lstefurak

Running the San Francisco Marathon

Notes 5 Responses »
Aug 202010

It all started with an injury. When my body breaks down, I have to adapt. I need to push myself; I am always trying to figure out what I can achieve. Back in March, I dislocated my shoulder at the beginning of a week-long road trip. Getting hurt on the third climb of the trip was devastating.  I felt like dead weight and needed to figure out how to stay psyched and happy for the rest of the trip, to keep my sanity and that of those around me.

The year before, after a finger injury, I had spent a few months running. I enjoyed exploring the roads around my house and competed in a handful of trail races.  I like the simplicity of running and the measurable progress. You run a mile, you have a time, you have a feeling of how hard you tried. You run eight miles and that’s going to take you longer than running six miles on the same type of terrain. Best of all, for a novice like me, the more I ran the faster I got.

Running!

Since this was the second time dislocating my shoulder, I  knew it would take four to six months before I would be climbing well again. I needed a non-climbing goal for 2010. Running would allow me to stay fit and even tick something off my life list. Two of my friends from college, Rebecca and Adam, had both run two marathons and we had talked about doing a marathon together. Perhaps I could even convince some other Bucknellians, like Julie and Becki to come. For some reason the obvious choice is to run the Boston Marathon together.  Thus I set about training to run a marathon to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2011.

The trail runs and races I ran in 2008 and 2009 had maxed out around 17 miles. I previously considered running a marathon but never put in the enough time to build up the necessary mileage. I  started slow and eventually built up to longer and longer runs. My first runs over 12 miles took me a week to really recover. Eventually these became common fare and I stuck with a training schedule and upped the mileage.

The second week of June came around and the plan was for my first 40+ mile week. I had been running between 22 and 38 miles a week (averaging about 28) for the prior six weeks. I had been alternating my long runs between pavement and trails to give my body a break. However come Friday I had already run 22 miles on roads. I ran the first 18 miles were at marathon pace (7 minute miles) before my right knee started hurting. I had to change my stride and I was in a decent amount of pain the final two miles home. Pain had not been a factor in my running so far and I was worried that I had injured something.

Were the last two plus months of training totally useless? I had finally committed to running the San Francisco Marathon and was now unsure that I would finish with a Boston-qualifying time. The pain went away but I was certain that the weekly pounding had been too much for my knees. I took a week off, focused more on climbing and started putting in the majority of my training on trails. The trails that I ran, in Rancho San Antonio, Foothills, Skyline and other parks, really kicked my ass. I enjoy trying to push the pace and couldn’t run quickly up the big hills. I stuck with it and I’m sure this training helped on the hills of San Francisco.

July quickly ticked by and I was able to return to a regular running schedule without much knee pain. I got in a solid final three weeks plus  taper before the marathon and picked up a pair of the lightweight Saucony Kinvara shoes. I wanted every advantage I could get and a 15 mile road run had me sold on the lightweight kicks.

Checking the pace.

In order to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I would have to finish under three hours and ten minutes. This translates to 7 minute 15 second splits for each mile. I wanted to be comfortable finishing under 3:10 so my goal pace became 7:00 which would be around a 3:03 marathon. A few extra minutes would allow me to take a bathroom break if necessary. I had been using handheld water bottle on my training runs and knew it would also take additional time to get water from the aid stations. During my training I had run most of my mileage between 6:20 and 6:50 pace and was confident that I could run 7 minute miles. The number in my mind on race day was 3:05.

On race day morning it was dark and cold at the start line and there were a crazy number of people. I hope it would warm up from the chilly 50 degrees since I was only wearing a T-shirt and shorts. A hand warmer in each hand really helped me for the first ten miles. For nutrition I had 3 GU’s, two packs of Shot Blocks and 5- hour energy bottle.  I drank an FRS energy when I got up, in addition to 10 oz or so of Gatorade. I barely made it out of the bathrooms at 5:28 which gave me enough time to jog over to the start line for Wave Two, which started ahead of schedule (5:30 instead of 5:32). My warm-up was the mile or so down hill from our hotel to the start line. Despite the crazy atmosphere of my first race with thousands of people, I felt totally ready when the gun went off.

The start was pretty surreal and I worked my way through the throngs of people running down the closed street along the San Francisco Bay. My plan was to make sure to warm-up slowly and run about 7:05 pace for the first many miles. This worked out well and the toughest part of the day was the long climb up to the Golden Gate bridge. I charged and was pretty tired by the time I had finished the hill and was running across the bridge. Once I hit the aid station at the end of the bridge I started feeling pretty good and kicked up the pace. I happily enjoyed the down hill and was at the aid station at mile 11 in no time.

I had a guy running on my heels for the most of the last 11 miles and he had followed my every stride, pass and so on. It was cool to be running with someone for that distance and it was reassuring to see him when I would glance back. I had been using the same technique and was chasing a runner ahead of me trying to match his pace. We chatted a little before the guy behind me broke off for the half marathon finish. I was on my own for a while going downhill through Golden Gate Park before running with a guy from Illinois (I think). He told me he had run 3:06 in Chicago and I said I was hoping to be on pace for 3:05. It was good to have some company, but I felt strong and lost him on the big hill section from mile 12 through 17. At this point there were not that many people ahead of me so I was pretty much on my own.

Chatting with a half marathon runner.

I was still feeling good and took my 5-hour energy at mile 18 below the deYoung museum. It was really fun to be running on familiar road from my Mom’s visit earlier in the year.  It was a big relief to be done with all of the hills and I just had to keep it together for the last 8+ miles. My legs were getting tired but I was right on pace having run 1:31:44 at the halfway mark and 2:20:09 at Mile 20. My core was also starting to tire and the steep hill at mile 20 was pretty rough. I think I started hitting the wall around mile 22, which had a short hill, and was running as hard as I could until mile 24.

The city seemed pretty empty on the Sunday morning with all of the streets blocked off and I felt lonely. The guy I had been trying to follow/catch had disappeared and I couldn’t match pace with the three or four guys that passed me. The occasional band or cheering group made me smile as I suffered through the last few miles. My pace for the last 10k had dropped by over 17 seconds per mile compared to the rest of the race. As I passed by AT&T Stadium, a guy passed me and gave some encouraging words which helped my final “kick”. I could see the Bay Bridge getting closer and I knew I would be done soon enough!

I was overcome with happiness and relief as I came across the finish line in 3:05:29. I had made it under 3:10 and had only been 29 seconds slower than my goal time. The continuous exertion had really taken it out of me and I happily accepted food and a space blanket to combat the chilly morning. I was in a daze and don’t even remember getting my photo taken after the finish line. I sat down, drank some water, and tried to eat some food. I was so sweaty that I instantly got a chill and my teeth were chattering.

Luke is so dazed from finishing that he doesn't even remember this photo being taken.

I waited around for the two friends who I had shared a hotel with and we all went out for lunch at the very trendy Brenda’s in San Francisco. We waited over two hours to eat with our group of 8, but the beignets were amazing and just being inside and warm was a big plus, making the wait well worthwhile.

Back in the South Bay, I iced and drank fluids for the rest of the day. I tried to climb about a week later, but my system was not ready for any kind of exertion.  All of my clothing worked well during the race and the only chafing I got was on the back side of my armpits. I had laughed when my friend had applied body glide like deodorant… oops.

I think the best thing about running this Marathon was the amount of planning, training, and hard work that went into a single performance. I’ve worked hard for climbs before but I’ve never spent four months pursuing a single goal. It was stressful and sometimes I didn’t want to go out and run. My body was sore, I was climbing poorly, and I wasn’t always getting faster. Having a routine really helped me get out and run. I usually ran two or three days a week and never ran more than 20 miles. I think in the future I can prepare better and plan on sticking to the trails for any runs over 18 miles.

I’m committed to running Boston Marathon next spring and hopefully a few friends will be joining me there. I’ll be doing another cycle of training in the winter since I think I can run under three hours on a faster course. For right now I am happy to be climbing and my next running project is to gain some speed.

Thanks for reading along!

- Luke

Posted by lstefurak at 10:10 am Tagged with: , , ,

Upcoming Sweet Gear Reviews

Reviews No Responses »
Aug 092010

The rainy winter and spring have given way to a beautiful summer. All of a sudden things started getting warm, which means more time outside for Lizzy and I. This also means we have more opportunities to play with gear!

Luke and Lizzy test out the Boulder X on Mt. Rainier

I was excited when I heard La Sportiva was making a new approach shoe, the Boulder X. I had previously used the B5 but it had been too stiff for my liking. The Boulder X, which is meant as a replacement for the Cirque Pro,  features super sticky rubber and a slightly redesigned body. Lizzy and I have been playing with the Boulder X and I have been impressed with the new Idro-Grip sole. Expect a full gear review in a the next months.

Lizzy has been really enjoying the Patagonia Rock Guide Pants and will be reviewing them shortly.

The new Sanuk Base Camp (photo from Sanuk.com)

I’ve been interested in the new Sanuk Base Camp and I just got a pair in for review. I just took them on their first multipitch (as “approach” shoes) and I was psyched at their weight and performance on a steep slab descent. Expect a review coming out once I take them up a few more climbs! Lizzy will also be reviewing the Sanuk Laurel which she took for three weeks of geology in South Africa!

The all new Katana Lace (Photo by LaSportiva.com)

Also in the footwear department, Lizzy and I will be reviewing the new La Sportiva Katana Lace. We both currently use the (original) velcro Katanas and are looking forward to comparing the performance of the new shoe.

Lizzy is all smiles on the hike up to Sugarloaf

Finally, Lizzy has been using the Black Diamond Women’s Innova 50 backpack over the last couple months and will be writing a review considering the pack’s pros and cons for cragging and for more alpine-y adventures.

Let us know if you have any gear questions!

- Luke

For past Sweet Gear reviews from Luke and Lizzy check out our Gear Reviews page.

Posted by lstefurak at 10:16 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Upping the ante at the Incredible Hulk

Trip Reports 1 Response »
Jul 302010

I’ve been in this situation before; I’m nervous and don’t really want to go through with it. The nagging of potential failure is pulling me down. I don’t know why I care so much. They say it is more important to try and fail then to never have tried at all (see Alfred Lord Tennyson). Off we go: another trip, another big plan, a real test of all my physical therapy and my mental fitness.

Snow crunches under my feet as I suck in the ever thinning air. The Sierra season is NOW and I’ve decided to go after it feet first. Fourth of July weekend often signals my first alpine climbing trip of the summer. I feel confident as I hike up the familiar trails to the Incredible Hulk. There are few places in the world that have captured my imagination as much as this piece of amazing alpine granite.

Time to escape the trailer park, aka campground, at the Mono Village

What is a wilderness? What makes something WILD? On the hike up Little Slide Canyon, the remote nature of the Hoover Wilderness is quite evident. I wonder how many people have been up here and how many of the crazy spires that line the canyon have been climbed. As the Hulk shows itself in the distance I get excited. It’s worth the crazy winds, the hours of hiking, the harassment of mosquitoes and the biting cold. We make no fire, store our food in a bear canister and try to make peace with this place. As I look up from our campsite, the angled face lures me in. I want to touch it, know it, be familiar with all of its routes and features.

We can see the Hulk. Wahoo!

Morning breaks, the day starts to heat up and we must go climbing. Remembering the mantra of the Sierra, I climb slowly, keeping my breathing in check. The anticipation of the crux instills fear into my movement. I make sure to climb relaxed, head calm, trying to shake the nerves. I reach a stance, like an island, well above my last gear. The crack has pinched out; my fingers will not fit in the corner. Out come the thin nuts, and I pepper the crack with them:  my only solace from the thirty foot fall that awaits me. I crimp on a credit card edge, feet on golden granite dots. I pinch my way up the arete, marveling at the outrageous sequence.

Jamie ponders life, adventure and ass kicking elevation.

At a small stance I fumble in a nut. Shaking I make the clip. Pods appear back in the corner and I start laybacking. My fingers slide deep into the crack. I start to relax and clip a 1/4 bolt; I hope it is strong enough to catch me. Somehow I’ve transitioned from fear to excitement in a mere five feet. The opening of the crack grows and so does my confidence. I find a good stance below a roof and then jugs, glorious jugs! I’m grinning, convinced I’ve pulled the crux and shake out, getting the blood back into my arms.

I see some chalk, another crux it seems, leading up and right to easier terrain. I try to lock off and can’t reach the next hold. I don’t see the small sidepull that Jamie uses later while following. I put in a 00 C3 to help with my confidence and then I jump. My fingers wrap around the next hold, but it looked better in my head. Feet swinging in the air I frantically match, using opposing pressure to stay on. Stable, I put my foot a previous hand hold and in a swift motion have gained the easy terrain.

Luke enjoys live climber "TV" on the Hulk.

I let out a shout! My heart is beating fast, too fast for this altitude, but the climbing to the belay relaxes me and it is ok. On the ledge I marvel at the last 100 feet of rock. What a unique challenge, what a nice ledge, what a wonderful day on the Hulk.

It’s now mid-afternoon and we are only barely half way up Tradewinds. The first pitch, at super sustained 11a, was a tough warm-up and saw me almost give up. Now I’ve completed the second 5.11 pitch. It is Jamie turn on the sharp end as he embarks on the route finding crux. By using a different belay than suggested in the topo we have the advantage of sight for the next tricky pitch. A pinched out corner leads to a wild traverse and perhaps a 5.11 move to get established on the face. I lead this pitch in a T-Shirt, soaking in the afternoon sun. The typical winds that I have encountered on previous trips to the Hulk are somehow absent.

Looking over at the namesake pitch of Red Dihedral

Looking up at the first of the 5.11+ pitches I am anxious again. I didn’t plan on leading this pitch. The thin corner seems to extend forever. I force myself to believe it is doable.  We brought four thin finger sized pieces for this pitch but one, a green alien, refused to cooperate and came apart earlier in the climb. (The trigger mesh came loose and you couldn’t retract the cam lobes).  I start breathing heavy as I try to cram my fingers into the thin crack. I think of Lizzy and wish she was here leading this pitch.  Climbing stupidly I jam straight in and quickly pump out, my fingers sliding out of a lock as my weight comes to rest on the cam below me.

With some stemming, french free, and numerous points of aid I make it up the pitch. The climbing has eased, with the crack offering a few full sized finger locks, but all of a sudden pinched out at a roof. The next sequence seems impossible and Jamie and I have no clue what to do. A sideways dyno to loose flake? Did I miss a series of face holds? How are you supposed to climb this blank section?

Luke finishes up a tricky 5.11 pitch.

My meltdown and aiding of pitch seven doesn’t give us much hope of climbing the harder 5.11+ pitch eight. Jamie points out the waning light and I figure out the fastest way to bail.  We had planned on rapping The Venturi Effect with our two 70m ropes. Lizzy and I had done this the prior year with a single 70m rope so I knew the location of all the stations.  I end up lowering Jamie 60+ meters off a bolt before tying the ropes together and rapping to him. With our two lines it only takes three more raps and we’re back on the ground in no time.

Back to Terra Firma at sunset and eating dinner by 9pm or so: a full day of climbing despite the late start and our final shenanigans. The difficulty of the day puts a question mark in my mind for Sunday. Can I lead more 5.11 pitches? Will the weather stay clear and warm? I seem to be plagued by these thoughts, my psych is draining. Back in the tent the fly flaps in the wind. Finally my eyes close and I am at peace, doubt and indecision left behind for the moment.

Jamie is all smiles with the warm weather!

The morning comes and we are up late (8am), in no rush to enter the crisp mountain air. As we shake off the soreness of the previous day I am committed to trying. Even if we fail, even if we don’t make it to the top we must try. I must put in a good effort; I must not give up even before taking the first step. As we rack up another party walks over. I had seen them the night before and had secretly hoped they were climbing Sunspot so we wouldn’t have to. I didn’t want the pressure, I wanted to relax.

Conversation shows that we do in fact share the same objective. Even more astounding is that  Jamie and Ryan, of the other party, were friends from college, at Lehigh. We chat and they wander off. I have no problem letting them get on the route first since Jamie and I are still tired. Time passes by as we watch them approach the climb and start up the first pitch. Looking at the watch I get antsy and insist we leave. The leader has just finished linking the first two pitches when we arrive at the base. It’s now past 10 am but Jamie is courteous and waits for Ryan to finish following before starting up.

Climbers on the first pitches of Positive Vibes/Sunspot Dihedral

I’ve climbed these two pitches before as a leader with Konstantin, and a follower with Lizzy. I want Jamie to get some mileage today and insist he leads. Being on the sharp end, dealing with route finding and doubt is important. It is good to know how one fairs at altitude and how to find and follow your psyche. It seems much warmer than the day before as we sit on the nice ledge, often referred to as the terrace, after climbing the 70m first pitch. The team is 50 feet above, having climbed a mini pitch, and are now working on the 3rd pitch, a supposedly pumpy traverse to a thin corner with minimal protection, “spooky” says the topo . The ensuing lead takes over two hours and we are not interested in getting caught on the wall in the dark. Jamie is not so psyche on the protection-less corner on Sunspot and opts to lead the first crux pitch of Positive Vibrations.

Jamie styles this pitch, dispatching the face climbing crux with ease, despite the pro being well below his feet.  The next pitch, while technically easier is much more strenuous. After an exciting moment with a broken hold, Jamie grunts his up the steep cracks for another onsight! With a single #2 and #3 we can’t really go any further. Back on the terrace we decided it would be better to climb these two pitches and rap instead of waiting around to climb Sunspot. Going down would allow us to take advantage of the soft snow and hike out a day early. Two raps and a very speedy 2 hours put us back at the car.

In the Tuolumne Meadows the climbing is less intimidating. We managed to rally the next morning and get to the base of Fairview Dome by 8am. As I expected there is a slowish party on the 2nd pitch of Lucky Streaks. We follow them up the climb, with Jamie leading the somewhat awkward and techy crux pitch. I found all the pitches after the crux to be much more fun than the first few and I am happy that we swap leads all the way to the top. After a celebratory dip in Tenaya Lake I must return home leaving Jamie to recover and enjoy the rest of the week climbing in the Meadows.

Looking back I had overestimated my fitness and the 5.11 pitches on Tradewinds were the hardest I had tried in many months. I am psyched with my two 5.11 onsights and it was good to be able to really push my body. My mind still believes I am stronger so I’ll be putting in some more time in the gym to return to my past fitness. My right shoulder was pain free all trip which is a huge step in the right direction! As always I can’t wait to spend some more time up on the Incredible Hulk.

If you have any questions or comments about the Hulk I’d love to hear it. I’m still trying to find topos for Blow Hard, Solar Flare, Sun Burn (aka Solar Burn), Eye of the Storm and Escape from Poland. Let me know if you have any information!

Some photos and the trip from Jamie’s perspective can be found here.

All the information that I have found on about the Incredible Hulk is here.

- Luke

Posted by lstefurak at 1:20 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

Squamish in Photos!

Trip Reports No Responses »
Jul 232010

Luke and Lizzy are finally done laybacking up the Grand Wall

Lizzy covered most of the details of our recent trip to Squamish in an earlier post. I wanted to add some photos since Lizzy was awesome and took a lot of good shots!

During our trip to Squamish I was still a bit tired from my trip up Half Dome, the weekend before, but was psyched to climb my first four 5.11′s since dislocating my right shoulder. The Grand Wall was a ton of fun and it was really nice to have no parties above us for the whole day, a vast contrast to my last multi-pitch adventure. It was also nice to have waited so I could onsight all the pitches, minus a hang to clean a nut on Apron Strings.  The Sword had one hard move,  and the finish was not as pumpy as I expected.  My foot slipped  (due to skipping a foothold) but I managed to catch my self, jarring my left shoulder in the process.  Perry’s layback was brutally sustained and I almost pumped out near the top.  I had to grunt my way up and it seemed much harder than the Sword. As I noted on the Mountain Project page there is no need for aiders or ascenders and it is easy to link the traverse from Merci Me to the short bolt ladder and the Sword to the long bolt ladder.

Jackie works out beta on Super Fly

I also really enjoyed relaxing and hanging out and going bouldering on this trip.  I had only bouldered once at Planet Granite since March and it was cool to try hard on the excellent Squamish granite. Jackie, Maddy and Arther were quite psyched and it was awesome to follow them around and not have to choose where we were climbing.  I can see why Squamish is considered a world class bouldering destination and on our next trip I might set aside some time to hang out in the forest and do some pebble wrestling.

Luke focus hard on this super thin problem.

Arthur crimps hard on some micro holds.

With much encouragement Luke eeks out a flash of Easy in an Easy Chair

Maddy enjoys a killer heel hook on Easy in an Easy Chair

Maddy fights for friction on some classic Squamish slopers

Luke gets a full helping of Monkey's Lunch

Jackie works the heel hook on Monkey's Lunch

Lizzy remembered that we had stopped by the Animal Magnetism area once before so I could play on Jack’s Baby. This is a classic Squamish sloper traverse which goes right to the finish of Monkey Lunch (seen above). It was cool to send a problem that I had tried many years ago but had no recollection of!

Maddy sends an excellent V0 near Titanic

Jackie warms up up on our last day bouldering

Arthur works on the big reach on Titanic

Luke has the jug of Titanic in his sight.

It was really great to be able to squeeze in some problems on our last day despite a morning of rain. The temperature in the forest below the Grand Wall was often nice and cool in contrast to sunny hotness elsewhere. Finishing the trip on a mellow note hanging out with friends was a big plus. Lizzy and I had climbed the Grand Wall, which was our only big objective, and had a successful trip. Sometimes it is important not to stress out too much about doing something big and crazy every day. I often forget that it can be just as fun to have a relaxing climbing trip as a one full of sending and exhaustion.

Also be sure to check out some more photos from Arthur:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurhsu/sets/72157624399448586/

Enjoy,

Luke

Posted by lstefurak at 8:00 am Tagged with: , , , ,

A Full Day on Half Dome

Trip Reports 4 Responses »
Jul 142010

For me just about everything starts with a plan. I like figuring out logistics and taking all the steps to prepare for a big climb. Maybe it helps calm me down, which is really useful when thinking about climbing something as large as Half Dome.  My goal was to free climb the Regular Northwest Face, with Roberto and I splitting the hard pitches. Training was going well until the end of March when I dislocated my shoulder. Hopes of onsighting 5.11 or 5.12 were gone. Roberto, however, was still keen to climb Half Dome at the beginning of the summer. He had been on a tear climbing in Red Rocks and Zion and we agreed that he would lead all the hard pitches and I would do the rest.

Hiking up the "Death Slabs"

Things did not go quite according to our plan, but we managed to get to the summit despite some obstacles in the way. Check out Roberto’s blog for a bit more details on the action. It was an interesting challenge since the climbing was never too hard, except for the Zig-Zags, but you had to climb very fast and make sure to keep enough energy for 2000+ feet of climbing. The following are some of my thoughts on the climb.

Roberto going up one of many fixed lines on the "Death Slabs" approach

I was on the sharp end. The rack was heavy and my waterbottle was full. It was crux of the first pitch and I had stopped moving. A quick tug on a fixed pin and I was past the crux, motoring along again. Much of the climb would go this way, using any and all advantages to move quickly against the ticking of the clock.

Five pitches later was one of the most memorable sections of the climb, not because of the striking line, or the amazing movement, but the gripping fear. We were off route, way lost, and a long traverse was necessary to get us back on track. I was going up a large flake that was filled with microwave sized loose blocks. I couldn’t commit to climbing past them and I would go up and down the first section trying to find a safer path. All at once a rock came loose, something I barely brushed with my pant leg. Roberto and I screamed ROCK as the granite bread loaf tumbled towards the base.  I was terrified for the six people below us. The rock bounced far off to the side and whistled to the base, harming no one.

Three pitches of chossy climbing had really slowed us down and lost much of the progress we had made so far. When we had arrived the night before, there were many other parties at the base and on the route, making us last in line. Early in the day, a head injury, which resulted from a long fall without a helmet, had caused one party to bail. We had climbed neck and neck with Mike and Jay until they let us pass (around pitch seven).

Roberto gets ready to belay from the snow cave at the start of the route.

I had just reached the ledge after the Robbins Traverse (pitch 11) and I was shocked and depressed to see Mike belaying Jay up the first of the chimney pitches. How could they be so low, why was it so late in the day? I hit my low point on this ledge; Roberto had his doubts on the last belay. I was pretty sure at this point we would be climbing in the dark – the question was for how long.

One hundred and thirty feet higher, my mood had totally flipped around. We were back on route, the chimney had been totally mellow and I was enjoying the climbing. There was still a slow party above us stuck in the chimneys preventing M&J and us from climbing further. I kept up the psyched convinced it was going to be ok even though we weren’t moving.

Luke gets back into the groove on the chimneys

Linking the two main chimneys I started wiggling outwards for the easiest passage. My last piece of pro, an old fixed pin was well below me. The foot-and-back-sized fissure was the essence of old school climbing. As I got higher and plugged my micro C3’s it was hard to imagine doing this with practically no gear 50 years earlier. Robbins is such a badass.

The climbing had finally started speeding up. I was linking the last chimney into a 4th class pitch and saw Jay passing the aid party that had been moving slowly in the chimneys. A quick chat with Mike and I got into passing mode. Style was secondary as I chugged along pulling on fixed pins and cams to insure the pass. I made it right up next to Jay and we shared a belay and had a good chat as we brought up our partners.

A mess of people one pitch below Big Sandy Ledge

Darkness came gradually as I sat on Big Sandy Ledge. Roberto’s progress on the Zig-Zags could be seen by the steadily shrinking circle of light of thrown by his headlamp. We moved slowly on the remaining six pitches to the summit. The exposure of two thousand feet of air below our feet was swallowed by the night. With the moonlight we could see basic outlines, but were restricted to the bubble of light from our headlamps.

I walked and then crawled across Thank God Ledge. The last chimney took me a second before I could squirm my way up to the next ledge. I was happy that it was not as bad as the hype. A pitch later I was leading to the top, traversing, manteling, shooting for the summit. On a ledge, alone in the darkness, I struggled to understand the topo. Putting it back in my pocket, I fumbled and it slipped out of my hand. Floating away into the abyss, 2000 feet back to the base – I didn’t need it anymore.

Roberto racks up for the Zig Zags

Three in the morning – we are both at the summit, tired, happy and shocked to have been climbing for the last 20+ hours. We count the times we waited at the belay not moving, shudder at our escapades in the loose rock, and try to understand where the day has gone.

At the base of the cables I couldn’t remember the topography of the sub dome. Wandering around in the dark looking for the trail we wondered if we would have to stop moving and wait for dawn, which was only an hour or two away. After many circles we found some stairs, marking the trail, and followed them to the “lighting warning” sign. Here we turned left for our last route finding adventure.

3am at the summit!

Following the occasional cairn, we worked back towards the base stopping to rope up and cross a snow field. Not wanting to take a fatal slip on the hard snow at 4am, I “led” across the snow using a rock to scrape out steps while using my nut tool as an ice ax.

As we neared camp, the day was starting and we were shocked how long we had been on the move. The descent put us back at camp just before 5am, taking two hours from the summit. Our total time moving was 22 hours, just making it in under a “day”. A few hours of sleep, a very refreshing dip in the Merced River and Roberto and I were headed back to the Bay.

Sunset on Half Dome

After the climb I am excited to go back and figure out how to spend less time on the route. I think Roberto suffered too much with four liters of water and two pairs of shoes in the pack. Next time I think it would be better to have the leader have two liters of water in a small pack so that the follower can climb faster. Knowing the terrain will allow me to climb in bigger blocks without wondering about where to go. I’m still apprehensive about finding the correct free traverse around the Robbins bolt ladder, but hopefully some emails will solve that problem. It was quite the adventure and the longest day I’ve ever had.

- Luke

Thanks to Mike and Jay for some of the photos!

Posted by lstefurak at 10:15 am Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Sweet Gear Review: Black Diamond Nitro Pack

Reviews No Responses »
Jun 292010

Don't ask why my fingers are pointing different directions... Instead enjoy the view of Mount Rainer.

I always have too much stuff. I guess it’s because I like to tinker with things and climbing gear just tends to appeal to me. This does not always work out when I try to bring to whole kitchen sink to the crag with me. I want to have two pairs of climbing shoes, maybe an extra jacket and a trusty pair of crag sandals or Sanuks plus rope, cams, etc.

Looking at the Black Diamond Nitro I was unsure how I could manage to bring my plethora of climbing “accessories” to the crag with me. For the first many months I just avoided the problem entirely and used the Nitro as a day pack. The Nitro came to the climbing gym with me twice a week for about 5 months and worked perfectly to hold a harness, chalk bag and two or three pairs of climbing shoes. I have the Nitro in a size Medium, which has a volume of 22 L (1,340 cu in) and weighs in at 940 g (2 lb 1 oz).

One of the first improvements I noticed was the external mesh pockets. The grey mesh actually stretches enough to fit a one Liter bottle when the pack is fully loaded. On older BD packs like the RPM, you cannot fit anything in the external pockets when the pack was stuffed to the brim. Having pockets that allow you to bring even more stuff, and are easily accessible, is a big plus!

In addition to the two external water bottle pockets, the Nitro is hydration compatible and the internal sleeve sits against the solid back sheet. This molded plastic panel provides the stability for the pack and I was impressed with the amount support this had for a day pack. There is a place for a Camelbak or equivalent hose to come out of the top of the pack but no clip or strap on the shoulder straps to keep the hose from flying around.

The waist-belt uses a floating buckle that allows the user to really cinch it down and offers a wide range of sizes. The right side of the belt has a nice zippered pouch that works well for cliff bars, chap stick, or a watch. Since the pack has no lid, there is a small zippered pouch on the front panel with a key loop. I usually keep my cell phone and a headlamp in here.

Awesome external pocket is perfect for a pair of shoes!

One interesting feature is an exterior kangaroo pocket with a pair of compression straps. At first I had no idea what to put in it but have come to use it constantly. It is perfect for a pair of sandals, or you can stuff in a jacket or a pair of sweaty climbing shoes. I always have something shoved in there when I take the Nitro to the gym or the crag, making this my favorite feature of the pack.

The “compression” straps above the front pocket do not reduce the size of the pack but are functional for attaching a rope or securing clothing such as a down jacket. When I eventually took the Nitro cragging, I was surprised that I could fit a harness, a set of draws, a few pairs of shoes, water bottle and lunch inside a sub-30 Liter pack. I had to strap the rope on the outside, but it was very functional for a light day of cragging.

One of the main features of the Nitro is the ReActiv suspension which allows the pack to move with you as you walk. The shoulder straps are connected at bottom of the pack with a wire that runs through the back sheet. The waist belt also has a bit of side-to-side mobility. I could really feel the advantage of the suspension when I had the Nitro fully loaded. When I was hiking on talus or moving on uneven terrain, the pack would stay centered by moving with my body. This was a really cool feeling and showed me that the technology worked as designed.

The special reActiv suspension and back panel (photo from Black Diamond)

The only thing that I would like is a load lifting system, although the pack is probably too small for that to work. Strapping too much weight to the Nitro causes it to put a lot of weight on the shoulder straps. A taller pack might help address this issue, but I’m not sure if this would be possible without eliminating the benefits that come with a smaller day pack.

I really enjoyed the Nitro and commend Black Diamond on the innovative suspension. This is a great size for a day pack and can work in a pinch as a small crag pack if you only have to carry the rope or the rack. The exterior pockets are super convenient and I hope Black Diamond starts using the extra stretchy grey mesh on more of their packs.

Pros:

  • External kangaroo pocket is always useful
  • Mesh pockets are very stretchy and can easily fit a 1 Liter water bottle.
  • reActiv suspension moves with your body and makes loads seem lighter.

Cons:

  • Missing a keeper loop or clip on the shoulder straps for a hydration hose.
  • An internal zippered pocket or a larger top pocket would have been nice.

Enjoy,

Luke

Full Disclosure: Black Diamond provided this backpack to DreamInVertical in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience with this backpack.  Feel free to leave comments regarding your opinion of the Nitro backpack.

For more Sweet Gear reviews from Luke and Lizzy check out our Gear Reviews page.

Posted by lstefurak at 9:38 am Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Spring in Yosemite Valley

Trip Reports 1 Response »
Jun 132010

“Dude, turn around!” yells Chris from the belay. Looking back, a thick wall of mist obscures the other side of the valley. A flurry of snow blows past and I keep going, anxious to get to the  next belay. Tucked under a tree, I stare out a the sheets of rain coming down.

Where is Half Dome?

It’s not too wet right now but the air is moist. A sane person wouldn’t have planned to go to Yosemite this weekend but I was psyched to lead some routes and introduce Chris to multipitching. As we top out on Munginella, he mentions it felt a bit stiff for 5.6. We both look out at the weather and laugh. I responded that climbing should feel harder when you are racing a storm to get to the end of a pitch.

The walk off was a little exciting with wet ledges made even more slippery by falling rain, but we made it down. In the morning we had climbed After Seven in a cold wind made worse by a poor decision to forgo jackets. The first pitch was so warm that I threw down my fleece leaving me only a t-shirt. When we arrived back at the base, we were greeted with a flurry of snow.  On Munginella we expected the rain, brought jackets, and were prepared to suffer. Of course it was worth it!

Chris, with the rain jacket, happily atop Munginella

This has been the theme of Yosemite weekends this spring. A month or so earlier, in April, Keith and I had been climbing shirtless on two beautiful days. It was my first time climbing outside since dislocating my shoulder at the end March and we had a killer weekend. Keith lead his first Yosemite 10′s and I was psyched to be climbing at all.

Keith tunes his crack technique on Outer Limits

A few weekends later I met up with Stein for some recon for Freerider, which I’ll be writing in the next few weeks. After rappelling the Captain one day I met up with Keith for some cragging at the Cookie on Sunday. Sadly, a rain storm drove us home. However, in between the morning showers we were able to climb the classic Outer Limits.  Seeing all the classic lines soggy with rain motivates me to come back to the Cookie in the future!

Outer limits features steep WIDE hands forever...

Similar to last year, I started out 2010 injury free and really psyched to get stronger and keep pushing my limits. After getting hurt I turned to running and really decided to focus on getting fit and pushing myself. I’ve been going to physical therapy for about 10 weeks and my shoulder is doing really well. I can’t climb too much on steep routes but my fitness works well for climbing in Yosemite.

While climbing is still a driving force I’ve been a lot more laid back and have really enjoyed some of the moderate classics in Yosemite. So far the first pitch of After Seven really stands out. I climbed it three times one day so that Chris could practice placing gear on top rope and I could critique his placements. It’s a much more fun start than After Six. Commitment was pretty enjoyable with a tricky short crux and I really like the upper pitch(s) of Munginella. We did it in two 60 meter pitches and the first one was quite forgettable. Jamcrack, however, is good from the ground to the anchor and even better when linked into a single mondo pitch. The two top ropes (or tricky leads), Lazy Bum and Bummer, below Jamcrack are also excellent with delicate laybacking, delicate face moves and sweet finger locks.

Having fun in crappy weather on Munginella

I also really enjoyed Hardly Pinnacle which can be accessed via Little John Left. This climb has splitter thin hands and fingers up to a tricky section of laybacking capped off with some face climbing. Lots of value in the ~90 foot pitch and oh so fun to be climbing on El Capitan. Moby Dick is another El Cap base classic and would be even better if you enjoy jamming in the #3 and #4 Camalot range (I had to use hand stacks).

With all the bad weather I’ve yet to get on any longer routes but I have some big plans for the end of this month. Next weekend Roberto is flying up from San Diego to climb Half Dome. I’m looking forward to the role reversal on this trip since  he will be rope gunning all of the cruxes on Half Dome. This should allow me to lead the majority of the route but never have to lead anything over 5.10. I think this will get me in perfect shape for the following week where Lizzy and I are going up to Squamish to climb the Grand Wall.

With Tioga Pass opening this past weekend, I’m getting excited for the Sierra season and can’t wait for the 4th of July to get back on the Incredible Hulk!

Yosemite Hail Storm. from Luke Stefurak on Vimeo.

How has the spring been for everyone else? Any exciting summer plans? I’d love to hear about it!

- Luke

Posted by lstefurak at 9:01 am Tagged with: , , , ,

Physical and Mental Training

Notes, Tips 5 Responses »
May 142010

DISCLAIMER! I’m not an expert and most of this information has been compiled from various online sources. It is very important to listen to your body when pushing one’s limits. Make sure to check out the list of resources at the bottom of this post for more detailed information.

Hangboarding:

At the start of 2010 I got interested in doing cycles of formalized training. The idea was to train in 4-6 week intervals with various focuses and peak around the end of April or early May for an attempt on Freerider. My friend Stein had worked through this process in the Fall by following the advice of the “Rockprodigy” training program on RockClimbing.com written by Mike Anderson. Starting in a new gym back in January (Planet Granite Sunnyvale), I had no partners which made choosing training over climbing easier. For two and half weeks I did hangboard workouts during my on days and core workouts on my off days. There was an occasional weekend climbing trip or weekday climbing session but the vast majority of my time was spent hanging.

Hangboarding at Planet Granite

After meeting a few people at Planet Granite, I started getting bored and experimented with doing a bit of climbing and a bit of hangboarding during the week. To maximize my fun I would climb one day, hangboard the next day, take a day or two off, and repeat. This worked well enough – I was able to enjoy some climbing while making my fingers stronger on the hangboard – and I saw improvement. I attempted to hangboard the same day as climbing but was too tired to complete a full workout. At the end of this cycle, I took advantage of a mini peak during Presidents’ Day weekend at Bishop. I felt much stronger on small holds and, despite feeling tired from all the work in the gym, I sent many old projects.

Using a pulley and counterweight to reduce the stress on my fingers.

A training session on the hang board would go as follows: Start by traversing for 10 – 15 min and then do another 10-15 minutes of light bouldering to fully warm up my fingers. It was essential to avoid a lasting pump during the warm-up since it would ruin my training session. During my first hangboard sessions I would hang for 10 seconds, rest for 10 seconds totalling 1 minute 30 seconds and then I would rest for a minute and a half and repeat. In order to hang that long I was using a pulley system to reduce the weight on my fingers. The first few weeks I had the equivalent of 50 pounds pulling up on my harness. After some more reading, I changed my workout to 10 seconds on/off but only for 1 minute 10 seconds with a 2 minute rest. This seemed to work better and I needed to remove less weight. I would start with a large open hand edge and work through seven grip positions: 4 finger open, 4 finger full crimp, 3 finger open, 3 finger full crimp, 4 finger half crimp, 3 finger open (sloping edge), and then a set of pinches. I was concerned about injury, so I avoided all 2 finger grip positions.

Campus board at Bucknell.

Campusing:

The point of periodized training is to work through specific styles of training that build over a longer period to produce a large peak. After 5 or 6 weeks of hangboarding, I was supposed to transition to campusing. Bad weather, a crappy outdoor campus board at Planet Granite and new motivated partners made me lose focus. I had some lingering finger pain since Bishop and I did not want campusing to result in major injury. I had been reading Lee Cujes and Dave MacLeod’s blogs and they suggested that most climbers need to focus more on technical climbing skills and less on campusing. I decided to follow this well timed advice since it came from solid sources.  Dave and Lee are quite knowledgeable, work as climbing coaches and have climbed 5.14. They discussed that technical skills are often where people fail to improve after many years of climbing. Focusing on power does not always help one become a better climber, just a stronger one. The point was further driven home a few weeks later when I was fooling around at the gym and noticed one of the better climbers campusing. I went over to the board and was shocked that he could not do the standard 1-4-7 that I could do. This helped remind me that there is more to being a “strong” climber than campusing.

Power Endurance Training:

I decided to keep with my cycles and spend the next month or so doing “power endurance” training. Since this is one of my main weaknesses, I knew that I would benefit from targeted training. When I boulder I may struggle to complete a hard move, but I usually suffer on routes due to a lack of endurance. I can frequently do the crux of a route from a hang but run out of energy on redpoint attempts.

My training for this cycle consisted of large volumes of back to back climbing. This has meant numerous 4×4′s or larger bouldering sets as well as climbing up to four routes in a row without rest. When setting up a 4×4, I chose four challenging boulder problems that I could do first or second try. Problems in a concentrated area are best since you want to finish a problem, jump down, and start the next problem as soon as possible. I would typically climb the four problems in 2-3 minutes of concentrated effort, rest for 3-5 minutes and then do another set. If you gauge the difficulty right you will fall on the last couple of moves of the 3rd and 4th problem on the last of your four sets.

Campus training in at Wind Gap in PA

Mental Training

A big part of doing lots of problems or routes back-to-back is learning how to deal with pump and to keep climbing when I don’t feel 100%. When I am fresh, I feel in control and am willing to try harder, but fear often makes me unwilling to try harder moves when I’m tired. Learning my limits and working at the edge of my ability allows me to make more informed decisions while route climbing. I am working towards having the mental fitness to try difficult moves on lead even if I don’t feel totally solid. I am trying to learn to relax when the fall is safe and focus on my breathing and movement, holding on with the minimum amount of energy instead of wasting energy being “gripped”.

I think that learning to deal with fear and being able to redpoint routes at one’s limit is something every climber could benefit from. While climbing is obviously both a mental and physical challenge, I think many people often forget that they can benefit from mental training. I know personally that I will see the largest gains by becoming stronger and smarter mentally and being more relaxed. I believe it is important to find the ideal balance between wanting to send a climb and adding extra pressure by “needing” to send the climb. I have already tried to step back from needing success and this has been productive. Although it can be a challenge, I think that finding a relaxed mental state while maintaining excitement for my project is key.

Various pull-up bars in my old house in Maryland.

Mental training can be just as cyclic as physical training. For me, some of this comes naturally based on the seasons of the year. Cold weather is better for skiing or ice climbing than suffering on the rock, while the long hours of the summer make me enthusiastic for long alpine climbs. Doing what I’m psyched on is important for me to help prevent burnout. I am trying to be smarter by working on the things I struggle with, which will hopefully help me become a more confident and cool-headed climber.

Since training and mind games are applicable to all types of climbing – trad, sport, and bouldering – I’d love to hear some stories or tips from our readers.

I’ll hopefully be doing a follow up with a more of a physiological look at the different types of fitness.

- Luke

Links:

http://usa.moonclimbing.com/school-room-c-334.html – Ben Moon, Richard Simpson, Malcom Smith and others from the UK

http://climbstrong.wordpress.com/ – Steve Bechtel

http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/ – Steve Edwards

http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/ – Dave MacLeod

http://upskillclimbing.blogspot.com/ – Lee Cujes

http://gravsports.blogspot.com/ – Will Gadd

http://mattmccormickclimbing.blogspot.com/2010/03/tolerance.html – Matt McCormick

http://www.increasingthecalibre.com/2010/03/how-to-ruin-training-facility.html – Nizza Grandpouce

http://kellycordes.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/training-%E2%80%93-adaptation-motivation/ – Kelly Cordes

t the start of 2010 I got interested in doing cycles of formalized training. The idea was to train in 4-6 week intervals with various focuses and peak around the end of April or early May for an attempt on Freerider. My friend Stein had worked through this process in the fall by following the advice of the “Rockprodigy” training program on RockClimbing.com written by Mike Anderson. Starting in a new gym back in January (Planet Granite Sunnyvale), I had no partners which made choosing training over climbing easier. For two and half weeks I did hangboard workouts during my on days and core workouts on my off days. There was an occasional weekend climbing trip or weekday climbing session but the vast majority of my time was spent hanging.

After meeting a few people at Planet Granite, I started getting bored and experimented with doing a bit of climbing and a bit of hangboarding during the week. To maximize my fun I would climb one day, hangboard the next day, take a day or two off, and repeat. This worked well enough – I was able to enjoy some climbing while making my fingers stronger on the hangboard – and I saw improvement. I attempted to hangboard the same day as climbing but was too tired to complete a full hangboard workout. At the end of this cycle, I took advantage of a mini peak during Presidents’ Day weekend at Bishop. I felt much stronger on small holds and, despite feeling tired from all the work in the gym, I sent many old projects.

A training session on the hang board would go as follows: Warm-up up by traversing for 10 – 15 min and then do another 10-15 minutes of light bouldering to warm up my fingers. It was essential to avoid a lasting pump during the warm-up since it would ruin my training session. During my first hangboard sessions I would hang for 10 seconds, rest for 10 seconds totalling 1 minute 30 seconds and then I would rest for a minute and a half and repeat. In order to hang that long I was using a pulley system to reduce the weight on my fingers. The first few weeks I had the equivalent of 50 pounds pulling up on my harness. After some more reading, I changed my workout to 10 seconds on/off but only for 1 minute 10 seconds with a 2 minute rest. This seemed to work better and I needed to remove less weight. I would start with a large open hand edge and work through seven grip positions: 4 finger open, 4 finger full crimp, 3 finger open, 3 finger full crimp, 4 finger half crimp, 3 finger open (sloping edge), and then a set of pinches. I was concerned about injury, so I avoided 2 finger grip positions.

Campusing:

The point of periodized training is to work through specific styles of training that build over a longer period to produce a large peak. After 5 or 6 weeks of hangboarding I was supposed to transition to campusing. Bad weather, a crappy outdoor campus board and new motivated partners made me lose focus. I had some lingering finger pain since Bishop and I did not want campusing to result in major injury. I had been reading Lee Cujes and Dave MacLeod’s blogs and they suggested climbers need to focus more on technical climbing skills and less on campusing. This advice was well timed and came from solid sources.  Dave and Lee are climbing coaches and have climbed 5.14. They discussed that technical skills are often where people fail to improve after many years of climbing. Focusing on power does not always help one become a better climber, just a stronger one. The point was further driven home a few weeks later when I was fooling around at the gym and noticed one of the better climbers campusing. I went over to the board and was shocked that he could not do the standard 1-4-7 that I could do. This helped remind me that there is more to being “strong” than campusing.

Posted by lstefurak at 11:19 am Tagged with: , , , , ,

Sweet Gear Review: Black Diamond 50 Caliber Pack

Reviews 6 Responses »
May 102010

In my mind a good backpack carries well, is easily filled with gear, and is durable enough to stand up to abuse. In recent years I have seen many climbers bring small haul bags or haul packs as a substitute for a crag pack. These packs are usually spacious and quite durable. However, most haul bags lack simple features like a lid or a good suspension. Black Diamond has attempted to combine the best of both worlds and created the 50 Caliber pack.

The first thing I realized when I got my hands on the 50 Caliber is the HUGE capacity.  I have a medium, which at a weight of 3 lb 6 oz holds 52 L (3,175 cubic inches) – Stats from BD. This pack is currently my biggest non-backpacking pack and it really swallows gear. Over the summer I was so happy with it that I chose to bring it on a few overnight trips instead of my typical backpacking pack.

Looking out at the Conness lakes. (Notice the removed lid)

In my mind the 50 Caliber is designed for cragging at places like Indian Creek, where you need to bring a rope and an extravagant amount of cams and many other essentials. During our trip to IC over Thanksgiving I could easily fit a 70m rope inside the pack in addition to 30+ cams, two water bottles, a few pairs of shoes, and my harness. If it was cold, I could extend the collar and stuff my down jacket under the lid. This made the pack quite tall, but it still carried well. When you pack the 50 Caliber to the brim you might need a place for your helmet and Black Diamond comes through with their mesh lid cover previously seen on the Jackal and other packs. This holds the helmet on well and you can even stick a Nalgene under your helmet if you are short on space (unlikely).

Fully loaded for a few nights in the Sierra backcountry!

Over the summer on one occasion I was out in the backcountry and needed to climb with my pack. I was able to strip the Caliber down by removing the lid and tightening the waist strap around the back. I climbed 5 pitches, swapping leads, wearing the pack. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as a small summit pack but proved that it could still perform on route, a task well outside the intended purpose.

As I mentioned, I took the 50 Caliber backpacking and I was able to secure my sleeping pad on the outside via the compression straps. Yet again the Caliber stepped outside its intended use and functioned well during the weekend. It would have been easier to attach gear to the outside of the pack if both straps had snap buckles. The current model only has a snap buckle on the upper strap. In most cases this is no big deal, but should be duly noted.

Climbing with the 50 Caliber on Mt. Langley

Since the 50 Caliber is designed as a crag pack, Black Diamond decided to make the bottom as durable as possible by making it out of haul bag material. An additional benefit of this stiff fabric is that the Caliber stands up on its own, which really helps for packing. In places like Red Rocks, where you do a lot of scrambling, or Joshua Tree, with all the sharp granite, the bottom of the pack is often the first thing to go. Lizzy’s favorite pack, an older BD Sphynx, has multiple layers of duct tape keeping the bottom together. One of my packs from REI has a similar issue. I doubt the 50 Caliber will suffer the same fate.

A bit of scrambling at dawn.

The shape of the 50 Caliber is simple. The only compartment is a tube with a few compression straps and two external clipping points for water bottles, etc. The benefit of this shape is that gear stuffs inside easily and the Caliber ends up with a minimal amount of dead space. There is a stowable piece of webbing for attaching the rope under the lid. I like to pack my rope in the bottom of the pack so I haven’t used this feature. I do appreciate that it packs into a small pouch and hasn’t been flapping around like on older BD models. The 50 Caliber has standard ice ax loops on the bottom but doesn’t have an obvious way of securing the shaft to the top of the pack. Perhaps a piece of Velcro could be added to attach the shaft to the clip in points on the back of the pack.

As I mentioned before, the lid is removable since it is connected via four pieces of webbing. This allows the lid to float when you need to use the extendable collar of the pack. Another nice feature is that you can extend the webbing and tuck the lid inside the collar to make the pack much shorter and more compact when you still want to have a lid but are not carrying a full load. I appreciate this since the pack carries better and the lid does not flop around when the pack is not full. The lid has both top and bottom pockets with an internal mesh pocket inside the bottom that will fit a phone, keys of something similar. The top has a mesh keeper flap for your helmet, which may look goofy but is functional.

Enjoying the hike in to Mt. Conness.

I’ve hiked anywhere between 15 minutes and 4 hours wearing the Caliber. The best part of the suspension in my opinion is the cushy waist belt. The 3+ inches of foam do a great job putting the majority of the weight on one’s hips. The shoulder straps are not quite as cushy and occasionally dug into my shoulders. A bit of adjusting usually makes the discomfort go away, but I think they could be improved. I prefer a more rectangular strap that distributes the weight across the width of the webbing, whereas the shoulder straps on the Caliber seemed to focus the weight to the inside. Lizzy suggested that I might need a size small since a different fit could change the way the load is distrubted across the shoulder strap. So I would add that it is important to try out the Caliber to make sure the shoulder straps fit.

Overall I have been very happy with the pack and would recommend it when you need to haul a lot of gear to the crag. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a smaller version since the haul bag bottom really is a great feature!

Pro’s:
  • Lid is removable and has helmet mesh.
  • Bottom of pack is very durable.
  • Waist belt is very comfortable and is quite adjustable.
  • Pack compresses well.
  • Very spacious and fits gear well.

Con’s:

  • Shoulder straps could be shaped to fit better.
  • Load lifters are not very effective.

Enjoy,

Luke

Full Disclosure: Black Diamond provided this backpack to DreamInVertical in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience with this backpack.  Feel free to leave comments regarding your opinion of the 50 Caliber backpack.

For more Sweet Gear reviews from Luke and Lizzy check out our Gear Reviews page.

Posted by lstefurak at 8:40 am Tagged with: , , , , ,

Sweet Gear Review: Black Diamond Chaos Harness

Reviews 4 Responses »
Apr 162010

In 2008 Arc’teryx was first to market with a new way of building a climbing harness. Petzl had developed a similar technology with the Frame Harness, but it did not offer the weight savings present by the Arc’teryx’s Warp Technology. A few months after the release of the R320 and companion models, I heard a rumor that Black Diamond was developing a lightweight harness with similar technology.  I am a fan of most Black Diamond products and had to wait until this new harness came out before I committed to getting a new harness.

Belay duty is pretty hard work in Indian Creek.

Finally in May of 2009 the Chaos harness was available and I eagerly went to REI to check it out.  I did a in store comparison with the Arc’teryx R320 and chose the harness with the larger gear loops, the R320. You can see my review of the R320 here. Fast forward to September of 2009 and I was still curious to look at the Chaos and was presented with the opportunity to do a review.

The Kinetic Core Construction used in the Chaos

I immediately put the Chaos to lots of use with several trips to Yosemite, climbing the Free Blast, and then climbing it again to continue up the Salathe Wall to the Ear (about 17 pitches).  Next I wore the Chaos on the 14 pitch Original Route on Rainbow Wall in Red Rocks where it performed beautifully. Over Thanksgiving, the Chaos was the only harness I brought to Indian Creek for seven days of cragging.  To finish out 2009, the Chaos accompanied me up Levitation 29 in Red Rocks and the first 9 pitches of the Nose on El Capitan.  Since I wanted to offer a good comparison in this review, I took a few opportunities to wear my R320 during this time, including climbing Freerider.

Luke on the Mammoth Terraces of El Capitan.

Out of the box I had immediately liked the R320 because it was super light and fit well. The Chaos, however, dug into my waist on my first multi-pitch climbs in Yosemite. This made me wonder if the Kinetic Core Construction really worked. The stiff waist band did not flex to fit my contours and was uncomfortable during long belays. The R320, right out of the box, formed more of a curve and felt much better on my waist. After wearing the Chaos for a month or so, the waist belt broke in and started being more and more comfortable. I could no longer feel the stiff waist belt digging into my sides during hanging belays and long hang-dogging sessions. The fabric of the Chaos waistband, which is a bit taller and more substantial than the R320, takes a bit of time to break in but becomes equally comfortable.

From the specs you know this harness is pretty light at 14 ounces though not as tiny as the 11.4 ounces of the R320. I think it is important for trad climbers to be able to carry a full rack of gear comfortably. This is one of the ways that the Chaos is superior to the R320. Since waist belt is a bit taller and more importantly stiffer it does not sag at all when loaded with a double set of cams or more. The super thin fabric of the R320 suffers when fully loaded and it feels like the waist band wants to slip off. Without gear, however, the R320 is barely noticeable, such that I’ve even forgotten to take it off.

Luke takes a burn on Hidden Arch, Joshua Tree

The R320 and Chaos have similar features. Fixed leg loops, a haul loop and four gear loops. Both harnesses have speed buckles that allow for fast on and off.  The details of these features vary.  The gear loops on the R320 are large and directional (gear slides forward or back) but floppy. The Chaos has much stiffer gear loops that are nice to clip gear to but are almost 25% smaller.  The style of the webbing on the Chaos is much more coarse than the R320. On the Arc’teryx harness the webbing would slip through a bit during a day of climbing, requiring me to constantly tighten it. The webbing on the Chaos holds the harness closed and I haven’t had to re adjust it while climbing.

Black Diamond makes a few other harnesses with  Kinetic Core Construction, called the Aura and the Ozone. These sport climbing specific harnesses feature two gear loops but each loop is much larger than the loop on the Chaos. A combination of one large and one small gear loop per side would have been much better in my opinion since I would like to have more space on the gear loops of the Chaos.

Luke gets ready to climb in Joshua Tree

Due to the smaller gear loops I changed my racking from gate facing in (my preference) to gate facing out (which racks better on the Chaos). When I first tried to rack up a double set of cams and quickdraws for the Free Blast I couldn’t fit everything with the gates facing in. This may not be an issue for those who use gear slings but I prefer to rack all of my gear on my harness unless climbing a chimney or an long route with many belay change overs.

I got used to the gate facing out method of racking but noticed that it led to another small concern. Occasionally when removing biners from the gear loop, a notched nose would catch on the plastic tubing. I use wiregate biners for my cams, mainly BD OZ’s, and this may be part of the problem. This is not a big deal but just something that I don’t remember happening on any of my other harnesses.

Luke laybacks his way up Pit Bull Terror. Photo by Andre Kiryanov

In its second weekend of use the Chaos went up on El Capitan and suffered though my lead of the Hollow Flake. With 80+ foot fall potential you want to be securely wedged in the squeeze chimney.  This continuous wedging and wiggling of my hips, and thus my harness, put a small hold in the Chaos at the connection point of the front gear loop. Luckily, and likely due to good construction, this hole has not cause me any problems in the following six months of use.

The only other problem I have had with the Chaos is the fabric on my left leg loop had started to peel back, which I noticed in December. The stitching had worn off and the lightweight fabric had opened up. This is not a functional or safety problem but more of an aesthetic complaint. I am pretty sure this is due to aggressive leg jamming on offwidths which happened both in Yosemite and during my week at Indian Creek.

Luke enjoys Wavy Gravy in Indian Creek

A few people will find the fixed leg loops of the Chaos to be a problem. Black Diamond does offer a KCC harness with adjustable leg loops called the Xenos. This harness is geared towards ice climbing with many ice clipper loops. I find the fixed leg loops to be comfortable and I had no problem climbing the Nose wearing long underwear and lightweight softshell pants in December. I don’t ice climb or mountaineer so I don’t have the need to put on too many layers on my lower body. If you expect to be using lots of ice screws and climbing in cold climates the Xenos might be the ticket.

Compared to the R320, the haul loop on the Chaos is more durable and in a better orientation. When a carabiner is clipped to the haul loop it is allowed to lay flat, which creates a lower profile. This design is not perfect since the biner still rubs behind you so I would often relocate the haul line when chimneying. Having the haul line snag is not a real complaint since it could happen with almost any harness.

In the end the R320 and Chaos have different features and benefits. The most important thing with a harness is fit and the ratio of waist band to leg loop size varies between these harnesses. I have been happy wearing both harnesses on all day climbs, which in my mind puts them to the comfort test. Both sets of gear loops have disadvantages and I can hope that the next generation will show some improvements. In terms of durability, I have been really impressed with the R320 since it has shown less wear than the Chaos. Only time will tell if they will continue to age at the same rate.

I’d love to hear some other opinions if there are things that I have missed. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

Sizing:

For reference I wear a size Medium in both the R320 and the Chaos. I am about a 31 or 32 in men’s pants and am 5′ 8″ and 155 pounds. I have to tighten the R320 as much as possible to get it small enough to stay on. The Chaos adjusts smaller so I don’t have to tighten it quite as much.

Pros:

  • Comfortable once broken in.
  • Full strength haul loop
  • Waist belt does not sag with a full rack on.
  • Very durable webbing in speed buckle does not slip.

Cons:

  • Small Gear loops
  • Light-weight material lacks durability

Full Disclosure: Black Diamond provided this harness to DreamInVertival in exchange for this review.  The opinions expressed above are my own and reflect my experience with this harness.  Feel free to leave comments regarding your opinion of the Chaos.

For more Sweet Gear reviews from Luke and Lizzy check out our Gear Reviews page.

Posted by lstefurak at 8:34 am Tagged with: , , , , ,
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