Rock Adventures: Circuits

"Toprope. I keep writing this, but I do not think it's possible to have much understanding of ice until you have done at least 150 pitches of it. I didn't learn this way, and I shudder to think of how many times I came close to maiming myself. I only truly learned to climb ice when I ran hundreds of laps on Toprope while training for ice climbing competitions.” – Will Gadd, from the Gravsports’ post titled “How Not to Suck”.

On Monday I had a chance to climb at Asbestos Wall. And don’t let its name suggest that this is some sort of toxic dump because it’s actually a great place to climb. The cliff is roadside, with parking, and all the climbs are walk-up accessible. It does have a negative side, given that it’s so user-friendly it can be very crowded. And the cliff also faces south, so it’s hard for the ice to form let alone remain standing. For this day I met up with a new partner, Vivek, who is very solid and has a few more years than me of ice climbing experience. But given that it would be our first day together we chose Asbestos Wall to keep the approaching and rope-rigging aspects minimal. Temperatures were just below freezing so even though the ice was “in” it was still very soft and sometimes wet. A lot of the formations were thin curtains, just a day or two of freezing weather short of becoming strong enough to support a climber’s weight. Not wanting to destroy these still-forming lines, we spent our day running laps on a 50-foot wide “frozen waterfall” section of solid ice. We set up our first Toprope on the far right, climbed it up and down, and then stretched the line left using screws and quickdraws as “directional” pieces to free up more of the wall. Eventually, we stretched it enough that we had to set up another Toprope on the left side, which we continued to run up and down until exhaustion. Assuming the height of the wall was at the very least 30 feet, it’s safe to say that Vivek and I climbed close to 300 feet each in a matter of 4 hours (WI2+/3-).

Hiking, approaching, and rope-rigging are all things that are very time consuming. Even with experienced local guides, climbing only 4 routes in a day is usually the norm. Granted you’re given more variety and the ability to access quality routes. But most of the time I end up “following” the guide up a route (they are looking down on me, belaying from the top) so they don’t have a chance to really look at and critique my technique as I climb. Although Vivek and I didn’t have a lot of variety, we were able to make up for it in terms of repetitions and training. Given he was belaying me from the ground he had a chance to coach me on my footwork as I climbed (footwork is probably the weakest aspect of my ice climbing game). I learned to flex my ankle to keep my foot straight when kicking the ice, as well as sitting down more which allows me to hang relaxed on my tools and let my weight rest on my feet. And I am also getting more used to positioning my body as a triangle (hands/tools at about chest-width apart, feet out wider) which gives me a better base. The mileage and advice for that day really made a difference as I found that I didn’t need to rest on the rope and my feet slipped a lot less. I definitely feel like WI4 is now attainable and would like to put myself to the test next time I head out.

One other thing to mention are the tools I used and the difference they can make. I have a CassinX-Alp Ice Axes. They’re pretty basic tools with a modest curve in the shaft and a heavy swing. Good for a beginner on easy terrain. I like these tools, and have no complaints. Vivek had rented tools from Rock and Snow in New Paltz and chose the Petzl Nomic. I had sampled these tools a few weeks back, climbing with my wife in Stony Clove. They felt like million dollar tools then, and when I used them yesterday towards the end of the day, they felt like billion dollar tools. There’s a saying that Nomics make you climb a grade better, and I really think that there’s some truth to that. I feel the curve and weight are perfect. They don’t require a hard swing which really saves a lot of energy. With nothing more than a few light taps, the picks just stick and they hold. These tools are light, they feel incredible, and somehow seem to do all the work themselves. My ice season is about to close but I am sure that I will own a pair of these tools by next year.