Reviewing a pair of climbing trousers is an unusual
experience for me. I know what I’m doing when I’m evaluating a new pair of
climbing shoes, and more importantly I know exactly how, if they are good, they
can help my climbing progress. However, climbing trousers don’t work the same
way. Until someone invents ‘low gravity’ trousers or a pair that have jet packs
instead of pockets, what you wear is not going to generate the same type of
hype a new cutting edge pair of climbing shoes does.
However, having said that we all wear trousers (I hope!) and
as a result need them. I also think I am not alone in having preferred trousers
for climbing. Comfortable with enough flexibility to get your foot up high – I
don’t want to just pull on any old pairs of tracksuit bottoms if I am trying to
send something close to my limit.
I have worn Prana trousers for years. Having grown up
watching Chris Sharma’s ground breaking ascents in his latest film, they were
always going to be a popular brand for me. However it is more than that, they
tick all the mobility boxes (it helps that they cater for Yoga as well as
climbing), have an excellent ethical approach to business, as well as their
designs having a certain chic that draws the eye.
I am happy to say that the Zander pant surpassed all my
expectations (well apart from the anti-gravity/jet pack thing!) It is one of
the most lightweight and comfortable pairs of trousers I have worn climbing.
They are made of stretch organic cotton that is both soft and (unsurprisingly)
stretchy. I also like the bright and bold colours that they are being produced
in – great for eye catching photos! I have worn them a couple of times now,
including a session at the weekend where I decided to put them through their
paces by climbing a variety of problem styles on my local southern sandstone
and they just felt great to climb in.
So will the Prana Zander pant give you an extra grade in
your climbing? No, I’m afraid it won’t. However, it will provide you with an
attractive and comfortable fit which means you can keep your mind on what
really matters – the climbing!
I love a long weekend when I get to squeeze more climbing
and less work in. I love it even more when the weather plays ball and I
actually get to climb outside – a rarity in this country. Finally if I actually
feel good on rock and send some new problems I don’t think it gets better than
this. All three elusive pieces came together this weekend.
On Friday I drove down to Tunbridge Wells with my wife to spend
the night and next day visiting some of our friends who live in the area. I
awoke bright and early on the Saturday morning and saw an opportunity for a
little bouldering session while everyone else had a lie in. Now my friends live
just next to Toad Rock and are surrounded by little sandstone boulders. The
most obvious one is a very striking prow that you can see from their house. The
aesthetically pleasing arête is a font 6A problem called ‘Ankle Locker’ (some
clues about the beta) that Ben Read put up a few years ago. Is there anything
better than climbing a quality line in the morning sunshine? I couldn’t believe
I hadn’t been on this bloc before – it could rival ‘Red Snapper’ for best 6A on
the sandstone!
In the gully of the same bloc is hidden ‘Car Crash Arête’,
another Ben Read addition but a little harder at font 7B. At first inspection
this looks unclimbable as after some initial good holds there is very little
else until much nearer the top. However I managed to work out that it is
possible to throw to a poor sloping hold on a lip to the right – hold this and
you are more or less done. After some considerable work I eventually sent it –
I think only the third ascent of this line after Ben and Peter. Again
thoroughly recommended, especially as this area has had a lot of gardening done
to it recently, making both problems much easier to reach!
On the Sunday I headed back to Mount Edgcumbe Rocks where I
have been commencing battle with a stubborn project. Unfortunately it was too
hot to do any of the moves on this, so my attention turned to a couple of other
lines I have been eyeing up as potential problems.
One of the most obvious features to a boulderer visiting
this crag is the small, but steep roof in-between Smiling Buttress and Dusty
Buttress. At first I thought that there were not enough holds and that the rock
was too soft for it to be of interest to the climber, but after some careful
cleaning of the holds I found a potential line. It is essentially a training
board style problem – pull on with a crouching start on two opposing side-pulls
(obvious because they are the only holds in the roof!) and make a big move to a
good hold. This is then followed by a droppable sandstone style mantle-shelf/grovel.
Focusing on catching the hold and engaging my core I eventually dispatched it.
I have named it ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ as one of the biblical fruits of the
spirit is self-control, a quality that is needed on this problem. I think it
weighs in at around font 7B?
The other line I had often looked at was the vertical side
wall to the right of ‘Faith’. The climbing looked relatively straight forward,
although the landing slopes away and I wouldn’t want to fall from the top
moves. I gave the holds a brush and sussed a sequence on rope before going for
the send. With some tentative feet placement at the top I sent the problem. I
feel the name ‘Meekness not Weakness’ is appropriate and I settled on a grade
of font 6C, which takes into account the airy finish. Now the weather is
improving let’s hope there are plenty more weekends like these ahead.
There are some boulder problems that you can’t leave alone –
that you soon or later you have to come back to. I first looked at the blank
green wall of Judamondo before it had had an ascent, when it was still one of
the last obvious projects left on the sandstone. There seem to be just enough
holds perfectly spaced up to that tempting looking pocket – high enough to make
it interesting above pads, but not too high to make it dangerous. I could see
that it could be climbed, but I was not sure if I could climb it.
Then in 2010 Ben Read finally claimed this gem after 25
sessions on it (originally on a rope and then as a boulder problem), making it
possibly his hardest contribution to climbing in the South East. I gingerly gave
it a go now that I knew this was possible, but there was always an excuse – it was
at the end of the day, the holds were sandy or the feet weren’t clean. I didn’t
invest fully. But every time I walked past that wall at Eridge I knew I had to come
back at some point. My sandstone CV would not be complete without it.
In autumn last year I decided it was time. I threw a rope
down the line and actually put some time into the line. Unsurprisingly the
moves were both as good as I hoped and a lot easier when they are not covered
in dust! Also using a rope to work out moves is a time saving technique that I
wish I found earlier in life.
It began to come together. The moves all went in one session
and session two I was on the penultimate hold, session three I had my hand in
the tempting, but on closer inspection slopey, final pocket. But alas, no cigar
as winter set in and the rain started pouring. I waited for spring and drier
conditions.
In the last weekend of February it was finally dry enough
for me to get back on it. The moves came together individually on a rope again,
but once again I walked away empty handed. On the 12th March this
year, my fifth session and 6 years to the day of Ben’s first ascent, I headed
back with my mate Steve Darling who was also keen to get on it. However, the
movement felt a bit weird – I don’t know if it was a bit warm, or perhaps some
condensation on the rock or if I was feeling weak that day (probably most
likely), but it was not clicking for me. The top crux move in particular was
feeling very very unlikely on a rope. Steve on the other hand had not only
managed all the moves, but was making real progress on linking them together. Amazingly
could it go in a day for him?
I suggested just going for it above pads. Why not? Steve
kindly let me go first and it went perfectly. My feet needed no re-adjustment
and my hands hit the precise right hand pinch effortlessly. The last move felt
routine when it has felt almost unclimbable minutes before. I had done it – the
second ascent of what I think is probably one of the best 7s on the sandstone,
a modern classic. I couldn’t believe I had been walking past it all these years
instead of getting on it. Steve clearly agreed as he came back the next day and
then two days later where he walked away with the third ascent (below)
For me my mind is now turning to what to do next – but I can’t
recommend this problem highly enough for anyone looking to get out on the
sandstone. You will come back to it time and time again (unless you do it in a
day?) Roll on more dry weather and the next project….
This month the new Shaman from Evolv arrived in the UK. I
have been somewhat excited about this. The original Shaman was a great shoe
that I wore pretty much exclusively in 2013 – one of my best years climbing on
the Sandstone. In them I ticked some fairly technical test pieces including the
third known ascent of Sansara 7A, The continuing Adventures of Porg 7B+
and perhaps the best of the trio Porgs
Progress 7B (video below).
However, I am apprehensive when climbing shoe companies
relaunch shoes. ‘Don’t fix something if it isn’t broken’, not to mention
potentially ruining memories of a shoe that served me well in a personal purple
patch of climbing. I am happy to report that this is not the case with the
Shaman mark 2!
Just like the old Shaman’s the new shoe maintains the Love bump and
Knuckle Box. For those of you who haven’t tried a shoe with these features I
think they need a bit of explanation. The profile of the shoe, as you can see,
is aggressively down toed and when you put your foot into the shoe it forces it
into this shape. This ensures that your foot is in a powerful position where
you can literally pull in with your toes – in the past this has been achieved
by simply wearing climbing shoes tighter and tighter. Needless to say it is a
lot more comfortable to have a shoe in a down turn mould rather than trying to
mould the shape of your foot through an overly tight fit! My initial thoughts
when I first tried a shoe with a Knuckle box was that this would be a shoe that
would perform well on overhanging walls, as it is so downturned, but would it
perform on vertical or under hanging angles? This has been considered in the
construction of the shoe though and when you stand on footholds on less
overhanging ground the Knuckle box bends as you extend your toes. The result
being that it not only performs well on steep ground, but is a genuine all
round shoe that is just as technical on vertical walls and slabs. I gave them a
test run on a variety of angles at my local wall:
Evolv have also added more rubber on the toe which allows for more
hooking and scumming. This is a welcome addition as I think both toe hooking
and scumming are underrated techniques, particularly outside where they have
helped me get through difficult moves where strength alone is not enough.
Speaking of rubber Evolv have continued to use their TRAX rubber – which I find
as sticky, if not more so, than any other on the market.
Finally Evolv have designed the new Shaman so that it when the straps are
undone the shoe has a wide opening in which to put your foot in. This is much
welcomed as you no longer have the age old battle of trying to get your foot
into a well-fitting shoe through a small opening. The blue and orange colour
design is also nice looking and ensures the Shaman 2 looks as good as it
performs.
So overall I would recommend the Shaman 2. It is still early days (I have
only had a couple of sessions in them), but it seems as if Evolv have taken
what was a very good shoe to begin with and made it even better. All I need now
is a weather window big enough to get outside in them. Roll on spring….
It has been a little while since I last blogged – thanks
largely to the massive amounts of work I have had to do in the last couple of
months. But with the beginning of the summer holidays I have slightly less to
do and an opportunity to not only climb but also write about it. The title of
this blog is ‘7C+’ as the main news I have to report is sending two font 7C+
projects on the sandstone. First in June I sent ‘The Read Line’ while in July I
sent ‘Mojo Traverse Extension’.
‘The Read Line’ is a traverse at Eridge Green that I got
frustratingly close to last year. It involves some big powerful moves into a
reasonable edge, which is then very difficult to match before a very technical
and droppable end. Last year I fell off on that droppable end! I was keen to
get back on and finish this off this year when I noticed that the crack line at
the beginning (where you not only have to match, but match on hand jams – ouch!)
has broken a bit. With some re-tweaked beta and high feet I managed to solve
this issue. I likewise found a nice foot scum on the hard matching move which
makes this a lot easier to do. The lesson is to climb smarter, not stronger
(although if I was stronger maybe I wouldn’t need to climb in a smarter way?)
In terms of grade, this was originally given 7C by Ben Read, but I think it was
upgraded to 7C+ following repeats from Polish Pete and Barnaby. Since the crack
has broken and got worse I certainly think it warrants the 7C+ grade.
‘Mojo Traverse Extension’ at High Rocks is one of those
problems for locals who have basically done everything else that they can do –
perfect for me! In May Polish Pete showed me his new problem ‘Grunge Rover’ (font
7C) and a link up that he had repeated - ‘Mojo Traverse Extension’ (font 7C+).
Grunge Rover climbs the classic font 7B ‘Mojo’ to the break before moving right
through a big move off the sloper of ‘Mojo Variation’ to finish at the tree. It
is a great set of moves that I managed to send in June after tweaking my beta
on the big move off the sloper to pull more with my right heel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt0yQrFL0j4
‘Mojo Traverse Extension’ has the same finish, but starts on ‘Mojo Traverse’
(font 7B). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I70hNXKJx68
There are no really hard moves on this link up, but it is long (at least from a
bouldering perspective!). When I eventually sent the extension/link up it was
due to climbing through the first 7B section quick enough so I didn’t feel too
tired for the crux ending of ‘Grunge Rover’. In terms of grade, I think this
one is easier than ‘The Read Line’, but just about squeezes in at 7C+ - it
certainly took me longer to tick off that I thought it would!
My final ascent in these last couple of months was chronologically
the first one back in early June (and also not 7C+!). This was at Mount
Edgcumbe Rocks and was a fairly long traverse into ‘Mustard Seed’ (5+), which I
settled on a grade of 6C. This is one of those great climbs that is very hard to
do unless you properly climb it – you can’t just be strong. With nice flowing
moves and intricate footwork I was very happy with how it turned out! I named
it ‘Curb Rash’ after my late Grandfather (this was his nickname in WWII for
being a shorty), which seemed appropriate considering the small stature of the
climb.
Unfortunately our summer seems to be turning a little damp
at the moment – let’s hope we can squeeze a bit more in before the winter
months!
At High Rocks in the hidden alcove (in what is sometimes
called the secret garden) there is an obvious low level traverse called ‘Bum
Dragon’. The name gives a lot away – it is very easy to drag your bum on the
floor (get it!) and therefore fail the route. First put up by Pete Ziegenfuss
in 2002/2003 at font 7C+ the line starts on the far right on the obvious ledge
and traverses left underneath the roof (below the traverse line of ‘Crosstown
Traffic’ font 7C) on a variety of small crimps and smeary feet before finishing
round the corner on the slab. It is an obvious line, and while you are never
off the floor more than a few inches for the majority of the climbing, the quality
of the moves are excellent.
I had played on the moves in previous years but had become
increasingly frustrated at the painfully small crimps and more significantly
the non-existent feet in an unavoidably bunched position. It was in March last
year that I properly started trying the moves. After a few sessions I had
worked out some pretty good beta – instead of keeping my feet low I put my left
foot high up on a handhold and flagged my right leg under. This gave me
something to pull on as I shuffled along the poor crimps. Unfortunately the more
I progressed, the closer I moved to my left foot, which decreased the amount I
could pull off it. These 4-5 hand movements form the incredibly frustrating
crux section where each individual move is ok, but trying to link them all
together feels much harder. If you catch one of these holds slightly wrong then
the next move becomes fairly unlikely. After nine sessions on the problem last
year, and having made some reasonably good links, I became distracted by other problems
and left it.
In January as the rain poured down I reflected on what I
would like to climb this year on the sandstone. ‘Bum Dragon’ stood out as
unfinished business. Last year I wasn’t serious enough about trying to link the
hard moves together – my fingers weren’t strong enough at the time and nor was
my core. I set about training on the fingerboard and rings in April and May
before getting back on the problem. This year I felt much closer after only a
couple of sessions, as I had already worked all the moves out, and having got
close a few times I finally sent ‘Bum Dragon’ last Wednesday (27th
May) the first go of my 6th session this year (15th
session overall).
This brings me to the question of what grade it is. Pete
originally gave it font 7C+, but as far as I am aware my ascent twelve years
later is only the second ascent, despite attention from a variety of strong
climbers who have ticked problems in the eighth grade. I have climbed five
problems that are graded as font 8A – ‘Never Ending Story’ (Magic Woods, 4
proper sessions), ‘The Thing’ (Cressbrook, 2 proper sessions), ‘Fuerte a Muerte’
(Albarracin, 4/5 sessions), ‘Black Hoe’ (Anston, 2/3 sessions) and ‘Quarantine’
(Anston, 1 ½ sessions). I ticked all of these off far quicker than I did ‘Bum
Dragon’ (15 sessions over 15 months) and it is also certainly the hardest thing
I have climbed on the sandstone so far. The style also seems to suit me,
featuring weird flexibility and precise beta which I have had to refine.
Therefore the question is whether I should suggest that ‘Bum Dragon’ be
upgraded to font 8A?
This has put me in a bit of a dilemma. To me it felt like it
was 8A based upon other problems I have climbed at that grade, but I would
believe it if someone also repeated the problem and declared it hard 7C+. Furthermore
if I declared it 8A that would count as the first 8A on sandstone dating back
to 2002/3 and significantly re-write the record books. Like most climbers I
feel uncomfortable suggesting an upgrade, therefore I am going to dodge the
issue slightly and suggest that it is font 7C+/8A. The next ascensionist can
determine whether I was being too generous by suggesting it could weigh in at
8A, or agree with me and bump it up to a full 8A. Grading is always very
personal in climbing and is a very imprecise science unless the problem has had
multiple ascents, and as it has just been repeated by me I don’t think I can
bump it up a full grade based upon my experience alone. What ‘Bum Dragon’ needs
is a few more repeats to finalise its grade and that is what I would like to
see as the moves are excellent and the process of climbing it, despite being
frustrating at times, was very rewarding! Hopefully it will take less than
twelve years this time! In the meantime I have other on the sandstone to turn
my attention to now….
On Friday I eagerly returned home from work to find my new pair
of Evolv Luchador’s had arrived in the post. In anticipation of testing them
out I checked the weather forecast for the weekend (it was raining of course),
but not to fear I headed to the wall on Sunday to see how they would perform.
The Luchador is Evolv’s latest shoe in the Chris Sharma series
(which has produced some outstanding shoes already including the Nexxo and
Shaman), available in both a lace up and in a Velcro. It is basically designed
as a technical all-around shoe, comparable to the Pontas lace-up that I was
very partial too a few years ago, or La Sportiva’s Miura or 5-10’s pink Anasazi
lace-up. The Luchador is designed as what I would describe as a 90% shoe, in
that it is what I would want to wear on the majority of my climbing, with
perhaps a change to a more aggressive model such as the Nexxo if I was climbing
a project on a hugely overhanging wall that required an aggressive downturn.
On Sunday I climbed in them for a few hours as I went about my
normal training and while it is difficult to evaluate a shoe’s performance
after one session I was pleasantly surprised with how good they felt straight
out the box. The rand (the profile of the shoe) is slightly downturned, meaning
that the Luchador has a compromise between a flat rand and more aggressive
models. As I have mentioned this means that on steep walls (35 degrees and
steeper) a shoe with more of a downturn would perhaps be more suitable if it
was a problem that was near my maximum grade. However, most climbing
(especially outside) is on more vertical or slightly overhanging faces, and the
Luchador excels on walls like this. The edging (both inside and out) of this
shoe is quite simply ridiculously good! By only having a slight downturn with
quite a stiff sole I felt like I was cheating as I stood on minuscule edges at
the wall. On limestone and slate where edging is so crucial on small positive
footholds this would certainly be my shoe of choice. I videoed a few climbs at
the wall to show the versatility of the Luchador.
My main worry about the Luchador was whether I would be able to
smear effectively in it, as while a slight downturn and stiff sole are good for
edging, they often detract from the flexibility in climbing shoes that is
needed to smear. However, even in session one I felt confident smearing - as
the middle climb in the video shows on a classic Craggy Island horror show. I
was also not sure about the new elastic tongue system – as at first it makes it
more difficult to get the shoe on your foot. But this not only holds the shoe
closer to your foot (creating a more secure fit), but will probably reduce the
amount of sand and grit getting in (always a problem on the Sandstone). The
shoe is also made from a synthetic upper, which should mean that there is very
little stretch – something I always look for in a shoe as there is nothing
worse than your shoes ‘bagging’ after a couple of months of use. The lining is
also surprisingly soft and provides a nice amount of cushion to ensure that the
shoe feels comfortable, but that this is not done at the expense of precision. Finally,
the rubber is the Evolv standard of TRAX – which always does the job for me!
So would I recommend this shoe? Most definitely, in fact I already
have to a friend of mine! I often feel that climbers don’t evaluate what shoe
will be the best for the problem they are trying – relying too much on one
shoes for all styles. I prefer to go to crags and walls with a range of shoes
in order to meet all available challenges (the other shoes that I climb in being
the Evolv Nexxo and Shaman). The Luchador will definitely be coming out when I
head out on the slate, limestone, edging problems and probably for routes in
general as it is so comfortable. When combined with the other shoes in the
Evolv range I can’t really blame anyone else but myself if I can’t get up
something!
