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!

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!