Frank’s Musings

ROUTE SETTING FOR THE YOUNG AND IMPRESSIONABLE

Sat, 4 Sep 2010 21:18:52 -0400

Good routes are more than just some holds screwed into a wall randomly and then taped up. A good route setter will develop a route that in some manner will replicate a climb on real rock while still maintaining that real and plastic are two very different mediums. The art of routesetting takes into account the level of climber that a particular route is being set for. First timers may need some easy jug hauls while a seasoned competitor will need a more complex route that instead of playing on things like height will be move dependent. For example, Back in 1993 Tony Yaniro set for the Nationals at Hunter Mountain. One thing that made Tony such a good route setter was the fact that he took into consideration the average competitor and set routes where the climber would fall making the moves and not just off the holds.

At Higher Ground we employ two route setters and we have one volunteer route setter. This gives us consistency in the quality of our routes and their grades while also helping us prove the old business saying “You get what you pay for.”

We look forward to seeing you at the gym

Talk About Tough

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 12:31:38 -0400

It’s amazing to think what climbers have done to achieve the climbs they did. John Bachar dedicated his entire life to climbing. He had a very elaborate setup at home and he worked full days training for his climbs. He invented the Bachar Ladder - a wood rung, rope ladder especially for training. He actually brought one to the cliff and strung it up a full 100’ and hand over hand he went all the way up and down, doing several laps in a set. this would be the equivalent of doing over 100 one arm pullups, a day.

Warren Harding (Batso) who did the first ascent of the Nose on El Capitan and also The Wall of the Early Morning Light. had to have some kind of training program which he kept a closely guarded secret. When asked how he trained al he ever said was “I drink a lot of cheap wine”

Marc Twight has developed a program called “Gym Jones” which is the hardest meanest program known. They work out in a hot non-air conditioned gym, devoid of music to exhaustion and then some more. His program is by invitation only and by looking at his website you’ll see that there are very few who are in the category of athletes that he trains. The Athletes he trains are the ultimate BADASS’s.

These are just a couple of some training programs that climbers use. Whats your training program? If you do not have a written out, well conceived and followed plan you are not training. I think it was Lombardo who said “Everyone has the will to win, But not everyone has the will to prepare to win”

Interesting Facts #2

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:12:59 -0400

Bill Shockley changed the world when he invented the transistor. During a party at GE to celebrate the awarding of the patent he slipped out to go climbing in the Shawangunks.

Nylon was invented and first used for climbing rope for the 10th Mountain Division.

Polyester has been used for many things but from a climbers perspective the top three have been Rope, Climbing Holds and Leisure Suits.

Some very notable climbers from the 1960’s and 70’s include Steve Wunsch who designed software that allowed institutional trading of the NY Stock Exchange 24 hours a day, Hans Kraus who is the father of modern day sports medicine. Helmut Microy who pioneered the brain surgery which splits the two hemisphere of the brain to stop seizures in epileptic patients, Jim McCarthy who as an attorney was lead counsel in the largest lawsuit of all time, the Coal Gasification suit. All of these climbers were part of the Vulgarians in the Gunks.

Salon Climbing as practiced in the Alps in the 1800’s was a system of ladders up some of the great walls of the Alps with bars and restaurants on wide ledges for your dining pleasure

The ‘Alps’ are not mountains but are in fact the valleys and pastureland in between the mountains.

Higher Ground won the peoples choice award for ‘Best Reuse of a Building’ in 2006

Interesting Facts #1

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 09:52:29 -0400

The average pitch at Red River Gorge requires that you make 40 Carabiner opening/closings.

The Dogbones on your draws receive many shock loads and should be changed every year or sooner, they are the lowest selling item on average in every Climbing Shop.

The first words Sir Edmund Hillary spoke from the roof of the world (The Big Hump, also known as Everest) were “Well, We knocked the bastard off”.

The Prussick knot was invented by a Dr. Prussic in 1927 to fix broken ‘catgut’ violin strings

Higher Ground has everything you need to climb any route within 10 hours of Grand Rapids.

If you climb more than 3 times a week you are addicted to climbing.

Where Did you bivy last night

Mon, 24 May 2010 22:16:24 -0400

Getting on new climbs and new terrain is the best way to better your skills and better your experience. Climbing in just place or on the same route over and over gets stale, Travel whenever you get the opportunity. Whenever I go anywhere I always have my shoes and harness in my suitcase and a small bottle of golfers “DRY GRIP” Try out new Gyms or head out to some different boulders.

Why Go With A Guide

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 21:08:44 -0400

I have seen many people say they are guides yet climbing is a part time off and on pastime for them. In the State of Michigan where we are located it requires more liscensure to open a Ice Cream stand than it does to hold someone’s life in your hands. Anyone can hang up a shingle or print a business card that says guide on it.
It requires much more than being a good climber to be a guide. A guide is patient, Will be able to thoroughly explain to you why he/she is doing something. Most importantly a guide will have done the his job properly when you leave thinking ‘I really didn’t need a guide today’. What I am trying to say is a guides first and foremost task is to preserve life. A guide will help you realize your abilities while making sure that you remain safe. Guides know how to rescue you when things go wrong, a guide understands how to read conditions. Guides are able to read the ice to know whether or not it is safe to climb on it. A guide has a good knowledge of weather and will get you down or to a safe place before inclement weather conditions present themselves.
Constant continuing education and constant practice is a requirement. One of the quickest ways to tell the professionals from the dabblers is just a couple questions, 1. Do they carry Liability coverage which covers their guiding activities. 2. Do they hold the required Licenses and permits for the areas in which they guide. I met one pseudo-guide which when asked if he had insurance he responded with “Don’t need it because I am incorporated!” Another said that he did not need permits or insurance because he tells people that he is not really guiding. He is just along to set up the ropes, show them what to do and keep them safe. Both of these “guides” charged lower rates than reputable services. It’s ridiculous that the part-timers, no insurance or permits can make money doing this while reputable guides care enough to do it right. I once heard it said that we guides “have all the responsibility of a surgeon with half the pay of a plumber.
Do yourself a favor, stay away from part time neurosurgeons and for your next big adventure hire a real guide.

See you on Higher Ground

Chalk One Up For The Home Team

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:12:43 -0400

I for one am glad the days of the chalk argument is over. There are many climbs that I don’t believe would ever had been climbed had it not been for the white gold. Consider for a moment Devils Lake, Wisconsin. The Quartzite holds have always felt like “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter®”. Of course some may think of me as a Fabio look alike but lets not get too far off subject. The holds at DL are a prime example to me of a climbing area where chalk makes the climbing much more doable, not as a direct aid but rather to keep the hands dry enough to not slip off the holds.

At Higher Ground, we are a chalk ball only facility. A couple reasons why are 1. Our inside Air Quality has improved drastically 2. Our furnace and air conditioner repair bills have decrease dramatically, helping us keep our prices down, 3. We spent a fortune on our flooring, we are spending a lot more time keeping it clean. Loose chalk on the floor only makes it much more work vacuuming and we were told by the manufacturer will cause the padding to wear out much faster than anticipated.

So, here are a couple suggestions.1. Experiment with different chalk balls. if you find one that you think dispenses well but are not please with the actual chalk replace the chalk inside with another kind. Our good friend and climbing partner, Ric Berlinski, mixes his own blend that works best for him. 2. Try Liquid Chalk. Either the blends made for climbing or try “Dry Hands” which is available at most any Golf Store. or 3. Really throw deep and use a combination of the two. Put the Liquid Chalk on your hands first and while it is drying squeeze your chalk ball. this extra drying boost will help your hands stay dryer between your chalking up squeezes of the ball.

So while we don’t allow loose chalk at Higher Ground and many other facilities do not either, don’t be dismayed. There are some great alternatives out there. Sure nothing beats the feeling that accompanies shoving your paws into a deep bag full of the smooth white stuff there are other alternatives that will work as good or better.

See you at the gym

Travels Through South America

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:12:19 -0500

While sitting in a market in South America sipping a FANTA (Orange Soda) I was at a Table between some fly laden pork carcass and a woman selling some blankets she had weaved. right across the street was a booth that sold coffins, Quite a mixed market place, but really not much different than a Costco® except without the health dept. breathing down their necks. Suddenly a small white Datsun Pickup came tearing up the street with dust and rocks flying behind them. Two locals jumped out and together they hoisted a dead guy and threw him on a table in front of the coffin booth. The proprietor and helper came out and put a narrow pine box on the table. The other two gents picked up the deceased and dropped him down into the box. He didn’t fit.

Moments later the two Datsun guys were on top of the table and they commenced to stomp the deceased to get him to fit into his pine eternal resting place. Sitting across the way I was spilling my FANTA watching this occur, people were walking by never noticing what was going on.

After finally making him fit, the proprietors assistant came out with a hammer and nails and sealed the deal. The Datsun guys paid the man, threw the box into the back of the oil burner and as quickly as they had come up the road left. Me, I don’t believe I can ever look at a Funeral home the same again.

Exploring and viewing other cultures from an American standpoint is fascinating. What is acceptable in one culture is not necessarily acceptable in others. I have learned this lesson along the way and find that trying to see others for who they are is a way to make friends all over. I can drink Chang with Sherpas, eat Cue’ with Ecuadorians and climb with Russians.

Traveling itself can be just as adventuresome as the climb. What’s in your Passport?

Hydrate or Die

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:56:01 -0500

Someone once told me that 1% decrease in hydration equals a 10% decrease in performance, 5% decrease in hydration equals a 50% decrease in performance. 10% decrease in hydration will soon result in your mummified remains.

Hydration is the most necessary component of life. For climbing it is the difference between life and death. The annual publication “Accidents In North American Mountaineering” published by the American Alpine Club bears this out, one of the recent entries talks about a climber who was in a rush to get to the bottom of a climb because she had some water at the bottom. She dropped her ropes for the ride down but failed to complete her knots in her slings. She leaned back and went 100 feet down.

I’ve been in a similar situation where thirst has almost overcome me and the rush to get down to water was absolutely overwhelming. The instinct to get down to water was so great that my rappel was setup and I was on my way down within one and a half minutes, hardly enough time to setup a safe rappel and check the system.

Climbing is dangerous enough, carrying some water up a climb with you is a no-brainer way to eliminate one of the risks of climbing and keep yourself climbing at your best.

See you on Higher Ground.

Observe Read Learn

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:50:37 -0500

I always love it when we get an expert coming into the gym. Now the way I know they are experts is they tell me so. We had one come in a while back that didn’t want to take out safety lesson because he is an expert. When we gave him his rental gear we watched as he tried to put the harness on over his head.

I have always made it a point to read at least one new book every month on my profession. Back when I was in sales is when I started doing this and then 20 years ago when i decided to make climbing my profession I just continued that. You have no idea how many books I have read on the basics. Yet, I always look for new ways to teach or a new twist on an old technique. I profess to know a lot about climbing but never will I know everything. I will always keep reading, observing and learning

See you at the Gym