Book Review: Climbing Anchors, by John Long and Bob Gaines (Falcon Guides)

Book Review: Climbing Anchors, by Falcon Guides
By John Long and Bob Gaines

Let's talk about the book Climbing Anchors, by John Long and Bob Gaines. This book is so absolutely necessary for outdoor climbers that is should actually be considered gear. If you haven't read this, put it on your summer reading list immediately. I want a full book report from you when September rolls around.

Climbing Anchors, by John Long and Bob Gaines.

The book starts simple and then delves deep into advanced strategies. An anchor is one of the most critical elements of rock climbing. It is also one of the most common causes of catastrophic failure. Contrary to popular belief, most climbing accidents do not occur as a result of gear breaking. They are caused by human error; either a poorly placed piece of protection, an improperly built anchor, or a lapse of judgement where a person puts trust in something that deserves none. In other words, most climbing accidents are preventable. This book attempts the limit the danger of human error by educating climbers about best practices for rock climbing protection, anchors, and other field-tested safety methods.

Part of the "How to Climb™" series, this book starts from the basic elements of placing protection and works its way to advanced topics. It ranges from purely theoretical (the analysis of fall forces, direction of pull, holding strength of gear) to purely practical (how to pillage a route of protection left behind by previous parties).

The authors, John Long and Bob Gaines, have been teaching climbing for longer than I have been alive. These guys have entire lifetimes of experience individually, and together their expertise is incredible. Their credentials go back years; go ahead and Google their names. They follow explanations and pictures with real-world anecdotes. Together, they recall climbing stories both triumphant and grim. They write with the urgency of men who have lost dear friends to accidents that their knowledge could have prevented. They also have certain dark humor to them; like ambulance drivers who have seen things. They don't always paint a pretty picture, but that's not what their book is about.

This book is great for beginner to intermediate climbers. It discusses some fairly advanced anchor building, but it's all laid out in plain English and described clearly. Even if you've never had to build an anchor or rarely lead, it can give you the ability to double check placements and anchors and verify their safety. It also goes into great detail about different bolts, their history, and relative strengths. This allows you to climb a sport route and determine the safety of the permanent bolts. In other words, you do not need to be a trad leader to benefit from this book.

For more advanced trad climbers, this book still has plenty to offer. I have been climbing for many years, but I still learned some very basic techniques from this book. Everyone has a different pool of knowledge to draw from, and learning 1-2 new ways to set up a certain anchor could save your life. As Long and Gaines point out, there is no climbing anchor that is best in every single case. Each anchoring situation is unique, and anchors must be built on a case-by-case basis. Flexibility and knowledge of alternatives are critical to make sure you are able to consistently create solid anchors.

John Long and Bob Gaines' book "Climbing Anchors, Second Edition", produced by Falcon Guides, can be bought new on Amazon for $10.30 at the link below. That's a bargain for something that you can read in your spare time and could save lives. Check it out!

 

Be safe.

by Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations -->

Review: New England Ropes Equinox Climbing Rope, 60m x 10.2mm

The New England Ropes Equinox
at Lake Tahoe

The New England Ropes Equinox 10.2mm is quite sexy. We got a 10.2mm by 60m, which is perfect for long days at a sport crag. I find the rich blue, white, and black color pattern striking. It definitely looks great as you tie your figure eight and start up a pitch. It's got a dry coating, and at $144 bucks, it's one of the cheapest ropes on the market.

Unfortunately, the praise for this climbing rope stops here. This thing is a nightmare to use. It is apparently sentient enough to tie itself in knots and to take pleasure in your attempts to untangle it. Flaking this rope can take 5-10 minutes.

This rope has the unmatched ability to turn a short single pitch rappel into a 45 minute ordeal. Even the most careful rope management results in long, knotted coils getting stuck halfway down the pitch. You will finding yourself cursing at it under your breath every visit to the crag. Maybe mine is defective? I've never had these problems with any other rope.

The tangled mess is especially noticeable when you tie it to another rope to rappel down a long pitch. The other rope coils nicely on your personal anchor, then unfurls perfectly down the pitch. With the Equinox, you yell "rope!", throw it 5 feet, and it somehow twists itself into a Klemheist in mid-air. We've taken to calling it "The Flying Spaghetti Monster." Seriously. It's a mess.

The New England Ropes Equinox is the cheapest rope you're likely to find. It's going for $144 on Amazon, which by my account, is a bargain. It may not be convenient, but it's definitely safe. If I were you, I would save up a little more money and get a BlueWater Pulse 9.9mm. The 70m is currently on sale for $188 on Amazon (Click "70m").

If you're willing to go a little higher, the Mammut Tusk 9.8mm is one of my favorite ropes of all time. It's dry coated like the Equinox, and it is one of the best performing ropes I've ever used. It's got a bipattern, which is great for rappelling. I'll definitely review that soon. You can buy it on Amazon for $219 (click 60m).

Be safe.

by Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations

Keep climbing weird.

Keep #climbing weird. twitter.com/RuggedInnovati…
— Rugged Innovations (@RuggedInnovatio) March 13, 2013

That is all.

Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations

Fear and the Psychology of Rock Climbing.

Fear controls us. Our thoughts, actions, and emotions are driven by - among other things - billions of years of evolutionary adaptations. Fear is a survival mechanism; a trait that, whether you believe it to be learned or genetic, is directly responsible for our very existence. One of the reasons we exist today is that our ancestors used their fear to help them survive long enough to procreate. If our genetic predecessors hadn't been afraid, we would've gotten eaten by a saber-tooth tiger or something. Your genes would've been killed off in the Triassic period and you wouldn't be reading this. Let's take a moment to thank fear.

Confronting her fear. Lover's Leap, CA

When I first tell someone that I'm a serious rock climber, I usually get some variation of the same response: "I could never do that; I'm afraid of heights!" People assume that since I put myself in dangerous situations, I am either immune to fear or naïve about the dangers I face. This is false.

Rock climbers, alpinists, hikers, outdoor adventurers, and extreme sportsmen don't ignore fear. In fact, we have a stronger relationship with fear than the average Joe. Think about someone living an average suburban lifestyle. They are not exposed to fear regularly. Unless they have had some unusual circumstances in their life, it is unlikely they have ever been in direct mortal danger.

This isn't an indictment of American society; quite the opposite. The Industrial Revolution, the germ theory of disease, and other relatively recent advancements have made our society as safe as any has ever been. Our society is so advanced that we have eliminated all of humanity's natural predators. The evolutionary irony of the relative safety of advanced nations is that contemporary health and safety issues are results of inactivity (cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, anxiety disorders, diabetes, obesity, etc) rather than activity (violence, accidents, becoming prey, etc). Over billions of years, our ancestors adapted to be able to avoid "active" threats. This is why we are fast, strong, clever, patient, social, and have a strong fear response. We have not yet adapted to the passive threats of the 21st Century.

We have collectively forgotten what fear is. When I tell people I free climb, they don't want to imagine what that might be like. They mention their fear reverentially, "I couldn't handle that!" They are so unaccustomed to this primal instinct that they think I'm crazy for willingly subjecting myself to it. People are afraid of fear itself.

As a climber, it's hard to explain our relationship with fear. We think about fear all the time - it's an ongoing conversation with no conclusion. Whether you're free climbing or free soloing, there comes a point where you are out of sight and earshot of any other people. Nothing is more alienating than being exposed, cold, and faced with certain death if you make a mistake. No one can hear you, see you, or help you -- this is an entirely personal journey. You must find a way forward, mentally and physically.

You come to terms with fear at the end of your wits. There's no audience. There are no cowards or heroes 500 feet up a granite wall. It's a liberating feeling; knowing that your struggle is totally off the record. You have to make an honest assessment of your abilities. Maybe there's a difficult move that requires full commitment and you know that a half-hearted effort would result in your death. Can you execute? Can you? When the stakes are that high, the psych-out factor is huge. You think about your life, your family, your spouse crying at your funeral. You're still young. Dying is not on the agenda for the next few decades. Thoughts like that flood your mind, but they don't change your predicament. You move on.

There is a moment of silent intensity. You encounter an ancient ferocity that our society has forgotten. Your heart chugs wildly and you shake and quiver and scream.

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer" - Albert Camus

Your genetic ancestors fought their way across the millennia by surviving moments like these. The adrenaline-fueled instances last only seconds, but they imbue you with a sense of spatial agency that lasts a lifetime. In my life, I occasionally struggle to find confidence. I fear failure, abandonment, alienation and disapproval. I will always fear those things, and I will always fear heights, falling, and death. Rock climbing doesn't change that.

Rock climbing reminds me that I am capable of facing these fears when it matters most. It forces me to quickly differentiate between a real fear and an insecurity. Through struggle, it humbles me. Through success, it empowers me.

Be safe.

By Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations

For additional reading, check out the following:
Nicros - Improving Concentration
The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training for Climbers

Review: La Sportiva Solution Climbing Shoe

Review: La Sportiva Solution Climbing Shoe

I'm going to cut right to the chase. The La Sportiva Solutions are incredible climbing shoes for sport and bouldering. They are expensive -- no doubt -- but the quality definitely reflects the price. You will feel the work La Sportiva has put into this shoe.

First of all, these shoes are as about aggro as they come. The downturn at the midsole and toe is just... angry. If you are doing hard, overhanging boulder problems or sport routes with tiny feet, these shoes deliver. The rubber at the tip of the shoe covers the toes; this is an advantage if you find yourself toe hooking frequently.

The heel cup on these shoes feels like a little octopus is gently clinging to the heel of your foot with its little suction cups. It fits snugly and leaves no airpockets like the FiveTen Anasazi Arrowheads (these are both great shoes, but they never seem to fit me right). The heel rubber is spectacular for heel hooks, although, to be fair, very few shoes are bad at heel hooks.

Like most aggressive, downturned, frequently-downsized sport or bouldering shoes, they are an absolute nightmare to put on. That's the M.O. for this type of shoe; I have yet to wear a shoe of this style that is easy to put on. However, the lace structure is stable and flexible and offers a lot more fit customization than you might think.

La Sportiva uses Vibram XS Grip2 rubber. This is my favorite kind of rubber because it offers long-lasting performance. I've had plenty of La Sportiva shoes and have sent hard problems even in 3-year-old shoes. After you've used them for years and have worn nearly through the rubber, La Sportiva climbing shoes will be a great backup or hand-me-down. The performance lasts a long, long time. Despite my appreciation of 5.10, Evolv, and other companies, their shoes have never matched La Sportiva for longevity in my experience.

Still aggressive after a lot of use. 

Alternatives include the Evolv Shaman (a.k.a., Chris Sharma's shoe) and the FiveTen Team 5.10. These shoes are a bit cheaper, offer similar (although, in my opinion, lesser) performance, and have the undisputed advantage of looking less silly. 

In the world of climbing shoes, the La Sportiva Solutions are the sports cars: sleek, powerful, aggressive, and built for performance. To continue the analogy, you can't expect Lamborghini performance at Hyundai prices. The price tag reflects the work and engineering that has been put into theses shoes. At $170, the La Sportiva Solutions are one of the most expensive climbing shoes on the market. You can buy them from Amazon.comat the link below.


Pull harder,

Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations