This most recent trip to Red Rock was probably the least productive in terms of sending that I’ve ever done, but I feel that I’ve learned the most and have the most to reflect/think on out of any climbing trip I’ve been on. Overall, it was an amazing trip with unique and positive experiences.
Day 1, we (Woohan, Daniel, and I) headed out to The Gallery, a crag off the 2nd pullout in Calico II. Woohan had some unfinished business with The Glitz 5.12c, and the crag offered a lot of high quality options in the 11 – 12 range for Daniel and I to work on. We were initially worried about it being too cold, but the crag was in the sun the entire day, and instead we fought to stay shady and hydrated. I started off by warming up on Running Amuck 5.10c, which proved to be heady and tricky as the crux was near the 2nd clip and involved some awkward maneuvering, the classic 1 star route shenanigans. I then moved to hopefully onsight or at least quickly send Yaak Crack 5.11c, a 3 star route and probably the most popular route at the crag. Unfortunately, I severely underestimated the problem as well as overestimated my own ability to do overhanging problems. Yaak Crack starts with a sequency beginning near the first two bolts where it’s difficult to find your feet, and I had to solve this part by just reaching very tall to a good sidepull. From this sidepull jug, you begin climbing on somewhat steep, crimpy jugs, and accumulate a ton of pump. There are a lot of different options in terms of positive hold choices and body positioning, and you can find a good rest on many different holds if you want; I honestly think it’s an amazing climb for any climber, tall or short, as it feels hard and pumpy regardless. To top it off, the final portion of climbing from the last clip to anchors is no gimme, as the key beta is to use a hand jam in the crack to pull yourself over the lip, something I didn’t figure out until my third attempt (and probably only the 3rd handjam I’ve ever done). After 4 solid attempts, I finally sent, but was pretty gassed to try anything harder. Daniel decided to try a different problem but accidnentally hopped on Minstrel in the Gallery 5.12c instead, which I ended up cleaning bolt to bolt at the end of the day – whoops! Lots of end of day shenanigans as the sun started to set and we realized we had put draws up on too many routes.
With the sweat and heat of day 1 in mind, we decided to try a shadier crag, The Pier, on the following day. Nestled in a small alley within a 5 minute walk from the parking lot, this was truly a dream crag when it came to approach and convenience. But we swung too far the other way in terms of temperature, as the temperature difference was probably 20+ degrees cooler in the alley and I was forced to wear all my layers even when climbing. The Pier has a wealth of 5.11 and higher climbs, but the lack of easy routes meant we had to warmup on the 3 star 5.11a Under the Boardwalk. A broken hold at the top marred an otherwise perfect climb around and into large huecos. I then started to project Geometric Progression 5.12 b/c with Woohan, which was a very short, very bouldery ~30 ft climb. The climb has a challenging crux section starting with a slopey right hand pocket, to left hand sloper catch, to a right hand bump to another slopey pocket, and then a multiple left hand bumps off of a left heel where I’m very outstretched. I think the cold temps made me move in stiff and awkward manners, but I also know that I might have been able to send if I poured on a bit more effort. Nevertheless, it was a great climb to project and I’m confident it’s only a few attempts away if I want to come back to it.
Day 3 was the best day condition wise, as we headed to Cannibal Crag to try New Wave Hookers 5.12c. It was sunny to start, but in the early afternoon, cloud cover gave us shady and comfortable conditions. New Wave Hookers was probably the favorite climb of the trip for me, as it honestly has it all: slopers, crimps, pockets, heel hooks, a dyno, and technical feet sequencing. A true 3 star problem, and just thinking back to the movement gets me hyped. I didn’t feel that I had quite the energy (both physical and mental) or the finger strength to finish it, but I definitely want to come back for it. In addition, I tried the iconic Caustic Cock 5.11b that Daniel eventually redpointed that day. Although I feel that climb is par for the grade, something about the overhung, arete style climbing with heel hooks etc. really overpowered me, and I didn’t even make it to the anchors. I think this climb more than anything showed me how lacking I was in my overhung technique, and I resolved to hit the 45 degree wall/lead climbing cave when I got back to the gym. I finished off the day by top roping Save the Heart to Eat Later 5.12a, an incredibly long, technical slab climb on thin, smeary feet; think of the classic scary cheesegrater climbs where you’re constantly afraid of slipping and leaving behind more skin than rubber on the slab. As a bonus, we ran into Sonnie Trotter and his family/friends (!), who gave me some beta on New Wave Hookers. The guy was incredibly nice, as was his wife, and his kids were so, so cute. We also got to see him cruise through an onsight of Wonderstuff 5.12d (literally his kid was telling him to climb faster and he was laughing) which was a pretty shake-your-head, my goodness type of experience. What a cool first run in with a professional climber.
Some reflections:
- Less ego: I think I’m most proud of being able to remove my ego from the climbing during this trip compared to my past experiences. We all have certain expectations and want our hard work in the gym to reflect when we finally get that rare chance to go outdoors and tryhard. While it’s good to gauge your level of climbing from your indoor grades, outdoor climbing has so many additional factors (conditions, actual risk of injury, type of rock, etc.) that make the experience different/more difficult compared to the sterile gym environment where most variables are accounted for. I’ve thrown wobblers in the past from falling before the anchors, I’ve gotten tilted from getting scared and taking on 5.10’s, and of course I’ve been that negative cloud when I’m not performing up to my own preconceived standards. I feel that I was definitely able to keep my head level and process setbacks well on this trip, which ultimately led to my second point…
- Open mind/build your base: At my current level, I have an expectation of onsighting most 5.11a’s, and view 5.12a as the level at which climbs become “projects” requiring serious effort and commitment. I’m not trying to be pretentious or elitist by spouting off these numbers, but if I am honest with myself, these are the expectations I have of my own ability. That’s why I’m thankful that I took the time to send Yaak Crack 5.11c even though I had planned to project mid 12’s this trip. Everytime I fell, I could point to new a lesson learned that helped me progress further up the climb, and I wouldn’t have learned as much about body positioning, overhung climbing, or checked off a 3 star classic if I had written it off and proceedeed to the harder climbs at the crag. In fact, this was the first 5.11c I had ever redpointed clean, and I’ve only done two 5.12’s ever, so clearly I could flesh out my base a lot. If I fail to send a climb, I should think that there’s more for me to learn from that particular climb regardless of what number grade other people have assigned it.
- Learn from your betters: This was the first climbing trip I’ve done in awhile where someone I was climbing with was significantly better than me and I have to say…it was great! You always have the insurance of being able to clean a climb that’s at/beyond your limit, they probably have beta you can steal when you’re both working out the moves on a new project, and there’s probably lots to learn from their larger general climbing experience. One example of things I learned from Woohan was having the belayer walk out to let the climber grab the belay rope and then walking back in to the climbing side of the rope when the climber falls away from the rock on an overhung climb. I also liked his overall redpointing strategy which involved taking and figuring the best beta out on the first time up the climb, using subsequent attempts to make links. I also realized top roping is awesome…thank god I wasn’t leading that 5.12a slab nightmare phew.
- Don’t project before a trip: I think my mental energy for redpoint projecting was very low to start with at the beginning of the trip. The 6/7 week battle with the black 5.13a gym climb had really taken its toll on me mentally, and I just wasn’t psyched to push myself as much as I normally am on outdoor trips. Of course it’s fine to have a chill trip and just enjoy the experience once in awhile, but I had planned beforehand for this to be a projecting type of trip. I had not recognized that I probably needed 2-3 weeks to taper both physically AND mentally, as I sent my indoor project barely a week before leaving for Red Rock. Even coming back from the trip, I am feeling a lack of motivation to train and am thinking I might take a few weeks to just enjoy climbing again; I definitely don’t want to push myself to the point of hating the sport.
- Enjoy the process: Of all the things that impressed me about Sonnie Trotter, it was definitely his general attitude that made me say “Oh that’s why he’s sponsored by all those brands”. Patagonia etc. doesn’t sponsor just because he’s an incredibly strong climber who’s sent 5.14 sport and trad, or because he looks good wearing their gear, they sponsor him because he’s a natural at being an outdoor and climbing ambassador. He was friendly and outgoing at the crag with random strangers, asking us for beta when he clearly didn’t need it/was doing it to be polite and friendly. And with all the demands of his family and friends there, he continued to be positive, encouraging and inclusive of everyone at the crag. Sure, this was a relaxing vacation day for him and he wasn’t trying anything close to his limit, but I could see in his interactions that he was just a great guy to be around when you’re enjoying the outdoors. I also want to one day take my family outdoors to share with them the joy of scrambling around rocks like Sonnie has clearly imparted on his kids; his little boy of 5 or 6 was trying his hardest to scramble up a little ledge like it was his lifelong project.
Richard Zheng 