The Portland Rock Gym is currently seeking part-time help 24-30 hours per week.  Applicants must have significant climbing and sales experience.  If you are qualified and interested in working in a high energy, fun environment with many climbing perks, please do not hesitate to drop by a resume and fill out one of our applications.  If you have any questions, please email Ken Ristau at sales@portlandrockgym.com.

June 2010 Bounty Problem at the PRG. Scott Benish was the first person to send this problem and got $50 cash from the PRG. Stay tuned – more bounty opportunities are coming.

Trip: Alaska – Great Gorge of the Ruth Glacier

Date: 5/2/2010

Summary:
April 29: PDX -> SEA -> ANC -> Talkeetna.
April 30: Paul/TAT flew us to the Dickey camp early (~10 am); spent the day setting up camp and checking conditions on surrounding peaks.
May 1: Skied up and down the great gorge of the Ruth Glacier; spent the day scoping potential lines.
May 2: Combined a portion of Season of the Sun with the East Buttress of Mt Bradley via new/unclimbed terrain.
May 3: Rest day: retrieved our skis from Bradley, more scouting.
May 4: Ham and Eggs on Mooses Tooth from Dickey camp
May 5: Picked up by TAT/returned to Talkeetna. Talkeetna -> ANC -> SEA -> PDX

Southeast aspect of Mt Bradley

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Great news!  The Carver Climbing Club (CCC) is once again open to new members.  All climbers (both new and old members) must now carry both a state-issued ID and a CCC membership card.

To become a member or renew your old membership, please visit the CCC website for step-by-step instructions.  Once you’ve downloaded the online application packet, you’ll need to complete the new waiver and bring it to either the Portland Rock Gym or ClimbMax to get your membership card.  There is also a one-time, $8 membership fee, payable by cash or check only (renewing members who have already paid need not pay again).   NOTE that all climbers, both new and old members, must complete the new waiver.

Feel free to post a comment if you have any questions, or send an email to info@carverclimbingclub.org.

Looking forward to a great season!

Stellar arete climbing above Lake Louise, Banff. Photo: T. Scales

Climbing is climbing, right?  Well, yes and no.  Technique-wise, whether you’re bouldering or lead climbing, you’ll find yourself pulling from the same bag of tricks.  That said, there are some important differences.  Boulder problems tend to be shorter and more power-oriented, whereas routes tend to be longer, endurance-oriented affairs.  I like to think of bouldering as “crux training” for routes.  If you find yourself regularly stymied by stopper-moves on hard routes, a healthy does of bouldering might be just what the doctor ordered.

However, more often than not, failure on hard routes is a function of endurance, not power.  You can do the individual moves; the challenge is linking them together!  The simple solution is to get more fitness.  Problem is, harvesting fitness takes time, and you’re looking to climb harder now, not later.  The good news is there are a few tricks that will help you make the most of what you’ve already got.

When faced with an endurance problem, the basic goal is to conserve energy.  This can be achieved in several ways.  First off, relax.  Save the “death grip” for those steep, four-move boulder problems.  On routes, you should be undergripping whenever possible, using an open-handed, cling grip.  Crimping not only fatigues the hands and forearms, it creates tension throughout the entire upper body.  Second, don’t forget to breathe.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how quickly controlled breathing goes out the window when the climbing gets pumpy.  Conscious breathing will lower your heart rate and more oxygen will make your muscles happy.  Third, find good rest stances.  A common mistake is to hit the brakes when things get cruxy, and then blow past the good rests.  Moving quickly from one rest stance to the next will ensure that you spend minimal time on bad holds, and provide you with valuable opportunities to regroup and devise a plan for the tricky moves above.  Finally, think outside the “static” box!  Contrary to conventional wisdom, static climbing is not necessarily better climbing.  In fact, static movement often requires more energy than quick, dynamic movement.  How many times have you strained endlessly to reach a hold when a simple “pop” would have sufficed?

These are just a few suggestions for saving energy on the sharp end.  Good luck out there!

David Pryor navigates the tricky finish to Dracula. Photo: T. Scales

Tired of driving to Smith every weekend?  Stay home and explore some local crags!  The Bat Wall out at Broughton Bluff (Lewis & Clark State Park) is without a doubt one of the most underappreciated crags in the greater Portland area.  I’ve enjoyed countless days at the Bat Wall over the years, and invariably we had the entire crag to ourselves. It even stays dry in the rain!

The right side of the wall is home to a couple classic moderates.  The first pitch of Superstition (5.10+) offers fun, technical moves separated by several good stances, making it a surprisingly good warm-up.  Just to the right is Lost Boys (5.10+), another great route with pumpy and exposed moves all the way to the anchors.  It’s a wild ride!

The real gems, however, are found on the left half of the wall, starting with Bloodline (5.12b), a bouldery affair punctuated by good rests and a committing finish (most folks seem to exit left along an obvious jug rail, but for full value pull directly over the final roof).  Bad Omen (5.12b) is perhaps the most sustained route on the wall, combining a technical start with devious face moves and a strenuous finish.  Not hard enough for you?  Keep climbing past the anchors into Manson Family Reunion (5.12+), which will take you all the way to the top of the crag.  Use a 70m cord and you can lower to the ground!

Last but not least, Dracula (5.12a) is in my opinion the best route on the wall.  Technical and pumpy, it keeps you thinking all the way to the intimidating finish.  Originally an aid line, it was first free-climbed by our own Gary Rall back in 1990.  In 2004, my friend Eric Vining and I made the first “clean” ascents, skipping all 10 bolts.  The first half of the route is a bit dicey, with the first gear (a couple RPs) coming at the 3^rd bolt.  Keep it together while climbing the “ramp” and you’re rewarded with bomber placements at the 5th bolt; just don’t get too pumped plugging cams below the pod!  We sent Bloodline sans bolts a few days later, which was far less nerve-racking, as it eats gear start to finish.

This is just a sampler of what the Bat Wall has to offer.  A number of other routes have seen little if any traffic in recent years, though some are quite good!

Have fun out there!

Steep pocket-pulling in Austin, TX. Photo: T. Scales

Spring is on my mind.  Sure, El Niño made for a relatively mild winter, but it also made for a lousy ski season.  And of course whatever else the “little boy” may bring, longer days never make the list.  That’s what I really miss…daylight.  More sun.  Warmer temps.  Grilling on the back deck.  Flip-flops.  Rock climbing.  Okay, I’m jumping the gun a bit; after all, it’s only February.  Still, with spring right around the corner, it’s time to harvest some fitness and plan some road trips!

As we start thinking about getting stronger, let’s not forget that the key to a strong climbing season is good health.  Let’s face it, climbing injuries suck.  Dark thoughts of never climbing again cross the mind.  And while it’s never a good time to get injured, they tend to come at the worst times: either when we’re starting to climb again after a long hiatus, or when we’re at the top of our game, pushing the envelope on hard routes.

Fortunately, staying healthy isn’t rocket science.  While injuries tend to happen sooner or later, here are a few easy ways to postpone the inevitable.  First, take it slow.  If you’re just getting back into climbing, build up your base fitness before tackling climbs at the limit of your ability.  The go-slow approach will pay dividends later in the season.  Second, take rest days.  Climbing only makes us stronger if we allow our bodies to recover between sessions.  Be sure to take enough rest days, and to back off when you’re feeling overworked.  Third, warm up.  Jumping onto hard routes right off the couch will put you on the fast track to injury.  Start each session with plenty of stretching and “easy” climbing.  Warming up properly not only helps to prevent injuries, but it results in a more high quality climbing session.  Fourth, listen to your body.  Know what a healthy baseline feels like so that you’ll know when you stray into unhealthy territory.  Fifth, drink water.  When you get dehydrated, your tendons dry up first.  Staying well-hydrated will keep your tendons happy.  Sixth, climb smart.  Some types of climbing are more injurious than others, and everyone has different vulnerabilities.  Know what yours are and climb accordingly.  Finally, have fun!  Happy climbers are healthy climbers.  Happy climbing!

Jesse Bentz climbing The Upsetter at the Bridge of the Gods Boulders. More information about these boulders is on our Local Climbing page.

On September 10, 2009, I sat down at The Standard with local hard-man and ex-PRG staffer Ryan Palo, to get the low-down on his latest climbing exploits.  Here’s what he had to say…

T – Most folks reading this probably know you from your days setting routes at the PRG…what are you doing now?

R – Well, since leaving the PRG I’ve been working on finishing up my post-bacc in accounting.  Currently I work as an intern at CMS, a heavy equipment manufacturer, in their accounts finance department.  I know it sounds boring, but the company and the people are great, which really makes a 40-hour workweek bearable.

T – How has school and the 8-5 grind affected your climbing?

R – Well, I’m a weekend warrior now…sad but true.  And since I spend so much time on my ass, I’ve found it necessary to double my training efforts.  Every day after work I do something, whether it’s climbing, running or lifting weights.  I definitely map out my climbing sessions in the gym, some days working contact strength on the hangboard, other days working endurance or power endurance.

T – How did you come up with your program?

R – I read a book a long time ago by Udo Neuman and Dale Goddard called Performance Rock Climbing, which advocated training with a specific goal in mind and then measuring your goal…nothing too radical, just taking principles people had been using for decades and applying them to rock climbing.  I also read a book by these guys Mark and Mike Anderson, a couple of my heroes…

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Tom Scales on Cedar Project (V10), Carver Bridge Cliff Boulders. Be sure to visit the Carver Climbing Club web site for important access information.