Martin 08/14/1945 - - US actor, writer and producer
If you want to make God laugh, tell him your future plans.
Woody Allen 12/01/1935 - - US writer, actor and director
If A is a success in life, than A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.
Observer, Jan. 15, 1950, Albert Einstein
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Henry Ford
I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.
George Carlin US Comedian
If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted?
- George Carlin
Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.
- George Carlin
"I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?
- George Carlin
Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
- George Carlin
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.
Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
I was a prisoner too, but for bad reasons.
--George w. Bush, Monterrey, Mexico, 01/13/2004 to Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, on being told that all but one of the Argentine delegates to a summit meeting were imprisoned during the military dictatorship.
Let me put it to you bluntly. In a changing world, we want more people to have control over your own life.
--George w. Bush, Annandale, VA, 08/09/2004
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.
Henry Ford
Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
Ben Hecht (1893 - 1964)
America is a mistake, a giant mistake.
Sigmund Freud, 05/06/1856 - 11/23/1939, Austrian neurologist & the founder of psychoanalysis
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
Bob Hope, 05/29/1903 - 07/27/2003, Engl. actor and comedian
Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.
John Maynard Keynes, 06/05/1883 - 04/21/1946, English economist
A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
Winston Churchill, 11/30/1874 - 01/24/1965, British politician and Nobel Prize Laureate
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau, 07/12/1817 - 05/06/1862, US author and philosopher
A day without laughter is a day wasted.
Charlie Chaplin, 04/16/1889 - 12/25/1977, English actor
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
from his book "Mostly Harmless"
Douglas Adams, 03/11/1952 - 05/11/2001, English humorist & science fiction novelist
Without music, life would be a mistake.
Friedrich Nietzsche,10/15/1844 - 08/25/1900, philosopher and lyricist
The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.
in the Appendix to Man and Superman: "Maxims for Revolutionists"
George Bernard Shaw, 07/26/1856 - 11/02/1950, Erse dramatist, author and Nobel Prize Laureate
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 08/28/1749 - 03/22/1832, German poet
To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
Paul Ehrlich
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.
Danny Kaye, 01/18/1913 - 03/03/1987, US actor and Oscar-Prize-Laureate
The great question - which I have not been able to answer - is, "What does a woman want?"
Sigmund Freud, 05/06/1856 - 11/23/1939, Austrian neurologist & the founder of psychoanalysis
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.
The Age of Reason
Thomas Paine, 01/29/1737 - 06/08/1809, "Founding Father" of the US
I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.
Mae West, 08/17/1893 - 11/22/1980, US-actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol
Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein
Monday, December 04, 2006
More Rope Stuff
A few people have suggested I start a second career as a "professional questioner of commonly held climbing beliefs." That sounds almost fun, but the reality is that I'm mainly just sharing info from other people. I'm no physics major, just really curious about climbing gear, always have been. I do the same sort of work for BD and Arc'teryx on their gear, it's fun for some reason. Maybe I'm really a geek.
Anyhow, I've been corresponding and thinking more about ropes after Jim Ewing's data on half ropes tested with single-rope fall loads. The good news is that all the half ropes held one fall, but Jim is sure none would pass a full single-rope test of five falls minimum. This makes sense, companies would be marketing these ropes as singles if they did.
Here's a really good link full of rope and other climbing gear test data, I especially liked the info on what various environmental contaminants (sand, water, freezing) etc. did to rope strength. Always wondered about that. Andrew McLaren seems to be doing or supervising some good work on climbing gear, thanks to him for that.
Training:
The elbow rehab continues, and a few of the exercises I've found seem to be slowly helping--I can now hold a frying pan one-handed! OK, so not so rad but a pretty good improvement for me. Went skate-skiing for the first time last week, sure is fun! Other than that just rehab, running, no climbing but hopefully soon. I've given up Yoga classes for now, the swinging through to seated and "tweaky" strain on my elbow just isn't good. I'm continuing to do my own stretching and yoga at home, but if I go to a yoga class I tend to try too hard and then the elbow is really sore the next day. Yup, yoga kicked my ass.
WG
Anyhow, I've been corresponding and thinking more about ropes after Jim Ewing's data on half ropes tested with single-rope fall loads. The good news is that all the half ropes held one fall, but Jim is sure none would pass a full single-rope test of five falls minimum. This makes sense, companies would be marketing these ropes as singles if they did.
Here's a really good link full of rope and other climbing gear test data, I especially liked the info on what various environmental contaminants (sand, water, freezing) etc. did to rope strength. Always wondered about that. Andrew McLaren seems to be doing or supervising some good work on climbing gear, thanks to him for that.
Training:
The elbow rehab continues, and a few of the exercises I've found seem to be slowly helping--I can now hold a frying pan one-handed! OK, so not so rad but a pretty good improvement for me. Went skate-skiing for the first time last week, sure is fun! Other than that just rehab, running, no climbing but hopefully soon. I've given up Yoga classes for now, the swinging through to seated and "tweaky" strain on my elbow just isn't good. I'm continuing to do my own stretching and yoga at home, but if I go to a yoga class I tend to try too hard and then the elbow is really sore the next day. Yup, yoga kicked my ass.
WG
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Single and Half-Rope Impact Forces: Data!
Jim Ewing is a bud of mine and the head rope guru over at Sterling. We've been emailing back and forth about single-rope impact forces vs. half-rope impact forces (as well as the discussion on this blog) for the last few months. Single ropes are tested with a nasty (1.77 fall factor) fall with an 80kg weight, half-ropes are tested with a nasty fall with 55kg. This weight difference has always struck me as odd--I weigh the same (about 85K all dressed up for winter climbing) whether I'm climbing on a single or half ropes, so why is there a different test? Half-rope technique is to generally clip the strands individually, so the impact will normally be on one strand... Furthermore, many people assume that because the "published" numbers for half rope tests show lower impact forces then using a half-rope will result in lower impact forces on a piece of protection (never mind the test weight is different...). Fortunately, Mr. Ewing has access to a drop-test tower and the knowledge to use it. He completed the following tests over the last 24 hours (he also reportedly did some training in the in-house Sterling cave...), here's the data from Jim on "certified" half ropes tested as single ropes:
_________________________________________________________________________
Here's the total picture.
Rope A. 80kg-7.35kN, 55kg-5.39kN, published with 55kg-4.85kN
Rope B. 80kg-8.15kN, 55kg-6.23kN, published with 55kg-6.3kN
Rope C. 80kg-8.23kN, 55kg-6.25kN, published with 55kg-6.5kN
Rope D. 80kg-9.22kN, 55kg-5.88kN, published with 55kg-6.1kN
These drops were conducted without the regulation conditioning but complied with all other requirements and procedures. Relative humidity was 42%, temperature was 20ºC for 48 hours.
_____________________________________________________________
Jim also noted that his four test ropes were all new and from different manufacturers, so his data should offer a pretty good spectrum of what's out there for half ropes tested as single ropes. This is the first solid data I've ever seen on half ropes tested as singles, thanks Jim!
Now the fun part: comparing single rope impact forces to half rope impact forces when tested as "single" ropes. Jim's tests show half rope impact forces with an 80kg weight testing from 7.35kN to 9.22kN. Here are some numbers (taken directly from the BD and Sterling's web sites):
BD "Joker" 9.1mm: 8.2kn
BD "Booster III" 9.7mm: 7.3Kn
Bd "Apollo II" 11mm: 7.7kN
Sterling "Nitro" 9.8mm: 9.0kN
Sterling "Pro"10.1mm: 8.6kN
Sterling "Mega" 11.2mm: 8.7kN
This range is from 7.7kN to 9.0kN; not a lot of difference from the Half rope range of 7.35kN to 9.22kN...
I draw five main conclusions from Jim's data:
1. Half ropes likely do not offer significantly lower impact forces than single ropes in high fall-factor falls where one strand is clipped as is common.
2. Rope diameter alone is NOT a good indicator of impact force (some of the "fat" 11mm ropes offer lower impact force than the "skinny" single or half ropes).
3. The "published" impact numbers may not mean much (there's a wide range between the published and actual in Jim's data).
4. Terrain is more important for rope selection than impact force. If I'm heading up on a route with sketchy gear I may just use my standard single rope, simpler. A single rope with low-impact force may actually be better. But, for routes where the gear is all over the place then half ropes are likely better for less drag (and possibly less chance of both ropes getting cut...).
5. I've got a lot more questions than answers about rope stretch (elongation) with different fall loads--these fall tests are with a very harsh (1.77) fall factor. What happens with low fall-factor loads in terms of elongation and impact forces?
Thanks very much to Jim for working on this. I think this data is the kind we need more of in the climbing world--it challenges our assumptions about equipment in a good way. I don't think there are many "absolutes" in climbing; the systems we use are surprisingly complex and sometimes very non-intuitive. The best we can do is to try and understand our gear as best we can, and then use what's appropriate for the situation at hand. Even then we're likely to get it "wrong" at least some of the time, so having a good margin for error is perhaps the most important part of the climbing process. In climbing we're always trying to balance multiple different factors; speed vs. safety, speed to get to safety, going light to go fast, bringing enough gear to stay alive if the fast idea doesn't work, not taking so much gear that progress stops in a dangerous place, backing up gear in case we fall vs. placing so much gear that we will fall, etc. Perhaps those of us involved in the "climbing education" business are placing too much emphasis on the "right way" and not enough on "think it through."
WG
PS--There's also a discussion on this going on at Rockclimbing.com.
_________________________________________________________________________
Here's the total picture.
Rope A. 80kg-7.35kN, 55kg-5.39kN, published with 55kg-4.85kN
Rope B. 80kg-8.15kN, 55kg-6.23kN, published with 55kg-6.3kN
Rope C. 80kg-8.23kN, 55kg-6.25kN, published with 55kg-6.5kN
Rope D. 80kg-9.22kN, 55kg-5.88kN, published with 55kg-6.1kN
These drops were conducted without the regulation conditioning but complied with all other requirements and procedures. Relative humidity was 42%, temperature was 20ºC for 48 hours.
_____________________________________________________________
Jim also noted that his four test ropes were all new and from different manufacturers, so his data should offer a pretty good spectrum of what's out there for half ropes tested as single ropes. This is the first solid data I've ever seen on half ropes tested as singles, thanks Jim!
Now the fun part: comparing single rope impact forces to half rope impact forces when tested as "single" ropes. Jim's tests show half rope impact forces with an 80kg weight testing from 7.35kN to 9.22kN. Here are some numbers (taken directly from the BD and Sterling's web sites):
BD "Joker" 9.1mm: 8.2kn
BD "Booster III" 9.7mm: 7.3Kn
Bd "Apollo II" 11mm: 7.7kN
Sterling "Nitro" 9.8mm: 9.0kN
Sterling "Pro"10.1mm: 8.6kN
Sterling "Mega" 11.2mm: 8.7kN
This range is from 7.7kN to 9.0kN; not a lot of difference from the Half rope range of 7.35kN to 9.22kN...
I draw five main conclusions from Jim's data:
1. Half ropes likely do not offer significantly lower impact forces than single ropes in high fall-factor falls where one strand is clipped as is common.
2. Rope diameter alone is NOT a good indicator of impact force (some of the "fat" 11mm ropes offer lower impact force than the "skinny" single or half ropes).
3. The "published" impact numbers may not mean much (there's a wide range between the published and actual in Jim's data).
4. Terrain is more important for rope selection than impact force. If I'm heading up on a route with sketchy gear I may just use my standard single rope, simpler. A single rope with low-impact force may actually be better. But, for routes where the gear is all over the place then half ropes are likely better for less drag (and possibly less chance of both ropes getting cut...).
5. I've got a lot more questions than answers about rope stretch (elongation) with different fall loads--these fall tests are with a very harsh (1.77) fall factor. What happens with low fall-factor loads in terms of elongation and impact forces?
Thanks very much to Jim for working on this. I think this data is the kind we need more of in the climbing world--it challenges our assumptions about equipment in a good way. I don't think there are many "absolutes" in climbing; the systems we use are surprisingly complex and sometimes very non-intuitive. The best we can do is to try and understand our gear as best we can, and then use what's appropriate for the situation at hand. Even then we're likely to get it "wrong" at least some of the time, so having a good margin for error is perhaps the most important part of the climbing process. In climbing we're always trying to balance multiple different factors; speed vs. safety, speed to get to safety, going light to go fast, bringing enough gear to stay alive if the fast idea doesn't work, not taking so much gear that progress stops in a dangerous place, backing up gear in case we fall vs. placing so much gear that we will fall, etc. Perhaps those of us involved in the "climbing education" business are placing too much emphasis on the "right way" and not enough on "think it through."
WG
PS--There's also a discussion on this going on at Rockclimbing.com.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Politics (not directly climbing or flying related...)
It's no secret to regular readers of this blog (and thanks to those who have sent in comments on elbows, ropes and falling!) that I really don't like George Bush and his crew of Neocon nutters. I've always felt they were taking the US down some sort of rabbit hole into an alternate reality where it was OK to treat people like, well, not people. Where it was OK to invade a country (Iraq) not because that country had done something to the US but because, well, because. Where deficits didn't matter, corporate abuses didn't matter, workers didn't matter and the constitution was just a suggestion. I have frequently noted the Bush administration's invocation of "national security" to justify blatantly un-American actions such as Guantanamo Bay, the suspension of Habeas Corpus, torture and all the things we generally associate with third-world dictatorships but are now somehow OK for the US to sanction. In short, I've felt that Bush is the closest thing to a World War II fascist (Hitler, Mussolini) the United States has ever seen. I don't make that comparison lightly, or for shock effect. As soon as a country starts stripping individual freedom to preserve it something has gone seriously wrong.
This article in Slate does a much better job of explaining the Bush/fascism historical parallels than I can. End of political rant, gotta get one off every month or so...
Training: It's been cold enough to discourage much outdoor training here of late, but I've been hiking, running the dog (getting a dog has done more for my aerobic capacity over the last five years than anything else in life) and doing some yogacizing. Thanks for all the elbow suggestions from various people, I'm doing pretty much all of 'em, let's hope some healing results soon!
This article in Slate does a much better job of explaining the Bush/fascism historical parallels than I can. End of political rant, gotta get one off every month or so...
Training: It's been cold enough to discourage much outdoor training here of late, but I've been hiking, running the dog (getting a dog has done more for my aerobic capacity over the last five years than anything else in life) and doing some yogacizing. Thanks for all the elbow suggestions from various people, I'm doing pretty much all of 'em, let's hope some healing results soon!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
More on falling distances...
This discussion on falling distances with respect to clipping position is down there somewhere in the comments column, thought I'd post it as a new entry. I'm getting some email on this as well, it's been fun discussing it all, I hope the following helps people figure it out. Just for the record, it's generally safer to clip at waist level than over-head.
Anon wrote:
Anon wrote:
Friday, November 24, 2006
More Gear Commentary
Anchors: Cordelette, Sliding X, or? A brief history of anchor building (with lots left out...)
When I started seriously climbing in the early 80s most of us weren't thinking all that deeply about equalizing multiple pieces at belay anchors. A couple of slings of roughly the same length on each piece, good to go. Then we realized this wasn't optimal, and started using the "sliding X," basically a sling clipped in the middle to equalize two pieces at a belay or on-route (the X keeps the biner from sliding off the sling if one piece blows). Then some "smart" people figured out that if one pice blew with a "sliding X" that it would theoretically shock-load the remaining piece. Cordelettes, basically a long piece of 7mm cord, became all the rage 'cause you could clip multiple pieces together quite quickly, and with what was thought to be good equalization. The preferred material for cordelettes was first 7mm nylon, then 5mm Spectra, then Dyneema, then someone figured out that these types of fibers don't stretch much which is hard on the anchors in a factor two fall, so it was back to 7mm nylon cord...
Some recent research suggests that cordelettes actually don't do a very good job at equalizing multiple pieces. In fact, they do a lousy job, and for a reason that in retrospect seems, ah, pretty obvious: If the legs of the cordelette are at all different lengths then they will stretch differently. So if there are two pieces in an anchor, "A" and "B," with the amount of cord going to "A" twice that of "B" then B will take almost all the force when loaded: less cord to B, less stretch, more load, especially as the cord or anchor point comes close to failing. The cord to A will come into play a tiny bit, but because there is so much more cord going to A the load on A will be relatively minimal... This seems very obvious when thinking it through, but I just took the whole cordelette concept for granted 'cause that's what the "experts" said to use on belays. Less stretchy webbing isn't any better, as it's the relative amount of stretch that matters--if webbing only stretches two percent at load then the short leg will just stetch at 2 percent of it's length vs. 2 percent of the long leg, same non-equalized loading situation. A cordellete will work great when all the legs are exactly the same length and the load comes from exactly the "planned" direction. My belays generally don't work like that when climbing (some top-rope or rescue anchors do).
Now there's also some new research that suggests the shock-loading problems with the "sliding X" aren't a big problem; in fact, the main problem with the sliding X system is that there can be a lot of friction at the "X," which reduces the effectiveness of the equalization system. Using a big anodized biner basically solves this. I really have to laugh about this whole subject, I can remember the epic arguments about the sliding X vs. the Cordelette; we were all arguing about the "wrong" factors. The problem with the sliding X wasn't the shock loading, and the problem with the Cordellete wasn't the 7mm cord... I actually thought the stretch in the cord would help equalize the various pieces, when in fact it does the opposite. This is why I'm a climber and not working on the space shuttle.
The solution to all of this is something called a "Duo glide." This a rat's nest of a knotted cordelette strung together in such a complicated manner that I am really likely to do it wrong in any but the most optimal of conditions. I played with it on my hallway coat rack and could get it right most of the time, but slowly. I don't like it. Trango makes something called the Alpine Equalizer, which seems promising, but when I alpine climb I want gear that does multiple functions and is easy to deal with. It also requires an overhand knot to work to it's full potential, and anyone who has tried to untie an overhand in webbing after it's been loaded, especially in winter, well, good luck...
I'm going back to a sliding X with a big biner, backed up with a sling of about the right length to a third piece. If the belay is so shitty that I feel perfect equalization is in order then I might go for the duo-glide option, but realize I'm basically being an idiot for trusting my life and that of my partner to a dubious belay.
There are several epic discussion on in the internet about this, about the best is here.
I thought Donald Rumsefield was an idiot for talking about "unknown unknowns" and such. He's still an idiot for other reasons, but in climbing there are a lot of "unknown unknowns." Anchors should have solid gear tied together in such a way that even if everything in the anchor blows but one piece the system will still hold....
Training: Went climbing yesterday, the elbow is not happy today. I am thinking of cutting the arm off. Bit extreme, might try more physio first.
When I started seriously climbing in the early 80s most of us weren't thinking all that deeply about equalizing multiple pieces at belay anchors. A couple of slings of roughly the same length on each piece, good to go. Then we realized this wasn't optimal, and started using the "sliding X," basically a sling clipped in the middle to equalize two pieces at a belay or on-route (the X keeps the biner from sliding off the sling if one piece blows). Then some "smart" people figured out that if one pice blew with a "sliding X" that it would theoretically shock-load the remaining piece. Cordelettes, basically a long piece of 7mm cord, became all the rage 'cause you could clip multiple pieces together quite quickly, and with what was thought to be good equalization. The preferred material for cordelettes was first 7mm nylon, then 5mm Spectra, then Dyneema, then someone figured out that these types of fibers don't stretch much which is hard on the anchors in a factor two fall, so it was back to 7mm nylon cord...
Some recent research suggests that cordelettes actually don't do a very good job at equalizing multiple pieces. In fact, they do a lousy job, and for a reason that in retrospect seems, ah, pretty obvious: If the legs of the cordelette are at all different lengths then they will stretch differently. So if there are two pieces in an anchor, "A" and "B," with the amount of cord going to "A" twice that of "B" then B will take almost all the force when loaded: less cord to B, less stretch, more load, especially as the cord or anchor point comes close to failing. The cord to A will come into play a tiny bit, but because there is so much more cord going to A the load on A will be relatively minimal... This seems very obvious when thinking it through, but I just took the whole cordelette concept for granted 'cause that's what the "experts" said to use on belays. Less stretchy webbing isn't any better, as it's the relative amount of stretch that matters--if webbing only stretches two percent at load then the short leg will just stetch at 2 percent of it's length vs. 2 percent of the long leg, same non-equalized loading situation. A cordellete will work great when all the legs are exactly the same length and the load comes from exactly the "planned" direction. My belays generally don't work like that when climbing (some top-rope or rescue anchors do).
Now there's also some new research that suggests the shock-loading problems with the "sliding X" aren't a big problem; in fact, the main problem with the sliding X system is that there can be a lot of friction at the "X," which reduces the effectiveness of the equalization system. Using a big anodized biner basically solves this. I really have to laugh about this whole subject, I can remember the epic arguments about the sliding X vs. the Cordelette; we were all arguing about the "wrong" factors. The problem with the sliding X wasn't the shock loading, and the problem with the Cordellete wasn't the 7mm cord... I actually thought the stretch in the cord would help equalize the various pieces, when in fact it does the opposite. This is why I'm a climber and not working on the space shuttle.
The solution to all of this is something called a "Duo glide." This a rat's nest of a knotted cordelette strung together in such a complicated manner that I am really likely to do it wrong in any but the most optimal of conditions. I played with it on my hallway coat rack and could get it right most of the time, but slowly. I don't like it. Trango makes something called the Alpine Equalizer, which seems promising, but when I alpine climb I want gear that does multiple functions and is easy to deal with. It also requires an overhand knot to work to it's full potential, and anyone who has tried to untie an overhand in webbing after it's been loaded, especially in winter, well, good luck...
I'm going back to a sliding X with a big biner, backed up with a sling of about the right length to a third piece. If the belay is so shitty that I feel perfect equalization is in order then I might go for the duo-glide option, but realize I'm basically being an idiot for trusting my life and that of my partner to a dubious belay.
There are several epic discussion on in the internet about this, about the best is here.
I thought Donald Rumsefield was an idiot for talking about "unknown unknowns" and such. He's still an idiot for other reasons, but in climbing there are a lot of "unknown unknowns." Anchors should have solid gear tied together in such a way that even if everything in the anchor blows but one piece the system will still hold....
Training: Went climbing yesterday, the elbow is not happy today. I am thinking of cutting the arm off. Bit extreme, might try more physio first.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Ice, Elbow, Aerobics
The ice season is in full swing here--it's been a bit of an odd November so far, very warm days (+8 Canadian here today, that's about +50 US) alternating with good periods of colder weather. Most of the higher north-facing routes are "in," some of the lower north-facing routes are "in," and the rest is pretty random. It seems like air masses have been very localized; what's true in K-Country isn't for the Parkway, and even along the Parkway there is a lot of variety. The conditions pages are in good form.
Training (elbow and aerobics):
The elbow continues to annoy, I haven't done much climbing in a while, it's getting pretty aggravating. Some ice (well, not climbing, in plastic bags...), light gym workouts that don't annoy the elbow, doing my best. My situps are going damn well, I'm in top form for dips and pushups too, but unfortunately these don't apply to climbing all that well... I've been doing a lot of dog training too, beat the old "Chili Dog" record up to the first talus slope on Lady Mac from my house today, round trip 58 minutes (previous best time a little over an hour round-trip, done while training for the X Alps). I'd like to go alpine climbing as there are some new routes worth trying, but pulling ropes through a belay device is one of the things that hurts my elbow most. I'm thinking of going back to a hip-belay, but that might freak some of my partners out, grin. I do trust hip belays if done right, the first lead fall I ever caught was a near factor-two straight onto me and a hip belay. I don't know who was more stunned that it worked, the leader or me, but it did... I've been doing a fair amount of Yoga as well, although I've been avoiding Ashtanga classes as I can't do the "swing through" move to seated or back, too much strain on the elbow. Did a "Hot Yoga" class yesterday while in Calgary, bunch of nutters in a room with the heat cranked up to hallucination hot, pretty fun. Very different from the normal Ashtanga flow stuff I do, seemed good to switch it up. Initiatlly I was OK with taking a break from climbing, but now I'm seriously missing it, the feeling of ice flowing by the tools and good times out with good people is just a big part of my life. Whine whine, I'll eventually heal 'cause I'm gonna lose it if I don't get out climbing pretty quick.
Training (elbow and aerobics):
The elbow continues to annoy, I haven't done much climbing in a while, it's getting pretty aggravating. Some ice (well, not climbing, in plastic bags...), light gym workouts that don't annoy the elbow, doing my best. My situps are going damn well, I'm in top form for dips and pushups too, but unfortunately these don't apply to climbing all that well... I've been doing a lot of dog training too, beat the old "Chili Dog" record up to the first talus slope on Lady Mac from my house today, round trip 58 minutes (previous best time a little over an hour round-trip, done while training for the X Alps). I'd like to go alpine climbing as there are some new routes worth trying, but pulling ropes through a belay device is one of the things that hurts my elbow most. I'm thinking of going back to a hip-belay, but that might freak some of my partners out, grin. I do trust hip belays if done right, the first lead fall I ever caught was a near factor-two straight onto me and a hip belay. I don't know who was more stunned that it worked, the leader or me, but it did... I've been doing a fair amount of Yoga as well, although I've been avoiding Ashtanga classes as I can't do the "swing through" move to seated or back, too much strain on the elbow. Did a "Hot Yoga" class yesterday while in Calgary, bunch of nutters in a room with the heat cranked up to hallucination hot, pretty fun. Very different from the normal Ashtanga flow stuff I do, seemed good to switch it up. Initiatlly I was OK with taking a break from climbing, but now I'm seriously missing it, the feeling of ice flowing by the tools and good times out with good people is just a big part of my life. Whine whine, I'll eventually heal 'cause I'm gonna lose it if I don't get out climbing pretty quick.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Whyte Museum Show
I've been working on a new slideshow for the Whyte Museum, "20 years of icicles." Originally I had planned to mainly do the relatively recent history, but then I started thinking about the eras before I was climbing in the Rockies. I called a few friends from that era, and suddenly I had some amazing shots of the "early years" of waterfall ice in the Rockies, absolutely great stuff. So the title now should really be, "Almost 40 years of Icicles" in the Rockies, I'm really fired up to share some great photos from back in the day from various pioneers of waterfall ice climbing. The energy and excitement of those photos from the early 70s to mid-eighties is just too good not to share. When I look at these photos I just have to smile, these guys were somewhere between flat-out crazy and very gifted climbers, likely a lot of both. Thanks to everyone who has graciously shared their photos and stories with me (who knew that warm milk laced with sugar was the ultimate anti-hyopthermia conconction? Thanks Tim Auger), it's gonna be a fun show.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Norwegian Ice Climbing Info, Alberta Ice
I've spent the last couple of Februarys in Norway, home of big ice and crazy potential. I really like the Norwegian vibe and the endless opportunities for big ice. My friend Andreas Spak has just produced a new Norway web page, it's a bit rough yet but has some good info, check it out.
I also have some trip reports up on my old Gadfly blog pages, here. Spak's other site also has some good info.
After a week of crazy warm weather (wet slides, falling ice climbs, etc) the ice is back on here in Alberta. Be careful on the ice, we lost a fellow climber and nearly two due to a slide a week ago. Another climber reportedly had to be rescued after the climb he was on in the Ghost fell down, leaving him precariously balanced on a small rock ledge he managed to somehow catch himself on. His partners went for help, but it was four hours before he was plucked from his stance, likely not so fun. Temperatures are back to "normal" now so collapsing climbs should be less of a problem, but there's a lot more snow up high than the bare valleys would suggest.
WG
I also have some trip reports up on my old Gadfly blog pages, here. Spak's other site also has some good info.
After a week of crazy warm weather (wet slides, falling ice climbs, etc) the ice is back on here in Alberta. Be careful on the ice, we lost a fellow climber and nearly two due to a slide a week ago. Another climber reportedly had to be rescued after the climb he was on in the Ghost fell down, leaving him precariously balanced on a small rock ledge he managed to somehow catch himself on. His partners went for help, but it was four hours before he was plucked from his stance, likely not so fun. Temperatures are back to "normal" now so collapsing climbs should be less of a problem, but there's a lot more snow up high than the bare valleys would suggest.
WG
Friday, November 10, 2006
More on clipping
The posts on clipping and falling distances have generated a lot of email. Some graph paper will help in working the various clipping situations; we're all conditioned to think of the fall distance as twice the amount of rope above the last piece, but when clipping overhead the fall distance isn't twice the amount of rope above the last piece... Ulimately a fall while clipping is roughly equal to twice the distance between the two pieces, regardless of where the climber falls off while clipping. Diagrams drawn to scale will help sort this out. My friend Bill B sent the following in, good points also--it's not just starting point of the fall that matters, but also how belayers deal with over-head clips:
"I would consider a couple other factors here; 1. the climber will most always pull thru more rope than he/she needs, 2. the belayer will most always chuck out more slack than the climber will take (this is quickly adjusted for, but after the clip is made). Fall at the wrong moment before making the clip and the fall will certainly be longer than if you clipped at the waist. " -Bill B.
Understanding the physics allows us to make better decisions about difficult clips. I've seen a few accidents recently that just didn't have to happen, and a couple of other very close calls, I don't think enough climbers have thought this through carefully.
-WG
"I would consider a couple other factors here; 1. the climber will most always pull thru more rope than he/she needs, 2. the belayer will most always chuck out more slack than the climber will take (this is quickly adjusted for, but after the clip is made). Fall at the wrong moment before making the clip and the fall will certainly be longer than if you clipped at the waist. " -Bill B.
Understanding the physics allows us to make better decisions about difficult clips. I've seen a few accidents recently that just didn't have to happen, and a couple of other very close calls, I don't think enough climbers have thought this through carefully.
-WG
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Aweberg wins Banff Festival Award
Finally back at home after the film festival and participating in the film maker's seminar. The festival went really well, good fun, and the latest film we made, Aweberg, won a special jury award. The award reads, "This short film represents in a microcosm the spectacular, the audacious, and the pure play that is at the essence of mountain sports." Thanks very much to the Banff Festival Jury for that, and thanks to everyone who worked on the film as well, it was a pleasure. I just accepted the award--any award for a film is definitely for everyone on the trip, a film doesn't happen without a lot of people working really hard. Thanks. (A few people wrote asking if they could buy Aweberg--you can buy a pre-commercial DVD here).
The day we showed the film at Banff drew over 500 people, the biggest day-time show of the festival.
I saw a lot of great films at the festival and laid the kindling for several new film projects. The creative buzz is great.
I also took part in the film maker's seminar, an excellent four-day seminar with Richard Else and Keith Partridge, two of the UK's best film makers. They had some great insights on how to make better films, and the collection of seminar attendees was also very qualified. I learned a lot both from the Brits and the other people in the seminar, very worth the time although I'm now behind as usual on the mass of email etc...
Best,
wg
The day we showed the film at Banff drew over 500 people, the biggest day-time show of the festival.
I saw a lot of great films at the festival and laid the kindling for several new film projects. The creative buzz is great.
I also took part in the film maker's seminar, an excellent four-day seminar with Richard Else and Keith Partridge, two of the UK's best film makers. They had some great insights on how to make better films, and the collection of seminar attendees was also very qualified. I learned a lot both from the Brits and the other people in the seminar, very worth the time although I'm now behind as usual on the mass of email etc...
Best,
wg
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Film Festival, Ice Book Correction.
As walked into the film maker's seminar yesterday I found the way forward blocked by a crush of people along the path. You spend a lot of time at the Banff Festivals slowly moving forward through throngs of people, it's just how it is, so I slowed to a shuffle and couldn't help but over-hear a conversation about Andy Kirkpatrick's slide show the previous night. It went something like this:
Head Scarf: "I saw that young British man last night, he had some nice stories but it doesn't sound like he enjoys climbing very much."
Large Garments: "Yes, it did seem a bit unhealthy. And such a pity about the language he used, it was almost intolerable."
Head Scarf: "I really wish he wouldn't use such blue language, it took away from his nice presentation."
Andy had shown pictures from some of the worst sufferfests I'd ever seen, and all these women remembered was the language? I think Andy would be dissapointed... If you're bored check out Andy's site--I felt much better about my own obsession with climbing and flying after reading the articles on his site, I'm almost normal in comparison. Great site!
One of the best parts about writing a book that people really read is that they send you emails helpfully pointing out mistakes. Grin. Seriously, I do like getting the emails and a guy down in Colorado found a really good error in my Ice and Mixed book. Here's a quote from our email exchange:
Colorado Guy:
pp. 179-180: The caption of Figure 13a says that clipping at waist level "reduces the distance of any potential fall." This is a bit misleading. The distance, for both Figure 12a and Figure 13a is twice the distance between the last two anchors, plus rope stretch. It is true that in Figure 13a the climber falls with more rope out and therefore has more stretch, but the main reason for preferring Figure 13a is that the starting point of the fall is farther from the deck. If the deck is far away, clipping high actually provides the softer catch in case of a fall.
To which I responded:
"Ah hell, I just spent two hours working through this with paper diagrams to prove that you're wrong, but you're right, grin, good one. There are diagrams spread out all over my desk, my girlfriend Kim got into it too. The overall point of not clipping high overheard when close to the ground "stands" (as I have unfortunately personally tested), but my reasoning was very flawed. I find it very interesting that the total distance fallen when clipping will always be roughly the same, it's the starting point above the ground that so obviously matters. A much more elegant and correct way to state the situation. Counter-intuitive but true. How does the following text sound to clear this up?"
"Clipping
Clipping bolts or other fixed gear while still close to the ground can be dangerous; if you fall while clipping you may hit the ground. Interestingly, it's often safer to clip the first few bolts while your harness is level with the bolt rather than reaching overhead to clip the rope in. This seems counter-intuitive, but here's how it works. First, if you're clipping over-head you'll generally put more outward force on the pick as you reach up, which often causes the pick to skate out and off the placement. Second, the total fall while clipping a bolt is always roughly equal to twice the distance between the last clipped bolt and the bolt you're clipping (plus rope stretch). If you fall off while clipping a bolt above your head you're more likely to hit the ground because you're closer to it and have less vertical space to fall. If you blow a clip while clipping with your waist close to the bolt you'll still fall the same total distance, but because you started the fall higher you'll hopefully end up with your feet still above the ground. If you have a bomber hook then clipping overheard is often worthwhile, but if the climbing is tenuous wait to clip until your harness is level with the bolt."
I'll work on the above a bit, but do you think it more accurately states the reality of falling off while clipping? I have to keep the total words nearly the same for the next printing.
The point about making sketchy clips with your harness next to the bolt is still valid and the illustrations in the book are still accurate, but I got it right for the wrong reasons. If you can't figure this out take some graph paper and draw situations where the climber falls off while clipping overhead and while clipping with the bolt at waist-level, it simpifies things when the rope and placements are all to scale. Having 10 total feet of rope pulled out to clip two bolts ten feet apart will result in a 20-foot fall; clipping the same bolt with your harness knot exactly beside the biner will also result in a 20-foot fall, you'll just end up higher above the ground. Bizzare but true, I only burned about ten pieces of graph paper to figure it out, it will likely take smarter readers less graph paper. A corollary to all of this is that blowing an overhead clip while high on a route actually provides a slightly softer (same distance though) fall...
The writer also had another good point: Many climbers assume that a half rope system with one strand clipped into a piece (as it should be unless both ropes are clipped into all pieces) will result in a lower force fall than one taken on a "single" rope. I've heard this stated often as a good argument for using half ropes for ice climbing--seems logical to reduce fall forces on ice screws, so half ropes are "better." I never questioned the basic belief that a half rope provides lower force falls--you can just look at the impact force chart's on BD's website, it's obvious. Actually, it's not, the weights used to test impact forces are totally different, I just never really thought this through... I'm now not so sure what to think, more research is required.
So thanks to the writer from Boulder for pointing all of this out, it's interesting.
WG
Head Scarf: "I saw that young British man last night, he had some nice stories but it doesn't sound like he enjoys climbing very much."
Large Garments: "Yes, it did seem a bit unhealthy. And such a pity about the language he used, it was almost intolerable."
Head Scarf: "I really wish he wouldn't use such blue language, it took away from his nice presentation."
Andy had shown pictures from some of the worst sufferfests I'd ever seen, and all these women remembered was the language? I think Andy would be dissapointed... If you're bored check out Andy's site--I felt much better about my own obsession with climbing and flying after reading the articles on his site, I'm almost normal in comparison. Great site!
One of the best parts about writing a book that people really read is that they send you emails helpfully pointing out mistakes. Grin. Seriously, I do like getting the emails and a guy down in Colorado found a really good error in my Ice and Mixed book. Here's a quote from our email exchange:
Colorado Guy:
pp. 179-180: The caption of Figure 13a says that clipping at waist level "reduces the distance of any potential fall." This is a bit misleading. The distance, for both Figure 12a and Figure 13a is twice the distance between the last two anchors, plus rope stretch. It is true that in Figure 13a the climber falls with more rope out and therefore has more stretch, but the main reason for preferring Figure 13a is that the starting point of the fall is farther from the deck. If the deck is far away, clipping high actually provides the softer catch in case of a fall.
To which I responded:
"Ah hell, I just spent two hours working through this with paper diagrams to prove that you're wrong, but you're right, grin, good one. There are diagrams spread out all over my desk, my girlfriend Kim got into it too. The overall point of not clipping high overheard when close to the ground "stands" (as I have unfortunately personally tested), but my reasoning was very flawed. I find it very interesting that the total distance fallen when clipping will always be roughly the same, it's the starting point above the ground that so obviously matters. A much more elegant and correct way to state the situation. Counter-intuitive but true. How does the following text sound to clear this up?"
"Clipping
Clipping bolts or other fixed gear while still close to the ground can be dangerous; if you fall while clipping you may hit the ground. Interestingly, it's often safer to clip the first few bolts while your harness is level with the bolt rather than reaching overhead to clip the rope in. This seems counter-intuitive, but here's how it works. First, if you're clipping over-head you'll generally put more outward force on the pick as you reach up, which often causes the pick to skate out and off the placement. Second, the total fall while clipping a bolt is always roughly equal to twice the distance between the last clipped bolt and the bolt you're clipping (plus rope stretch). If you fall off while clipping a bolt above your head you're more likely to hit the ground because you're closer to it and have less vertical space to fall. If you blow a clip while clipping with your waist close to the bolt you'll still fall the same total distance, but because you started the fall higher you'll hopefully end up with your feet still above the ground. If you have a bomber hook then clipping overheard is often worthwhile, but if the climbing is tenuous wait to clip until your harness is level with the bolt."
I'll work on the above a bit, but do you think it more accurately states the reality of falling off while clipping? I have to keep the total words nearly the same for the next printing.
The point about making sketchy clips with your harness next to the bolt is still valid and the illustrations in the book are still accurate, but I got it right for the wrong reasons. If you can't figure this out take some graph paper and draw situations where the climber falls off while clipping overhead and while clipping with the bolt at waist-level, it simpifies things when the rope and placements are all to scale. Having 10 total feet of rope pulled out to clip two bolts ten feet apart will result in a 20-foot fall; clipping the same bolt with your harness knot exactly beside the biner will also result in a 20-foot fall, you'll just end up higher above the ground. Bizzare but true, I only burned about ten pieces of graph paper to figure it out, it will likely take smarter readers less graph paper. A corollary to all of this is that blowing an overhead clip while high on a route actually provides a slightly softer (same distance though) fall...
The writer also had another good point: Many climbers assume that a half rope system with one strand clipped into a piece (as it should be unless both ropes are clipped into all pieces) will result in a lower force fall than one taken on a "single" rope. I've heard this stated often as a good argument for using half ropes for ice climbing--seems logical to reduce fall forces on ice screws, so half ropes are "better." I never questioned the basic belief that a half rope provides lower force falls--you can just look at the impact force chart's on BD's website, it's obvious. Actually, it's not, the weights used to test impact forces are totally different, I just never really thought this through... I'm now not so sure what to think, more research is required.
So thanks to the writer from Boulder for pointing all of this out, it's interesting.
WG
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Banff Film Festival, Ice, Training (again).
I really enjoy being involved with the Banff Film Festival every year, it's a great collection of talented and creative people in an environment still small enough that you run into many old friends in the halls, good fun. I really like the films as well, it always fires me up to see what people have been up to--it's a creative kick in the ass, people do truly amazing things. Last night I saw Andy Kirkpatrick and Leo Houlding do their shows also, two very different presentations but both engaging. Andy managed to diss most of the climbers I know or have heard of in about an hour, almost as impressive as his ability to suffer endlessly while alpine climbing. Best line: "My sleeping bag was now like two used condoms with a single feather stuck in the middle." Maybe you had to be there.
The ice season is going off up here, continued cold temperatures have produced a half-dozen decent routes to get swinging on--even Cascade is coming in, it's now officially and irrevocably ice season here, yeah!
Training:
Yesterday I managed a short run, then today snuck in a fast gym workout. The Banff Festival is pretty full-on (also doing the film maker's seminar), but I snagged 45 minutes and got it on. With such limited time (only 30 minutes after warming up and doing my goofy stick exercises for supination and pronation) I decided to go basic and did five rounds of 10 L-Sit pullups alternated with five handstand pushups and quad exercises (I've got knee problems too but they get better with quad work), done as fast as I could with no resting allowed. It was a full-on battle, stuck in some of my shoulder exercises for the last five minutes too. I walked into the gym feeling tired and stiff, walked out happier. It's sometimes hard to find time to train, but it's almost always totally worth it. My workout wasn't anywhere near "perfect," but I'm sure it was better than not training. The elbow didn't hurt in a "bad" way; in fact, it seems to be improving a bit, the stick exercises felt better...
The ice season is going off up here, continued cold temperatures have produced a half-dozen decent routes to get swinging on--even Cascade is coming in, it's now officially and irrevocably ice season here, yeah!
Training:
Yesterday I managed a short run, then today snuck in a fast gym workout. The Banff Festival is pretty full-on (also doing the film maker's seminar), but I snagged 45 minutes and got it on. With such limited time (only 30 minutes after warming up and doing my goofy stick exercises for supination and pronation) I decided to go basic and did five rounds of 10 L-Sit pullups alternated with five handstand pushups and quad exercises (I've got knee problems too but they get better with quad work), done as fast as I could with no resting allowed. It was a full-on battle, stuck in some of my shoulder exercises for the last five minutes too. I walked into the gym feeling tired and stiff, walked out happier. It's sometimes hard to find time to train, but it's almost always totally worth it. My workout wasn't anywhere near "perfect," but I'm sure it was better than not training. The elbow didn't hurt in a "bad" way; in fact, it seems to be improving a bit, the stick exercises felt better...
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Training
This elbow is really annoying me. I want to be training full-bore for mixed season, and yet washing my face is painful, and I can't lift a frying pan by the handle with my left hand. Yesterday I did a bunch of reading and messing about and figured out that I have a problem primarily with supinating (turning my hand from palm up to palm down) my hand with the bicep flexed. Not suprisingly, this is exactly the motion used to hand-haul a rope, or to pull rope through a belay device. It's OK with the bicep relaxed, but put some load on the bicep and it's weak and painful. I spent about 30 minutes in the gym last night figuring out what hurt and what didn't, rolling mini-barbells and various long sticks around, just really isolating the exact problem. Then I started messing around to see what I could do, instead of just assuming I couldn't do anything training-wise. I came to the conclusion that I can do pullups (palms away from me) with very little to no pain. I can't do a chin-up (palms toward me) 'cause it hurts like mad when the bicep engages. Right. I'm into doing the Cross Fit workouts when I'm in a general training cycle, this qualifies as I sure as hell can't train specifically for mixed climbing. Their workout of the day, or WOD, was ten rounds of ten pullups and ten dips per round, as fast as possible.... OK, I haven't done dips in months but game on. I warmed up with 100 light-weight reps on the lat pulldown machine and 100 light tri pressdowns, got some looks from the meat heads in the gym for using no weight but fuck 'em, then went at it. Seven rounds later my triceps were nuked and I was having to start using my biceps on the pullups, so I called it good. 70 pullups, 70 dips, I was gasping like a fish and the meat heads were looking confused, see above comment. I then knocked out 100 situps, and did some careful bent-over one-armed rows isolating the rear delt and then lats, keeping the bicep out of it and holding the weight in a way that didn't hurt. To finish it off I took a really light stick and worked pronation and supination, just very, very gently; felt sorta stupid sitting on a bench and twirling a stick like a failed Ninja but I want to heal. Then I ran home in the -15 temps, perfect. Instead of saying, "I'm injured and can't train" and sitting on my ass I'm gonna train as best I can. I didn't ice my elbow when I got home as I wanted to see what happened without reducing the inflamation, answer the question of, "was this a stupid idea or OK?"
This morning my lats and pecs are fried, jello fried, but my elbow actually feels a touch better. Hmmm... So yesterday didn't seem to make things worse. I also think Yoga was messing me up, the loads on your insertion points when doing the "swing through like a dog dragging its ass" move (also called a Vinassa or something) are too high for my elbow to handle. I did a yoga session the other day and stepped through to seated and back, it's not manly but at least I can do Yoga.
Today's Cross Fit workout looks like it might be too much for elbow, but I'll have a go and just modify exercises so I can do them pain-free.
The advice on elbow issues seems to be total rest, but I don't rest well. If this "train but only without elbow pain" program works I'll be psyched. If it doesn't then I'll be more screwed up, but I've got plans for the winter that will be screwed up if I'm not fit enough to climb also, so I'm going for it.
This morning my lats and pecs are fried, jello fried, but my elbow actually feels a touch better. Hmmm... So yesterday didn't seem to make things worse. I also think Yoga was messing me up, the loads on your insertion points when doing the "swing through like a dog dragging its ass" move (also called a Vinassa or something) are too high for my elbow to handle. I did a yoga session the other day and stepped through to seated and back, it's not manly but at least I can do Yoga.
Today's Cross Fit workout looks like it might be too much for elbow, but I'll have a go and just modify exercises so I can do them pain-free.
The advice on elbow issues seems to be total rest, but I don't rest well. If this "train but only without elbow pain" program works I'll be psyched. If it doesn't then I'll be more screwed up, but I've got plans for the winter that will be screwed up if I'm not fit enough to climb also, so I'm going for it.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Adventures and Comments from friends
One of the cool things about mountain sports is not just the climbing or whatever, but the people who are also into them. This was driven home to me recently by two emails I received. The first was from Raphael Slawinski, who spent the summer climbing in Pakistan with a few other friends of mine. Raph, AKA Dr. Slawinski (he actually is a PhD.) wrote a really nice trip report up on the whole experience andposted it here.
Then there's my bud JD. He's been at the climbing game for a long time, from the anorexic rice cakes era to the present, and always cared about it. We've had some epic conversations about climbing, climbers and life. He recently sent me the following. It's full of the heat that climbing generates, posted with his permission:
JD LeBlanc's Rant:
Climbing – Market, Athletes & Media
by JD LeBlanc
Sport climbing came of age in North America thanks mostly to Alan Watts and his creation of Smith Rocks in the mid-1980’s. This led to an influx of climbers realizing that sport climbing could be “it” for them. Companies were keen to sponsor climbers who excelled at the sport – with the intent that it would help them with revenue and market share. The biggest problem besides the egos and dubious feats, was the fact that the industry was still very small.
The size of the industry may have been in the six figures in the 80’s – now maybe in the sevens – and the focus was on mountains, not sport crags. We had huge competition for athletes to become sponsored, but no real market to sell to. The athletic drive became so high and the return, so low, that many simply bailed out of the sport. Instead of building on the sport, we were actually losing climbers. Losing climbers really means losing participants – decreasing the industry. Early to mid-90s - indoor gyms take off in North America. This really allows access to the general public and provides a way for them to try climbing and ultimately bring in participants. Now the athlete can forge a way to become a professional climber (PC) – simply because the market became broader and general revenue larger, an increase in the number of the general climber (GC) – maybe like the NHL in the 50’s – you get paid, but just enough to be able to climb and train. Buying a home, new vehicles, lavish living expenses … off of a sponsored climber salary – unlikely, but living the life – traveling and climbing could be attained.
The Athlete truly comes of age after 10+ years of climbers’ efforts. However, unlike other sports, to see the athlete in action on their turf, is pretty hard for the general climber (GC) – videos, dvds and the gym provide glimpses of the athlete/Pro Climber (PC). But does this really matter and help in the growth of the sport? To see an athlete in their turf is to see what can be done and why they apply so much effort to do such. Motion pictures, of some form, provide visual, but no feel. Gyms provide live action, but it is hard to see the real aspects of the athlete and climbing. Moving over stone, ice … is not the same as plastic/wood. The real nature of the medium and conditions provide the ultimate performance and showcase what can be done. The passion is seen and this provides the general climber (GC) with a picture of what they may be able to do. The fact if a pro-climber (PC) sends 5.14, is not lost, but truly irrelevant to the GC. The fact they send a project provides the base for the GC to start to realize, they can achieve. Once this happens, then they are hooked and will try to bring their own into the sport. The PC has then done the part and what their sponsors want – to increase the participation – hence revenue.
What makes a good PC and why bother? What makes a good PC is one who does the above – captivates the GC into realizing there own potential. The PC does not have to be the one sending 5.15, M14, WI7, V15, 5.14 RX or hard Alpine – they do need to be able to climb within the top of their discipline, but mostly need to captivate. This does not mean they need to spray about what they sent, how quickly, or leave out the facts of numerous years, but only the recent tries. They do need to be known – local word of mouth, media reports, blogs, websites, slide-shows, events, coaching …
I have been fortunate to be in the industry since the mid-80s and have also been on both sides, athlete and industry. Here’s the dilemma, some athletes who may not be the best climbers, but maybe the BEST PCs have issues with other top climbers (TC). The industry needs the best PC they can get – they just don’t need the best TC. Here’s why; I know a PC who is not the best TC, but damn it, he is the best for his sponsors and brings the captivation to the GC – he gets a lot of grief from the TCs. Yep, some of the TCs are still stuck in the early days and can’t get over the concept of the business. He drives many GCs to slideshows and events and is very active in climbing. Whether or not I like him all the time, is irrelevant – he provides to the sport what we need, captivation of the GC. The sport itself needs routes and goals to drive the TCs and PCs – but the industry needs the GC captivation foremost. Let’s face it Ford sells more Focuses than their $200,000 Ford GT.
So here’s the sport PC debate in North America – Chris Sharma or Dave Graham? Sharma has set standards, and created a captivation on the GC and TC like no other North American sport climber. Graham has sent almost every hard route in Europe and North America – he is truly the TC in North America, but I believe lacks the media savvy to captivate – this does not mean he can’t, just that he needs help on it. Sharma seems to have a way and it comes across as such. Hence Sharma is the PC to follow – Graham is a PC, but more on the TC end. The North American media is the best method for captivation, but in the recent years, has focused more on the TC side.
The North American climbing media has gone through the same changes that the TCs and PCs have done. Currently I believe they are not where they should be. They focus more on the TC side of things and forget about the PC side – how to captivate? V15, 8b+ onsights, 5.15 redpoints, M14 sends, Everest sieged again, or deep water soloing.
Does deep water soloing captivate? Sure it does if you are a TC and can get to Mallorca. I believe that it exemplifies all that the PC has worked to get OVER, as it is more captivating for the TC than the GC. This does not mean it’s not a feat of climbing. GCs like ropes, gear and the conception that they may be able to emulate the PC on their own route at their crag or gym. To me it answers the: “if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” The media has answered this – if a climber climbs a really hard route on a rock in the middle of an ocean, alone with no rope – does it matter? To the GC NO – Yes for the TCs. It really provides no captivation other than a personal climbing feat of wickedly high-end proportions. Here we are again at a dilemma of TC or PC.
Climbing is not at the same level as other sports, where competitions can hold Pro-Athlete (PA) status over and above all other Top-non-comp-Athletes (TA) - meaning that the PA captivates based on competitive results. Climbing is just not there yet – we are still building a GC base and need to captivate all we can, whenever possible. Most of the PAs have TV coverage of some form, even mountain biking has its’ own show. The climbing feats need to be realized, but we firstly need to CAPTIVATE. We need to provide accessibility of the PC to the GC. Build areas where GCs can climb alongside PCs and TCs. We need to build our base first, then we can build our top-end later.
-JD LeBlanc
WG Note: I recently watched Peter Mortimer's new film, First Ascent. I think it does a good job of what JD is generally talking about.
Then there's my bud JD. He's been at the climbing game for a long time, from the anorexic rice cakes era to the present, and always cared about it. We've had some epic conversations about climbing, climbers and life. He recently sent me the following. It's full of the heat that climbing generates, posted with his permission:
JD LeBlanc's Rant:
Climbing – Market, Athletes & Media
by JD LeBlanc
Sport climbing came of age in North America thanks mostly to Alan Watts and his creation of Smith Rocks in the mid-1980’s. This led to an influx of climbers realizing that sport climbing could be “it” for them. Companies were keen to sponsor climbers who excelled at the sport – with the intent that it would help them with revenue and market share. The biggest problem besides the egos and dubious feats, was the fact that the industry was still very small.
The size of the industry may have been in the six figures in the 80’s – now maybe in the sevens – and the focus was on mountains, not sport crags. We had huge competition for athletes to become sponsored, but no real market to sell to. The athletic drive became so high and the return, so low, that many simply bailed out of the sport. Instead of building on the sport, we were actually losing climbers. Losing climbers really means losing participants – decreasing the industry. Early to mid-90s - indoor gyms take off in North America. This really allows access to the general public and provides a way for them to try climbing and ultimately bring in participants. Now the athlete can forge a way to become a professional climber (PC) – simply because the market became broader and general revenue larger, an increase in the number of the general climber (GC) – maybe like the NHL in the 50’s – you get paid, but just enough to be able to climb and train. Buying a home, new vehicles, lavish living expenses … off of a sponsored climber salary – unlikely, but living the life – traveling and climbing could be attained.
The Athlete truly comes of age after 10+ years of climbers’ efforts. However, unlike other sports, to see the athlete in action on their turf, is pretty hard for the general climber (GC) – videos, dvds and the gym provide glimpses of the athlete/Pro Climber (PC). But does this really matter and help in the growth of the sport? To see an athlete in their turf is to see what can be done and why they apply so much effort to do such. Motion pictures, of some form, provide visual, but no feel. Gyms provide live action, but it is hard to see the real aspects of the athlete and climbing. Moving over stone, ice … is not the same as plastic/wood. The real nature of the medium and conditions provide the ultimate performance and showcase what can be done. The passion is seen and this provides the general climber (GC) with a picture of what they may be able to do. The fact if a pro-climber (PC) sends 5.14, is not lost, but truly irrelevant to the GC. The fact they send a project provides the base for the GC to start to realize, they can achieve. Once this happens, then they are hooked and will try to bring their own into the sport. The PC has then done the part and what their sponsors want – to increase the participation – hence revenue.
What makes a good PC and why bother? What makes a good PC is one who does the above – captivates the GC into realizing there own potential. The PC does not have to be the one sending 5.15, M14, WI7, V15, 5.14 RX or hard Alpine – they do need to be able to climb within the top of their discipline, but mostly need to captivate. This does not mean they need to spray about what they sent, how quickly, or leave out the facts of numerous years, but only the recent tries. They do need to be known – local word of mouth, media reports, blogs, websites, slide-shows, events, coaching …
I have been fortunate to be in the industry since the mid-80s and have also been on both sides, athlete and industry. Here’s the dilemma, some athletes who may not be the best climbers, but maybe the BEST PCs have issues with other top climbers (TC). The industry needs the best PC they can get – they just don’t need the best TC. Here’s why; I know a PC who is not the best TC, but damn it, he is the best for his sponsors and brings the captivation to the GC – he gets a lot of grief from the TCs. Yep, some of the TCs are still stuck in the early days and can’t get over the concept of the business. He drives many GCs to slideshows and events and is very active in climbing. Whether or not I like him all the time, is irrelevant – he provides to the sport what we need, captivation of the GC. The sport itself needs routes and goals to drive the TCs and PCs – but the industry needs the GC captivation foremost. Let’s face it Ford sells more Focuses than their $200,000 Ford GT.
So here’s the sport PC debate in North America – Chris Sharma or Dave Graham? Sharma has set standards, and created a captivation on the GC and TC like no other North American sport climber. Graham has sent almost every hard route in Europe and North America – he is truly the TC in North America, but I believe lacks the media savvy to captivate – this does not mean he can’t, just that he needs help on it. Sharma seems to have a way and it comes across as such. Hence Sharma is the PC to follow – Graham is a PC, but more on the TC end. The North American media is the best method for captivation, but in the recent years, has focused more on the TC side.
The North American climbing media has gone through the same changes that the TCs and PCs have done. Currently I believe they are not where they should be. They focus more on the TC side of things and forget about the PC side – how to captivate? V15, 8b+ onsights, 5.15 redpoints, M14 sends, Everest sieged again, or deep water soloing.
Does deep water soloing captivate? Sure it does if you are a TC and can get to Mallorca. I believe that it exemplifies all that the PC has worked to get OVER, as it is more captivating for the TC than the GC. This does not mean it’s not a feat of climbing. GCs like ropes, gear and the conception that they may be able to emulate the PC on their own route at their crag or gym. To me it answers the: “if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” The media has answered this – if a climber climbs a really hard route on a rock in the middle of an ocean, alone with no rope – does it matter? To the GC NO – Yes for the TCs. It really provides no captivation other than a personal climbing feat of wickedly high-end proportions. Here we are again at a dilemma of TC or PC.
Climbing is not at the same level as other sports, where competitions can hold Pro-Athlete (PA) status over and above all other Top-non-comp-Athletes (TA) - meaning that the PA captivates based on competitive results. Climbing is just not there yet – we are still building a GC base and need to captivate all we can, whenever possible. Most of the PAs have TV coverage of some form, even mountain biking has its’ own show. The climbing feats need to be realized, but we firstly need to CAPTIVATE. We need to provide accessibility of the PC to the GC. Build areas where GCs can climb alongside PCs and TCs. We need to build our base first, then we can build our top-end later.
-JD LeBlanc
WG Note: I recently watched Peter Mortimer's new film, First Ascent. I think it does a good job of what JD is generally talking about.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Ice season is upon us
I've started the Rockies Ice Pages again, people are already having at it.
I also wrote a "Seasonal Rockies Climbing Guide" for those wondering when to visit the Rockies for ice or rock climbing, I've had so many requests for informaton lately that I thought I'd just write it up in one place. Your thoughts are definitely welcome, it's just my view of it all. This is the link, it's on gravsports.com.
Training: My elbow is not happy
I haven't had any serious elbow problems in probably 20 years, I vary my climbing diet enough that my body seems to recover. But I've got a real problem going on the medial side of my elbow, brought on by too much hand-hauling bags on Yam before I got my foot-hauling systems sorted out, and too much pulling rope through my BD Guide. Nothing wrong with the Guide, just days and days of pulling the rope tight on the second and hauling trashed my elbow. I knew I should have rested, but I had to get that route done before the snow flew, I'm paying now. I can barely flip pancakes, it's a bad episode, still working out the best recovery plan. I think Yoga contributed to the problem, all those presses and seated swing-throughs with my palms flat on the floor messed me up. Ice, rest, we'll see how it heals, but I've had almost a week off and it's still very sore to the touch. I dropped a plate of food the other day when I couldn't hold onto it, shit...
I also wrote a "Seasonal Rockies Climbing Guide" for those wondering when to visit the Rockies for ice or rock climbing, I've had so many requests for informaton lately that I thought I'd just write it up in one place. Your thoughts are definitely welcome, it's just my view of it all. This is the link, it's on gravsports.com.
Training: My elbow is not happy
I haven't had any serious elbow problems in probably 20 years, I vary my climbing diet enough that my body seems to recover. But I've got a real problem going on the medial side of my elbow, brought on by too much hand-hauling bags on Yam before I got my foot-hauling systems sorted out, and too much pulling rope through my BD Guide. Nothing wrong with the Guide, just days and days of pulling the rope tight on the second and hauling trashed my elbow. I knew I should have rested, but I had to get that route done before the snow flew, I'm paying now. I can barely flip pancakes, it's a bad episode, still working out the best recovery plan. I think Yoga contributed to the problem, all those presses and seated swing-throughs with my palms flat on the floor messed me up. Ice, rest, we'll see how it heals, but I've had almost a week off and it's still very sore to the touch. I dropped a plate of food the other day when I couldn't hold onto it, shit...
Friday, October 27, 2006
Black Diamond Gear Loop Testing and thoughts.
Kolin, head of quality assurance over at Black Diamond, just did some more belay loop testing in response to Todd's accident, check this link for more info. One of the reasons I really like working with BD is that many of the people there are truly obsessive climbers, with access to stacks of high-tech lab equipment. As a climber and professional "tester," Kolin was obviously directly interested in belay loop failure and so immediately did a stack of tests on belay loops with various "issues." Right on Kolin, thanks. What Kolin's tests showed is that even extensively damaged NEW belay loops are still very strong. As I read through both his belay loop tests and then his previous tests and reports (lots on that page) I noticed that Kolin kept repeating some varation of this quote from his tests: "Regardless—swap out old crappy gear—the heartache avoided could be your own..." Most of his reports were written before Todd's accident.
I recently wrote on this blog about teaching clinics a couple of weeks ago in Maryland where several people were belaying by clipping through their leg loops and swami belt instead of the belay loop. This accident has made me think about that, but I'm still far more worried about a biner breaking through cross-loading or through the carabiner flipping over and having the gate pressed open than I am about belay loops breaking while belaying. Carabiners can break when cross-loaded, or when loaded with the gate opened, I've had it happen several times now and watched the lab tests, it does happen. I've only ever heard of one belay loop ever breaking, I'll go with the belay loop as it reduces the odds of biner failure dramatically.
For rappelling the decision is a little more murky. The forces involved on the average rap are generally pretty low (although they can be surprisingly high when rapping on double ropes, remember that's two strands to share the force, resulting in less rope stretch and therefore higher loads on the carabiner if "bounced"). Most carabiners should be more than adequate to handle this sort of load even if cross-loaded or if the gate gets pressed open, so those arguments are slightly less compelling. Overall I'm still inclined to use the belay loop to rap. For starters, it's simpler, cleaner and easier to see what's going on with the device and belay loop connection. Human error happens, a belay loop is just simpler to see those errors. I also don't like having the ropes sliding through the carabiner so close to my tie-in points. It's pretty easy to have the harness bunch up in such a way that the rope runs on the nylon tie-in point during the rap. Nylon running on nylon is really dangerous as most of us know, it melts and cuts very quickly. One rap with a rubbing rope on the harness isn't likely to cut a tie-in point, but it sure could make it a bit weaker, and I'm not confident in knowing how many raps like this would equal failure. A belay loop keeps the device well away from the tie-in points and prevents "bunched up" rubbing on them, the tie-in points need to be absolutely strong for harsh falls.
I also don't like reducing the distance between the "hot" part of the carabiner and my tie-in points. With a belay loop the distance or "heat sink" is the full size of the carabiner, but may only be a few cm of the carabiner if the carabiner is through the tie-in points. Likely not a big deal but, over years of use, ?
The final thing I don't like about using the tie-in points instead of the belay loop for raps is related to the closeness of the belay device--it's a lot easier to get clothes, gear etc. stuck into the device. While this is not normally fatal, I do remember getting my shirt stuck into my belay device years ago. At the time I felt fortunate to be carrying a knife; in retrospect, any blade near a rope I'm hanging on is a really stupid idea... I've also seen people rapping with the device on a long sling, this isn't good as it's easier to get hair stuck into the device, I've seen that happen a few times too. A belay loop seems about right.
One thing I am considering using more often is a backup prussic knot of some kind. I've always thought these added more complexity than they were worth--I've seen all sorts of cluster fucks on rap with people using backups. Some were pretty funny, some were potentially life-threatening (dark, -20, the prussic freezes to the rope after weighting it and the climber is left hanging there on an ice climb trying to sort it all out). I've seen far more potentially "bad" situations than I have situations where the person was potentially "saved." I do put knots in the ends of my ropes on "mystery raps" in the dark. In my mind knots in the end of the rope on any "suspect" rap are way better than a prussic, most people's reaction to falling is to grab the prussic knot, which then just slides uselessly down the rope. I've seen a few accidents where people rapped off the ends of their ropes, a prussic knot wouldn't have done anything as the rope goes through the device so fast that the person would have to be thinking not to "squeeze" the knot as the ropes went through the device and toward the knot, I just don't see that happening. Prussic knots may be useful for those raps where the ends of the ropes are hanging in space, but in that situation the prussic knot is only useful if you know the ends of the ropes are hanging in space and stop early, before the ends of the ropes. If you know that then why would you take it to the ends of the rope anyhow? And if you're rapping into suspect terrain/rope combinations then you ought to have knots in the ends of the ropes anyhow... As for falling rocks etc. the equation comes down to how many problems I've seen with backups vs. how many times I've been smacked stupid on rap by a rock. Lots, and never are the answers. Wait, I just talked myself out of a backup prussic knot, and yet Todd's accident has still got me thinking it might be a good idea...
One of the things Todd was good at was getting people to think, that's reportedly why his corporate presentations were so good (I've only ever seen his climbing talks, which were awesome). So thinking about all of our systems is a good thing, I just wish it didn't take a guy like Todd dying to get me thinking about it this stuff for hours.
WG
I recently wrote on this blog about teaching clinics a couple of weeks ago in Maryland where several people were belaying by clipping through their leg loops and swami belt instead of the belay loop. This accident has made me think about that, but I'm still far more worried about a biner breaking through cross-loading or through the carabiner flipping over and having the gate pressed open than I am about belay loops breaking while belaying. Carabiners can break when cross-loaded, or when loaded with the gate opened, I've had it happen several times now and watched the lab tests, it does happen. I've only ever heard of one belay loop ever breaking, I'll go with the belay loop as it reduces the odds of biner failure dramatically.
For rappelling the decision is a little more murky. The forces involved on the average rap are generally pretty low (although they can be surprisingly high when rapping on double ropes, remember that's two strands to share the force, resulting in less rope stretch and therefore higher loads on the carabiner if "bounced"). Most carabiners should be more than adequate to handle this sort of load even if cross-loaded or if the gate gets pressed open, so those arguments are slightly less compelling. Overall I'm still inclined to use the belay loop to rap. For starters, it's simpler, cleaner and easier to see what's going on with the device and belay loop connection. Human error happens, a belay loop is just simpler to see those errors. I also don't like having the ropes sliding through the carabiner so close to my tie-in points. It's pretty easy to have the harness bunch up in such a way that the rope runs on the nylon tie-in point during the rap. Nylon running on nylon is really dangerous as most of us know, it melts and cuts very quickly. One rap with a rubbing rope on the harness isn't likely to cut a tie-in point, but it sure could make it a bit weaker, and I'm not confident in knowing how many raps like this would equal failure. A belay loop keeps the device well away from the tie-in points and prevents "bunched up" rubbing on them, the tie-in points need to be absolutely strong for harsh falls.
I also don't like reducing the distance between the "hot" part of the carabiner and my tie-in points. With a belay loop the distance or "heat sink" is the full size of the carabiner, but may only be a few cm of the carabiner if the carabiner is through the tie-in points. Likely not a big deal but, over years of use, ?
The final thing I don't like about using the tie-in points instead of the belay loop for raps is related to the closeness of the belay device--it's a lot easier to get clothes, gear etc. stuck into the device. While this is not normally fatal, I do remember getting my shirt stuck into my belay device years ago. At the time I felt fortunate to be carrying a knife; in retrospect, any blade near a rope I'm hanging on is a really stupid idea... I've also seen people rapping with the device on a long sling, this isn't good as it's easier to get hair stuck into the device, I've seen that happen a few times too. A belay loop seems about right.
One thing I am considering using more often is a backup prussic knot of some kind. I've always thought these added more complexity than they were worth--I've seen all sorts of cluster fucks on rap with people using backups. Some were pretty funny, some were potentially life-threatening (dark, -20, the prussic freezes to the rope after weighting it and the climber is left hanging there on an ice climb trying to sort it all out). I've seen far more potentially "bad" situations than I have situations where the person was potentially "saved." I do put knots in the ends of my ropes on "mystery raps" in the dark. In my mind knots in the end of the rope on any "suspect" rap are way better than a prussic, most people's reaction to falling is to grab the prussic knot, which then just slides uselessly down the rope. I've seen a few accidents where people rapped off the ends of their ropes, a prussic knot wouldn't have done anything as the rope goes through the device so fast that the person would have to be thinking not to "squeeze" the knot as the ropes went through the device and toward the knot, I just don't see that happening. Prussic knots may be useful for those raps where the ends of the ropes are hanging in space, but in that situation the prussic knot is only useful if you know the ends of the ropes are hanging in space and stop early, before the ends of the ropes. If you know that then why would you take it to the ends of the rope anyhow? And if you're rapping into suspect terrain/rope combinations then you ought to have knots in the ends of the ropes anyhow... As for falling rocks etc. the equation comes down to how many problems I've seen with backups vs. how many times I've been smacked stupid on rap by a rock. Lots, and never are the answers. Wait, I just talked myself out of a backup prussic knot, and yet Todd's accident has still got me thinking it might be a good idea...
One of the things Todd was good at was getting people to think, that's reportedly why his corporate presentations were so good (I've only ever seen his climbing talks, which were awesome). So thinking about all of our systems is a good thing, I just wish it didn't take a guy like Todd dying to get me thinking about it this stuff for hours.
WG
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I've read your info regarding clipping and, while I didn't pull out the graph paper, I did use a string demo and am not seeing your logic.
Here's my scenario:
- assume a vertical face
bolt3 (30ft above ground - not clipped)
YOU (28ft above ground)
bolt2 (20ft above ground - clipped)
bolt1 (10ft above ground - clipped)
____ground_____________
If you overhead mis-clip 2ft from bolt3 (ie. 8ft above bolt2) then you'll have 8+2+2=12ft of slack rope and a 24ft fall from 28ft above ground. (You better hope you got less than 4ft rope stretch!!). If you mis-clip at your harness then you have 10ft of slack rope and a 20ft fall from 30ft above ground.
Seems to be safer to clip from the harness at bolt height. What am I missing!?
Hi Anon, you're definitely right that clipping at waist-level is often safer than clipping overhead. That's the main point of all of this, so you're not missing anything in my mind in terms of where it's generally safer to clip. But your math is wrong in your scenario for total fall distance. I've written a few explanations below that I hope will help you understand...
In your scenario you don't fall twice the distance of the amount of rope you have above the last piece. That's the error I made as well when I wrote my book. Seems obvious that you would and that's how we are often taught to think of lead falls, but it doesn't quite work that way when part of the rope is "above" you. We actually end up the same distance below a piece as the amount of rope we had above the piece when we fell...
It's funny, I too refused to believe the graph paper for some time until I really counted the squares and thought it through. In your example you correctly have 12 total feet of rope in the system above the last piece at 20 feet. So you'll definitely end up with 12 total feet of rope below the 20 foot piece after the fall, right? What's 20 minus 12? 8. If your harness starts the fall at 28 feet and ends at 8 feet how far did you just fall? 20 feet... It's fun to run this scenario using a "long armed" climber who can clip 6 feet over his/her harness; Now there's 16 (10 to the missed clip, six from the missed clip to the harness) feet of rope above the last piece and the climber will end up 16 feet below the last piece--four feet off the ground. But the fall is still 20 feet, the "extra" six feet of rope going from the climber's harness to his attemped clip hand doesn't increase the fall.
So in your scenario, you actually fall 20 feet and end up 12 feet below the last piece--the two feet of rope going from your harness to the clipping point doesn't "double" or add to the fall distance. Count your squares on the graph paper, or with the string--the fall distance is exactly 20 feet (ignoring rope stretch, belayer feed, etc.) The KEY difference in the clip at waist and clip overhead scenarios is that the starting point for the fall is higher off the ground when clipping at waist level (safer). Belayers also tend to feed more slack than absolutely necessary, and climbers generally also pull more slack, which adds at least a few more feet of slack in the system when clipping overhead...
Just for fun and 'cause I'm a nerd, think of a climber who has a bomber piece at 100 feet above the ground. He climbs up another 20 feet, rattles in a sketchy piece, and starts climbing down to get back to his bomber piece. Unfortunately, just as he gets his harness level with the bomber piece he falls, the top piece blows, and he goes for a ride. How far is he going to fall? 20 feet? 40 feet? 80 feet? He has 40 feet of rope above the last piece now, our "classic logic" would tell us he's going to go 80 feet... Nope, he's going to end up 40 feet below the "bomber" piece because he had 40 feet of rope above it. Total fall 40 feet... This is just an exaggerated version of the clipping overhead scenario.
I've had a half-dozen discussions on this now. I expect a non-climbing math student would figure this out very fast, but as climbers we have a very strong, almost religious belief that fall distance equals twice the rope above the last piece. In the last two weeks I've had three major beliefs I hold about climbing seriously revised: fall distance, half-rope impact forces, and the use of Cordelettes...