Matt McCormick-Climbing Adventures and Training for Climbing

Ice-Fest Season!

2012-01-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

The season of Ice Festivals is upon us! It all kicks off this weekend with the Mountainfest in the Adirondacks! Bayard Russell and I will be giving a slideshow Saturday night featuring a bunch of great video and photos of northeast ice and mixed climbing. They'll be demos from all the best gear companies including La Sportiva, Petzl, and Outdoor Research plus great shows from Zoe Hart on Friday and Emilie Drinkwater on Sunday! Don't miss it!

The winter season has been a little slow getting going this year but I've managed a few fun days out. Here

The Snotscicle in Smuggler's Notch. Bayard and I checked out the unclimbed dry tooling about the ice and will definitely be back for that!

The classic Fafnir with my good friend Jake Frerk. My thoughts are with him and the rest of the Skier Boyz this weekend.

Happy Holidays and New Year!

2011-12-26T12:59:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Looking back on the year I feel incredibly fortunate for all of the opportunities, experiences, people met, and just plain general fun I've had this year from my backyard to the other side of the world. Maybe it's my goal-oriented personality by I like this time of year to look back on the year past and ahead to new things yet to come.

Here's a short video I put together with some images from the past year... Enjoy!

Since I first traveled to Pakistan 2 years ago, I've received heart felt holiday cards from my friends over there. With so much negative news these days about the US's relationship with Pakistan, these cards are a wonderful reminder of the kindness I've experienced there. As my friend Kelly Cordes wrote about the same subject, how many cards have you sent for holidays completely separate and different from your own? How many totally foreign holidays are you even aware of? Thank you Ghulam and Ali Muhammad for your kind cards!

Winter Game On!

2011-12-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

There was a time not long ago that I couldn't wait for winter to begin. I would nab an ascent of the Black Dike as early as possible and even traveled to the Canadian Rockies several times to catch some Thanksgiving ice! In that last 4 years though I've stretched the rock climbing season as our east coast weather allows. This I traveled down to the Red River Gorge and the New River Gorge for most of November and left wanting more of that warm pocketed rock.

Then something clicks... I'm not sure what it is but every year all of a sudden I am psyched for winter. This year it was a photo posted online by my friend Eric Eisele of Cannon Cliff that sparked it. Out came the dusty ice tools and crampons, digging for warm layers that inevitably still have holes from last season. The whole process of packing for the first winter day out always takes twice as long.

Eric's shot of Cannon. Mean Streak starts with the pillar at the lower left corner

of the cliff line.

I left my house in Vermont at 5am and arrived in the Cannon parking lot a couple of hours later to meet Freddie Wilkinson and Bayard Russell. We had our eye on a route put up about 4 years ago by Will Mayo and Andy Tuthill called Mean Streak. Sure enough the 60 foot pillar at the start was in and the rest of the steep dry tooling, well it looked awesome. It was a great way to kick off the season!

Bayard styling the first pitch off the couch!

A short time-lapse that Freddie put together. More to come soon!

The Elephant's Perch

2011-08-17T18:40:00.001-07:00

Since returning from Pakistan I've had a pretty whirlwind couple of weeks! After spending two days at home un-packing I quickly re-packed and flew out to Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer show. I'd be challenged to find a more polar opposite experience from being on expedition in Pakistan! Despite the craziness of the "show" it was great to meet with some of my dealers and also to catch up with friends.

I had a chance to chat with Hayden Kennedy who along with Kelly Cordes and Kyle Dempster should be arriving in the Charakusa any day now. Sending the good vibes their way!!!

After the OR show Naomi and I picked up our rental Dodge Grand Caravan (Definitely a contender for my next car now...) and drove northwest to Stanley, Idaho and the Sawtooth Range. The Elephant's Perch was our destination and after a fairly burly hike due to our heavy food (and wine) supply, we were rewarded with views of the golden granite dome spider-webbed with seemingly infinite cracks.

We started out with a sandbagged 5.10 called Astro-Elephant...

Doug Madara on the sandbagged flare of Astro-Elephant

Naomi following pitch 1 of Astro-Elephant

After climbing the classic Mountaineer's Route (5.9) the next day, we took a rest day and hung around camp and the beautiful alpine lakes. I took a nice 30' cliff jump into the freezing waters which woke me up to say the least.

The Elephant's Perch!

The next day Naomi and I climbed the classic "Direct Beckey" (5.11). This was by far the longest and most sustained route that Naomi had ever done and she did AWESOME! We topped out and watched the sunset over the Sawtooths. One of the coolest things about the 'Perch is that you can top out at sunset and then be back in camp in a half-hour due to the easy descent gully.

I'm really looking forward to returning to this area! For now it's back in training mode after a summer of getting out of shape alpine climbing :)

Here's a short video I put together of our trip to the 'Perch...

Pakistan 2011 Recap!

2011-08-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

“Isn’t there anywhere else you can climb?” “Good to know you…” Generally reactions to us traveling to Pakistan were not positive. My previous year’s experience and that of every climber I know who has traveled to this country told me this was not the case. As I stepped out of the Islamabad baggage claim along with Pat Goodman and Will Meinen and into a sea of foreign faces I was nearly blindsided by friend and trekking agent Ghulam Muhammad as he rushed to excitedly greet me. Similar greetings followed as we ran into familiar faces and new ones a like, all ecstatic at our arrival and eager to share their country with us.

Our cook and guide Fida Hussain, 60+ years old and veteran of countless espeditions

A two day’s walk from the stone and mortar village of Hushe, the Charakusa Valley holds a diversity of climbing I wager is hard to find elsewhere in the world. From granite bouldering to massive unclimbed mixed faces which dominate the landscape, the Charakusa holds several lifetimes of objectives both climbed and unclimbed. The unclimbed southwest pillar of K7 West was our main objective and from my perspective is one of the most striking alpine objectives in the world currently. Poor weather would plague our time in the valley with frequent rainstorms and snow and rime constantly forming on our intended line. Windows of good weather proved to be only 2-3 days long.

Pat with Naysser Brakk in the background

Pat and I took advantage of our first window by climbing the north ridge (British Route) on Naysser Brakk. One of the three immaculately cut ridges forming the pyramidal shape of Naysser, the North Ridge has become a classic of the valley and provided a good acclimatization mission. After following the final several pitches that resemble Matthes Crest in the Sierra’s, we sat on the surprisingly flat summit of the pyramid in the blazing Karakorum sun blown away by all of the potential we could see in the valley below.

A short video of our Naysser Brakk ascent

Searching for one more acclimatization objective and an opportunity for Pat and I to climb with Will who we had not yet roped up with, we decided on an unclimbed granite Pillar across and valley and next to Farhod Brakk. “We’ll probably be able to simul-climb most of it…” we discussed in the days prior as we waited for the incessant drizzle to clear. Pat and I swapped blocks up the blocks following surprisingly hard climbing. Thin seams and cracks would follow a dangerously loose pitch. One pitch found me screaming as if at the sport crag as I bear- hugged my way up a arête above small rp’s. Pat fought his way up a finger crack nearing the 5.12 mark. Above our bivy I completed my block and Pat took us out left of the arête with delicate traverse that led to the the summit pillar.

Following many rappels, we reached our boots and ice gear as the light faded. We downclimbed the snow couloir as rain began to fall more and more steadily, narrowly dodging some rockfall. We named the pillar “Fida Brakk” after our friend and cook Fida Hussain. The route we named the “Jenga Spur” V+ 5.11+R A.0 1050m after the numerous loose pitches and the way the route just barely seemed to come together.

"The Jenga Spur" on "Fida Brakk" V+ 5.11+R A.0 1050m July6-7

Pat on one of the many 5.11+ pitches encountered on the "Jenga Spur"

As often seems to happen on expeditions, numerous factors kept us from more climbing. We explored different options with Pat and I spending two nights camped below an impressive unclimbed line in the Farol Peak cirque but ultimately ended up leaving the valley content with the climbing we had done and excited to return to explore the multitude of granite that Pakistan holds.

On our way home we visited the village of Haldi where Fida, Ghulam, and all of the Blue Sky Treks and Tours crew lives. Thanks to the generosity of the Burlington Vermont climbing community that donated $200 dollars plus tons of addition school supplies, we delivered a full expedition duffle to the teachers and children of the village. We spent the afternoon visiting with a new schoolteacher of the village who is working to develop the new primary school.

The juxtaposition of western views of Pakistan versus my experiences here continues to amaze me. As Fida’s son put is so well, “The are miscreants and dangerous areas in nearly every country.” This is very much the case in Pakistan where there are certainly dangerous areas and people. The northern area of Baltistan has been a safe and welcoming place for thousands of climbers and I imagine will continue to be so.

We felt extremely fortunate and honored to have the generous financial support of theCopp-Dash Inspire Award and the Gore Shipton-Tilman Grant. THANK YOU!

A recap at Alpinist.com

Look for a full film telling the rest of the story to be released later this fall!

In Pakistan!

2011-06-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

The several months of planning, training and emailing seem to blur together and I find myself back in Islamabad Pakistan waiting to fly to Skardu and the mountains. The last week or so is truly a blur. Things kicked off with a 9pm phone call from Pat Goodman who was en-route to VT to pack and climb prior to departing. Pat's trusty Toyota Previa "Junebug" had pretty much dropped the drive shaft near the Pennsylvania/New York border and it seemed unlikely to be revived at the time. I hopped in my Tacoma and made the 5 hour drive down to meet him, arriving wound up on three mugs of iced-espresso at 3am. Miraculously all that was needed were a couple of parts and van was going to be good to go the next day. Pat and I headed north while Will Meinen, also en-route to meet us in Vermont, picked up the van the next day.

The rest of our journey to Vermont involved stopping by the Sterling Rope factory to pick up ropes, partying in North Conway with a bunch of our friends, several of whom are headed out on awesome adventures this summer, and nearly hitting a moose on route 2 in Vermont. The adventure seemed to have already begun!

With all three of us finally together in Vermont we headed to Cannon Cliff to try and get some climbing in before all of the packing. Hoards of blackflies threatened to lift us off of the wall and we all felt fortunate to be heading to a place this summer where bugs are not an issue. Following days passed in a blur of shopping for food, packing, weighing bags, re-packing and finally throwing everything into Pat's Previa to head to Boston's Logan airport.

Expedition Duffles

After 24 hours of flying from BOS to London, to Bahrain it was great to finally see my friends Ghulam and Sajjad from Blue Sky Treks and Tours, waiting for us outside the arrival gate in Islamabad. Now we find ourselves in the quintessential Karakorum experience, waiting in the sweltering 100 degree heat of Islamabad waiting to hopefully fly to Skardu tomorrow morning. It feels great to be back and we're all psyched for the next phase of the adventure.

Pat and Will outside the airport in Islamabad

Now and the Near Future

2011-05-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

It really has been too long since I last posted on this blog. So cliche in the blogging world, I know. Rather than try and catch up on all that I didn't share about the last several months I'll focus on the present and near-future.

Most exciting is the news that myself, Pat Goodman, and Will Meinen recently received two generous grants to help fund our trip to the Charakusa Valley in Pakistan. I feel really honored to receive the Copp-Dash Inspire Award and the Shipton-Tilman Award for Gore-Tex. I'll be returning for a second time to attempt the unclimbed Southwest Pillar of K7 West. We leave in mid-june and will be in Pakistan for nearly 7 weeks. Needless to say, the psyche is really high right now and we are in full "get-ready" mode.

The Gore-Tex Shipton-Tilman Award!

Pat Goodman (top) and Will Meinen

I just returned from an awesome trip top Red Rocks in Nevada to climb with Pat. Despite having traveled all over the place to rock climb, I had never been to this land of immaculate sandstone. The goal was to cover a lot of ground, getting in as much mileage as possible and refining our systems for moving fast. Red Rocks is great for this. The routes can be long and draining and the approaches are usually around an hour.

Red Rocks with the Rainbow Wall in the back right

A little time-lapse I did in Red Rocks

It was a great training week being constantly on the go. We didn't tackle anything really hard choosing instead to cover a lot of ground. We did get to hit some absolute classics including Epinephrine, Dogma on Mt. Wilson, and the Original Route on the Rainbow Wall. All these are routes I've wanted to do ever since I started climbing. One of the first climbing books I owned was 50 Favorites by Mark Kroese. I remember the chapter on the Rainbow Wall and always had it in my mind to someday do it. Pat and I hiked up there after previously stashing our gear at the base and got the whole route free. The Ro-Sham-bo gave Pat the 2 5.12 pitches and me the .11d pitches. I was psyched to have a no-falls day on such an amazing wall!

Hiking up the slabs to the Rainbow Wall

On the summit of the Rainbow Wall! Cool to be able to top out these features in Red Rocks.;

Now I'm back in Vermont with just over a month to wrap up my training (more on that to come soon!) and get ready for Pakistan in June!

Pump and Dump

2010-12-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

The ice conditions here in the northeast continue to be off the hook! Today I jumped on the ferry from Burlington and crossed Lake Champlain to meet my good friend Will Roth at Poko-Moonshine. Poko is conveniently located a short 10 minute walk from the road which also facilitates a nice drive-by to scope the conditions. When I pulled up to the cliff today I was blown away by the amount of ice plastered to Poko's dark anorthasite walls.

Will rapping off...

My eye was immediately drawn to to a subtle strip of ice that I had never seen before. This line turned out to be "Pump and Dump" a route that Kevin Mahoney had put up with Matt Horner a few years ago. The route has a reputation of being severely runout and Horner had told me that Kevin had more or less soloed some hard drytooling to access a barely usable amount of ice.

The route still had not seen a second ascent...

With all these images swirling in my head I decided to go and have a look. Will led a deceptively tricky first pitch where the ice was much thinner than it appeared which brought us up to the business. The crux pitch started off with a fun drytooling traverse which landed me at a stance below the crux seam. The ice just left of the seam was fully unusable and pretty much all came off with a tap of my hammer. In fact the first 30-40' of ice on the route was incredibly detached and flexed and shifted with the slightest pressure!

About to get going on the traverse...

Across the traverse...

After getting established below the seam, I was able to fiddle in a small red C3 and a small off-set nut. With this adequate gear luring me on, I launched up the thin seam, getting hooks in the constrictions and then swinging into verglas as the crack bottomed out. Close to the top with my monopoint torqued in the crack I fought for a hook in the thin verglas when suddenly I was off!

About to launch up the crack next to the unusable ice...

It seems that all mixed climbing falls are violent and mostly upside down and this one was no different as I slammed ass first into the slab below. With the confidence that the nut was good I jumped back on and fired the crack to the next stance and then continued past more wobbly ice and drytooling which led to a wonderful strip of body-width vertical ice and the top.

Through the crack and on to more drytooling around sketchy ice...

It was super cool to repeat this line. Here in the northeast there are a handful of those ephemeral routes which seldom come in and are must do's when they do appear. Pump and Dump is for sure one of them. The gear was where you needed it and the climbing challenging and exciting. Despite not getting it totally clean I am psyched to have had the opportunity to get up such a rare line!

I hope everyone is having a great season so far! Conditions are sick right now!

Shenanigans and a New Route!

2010-12-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

Recently I had an interesting conversation with my friend Bayard Russell about getting "shut down". It was our second day out after spending all of the previous day on Cannon scratching around in vain to try and get up a hopelessly out of shape Omega. "Why do we always go after these type of lines," I wondered aloud. "These type of lines..." You know, the ones that seem barely there; that lure us in with tantalizing hangers, steep drytooling, and a low probability of success. These are the lines that get us psyched though and part of the deal is that many times things just don't click.

The South Face of Frankenstein with the arrow pointing to "Pole Dance"

This past Sunday after our frustrating fiasco on Cannon, Bayard, Kevin Mahoney and I found ourselves gearing up beneath another one of those tantalizing lines on the south facing upper tier of Frankenstein Cliffs. Kevin had a short chunk of time for the day and suggested a formula which had led us to this prospective line.

1. Difficulty (Is is gnarly enough?)

2. What is the probability of success?

3. Does it form often?

4. Sketchiness

The line...

As we racked up the sun beat down unnervingly hard on the ice above. Kevin walked away for a moment to shoot a few photos and suddenly yelled "watch out!" as a huge hanger cut loose above. Bayard jumped clear and I tucked behind a large maple tree. Our gear, including Kevin's wife Claire's $800 camera, took a beating and was strewn down into the talus below us. After picking up our gear and moving to a safer spot we considered our options.

Kevin and his broken glasses after the ice fall...

Kevin soloed up the short ice pitch and found a safe belay on the far right side of the ledge. Once Bayard and I got to the belay we peered up at the inspiring yellow torpedo of ice hanging from the roof above us. A steady stream of water dripped from the icicle as the sun continued to beat down. Frightened by our earlier experience we rapped to the ground. In the course of that the rope got stuck necessitating Bayard to solo up and free it.

Bayard following the steep ice above the roof...

For the next hour and a half we hemmed and hawed for the as line we had come to climb moved slightly more into the shade. After taking a short walk to verify that everything else was getting just as sun beaten we convinced ourselves to give the line another shot. I grabbed the rack and ropes and soloed up to the belay before we changed our minds.

Myself following the crux

Kevin took the lead and fired the rest of the pitch past super fun climbing on thin smears to an iced up crack with tricky gear and then onto a free hanging icicle which led to a steep finish on plastic WI 5.

Bayard following the crux...

It felt good to get something done and especially good to put up a new line at Frankenstein. Kevin decided on Pole Dance (NEI 5) for the name and grade after the delicate climbing on the narrow ice pillar and the other similarly themed route names on the upper tier.

We had broke through the shenanigans!

Fall and the new Dacks Project

2010-10-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been waaay to long since I last posted on here. Pakistan was absolutely incredible despite lots of heavy rain which made it pretty difficult to get much. Look for my film about the trip soon on Outdoor Research's Verticulture site. Upon returning back to Vermont it was quickly apparent that expedition travel does little for keeping you in top rock climbing shape. I've been spending extra hours in the gym trying to get back in shape for my projects here in New England and for our upcoming trip to the Red!

Moss Cliff

Most of my weekends this fall have been spent at the inspirational Moss Cliff in the Adirondacks. Moss Cliff is literally covered in amazing splitters from barely-there tips seams to one of the raddest off-width routes in the northeast. The cliff forms an enormous right angle and the right side is one of the most impressive single walls that I've seen anywhere.

Referred to as the "Aid Wall" in the guidebook, my friend and fellow Vermonter Peter Kamitses has ticked off the first free ascents of two of the 3 aid lines on this sweeping overhang of a wall. The third and as of yet unfreed line is named Pan Am and may just be the hardest of them all!

The route starts off with a beautiful 35' spitter 5.10 corner which leads to a nice pedestal belay ledge. From there the route gets a whole lot nastier. An extremely technical V6/7 boulder problem complete with thin and hard to place gear leads to sustained 5.12+ climbing up the increasingly steep wall until you encounter the heartbreaking crux. This is a Red River Gorge'esque route with additional Rumney style boulder problems at the start and finish. I've been logging big hours building up my fitness for this beast!

I'm headed over this weekend with Naomi and Peter Kamitses who is also working the line. Hopefully the conditions hold out a little for us!

Here's a video I put together with my friend and fellow Outdoor Research athlete Tim Keenan. We went up to Moss to spend some time on the route several weeks ago.

Dacks Dispatch from Matt McCormick on Vimeo.

In Pakistan!

2010-07-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm in Islamabad Pakistan along with my good friend Timmy DeRoehn. We're on our way to the Charakusa Valley. This valley is an alpine wonderland filled with infinite granite spires and alpine objectives. We have our sights set on the southwest pillar of K7 west, a 6,200m unclimbed granite spire capped with snow and ice. Tomorrow we catch a plane to Skardu along with our luggage and then it's onto Hushe and then a 2 day trek into the mountains. Our journey here has been pretty insane with us shelling out over $500 in overweight charges flying for almost 2 days!

We'll be posting updates on the Outdoor Research Verticulture site here:

www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com

Team America

2010-04-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

Among the plethora of scattered crags to be found in the Green Mountain State, a few in particular stand out far above all others. The 82 crag is one such outstanding crag and ranks among one of my favorite sport climbing hangs anywhere. The routes start off a large ledge accessed by a fixed rope making the crag feel exposed for Vermont and offering amazing views of the Bolton valley. Despite it's relatively small size, the crag boasts several 5 star 5.12's and now 2 5.13 pitches with the addition of Team America .13a.

At the rest on a previous attempt (Steve Potter photo)

About 4 years ago my friend Dave Vuono had bolted the right most arete of the wall and had never gotten around to trying it. The route remained un-attempted until recently when myself, Parker Weber, and John Tomb began checking it out. I quickly realized that the route would need some adjustments and began by moving the anchor to a more logical spot and than moving a couple other bolts as well. The new-routing process is by far my favorite thing to do in climbing. Figuring out beta, dealing with broken holds, equipping, and all the other work that goes into a new route makes the experience incredibly rewarding.

Last Thursday I headed up to the 82 with my friend Chris for an after work mission. After a quick warm-up, I jumped on the route and dogged up it to re-figure a couple of parts. I had taped a split on my left index finger from a previous go and on my second go I fell off the last hard move of the route, slicing the pad of my right middle finger wide open! With the light fading fast and a bleeding tip I lowered and was pretty sure I was done for the day. Chris took a top-rope burn real quick and suddenly the psyche hit me and I was re-taped and climbing through the first crux of the route in the dark with my headlamp.

Many small crimps!

Initially the new split on my right hand stung with every one of the many tiny crimps in this route but that pain quickly subsided as I got into the flow of the route and found myself at my previous high point. Pumped and greasing off the left hand sloper, I latched a small right hand edge and pasted my right foot on the dubious smear. With a quick breath to focus in on the hold I threw for the two finger side-pull and caught it. Breathing hard, I flew through the following good holds to the anchor.

Pretty awesome positioning!

I decided to call this route Team America after the team effort that went into it with Dave initially equipping it and then Park, John, and I figuring out the beta for it. This route is totally unique in comparison to others around New England. For the 82 it's relatively long with 11 bolts and is super technical with sustained crimping through a large portion of the route. I'm psyched to have made an addition to this already amazing crag.

Mummy hands

Slideshow Wednesday Night!

2010-04-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night I'll be giving a slideshow at Plymouth State University in Plymouth NH. Come on down if your in the area! Show starts at 8pm in Boyd Hall on the PSU campus.

The show will give a glimpse of some of the northeast's strongest climbers getting after it on mixed, ice and rock terrain. There will be a amazing raffle with tons of cool swag including a 60m Sterling rope and other gear! All proceeds benefit the Kismet Rock Foundation. This is an awesome non-profit that several of my friends are involved with. Kismet creates opportunities for economically-disadvantaged children to experience all the amazing experiences rock climbing has to offer in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Results

2010-04-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Brian Bittner is a super strong climber from Burlington Vermont who, as a member of the 5.10 Athlete Team, has for many years focused solely on bouldering and indoor competition. This fall with a trip to the Red River Gorge to get him psyched, Brian started diversifying his climbing with some sport climbing and expressed an interest in started to train with me. Six months later Brian sent his V11 project and his hardest sport route yet Dodge the Lemons (.13c) both in the span of 3 days. He is crushing!

Brian wrote a short piece below on his thoughts about the training we've been doing and his recent sends. Check it out!

"Over the past few months I have been training closely under Matt McCormick's supervision. I have been cycling in and out of strength, power, power endurance and endurance training. I have seen improvements in all aspects of my climbing, not just in how I feel, but also in tangible results, in the past two months I climbed my hardest boulder problems (Diesel Dreams V11 and Fred's Roof V11) and also my hardest redpoint (Dodge the Lemons 5.13c), not to mention flash and redpoint bests. These results are especially refreshing as I have been climbing for close to 12 years. During the past few years I felt I had reached a plateau, I am now confident I have broken through that plateau. With my new training plan I have no doubt I will continue to improve to levels I had once dreamed of. If Matt's own climbing successes are not enough, his ever growing wealth of knowledge, his openness to disucss new ideas, and his willingness to hear your wishes and concerns make it an easy choice only few would not benefit from."

Tolerance

2010-03-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

I regularly read a variety of training blogs to gather new ideas and learn what others are doing to get more fit for climbing. One of my favorite sites in Steve Bechtel's Climb Strong blog. Along with being a well accomplished climber, Steve is a American Strength and Conditioning Certified coach and runs the Elemental Gym in Lander Wyoming. Steve combines his education and deep understanding of exercise science with an intimate knowledge of climbing to write some thoughtful and effective pieces on training. Check out his site here

In his latest column, Steve talks about the concept of "Tolerance." For many years since training texts had referred to "power endurance." Recently myself and others have used the term anaerobic endurance which seems more accurate to me but still not clear. "Power Endurance" to me, is an oxymoron. Power and endurance couldn't be more of a dichtomy. I like to use the analogy of the marathon runner and the sprinter to frame this idea. The marathon runner is training for a extremely long and sustained performance effort while the sprinter is training for seconds of maximal intensity performance.

Steve says that he was turned onto the term tolerance by a spanish trainer/coach who used the term to define the ability to climb through fatigue for sustained periods on a climb. To me this terms sums it up perfectly. Most routes that are difficult for us come down to being able to sustain a high level of strength and power for several moves through crux or multiple cruxes on a route.

Lately I've dealt with this on a long term nemesis in Rumney. The crux of this route is only about 12 moves long but by the 7th move I'm feeling gassed and mentally I find it challenging to push through that. Training tolerance will not only physically prepare yourself for that sustained crux climbing, it will also prepare you mentally to climb through the fatigue. Check out some of the exercises we've been doing lately here.

I'd be psyched to hear what others are doing to train tolerance and what they think about this concept!

Spring Has Arrived!

2010-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

New England received some amazing weather last week and I took advantage, heading over to Rumney for some sport climbing. Even after a winter of training hard in the gym it takes a day or so to get back into the swing of climbing on real rock. It was a beautiful weekend and people were sending left and right! I was psyched to send Suburban .13a on Sunday and am now psyched to work on the extension, Urban Surfer .13d. Probably heading back this weekend.

Here are some pics from the weekend!

Alex at the top of Concrete Jungle .13b

Brian shoeing up for a 2nd try send of Venus in a Halfshell .12c

Janet, Freddie, and Tagger!

Brian and Leah

Michael Penn sending China Beach .14b

Training Tolerance

2010-03-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I've been cycling between Strength/Power and Anaerobic-Endurance components. One thing that has kept this training dynamic and interesting is constantly switching up the exercises from day to day. I'll talk more about the strength/power components in the near future but for now I wanted to share some of the anaerobic endurance workouts that myself and my friend Brian Bittner have been doing. For me it's been awesome switching up the workouts both on a physical and mental level.

Physically, keeping your workouts new and dynamic forces your body to adapt to more variable stimulus and keeps overloading the body in new and challenging ways. Mentally I have definitely avoided burnout by keeping things new.

As the spring season is upon us, training anaerobic endurance is a great way to transform that strength and power gained bouldering during the winter into route climbing fitness!

Here are some exercises to try out that are outside the usual 4X4 circuit:

Boulder Pyramids:

Select around 5 problems (has to be an odd number) in ascending difficulty. The 5th problem should be somewhere near your limit but should be a problem you have sent. Complete the 5 problems and then repeat them in reverse. Example V4,V4+,V5,V6,V7,V6,V5,V4+,V4

Repeat this pyramid at least 3 times resting between each set for the same length of time it took you to complete it.

Traverse into Problems:

Most routes have one or two main cruxes to be dealt with and a bunch of other climbing in between of variable difficulty. This exercise is an excellent way of simulating a route climbing experience without having to rope up. Select a problem at or slightly under your limit (This may take some experimenting to find out what you can do). Using existing holds in the bouldering area at your gym, pick out a traverse (30+ moves) which ends at the starting holds of your problem. Climb the traverse into the problem building in at least one rest hold prior to the "crux" boulder problem. This exercise is really fun and simulates route climbing as best as you can get without a rope!

30 Problems in an Hour

This exercise is a great stamina exercise and depending on how many problems you do (can be any number. Doesn't have to be 30) can be absolutely devastating! Pick a grade range such as V3-V7 and do as many problems within that range as possible over the course of an hour. Repeating problems is allowed. Give yourself points for each problem completed based on the difficulty of the problem. This keeps you honest and can be fun if you're doing this with a partner.

Alpinist Article!

2010-03-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

I'm really psyched about my first published article that just ran on the Alpinist website. The article is about the modern era of climbing development in the Adirondacks and features some amazing photos from my friend Dave Vuono. Check it out here!

Catskills Action!

2010-02-23T12:26:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Naomi and I traveled down to the Catskills to attend the Catskills Ice Festival sponsored by Alpine Endeavors. I was scheduled to give my multi-media show in Saturday night and was excited to check out the ice and mixed climbing in the Catskills. We got down to New Paltz late Friday night and stayed with our friend Ryan Stefiuk of Bigfoot Mountain Guides. Ryan has been getting after it in the Catskills this season and has put up several first ascents. Saturday morning we tagged along with a clinic Ryan was teaching at a crag called the Black Chasm.

Ryan Stefiuk on a mixed line in the Black Chasm

Myself on "Instant Karma"

The Black Chasm and the rest of the Catskills ice climbing destinations are located high up in the mountains above the sun belt of New Paltz. We followed a mile long trail which eventually dropped 400' or so down to the crag. Ryan pointed out the different lines to us including an uncompleted mixed line straight up the tallest and steepest section of cliff. After warming up on an awesome mixed line called Instant Karma I rapped into the unfinished line and placed several bolts to complete the work that previous climbers had done to establish the line about halfway up the cliff. The route required cleaning some enormous blocks which came out frighteningly easy!

Naomi leading in the Chasm!

On the FA of Hydropower M9 WI 5-

In the thick of it on Hydropower

Sunday morning found us taking a Spanish tranquilo start and not getting out the crag until around 10am. This time our friend Lucho Romero joined us for the day. Lucho is one of the most well rounded climbers I know and is one of those people who just plain inspire confidence when you're around them. It was great to be out with him this weekend!

I got on the new line and flashed to the previous high point until I fell and then dogged my way up the rest to figure out the moves. The climbing was engaging from the start with solid M7 moves to a no hands rest at the start and then ever-steepening climbing to the massive free-hanging curtain above. After a rest I went back up and nearly made it to the curtain before unexpectedly popping off a slopey hook. With darkness pretty much having arrived, I packed it in and we hiked out.

Alden after headbutting the ice!

I decided to call into work and take Monday off and we headed back to the Chasm on Monday with Ryan and Vermont climber Alden Pellet who had received 3 stitches in his forehead the day before. Naomi led her second ice pitch ever and styled it and I followed for a warm-up. On my first attempt of the day on the new route I made it all the way to the ice before elbowing my ice tool out of a hook while clipping! AAAHHHH! I couldn't believe it. I had the route in the bag only to knock my own tool off the route!

After climbing 90+ feet of drytooling to get there it was hard to motivate to get back on but I rallied and sent on the next try. After pulling onto the icicle I moved above the attachment point and fired in a screw about 3/4 of the way when a high powered stream of water cam shooting out the back of the screw! I had never had this happen to me and was startling to say the least. I moved quickly to avoid being totally drenched and climbed to the trees to top out the line.

Check out the video clip shot by Ryan Stefiuk of Bigfoot Mountain Guides!

I named the new route Hydropower M9 WI 5-. According to Ryan this is currently the hardest mixed route in the Catskills and after seeing some of the potential that this area holds I'm sure it won't be the hardest for long. With some work and motivation, this area could house some of the raddest mixed climbing in the northeast! Get down there and get after it!

Catskills Ice Fest this weekend!

2010-02-17T05:18:00.000-08:00

I'm extremely excited to be heading down to the Catskills this weekend for the Catskills Ice Fest. Check here for more information! I'll be presenting my multi-media show on Saturday night at Rock and Snow in New Paltz. I've actually never climbed down in the Catskills and am psyched to check out what I've heard is some amazing new route potential!

A sampling of Catskills Ice. photo by Ryan Stefiuk

Here's the slideshow line-up!

Friday: Ryan Stefiuk of Big Foot Mountain GuidesJoin Ryan as he talks about his ice climbing trip to Newfoundland, From classic lines to first ascents, see what awaits your next trip. Held at Rock & Snow, 8pm

Saturday: Northern Revival by Matt McCormickMatt presents a multi-media look at the next generation of New England climbers pushing the limits year round on ice, rock, and mixed terrain. Held at Rock & Snow, 8pm

The Black Diamond Fusion! A review...

2010-02-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

I remember getting my first pair of ice tools in the mail back when I was in High School. They were a pair of Grivel Rambos with just a slight bend in the lower shaft. I could barely wait to get out that weekend and use them. Getting new ice tools, like getting new toys as a kid, increases my motivation. I want to get out on the ice as soon as possible to try them out and see where they can take me.

I recently received the latest in Black Diamonds esteemed line of ice tools. The new Fusion takes the place of the "old" orange Fusion that had been around for a while. The older Fusion had made it's mark as the best drytooling tool on the market if not the most popular ice climbing tool.

The latest Fusion closes that divide between drytooling and ice performance with an almost completely redesigned tool. The shaft is twisted ninety degrees as most of the BD tools are to increase clearance and distribute weight more evenly when swinging. The head of the tool includes a small integrated hammer which appears unlikely to be of much use but actually performs well banging pins, spectres, and other desperate pieces of winter pro. Using the hammer requires the climber to choke up on the shaft a bit and I've had great success placing all sorts of bang in protection with these tools so far. The Handle includes a reinforced upper pommel which is a nice improvement on the last Fusion. The last model's upper grip got torn up quickly and BD has solved this problem by reinforcing it with metal. The lower grip features a wide and comfortable pinky rest and can be adjusted in size using removable spacers.

The tool comes with a spike on the bottom of the shaft for plunging and walking which I removing for fear of lobotomizing. I would recommend that people do this unless you're headed into the alpine.

I've had the opportunity to use this tool on a variety of terrain from upside-down sport mixed climbing to traditional Scottish style mixed to straight up ice and I've been blown away by the all-around performance of the tool. There are ample opportunities to give them a try in the coming weeks at this weekend's Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest and at the Catskills Ice Fest the weekend of Feb. 20th. I would highly recommend checking them out!

Ice Fests and Slideshows!

2010-01-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'm proud to be giving slideshows at two upcoming northeast ice festivals. The first is this weekend at the Smuggs Ice Bash in Smugglers Notch, VT and the second is Feb. 20, at the Catskills Ice Fest in New Paltz, NY.

Both events offer great clinics for people interested in the learning more about ice and mixed climbing as well as a good party and chance to mingle with other climbers! There will be demos to try out from a variety of companies including sponsors of mine Black Diamond and

La Sportiva.

Come check it out!

Mountainfest and "Bossman"

2010-01-20T06:38:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the privilege to take part in the 14th annual Mountainfest in the Adirondacks of New York. This event has a long and storied history featuring visits from many prolific climbers over the years. Some of the fathers of modern mixed climbing, Jeff Lowe and Alex Lowe frequented the event and blew the locals away with a slew of first ascents including the once repeated Gorillas in the Mist and the burly Ice Storm. Naomi and I stayed at the Rock and River guides lodge along with the other visiting climbers and guides. We felt like V.I.P.s with the generosity of the staff who provided us with breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day and a wonderful room to stay in.

I drove over on Thursday morning and met Steve House at Rock and River. I had never met or climbed with Steve before and was psyched to have the opportunity to get out with someone who I have always looked up to. My friend Matt Horner had climbed two pitches of an oft-attempted line at the High Falls Crag in Wilmington Notch and had rapped off 100' from the top. I was psyched to check it out and Steve and I headed over there.

From the road we immediately saw that the Crag was littered with drips. We racked up below our intended line after a rocks-papers-scissors, I headed up the first pitch. The climbing was fun but never desperate and deposited me at a 2 pin anchor. The line Horner took headed out right into a corner with a thin smear of ice. My eye was drawn to a seam just left off the belay though and I pointed it out to Steve. The seam was barely there and slightly overhanging and as he headed up to try it it became clear that the gear was going to be hard earned.

The High Falls Crag

Steve got a questionable pin and two brass wires in and then down climbed to the ledge for breather. After a few minutes Steve went back up on the pitch. It was an amazing display of confidence and control as he searched for thin hooks and made his way to where the angle kicked back. With his tools hooked at the lip, he got in another nut and began to move up. Then, as always with mixed climbing, he was off. The top nut ripped and the first pin and nut zippered with the middle piece holding his fall. I probably would have cashed in and headed up the easier way to the left but Steve went back up 3 more times, each time blowing off at his high point and whipping onto the brass rp. After his third attempt he decided to head out right and we climbed two more pitches to the top completing a new as-of-yet unnamed M6 line.

Steve heading up on the second pitch of what will become the Bossman

Over the next few days I climbed with my friends Bayard Russell and Jim Shimberg, both visiting from New Hampshire and also my local friend Matt Horner. Horner gave us the tour and we enjoyed a slew of beautiful, dacks style mixed pitches over the next few days. On Saturday I also taught a clinic with Horner which was fun. I really enjoy helping people to learn to climb and had fun with our great group of climbers. Naomi and Bayard's fiance Anne also climbed the historical Chouinard's Gully with Naomi firing her first lead on ice! Yeeeaah!

Naomi on her first ice lead. Chouinard's Gully

The prolific Matt Horner

Leading H14 on Friday with Horner, Russell, and Shimberg

Horner giving Bayard and I the tour

Shimilini!

On Monday I met Bayard in Keene Valley for a alpine 10:30am start. We were psyched to go back to the High Falls crag to check out the pitch that Steve and I had tried the previous Thursday. Bayard got the ball rolling by leading a new and more direct first pitch that check in at about M7 and had some tricky gear but at least a lot of it. He took the whip when a small chunk of turf blew and then finished it up.

I went up on the next pitch and spent some time figuring out the tiny hooks and thin gear, placing a bomber micro stopper up high. After getting the gear in, I spent some time trying to hit the enormous crux move which involved choking up to the head of the lower tool off some high feet. I hit the move after a couple of tries and got up even with the ice but pumped out trying to find more hooks in the seam higher up rather than swinging out right onto the ice. I came down and offered the lead to Bayard who fired it on the pre-placed gear, swinging out onto the dripping icicle. This was one of the coolest mixed pitches I've climbed. Erik Lambert from alpinist.com wrote a cool piece here.

Following the first pitch (M7) of Bossman

Bossman in red and the unnamed M6 in green

I led another short pitch to the top by climbing up behind a hanging icicle and corkscrewing through a small gap onto the front. We topped out just as it was getting dark so psyched to have completed such a fun and amazing route. It was a super fun day where we rarely stopped laughing and just generally had a really good time on one of the coolest lines I've had the opportunity to climb on. We named the route Bossman M9. It was the perfect end to a great 5 days in the Adirondacks climbing with great friends.

Ice and Mixed Season

2009-12-23T07:53:00.000-08:00

For the first time in many years, I have not climbed ice before Christmas. I'm not entirely sure how this happened but due to a number of contributing factors I just haven't gotten out yet. Conditions in the northeast have been slow to come in but things are looking good now and I'm excited to get out next week.

Josh at the Toko Crag

I was able to make it out dry tooling in NH with my friend Josh Worley a couple of weeks ago. Josh is one of the strongest mixed climbers I have climbed with and is in impressive shape right now for the Ouray Ice Fest Competition in a couple of weeks.

Kevin warming up on "Unemployment Line"

We visited the Toko Crag in Madison, NH which houses a small but impressive number of really steep mixed routes. The first time drytooling every season always feels a bit awkward to me and I have a hard time trusting my tools and fruit boots. After a shaky warm-up burn I was psyched to send "Unemployment Line" (M8+) to the ice and then did a couple more training laps on it for the extra pump.

Josh and Kevin Mahoney each took a couple of burns on M.O.G. Country M11? with Josh nearly sending first go!

Kevin on "M.O.G. Country" M11? with Josh's tool stuck above

Hopefully with some free time in the coming weeks I'll have more to report on the ice and mixed side of things!

A Sad Year

2009-12-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

On Friday a call from my good friend Jim Shimberg delivered the sad news that the legendary Guy Lacelle had been killed in an avalanche while climbing during the Bozeman Ice Festival. Although I had never met Guy, his positive energy and giving personality were renown in the community. Aside from being an amazing person, Guy's accomplishments on the ice were nearly unparalleled. He routinely soloed the hardest routes in the world including an amazing solo link up of Terminator, Sea of Vapors and the Replicant on the Trophy Wall above Banff, Alberta.

So many great climbers have lost their lives this year. I did not know any of these climbers well aside from the chance meeting at the crag but like many I felt connected to them in spirit. All of them lived their lives pursuing their passion for climbing and the for mountains and all of them were known equally for the impact they had on the people around them. I can only hope to live my life in this way.

Back in the Gunks and Ice Season

2009-12-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Naomi and I traveled down to the Gunks to climb and hang out with our friend Jamie before he heads out west for the winter. The weather called for snow but we figured it wouldn't be too bad. Turns out we were wrong and after a couple of hours at the crag on Sat it started to dump! I was really psyched to give Survival of the Fittest (13a) a lead go. I been on it a couple of years ago and wanted to finish it up this weekend. The route is definitely a bit spicy to lead in that all of the 4 pieces you place in 70 ft. are critical to keeping you off of the ground and tricky to place. I toproped it a couple of times and was feeling ready to lead and send it when the snow started to come down even heavier and a big drip developed right on the crux holds! Bummer!

Lost City covered in snow

We spent a bit more time there before making the treacherous hike down in worn down approach shoes. We realized that worn out approach shoes are pretty much skis on wet, slippery snow as we took a bunch of feet over head diggers.

Jaime and I talking beta in the blizzard

We headed back to Lost City and Survival on Sunday which turned out to be a beautiful day but found the route to be even wetter than yesterday after all of the snow. We toproped on a beautiful 13b/c route just to the left called Clairevoyance. This is an amazing route with really cool moves. I fell off the last move on my third toprope burn. Definitely going back for this one!

One another note... the winter has finally arrived and I have pulled out the ice gear for this weekend. today is rather wet and warm and then it's supposed to get really cold. Perfect scenario for something cool to form on Cannon Cliff. That's where I'm heading Sat. Psyched to see what we find!

Back From the Red! Great Success!

2009-11-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

After a "red eye" drive back from the Red River Gorge Saturday night into Sunday, I find myself back at work. Our week long trip went by fast as usual I find myself wishing I could have stayed another 2 w
eeks. Despite the shortness of our trip I am really pleased with how the trip went. We stuck to a 2 day on, 1 day off schedule which meant 5 climbing days.

On our first couple of days our crew headed to Left Flank where my friend Brian and I got on the beautiful Table of Colors .13a. This route breaks down into a steep 5.11 to a rest, to about a 13 move V5/6 to some tricky and pumpy 5.12 moves to the top. On our second day Brian almost sent on his warm-up! I chose to warm-up more properly and sent on my first redpoint go. This route is mega-classic and highly recommended!

Pat on Table of Colors .13a

I should mention how impressed I was with the cabin that we rented at Lago Linda's. For the 6 of us it cost $550 which is pretty cheap for a week long trip. The cabin came fully equipped pots, plates, towels, shower, a really nice heater, and plenty of beds to sleep in. Here are some pics...

On Wednesday and Thursday we warmed up at the Drive-By Crag on some of the incredible .12a's there and then headed over to Bob Marley Crag to check out No Redemption .13b This route is an amazing line that is pretty atypical of the Red being no too steep and having some pretty bad holds. The crux involved a big move to a slopey left hand crimp that took my quite a few tries to do. Brian and I headed back there Thursday when he fell off a ways above the crux. The route was was definitely not going to go down easy.

On Saturday I had still not done the crux from the ground and was actually falling of the easier moves going into the crux. After a fall from the easier intro moves, I pulled the rope and immediately headed back up.

Finding myself at the crux move I set up and hit the slopey crux crimp (pictured at left) for the first time from the ground, set up my feet and threw to the flat rest hold. Somehow I held on for the rest of the way and next thing I knew I was clipping the chains! Brian followed it with a send as well and then we both flashed the incredible .12a Dog Leg which has some of the most fun moves I've experienced on a route.

I'll write more about this in a later post but I was really psyched with how my interval training payed off down there. Granted I was not trying

the enduro routes in the Madness Cave but I felt like I could recover well on most good holds between cruxes which is key down there.

Here are some more pics...

Vasya sending Kaleidoscope .13c 2nd go

Sending No Redemption .13b

Naomi on Breakfast Burrito .10c

Red River Gorge Training

2009-11-19T19:08:00.000-08:00

Training for the Red

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic

Over the last 4-5 weeks I’ve been following a plan to prepare for a week long trip to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. For those of you unfamiliar with the Red, the climbing is most often characterized by monstrous endurance and resistance routes.

Jonathan Siegrist on his recent sendfest in the Red

Climbers who perform at a high level in the Red possess an amazing balance of aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Below I share a quick explanation of the difference between aerobic and anaerobic as well as sharing the plan I’ve been following for the past several weeks. We’ll see how it goes!

A quick explanation of aerobic and anaerobic energy production...

Aerobic: This is the body’s most efficient energy production mode and can be sustained indefinitely because the body is able to use oxygen in the energy production process. The body can only sustain aerobic energy production at steady, sub-maximal levels of exertion. Ie. A route that you don’t get pumped on at all and that has no moves that are difficult for you. Another great example is going for a long steady run.

Anaerobic: At a certain level of exertion (this is different for each person and called the anaerobic threshold) each person’s body will no longer be able to supply the necessary energy using the aerobic system. At this point the body begin to supply energy using the anaerobic system which does not utilize oxygen and can only be sustained for 1-3 minutes. Anaerobic energy production is inefficient in producing long term energy because of the build up of lactic acid that it produces. This lactic acid buildup seriously inhibits muscle function and results in that all too familiar pump. The anaerobic system is good at producing energy for short bursts of high intensity exertion. Ie. A crux on a route or a boulder problem. Climbers can train to increase their body’s ability to function well with a high build-up of lactic acid. This is called anaerobic endurance.

Here’s the catch! In climbing, unless you specialize in one-move-wonders, you need to train both systems.

Climbing, more than most sports, is extremely complex and difficult to categorize. Over the course of a route or long boulder problem, a climber will draw energy from a both aerobic and anaerobic systems. Moving through cruxes at their limit the climber will utilize the anaerobic system for energy and then at rests and through easier sections the climber can recover because his energy is being drawn from the efficiency of the aerobic system.

Check out this video of Sharma on Pachamama in Spain. The routes Sharma is doing know are amazing performances of anaerobic endurance.

The Red River Plan

The plan I followed over the last several weeks focused on building anaerobic endurance as well as building finger strength, power, and aerobic endurance. Here it is...

Day 1

Hangboard - (Absolute finger strength): Why this for the Red you might ask? Think of the V13 boulderer who goes to the Red and onsights 5.13+ in the Madness Cave. He may not have the best aerobic endurance but the moves are not hard for him and the holds feel easy to hang onto.

Pick 4 grips on the hangboard. Train your weaknesses!

Perform 3 sets on each of the four grips. You’ll need a stopwatch right in front of you for this. One set = Seven 7 second hangs with 3 seconds of rest between each hang. Rest 1 minute and repeat 3 sets for each grip. Rest 2 minutes between each grip. If you can complete One set without dropping off the board, increase the weight 2-5 lbs. For the sake of your tendon pulleys, use an open grip rather than full closed crimp grip.

Open Grip

Closed (Full) Crimp

Traverse into Boulder Problems x 5:

Create a 30+ move traverse at sub-maximal level (ie. if you boulder V7 create a V4 crux or cruxes in the traverse split up by rests). Have the traverse end at the start of a boulder problem slightly below your max (For the V7 boulderer V5/V5+ would be perfect). The goal is to recover on some good holds before the final boulder problem. Crush the boulder problem and then rest 1 minute before repeating or repeating into another problem. Do this 5 times.

Cool Down: Aerobic Recovery Capillary (ARC)

15-20 minutes of traversing. The goal here is to stay in the Aerobic zone (just slightly below your anaerobic threshold) for the entire 20 minutes. You’ll be able to tell this by staying just below the point where your getting really pumped but still at a level where your getting fatigued. Kind of like going for a long run or bike ride. This exercise will increase your local endurance as well as build more capillary density in the forearm muscles. Capillaries move nutrients to and from the muscle and help speed recovery.

Core: Complete 15 minutes of core exercises of your choice.

Day 2:

Campus Board: (Power)

Ladders and Touches

Perform one ladder up and down. Rest 1 minute and then perform one set of touches doing 2-3 touches with each arm without stepping off the board.

Here’s a great site with some video of these 2 exercises:

http://www.nicros.com/archive/archive15.cfm

Repeat this 4 times.

Boulder Pyramid: This is an excellent anaerobic endurance exercise!

Pick 6 boulder problems and arrange them in a pyramid as below.

V3,V3+,V4,V4+,V5,V5+,V4+,V4,V3+,V3

Complete this pyramid 4 times moving between problems as quickly as possible. Rest 2 minutes between completing each pyramid.

Cool Down: Aerobic Recovery Capillary (ARC) (See above)

Core: Complete 15 minutes of core exercises of your choice.

Rest Day: Think about doing some aerobic exercise for 30-60 minutes. This will accelerate recovery and help build general aerobic fitness.

Day 3:

Repeat Day 1...

Back at the Gunks

2009-11-09T05:44:00.000-08:00

The weather was absolutely beautiful this past weekend for another trip down to the Gunks. I'm always psyched to meet up with my friend Jamie Hamilton and check out all that place has to offer. Jamie is absolutely crushing these days and is making quick repeats of hard 13's and hiking 12's like it's no big deal. The video below shows him making an Alzheimer's onsight of Pleasure Dome 12b/c at Lost city. Jamie's heading out to the desert southwest in a week or so and I'm he'll be tearing it up at the creek all winter and coming back mutated in the spring.

On Sat morning we went out to Sleepy Hollow and I was psyched to lead Bone Hard .12b pg-13/R. This is an amazing route with really cool movement and some dicey gear. The crux is placing a questionable offset nut, which zippered as I lowered off, and then punching it through a short boulder problem past a strenuous pin clip. Apparently this has been led often with a long sling pre-hung from the pin but not often ground up. The video shows some footage of the crux. It's a bit shaky but I figured I'd put it in since Jamie went through the effort of climbing a tree to take it.

After that we sessioned an amazing, bouldery 13a called Renaissance that Jamie had worked out direct start to. We only toproped it but perhaps with some more work I would be psyched to try and lead it.

This route is just one of so many lines at the Gunks that combine hard climbing with bad or really hard to place gear. Just having seen the new film Progression and watching the American crew destroy that place, it got me thinking about how many routes lie in the Gunks with few, if any, lead repeats. It would be rad to see a crew of the caliber that went to the Gritstone come to the Gunks and try and repeat some of these hard, scary lines!

This weekend I teach my training workshop at the Boston Rock Gym which I'm really psyched for and then the following Friday we're off to the Red River Gorge for Thanksgiving!

The Gunks and Alpinist.com article

2009-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

I'm all packed up and ready to head down to the Gunks in New Paltz, NY today after work. I've been going to the Gunks for the past 10 years or so and it's been really cool to see my progression over the years in comfort level and through the stout grades down there. I was down there last Halloween weekend and got a totally bouted by rain and rally humid conditions. This weekend looks prime and I'm super excited to get on a few routes I've had my eye on. Of all the places I've climbed in the northeast, the gunks is a true bastion of traditional ethics and many of the routes are a bit scary to say the least. Gear is often extremely tricky to find and place and is often really specific. I'm psyched to spend some time down there as it starts to get really cold up here in northern New England.

Jaime racking up below Bone Hard 12b pg-13, Gunks

Also... check out the article here by Reinhard Cate on alpinist.com about Wheelin N' Dealin and Matt Wilder's route Cheating Reality 5.14a R in the Flatirons, CO.

Training Seminar at the Boston Rock Gym: Nov 13-14

2009-11-03T19:48:00.001-08:00

I'm incredibly excited to teach this seminar at the Boston Rock Gym on Nov 13 and 14! I started climbing as a highschooler at the BRG back in 1996 and trained there regularly over the past several years when I was working in MA. If you live in the area and are interested in learning a slew of new training skills, concepts, exercises, and generally new ways of thinking about training for climbing, sign up for this workshop!

On top of 2 days of hands on work at the BRG, I will also be sending all participants a personalized training plan via email. This plan will be based on consultation and discussion over the 2 day workshop.

As the winter approaches, so does the time to start getting stronger for that winter trip or that project you have your eye on for the spring. This workshop will give you the tools to shape your training over the winter months!

TRAINING FOR CLIMBING STRENGTH AND FITNESS: A TWO DAY SEMINAR AT THE BOSTON ROCK GYM

Friday and Saturday November 13th & 14th
6-10pm on Friday, 11am-finish on Saturday.

As always, the BRG wants to help you reach new heights! Come to our training seminar to learn how to hit the next level in your climbing. Matt McCormick has a degree in Physical Education and a strong background in exercise physiology and has taken his knowledge to the climbing arena. This seminar will provide an overview of principles of training as they apply to climbing. Including, but not limited to: Muscle memory movement, endurance training concepts, strength and oppostion training. At the conclusion of the seminar, Matt will create an individualized program to help you meet your goals and will be available for further correspondence.

COST:
$99 for members
$125 for non-members
Includes two day seminar and a personalized training program.

Marshfield!

2009-10-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I headed to the sport climbing gem of the Highgrade Wall in Marshfield, VT. There was a pretty good crew of five headed there and we were surprised by some pretty wintery conditions upon arriving!

Courtney warming up on the highgrade

One of the coolest things about climbing at this wall is that it is located about 300 feet up a giant slab reminiscent of Whitehorse Ledge in North Conway. Amazingly there is a massive ledge to hang out on which makes for one of the coolest sport climbing hangs I've ever experienced. I had been up here a few random times in the past but it took a couple of burns to re-figure the moves on the route. The routes on the wall, save Peter K's futuristic project, all start the same which can be tricky with a crowd. The climbing is amazing on crisp granite edges with big moves between! I had my eye on sending the Highgrade Direct 13b and made some pretty good progress during the day. I was also excited to figure out new beta for the highgrade 13a which I had always avoided due to what I thought was a pretty un-enjoyable crux. With the new beta my friend Brian Bittner, new to route climbing but a stone cold crusher on the boulders, sent High Grade and I gave it one last go, punting on the low crux. Bummer!

Brian off the crux of Highgrade

I'm planning on going back on Saturday although Brian told me that on Sunday our friend Steve Potter may have broken the hold I was using in the crux. Hopefully that info is wrong and it will go down next go!

Check out some photos!

One more day at the Web!

2009-10-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

I just got back from yet another day at the Spider's Web. This time it was nice to not have the burden on Wheelin N' Dealin looming over my head and to get the chance to belay my friend Peter Kamitses on it. Peter had toproped on the route a bit while I was working it and quickly got on the sharp end today. After taking the big fall from the crux, he thought his day was over due to the sun starting to bake the wall. As the weather tends to do though in the northeast, the clouds suddenly moved in and Peter went for it again grabbing the second ascent!

Lycanthropia on the left and Wheelin N' Dealin on the right

I was psyched on my day as well after sending Lycanthropia 12c which is the first route left of Wheelin. This is an old Martin Berzins route from the early 90's. I took a quick toprope burn to figure out a key piece which is placed blindy before the crux, and then another to sort out some new beta after breaking a foot at the crux. Feeling pretty good, I went for it on lead and sent! Psyched! The route shares a short 4' of the crag classic Drop Fly or Die before breaking out right through an insecure boulder problem to an incredible finger crack above. Although you never know in these parts, it was more than likely the second ascent of the route! Folks should go and get on this thing! It's mega-classic!

Training Programs and Consultations!

2009-10-21T17:16:00.001-07:00

I've just added a Paypal button below for those of you who are interested in purchasing a personalized training plan and or consulting with me about your climbing goals!

As we enter the winter season, it's time to start hitting the gym and the plastic. Do you have goals for the spring or for a mid-winter trip? Send me an email at matty.mccormick@gmail.com and I'll send you a questionnaire to fill out. From there I'll construct a personalized training plan based on your goals, abilities, and motivation! I will also include ideas for mental training for those who are interested. The price is $95.00 for a plan and consultation as well as the ability to continue to check in with me in the future with questions and where to go next.

Feel free to email me with any questions and enjoy the rest of the fall!!! The conditions are prime!

Wheelin N' Dealin

2009-10-19T03:50:00.001-07:00

On Saturday I sent the new line at the Spider's Web that I've been trying just about every weekend, save a few, since July. I'm really psyched! I put a lot of time into this thing and a lot of people, especially my girlfriend, we're super patient putting up with my obsession during that time. It's amazing to have found such an incredible line at a the web which is one of the most popular crags in the Adirondack State Park.

The route follows an incipient seam that had been checked out by climbers over the years but never attempted. Back in July I put an anchor on the line and began working out the moves. The route follows a 12cish seam to a rest at a horizontal and then through some entry moves to a V8 boulder problem a ways above your last gear. The gear includes three hybrid aliens including a tipped out green/yellow at the crux and several questionable micro rps which fortunately were never tested. This route forced me to use the worst feet I've ever had to use on a route and completely changed my perception of what is possible to stand on.

I named the route Wheelin N' Dealin (5.13c R 100') after a foot blew and sent me for a nasty "cartwheel whipper" from the crux back in September. The next day on it, after taking that fall, three key holds broke off and the route got a bit harder. I had to work out new beta for some parts of the route and then some other weekend commitments kept me away for a couple of weeks. I always had that nasty fall in the back of my head. Last weekend I went up on lead but got spooked and jumped off. I sent yesterday on my first go after getting the re-warms in my fingers warming up! It was a perfect day with perfect temps and just Naomi and I at the best crag in the Daks.

Check out a short video I made about the process here:

Feeling the power building

2009-08-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

For the past month or so I've been working on a new route at the Spider's Web in the Adirondacks. The line is one of the most difficult and inspiring lines I have ever tried and what's more, it's all on gear! I worked the route on toprope for about 6 days before starting to go for it on lead. I'm yet to link it on top-rope and have now fallen from the crux at the top about a dozen times! A couple of weeks ago I decided to take some time away and try and build up a little more fitness to bring to it. After two weeks of training I am feeling stronger than ever and am drooling and the cool temps forecasted for later this week!

I set a long traverse in the gym (about 50 moves) and wired that in for training as well as hitting the campus board hard. I've also been making after-work forays up to the 82 crag in Bolton to get on the amazing sport routes up there and train. Last night I surprised myself by sending Little Red Hen (12d) on pretty much my second go! I had briefly gotten on it last week but bailed right away due to burning skin. So psyched to be feeling strong and ready to give it hard on the project! Yeeaah!

Welcome!

2009-08-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've gone ahead and set up this site as a venue to discuss training for climbing. Training as it applies to the sport of climbing is still a relatively unwritten about and unresearched subject. In other sports, volumes abound on training techniques, injury prevention, and diet. Perhaps much of this has to do with the culture of climbers. Many suggest that the "best training for climbing is climbing" or the classic "I train with 12 ounce curls." This seems to be changing with the publication of more books on the subject, the creation of gyms like Mountain Athlete and even a national study on climbing injury.

Having been at this sport for the past dozen or so years, I've realized that the average climber knows little to nothing about effective principles of training. Sure, people are aware of things like campusing, doing laps, and even the occasional H.I.T. strip workout, but how to put it all together seems to be lacking.

I would love to have the opportunity to work with you on your climbing goals and set up a training program that fits your needs. This past winter I took the knowledge I have gained from years of research on the subject and a degree in Physical Education, and designed a program for myself. During my winter trip to Spain I doubled the number of 5.13's that I had done in the past sending 5 routes of that grade up to .13c.

Whether you are a beginner looking to improve your technique or a experienced climber looking to break through a plateau, some focused training might be your ticket to success. Please contact me either through this blog or at matty.mccormick@gmail.com. I'll send you a questionnaire on your goals and set up a time to meet with you in person if possible. From there we'll set up a plan for you to follow to work toward your goals. I guarantee that you'll see results!