Gym to Crag

PC: Mo Beck climbing; photo by Will Saunders

It’s one of the hottest topics in climbing these days: how to make the transition from gym climbing to climbing outdoors, and in a way that is safe and responsible. A lot goes into climbing outdoors that you don’t have to think twice about in the gym! In our gym to crag series, we cover some of the key principles so that you can be more prepared, or so that you can educate your friends well as you mentor them outside!

Gym to Crag: New Questions to Consider

Our favorite part of this episode is that it was made a couple years ago, and Kai Lightner is a BABY. Oh how time flies…We also cover things like wearing a helmet, rock fall, the approach, uneven terrain when belaying, catching bigger falls, run-outs and more!

Gym to Crag: Stewardship and Environment

Climbing gets more complicated outside, but so does everything else—like eating, trash, and disposing of human waste. This video covers the outdoor ethics that all climbers need to know and practice to be responsible stewards of the crags we all love. Topics include staying on trail, packing out human waste and litter properly, leaving what you find, and more! Basically: wag bags are your new best friend.

Gym to Crag: Interacting with Others

Not going to lie, we know a lot of seasoned outdoor climbers who could brush up on these skills—especially making a respectful but efficient intervention when someone is climbing unsafely. In this installment of Gym to Crag, we cover the ways that risk and safety is amplified outside—and the best way to make sure those around you are respecting nature and each other as much as you do ;)

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Climbing Through Language

The AAC DC Chapter takes Wilderness Kids Alexandria climbing

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

Grassroots: A storytelling series about cutting edge projects and conversations in the AAC community.

By Sierra McGivney

All Melissa Rojas knew about rock climbing was kids' birthday parties. But once she started climbing, pulling herself up multicolored plastic holds with her long-time climber friend, her mind was free. The stress of working in healthcare melted away. Each move she made was related to each other, connected to the whole route, like piecing together a puzzle. 

“I just got hooked,” says Rojas, the Communications Co-Chair for the AAC D.C. Chapter. 

Climbing engrossed Rojas. She wanted to get involved and give back, so she looked into climbing organizations and found the American Alpine Club. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

As Rojas got more engaged in the climbing community, she noticed a sizable amount of Spanish-speaking climbers in the area and saw an opportunity for community. In June of 2021, Rojas founded ¡Escala DC!, a Spanish-speaking climbing club.  

Although not all spanish-speakers are people of color, differences in language, and the culture embedded in language, can be a barrier to feeling fully understood and represented in a community. And when language and racial identity overlap, it can be even harder to see yourself represented.

“If you're not white, it can feel very intimidating going into a gym.” says Rojas, “It's not like anybody's doing anything to make you feel intimidated, you just feel intimidated.” 

Members of ¡Escala DC! feel grateful to have found a group that speaks to them. The club organizes weekly meetups at gyms in the area like Crystal City, Timonium, and Rockville. Rojas has created a space that unites climbers whose identities come from a Spanish-speaking background. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

Although spanish-speakers in the US come from a wide range of countries and cultures, there is no denying the way language can bind you together. “It's a different experience when you climb with folks that have the same cultural context,” says Rojas.

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Jerry Casagrande didn’t grow up in a particularly outdoorsy family. He never went hiking or camping. When he was 15 years old his science teacher suggested he look into a summer program that would take him to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, the Bear Creek Mountains in Montana, and Yellowstone. The grand mountains and forests of the West left a lasting mark on Casagrande. 

“It just changed my life completely,” says Casagrande. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

In a number of ways, Casagrande has sought to pay that experience forward. He ran a program about 20 years ago that took kids from all over the country to experience the outdoors. In Alexandria, Casagrande’s home, he noticed that there was an imbalance between kids who had access to green spaces and those who did not. In October of 2021, Casagrande founded Wilderness Kids Alexandria. 

WKA believes there are a multitude of benefits to being outside. The mission of the nonprofit organization is to provide life-enriching experiences in nature to teenagers from under-resourced families in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Latino Outdoors is a “volunteer-driven organization that focuses on expanding and amplifying the Latinx experience in the outdoors.” Casagrande posted on the Latino Outdoors DMV—D.C., Maryland, and Virginia—Facebook page looking for volunteers to take kids climbing. A number of people are also a part of the AAC D.C. section. He got an overwhelming response.

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

“We had more volunteers than we could use,” says Casagrande.

Members from the AAC D.C. section, ¡Escala DC!, and the Potomac Mountain Club volunteered to belay kids and teach climbing basics on February 19, 2022, at Movement Climbing gym.

 After a picnic, kids headed to Movement to get fitted for climbing shoes and harnesses. Many looked up at the rainbow of holds that create routes and said, “I can’t do that.” By the end of the day, participants were practically racing up the wall. 

English is not a first language for a majority of the kids who attended. The volunteers were able to speak to kids in their native language. This enabled the kids to easily communicate on the climbing wall and meet passionate climbers who spoke the same language as them. Seeing themselves reflected in this space helped to cultivate a sense of self within the climbing community. 

“It was super cool to be able to talk to them in their mother language and have them feel reassured,” says Rojas. 

PC: Elizabeth Waugh

The AAC, along with PATC took kids climbing at Caderock on Apr 23, 2022. WKA was hoping to get 20 kids in attendance. Ten kids climbed while the other 10 kids went hiking. Mid-day they switched. Volunteers set up topropes and taught kids climbing basics. 

Rojas believes fostering and establishing strong cultural diversity and ability diversity in the climbing community is the keys to true accessibility. It’s a team effort to establish a space accessible to all. Multiple organizations came together to nourish a love of climbing in kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity. 

“We're a really small organization and [the AAC] enables us to have a bigger impact than we could otherwise possibly have,” says Casagrande.

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Museum of Movement: A Story from the 2021 GTM

Artist Spotlight: Route Setter Aroldo Silva

by Holly Yu Tung Chen

photos by Grey Satterfield

“PAINTER. MUSICIAN. DESIGNER... PEOPLE TEND TO END THE CONVERSATION THERE. YOU’RE EITHER IN A BOX OR YOU’RE NOT, AND THAT’S IT.”

— Aroldo Silva

The boulder problem reminded Aroldo of the Florida coastline. He stepped back and spun a long steel bolt between his fingers like a pencil. Then stared down his handiwork built from bright yellow tufas. They started in the bottom corner and slithered all the way to the top of the blue and gray wall.

It was in the Sunshine State where lightning struck. A much younger Aroldo Silva found the art of route setting in a small gym built inside an old warehouse. Route setting wasn’t a paid job then. He started with some old-school wrenches and solid plastic holds. Back then, gyms stripped all the holds off the wall and cleaned them with acid and dishwasher fluid, putting them back up with a kaleidoscope of duct tape marking the path. A “choose your own adventure” to the uninitiated.

The boulder problems he puts up today are made of color-coded fiberglass; three times the size of what he used to work with in the small Florida gym and one-third the weight. Now, Aroldo is the Head Setter at Earth Treks Englewood in Colorado. It’s a full-time job.

“Jobs,” Aroldo corrected. A route setter is at once an artist, a teacher, a janitor, the customer service rep, a product manager, the curator, and the quality control team.

Aroldo studied sculpture and media in college. He focused on installation and performative art and took time to dive deep into fine arts theory. The professors Aroldo respected told him, “focus on understanding.” Once you begin to practice for mastery, you will develop your creative process. He walked away from his degree with a lot more questions than answers.

“What does being an artist mean to you?”

The tool belt on his hip jingled. Aroldo laughed with his shoulders and torso. “People like to define art with a lot of titles, don’t they? Painter. Musician. Designer. People tend to end the conversation there. You’re either in a box or you’re not, and that’s it. You’re a musician? You must make music. I don’t think it matters.” Creation needs no bounds.

He pushed up his safety goggles with a gloved hand, stepped nimbly up the ladder, and bolted a bright-yellow jib to the wall. Below him on the bouldering mat was an array of holds, neatly laid out from largest to smallest, with a handful of foot chips scattered about like seasoning.

There seems to be no line between art and climbing, with set routes akin to exhibits in a museum. A route may appeal to one, yet be detested by another. It’s all contained within the work.

Movement is Aroldo’s medium, which he uses to explore the concept of meaningful play. He understands that climbing allures because of the perfect challenge: a problem which demands both mentally and physically, yet is just attainable so long as we try hard enough.

Likewise, Aroldo believes all approaches and ideas are valid, both for the setter as well as the climber. “Your hands and your body are only so good at recreating what your mind has designed,” he said. “But you can chase them. I want to chase them. I want my setters and our climbers to chase them.” After all, it is the space between the routes which is most important—the environment where people can develop their individuality, explore alternate solutions, and flourish on the wall. To Aroldo and his team, this is facilitated through a setting philosophy: not forcing movement, but sharing it.

Earth Treks Englewood is a 53,000 square-foot canvas, with more than 200 boulder problems and sport routes available to interpret. If someone grabs a foot? Great. If someone busts a sequence? Great. Maybe it feels hard or maybe it feels weird. Maybe somebody will say, “you have to try this,” while another says, “don’t even bother.” Flash or fall, love it or hate it, they are engaging with the problem and exploring what they’re capable of. For Aroldo, this is the art of climbing.

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Holly Yu Tung Chen is a freelance writer, digital marketer, and route setter at several Colorado climbing gyms—she enjoys the duality of these wildly opposing jobs. (Holly’s motto has always been: “keep it interesting.”) In 2019, she kick-started her career as an intern for the American Alpine Club producing content and working in the digital marketing space. Beyond the Club, her writing has been published by Gym Climber, Sharp End Publishing, and the Climbing Wall Association.

The Prescription - November 2020

The adjacent article is part of the extensive avalanche coverage featured in the 2020 Accidents in North American Climbing. AAC members will receive the new book this month. The cover photo shows an avalanche on Polar Circus in Canada by Alex Ratson.

Ice Climbers & Avalanches

It’s Time to Take this risk more seriously

By Grant Statham

Every winter, ice climbers are caught—and sometimes killed—by avalanches. Even small avalanches can be deadly when they get funneled into the narrow gullies where ice climbs form. So understanding the avalanche conditions and carrying rescue gear when climbing is essential for many climbs.

Yet despite this reality, climbers have been slow to embrace basic avalanche safety practices, even when they always use avalanche gear when backcountry skiing. This contradiction makes no sense, and it’s high time for a paradigm shift.

Once you’ve determined if your ice route is formed, your next move should be to figure out whether it’s threatened by avalanches. Any steep snow slopes on the approach, the route, above the route, or on the descent have the potential to release an avalanche.

If your route is threatened by avalanches, then you need to know more. Is the climb located in a gully with avalanche start zones overhead? Will you be climbing through snow slopes above cliffs? How about the approach—will you be walking under avalanche paths or kicking steps up a 40° slope to reach the base? How hard is the route—can you climb fast or will you be exposed to avalanches for hours? What does the local avalanche forecast say? You need to answer all of these questions before going climbing.

AVALANCHE RISK

Avalanche risk in ice climbing has three main ingredients: 1) enough snow to produce an avalanche, 2) avalanche-prone terrain, and 3) climbers exposed to this hazard. Remove any one of these elements and you’ve eliminated the avalanche risk.

But while eliminating avalanche risk ensures safety, it won’t get you up the routes on your hit list that are subject to avalanche hazard. For this, you’ll need to manage the risk by assessing its individual elements and understanding how they affect you and your partner.

SNOW

The best indicator of unstable snow is avalanche activity. Both slab avalanches and sluffs are threats to ice climbers, because it doesn’t take much to knock you off your front points. If avalanches are occurring near your route, then it’s safe to assume the snow on your route is also unstable. Here are the big three factors:

(1) Precipitation: new snow and especially rain can overload the snowpack

(2) Wind can move snow at 10 times the snowfall rate and create locally deep slabs

(3) Temperature: warming trends, inversions, and temps over 0°C (32°F) produce avalanches

TERRAIN

Minimize your exposure by positioning belays out of avalanche terrain or in protected locations, moving together when you can, moving one at a time when necessary, belaying across exposed slopes, and spending no unnecessary time exposed to avalanches. These are the strategies that keep experienced climbers alive. Here are the terrain basics to keep front of mind:

(1) Slope angle: the prime angle for slab avalanches is 30° to 45°

(2) Aspect: there are big differences between routes in the shade and in the sun

(3) Elevation: snow depth increases with elevation, so be aware of conditions overhead

(4) Terrain traps: ice climbs are often in or above terrain features that increase consequences (cliffs, gullies, creeks, etc.)

PEOPLE

Debris from several slides that trapped two climbers on a route in Santaquin Canyon, Utah, in February 2019. The avalanche hazard was rated low at the elevation of the climb but more dangerous high up the mountain, where these slides originated. Read the report here.

For risk to exist, something must be “at risk,” and in climbing this is people, deliberately exposing themselves to avalanche hazard. All people are fallible, and human factors are well-recognized as a major contributor to avalanche accidents. Here are some considerations:

(1) Partners: climb with people you trust and who share your values around risk

(2) Decision-making: trust your instincts and bail if it doesn’t feel right

(3) Trophy hunting: don’t obsess over one climb; have options and let the conditions determine your route

(4) Group size and speed: keep your team small and move efficiently

PUBLIC AVALANCHE FORECASTS

An excellent source of information on local conditions is the public avalanche forecast, found at avalanche.ca in Canada and avalanche.org in the USA. Locals watch the forecast regularly to stay abreast of conditions; start checking it early to get a sense of the snowpack.

Don’t climb in avalanche terrain unless the danger rating is Low or Moderate. When it’s Considerable, avalanches are likely, so now you need to know specific details about the route and what might trigger an avalanche there. If you don’t understand this, then don’t climb there. High and Extreme are obvious—stay out of avalanche terrain.

NATURAL RELEASES AND CLIMBER TRIGGERED AVALANCHES

Many ice climbs form directly beneath large avalanche slopes. To climb these routes, you need to determine whether a natural avalanche will release while you’re there. This is difficult, but the avalanche forecast, weather forecast, and ridge-top weather stations (accessible online) will provide some of the information you need. Always remember that snow depth, wind effect, and air temperature will be much different high above your climb, so don’t be lulled into complacency by snow conditions near your route.

Climbing steep snow is usually part of ice climbing, and this can lead to triggering a slope yourself. Whenever possible, go around snow slopes or cross them as high as you can to reduce the amount of snow above you. If you have to climb directly up the middle of a big slope, the best tactic is to evaluate smaller, safer slopes of similar character to get sense of conditions. Then consider spacing out, going one at a time, or belaying, even if the slope is small but the consequences are catastrophic.

CARRY AVALANCHE RESCUE GEAR

If you’re climbing and exposed to avalanche risk, then you should use avalanche rescue gear. If someone gets buried, you have about ten minutes to find them, dig them out, and clear their airway before they asphyxiate. Each member of the team should carry an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel. Nobody likes extra weight, so be thoughtful about when and where you carry the gear—plan it out like you plan your rack. Do you only need it for the approach or for the whole route? Maybe take one shovel up the route instead of two. What about the descent?

Even if you’re climbing a route where you think an avalanche would be unsurvivable, somebody will still want you back, which means SAR teams will be searching for you. Wearing a transceiver and using clothing equipped with the Recco system does everyone a favor by making you searchable.

RISK AND REWARD

Good avalanche skills are part of being a solid alpinist and waterfall ice climber. While climbing a great route feels awesome, climbing it in good style and doing everything you can to reduce your risk feels even better. Adding risk without additional benefit is pointless, so learn about avalanches, carry the gear, and respond to the ever-changing conditions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Grant Statham is an IFMGA mountain guide and avalanche forecaster based in Canmore, Alberta. He works with Parks Canada’s search and rescue and avalanche safety programs in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay national parks.

GO DEEPER: The following webinar expands on the topics discussed above. This session was hosted by Avalanche Canada and Grant Statham and presented by Canadian guide Sarah Hueniken on November 4, 2020.

THE SHARP END: A CREVASSE FALL IN THE TETONS!

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Tyler Willis and a friend were descending from a successful ascent of Mt. Owen in Grand Teton National Park. It was late in the day when they reached the Teton Glacier, which they had crossed without a problem early that morning. Just a few steps later, Tyler plunged into a hidden crevasse, an extremely rare accident for the Tetons. By the time climbers pulled him to the surface, he was hypothermic, and it wasn't until the next day that rangers could helicopter him to safety. Hear all about it in Episode 58 of the Sharp End (link below).

An accident like this illustrates the importance of recognizing and treating the symptoms of hypothermia, which may develop even on a sunny day in August. A useful reference for climbers and clinicians alike is the Wilderness Medical Society’s updated guidelines assessment and treatment of hypothermia patients. The article and several downloadable field guides (like the one shown above) are available at this link.

AVOID INJURIES DURING WINTER TRAINING

Photo: Alton Richardson

Dr. Volker Schöffl is one of the world’s foremost authorities on climbing injuries. The German professor and physician is co-author of One Move Too Many: How to Understand the Injuries and Overuse Syndromes of Rock Climbing (Sharp End Publishing, 2016). This year, he and co-authors Dicki Korb and Patrick Matros released a new work describing complementary training to avoid injuries. The 94-page book is packed with tips and specific exercises, and it’s available as a free download! We decided to ask Schöffl for some training advice for Prescription readers.

We’re headed into winter and lots more indoor climbing. What are the most important things climbers can do to prevent injuries during the months of indoor training?

Do not overdo it early on, and build up strength gradually through the winter. Motivation is high, as everyone wants to be better next season. Don’t forget, you have to endure a couple months of training, and you should pace yourself. Increase the load gradually and this will help you to avoid overuse injuries in November.

What are the most common areas of injury for climbers heading indoors? 

This really depends on the type of training you are doing. In pure strength training, simple overload leads to finger stress and tenosynovitis (inflammation of the tendon sheath). In indoor bouldering, especially with dynamic problems, injuries from falls onto the lower extremity are most common. Overuse and over training in indoor climbing also affects the shoulders and elbows.

Any recommendations for avoiding these common injuries?

A proper warm-up will help to reduce both injury incidence and severity. Stretching itself is not ideal as a warm-up, as it reduces muscle tension (stretching is more appropriate for cool-down after a session). Warm-up should consist of some general exercise and include finger specific exercises (e.g., therapy putty, softball squeezes, or plain finger movements). You can find some examples in One Move Too Many. Climbers should also focus on adjunct compensatory training (ACT)—exercises that counteract the specific stressors of climbing. We just released our ACT program, which is a free pdf booklet, accessible through www.act.clinic. After this general warm-up phase continue into some easy climbing and gradually increase stress/difficulty to a peak approximately 30 minutes into the climbing session.

Can you tell us more about ACT and its importance for overall climbing performance?

Climbing, as with many other sports, stresses the body in uniform patterns, leading to strength in certain muscle groups and to neglect in others. These imbalances lead to posture deficiencies and poor movement patterns. ACT focuses on training the neglected muscle slings (muscle, fascia, and ligaments) and innervation patterns within their specific range of motion, building up posture and core strength as well as balancing the athletic build of the body. In order to withstand climbing specific training over time and to prevent associated injuries, the antagonists and neglected muscle groups must be addressed. This is where ACT comes into play.

MEET THE RESCUERS

Doug McCall, President of Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) and member of Seattle Mountain Rescue

Years volunteering with your team: 12

Home Crag:  Exit 38, Deception Crags/Far Side Wall

Favorite type of climbing: Single-pitch sport. The crags near me offer a wide range of grades that allow me to climb with a wide variety of people. I love bringing new people to the crag and letting them try outdoor climbing for the first time. I also love challenging myself with friends who climb above my abilities.

How did you first become interested in search and rescue?

I was a volunteer firefighter at our local department when one of the other volunteers began talking about climbing and then later about Seattle Mountain Rescue (SMR). He had been a member of SMR for about 15 to 20 years and recommended that I apply. I was excited about the opportunity to combine my passion for the outdoors with the medical skills I had learned through the fire department. I was accepted into SMR in February 2008.

Why do you think accident reporting is important?

Learning from others’ mistakes is a powerful way that humans learn from one another. While it is easy to “armchair quarterback” some scenarios, you never really know what you might do when presented with a sudden experience. Knowing what others did or didn’t do helps to frame a thought process that may help you or your climbing partner down the road.

Personal scariest “close call”?

Early in my alpine career, my climbing partner, mentor, and cousin, Doug Walker, and I were caught in a slab avalanche that swept me down a 600-foot slope and then off a 30-foot cliff. I somehow survived. The worst injury was a severe fracture around my left eye that I likely sustained from a glancing blow to a rock. While we were able to self-rescue, I have since felt compelled to try to help others during their bad day in the mountains.

Personal safety tip?

I wear a helmet when climbing. While my doctors say that I have a very thick skull, I’d rather never have to test that again. Helmets are easy and offer good protection from an unexpected slip or rock fall. Also, I always tie knots at the ends of my rope when on rappel. I’ve been on numerous recoveries where a knot would have been the difference between life and death.

What would you say to people interested in learning more about search and rescue?

I’d encourage people to find a local MRA team or a SAR team and learn more about how to become a member. MRA teams train constantly and test each other to ensure that every team can safely effect rescues in all sorts of terrain and conditions. We also operate with a safety mindset that carries over into our personal climbing.

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not climbing?

Spend time with my family. My family has been very supportive and patient with all my time spent climbing and responding to rescues. While we tend to do a lot of outdoor activities together, they have also taught me to enjoy a number of other activities. Being with family and sharing experiences with them have been the greatest joys of my life.

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Share Your Story: If you’ve been involved in a climbing accident or rescue, consider sharing the lessons learned with other climbers. Let’s work together to reduce the number of accidents. Contact us at accidents@americanalpineclub.org.

The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.