Frank’s Musings

Grip Strength and the art of climbing

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:10:19 -0500

Have strong grip is paramount to success climbing. There are two different ways that strength is measured static and dynamic. A static measurement is done on a static Dynometer. It is a bar that has no perceivable movement when squeezed. A dynamic measurement is performed on a dynometer which has an area that is movable and increases in resistance as the handle travels

A dynometer can only measure strength as power but fails to measure strength in light of endurance. In climbing both are necessary. It’s great to have a fantastic Crush strength but without good endurance that power will fail you as you climber.

A company known as “MindBody” has a program called the “Captains of Crunch”. You can become a “certified CofC” when you are able to close a 280lbs. Wishbone. Of course this needs to be witnessed by a certified CofC.

Until recently I have been able to close the 280lbs er. (Because of an injury i no longer can but i can do multiple closings of a 200 Lbs,er)

Want to be able to develop a super grip strength wit the endurance to go along with it? I did it this way. I bought a low strength rubber donut and put it in my car (28lbs.) as I would dive I would do reps of 30 closures switching hands as I drove. After a couple months of this I moved up to a 40lbs donut. It was almost 8 months before I graduated to a 50lbs donut. Doing this with reps of slow 30 is a key to increasing your strength. It’s important to realize that the strength comes from forearm and not the fingers themselves.

It takes commitment to working your grip strength to see results. To begin with results are slow coming but once they start coming they keep developing

Off belay

Frank

The Ultimate Locking Carabiner

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:17:05 -0500

Since I began climbing back in 1967 I have seen many changes in carabiners. First was the Oval biner by SMC which could hold around 2500 Ilbs. Then I saw an add for the “SMC 4000” which bragged that it had 4000 ibs of strength. Then came the great Chouinard Biner which was the end all biner. a modified Oval design and a nice gate made this the biner of choice.

A couple years later I started racking up with the Bonnatti D Biner, It only took a dozen of these before you needed to break out a second gear loop. They were made with 1/2” barstock

The early 1990’s came with the Helium biner. So thin that it could destroy a rope in just a couple falls

The 90’s also saw the wire gates, some new autolocks and who could forget the genius biner which didn’t even look like a biner.

So I have come up with my own design for a locking carabiner. I believe this is the end all of all end all biners. I haven’t tried to patent it yet but if there are any Venture Capitalists reading this blog give me a call and we’ll talk. First offer of a million bucks can have it.

Off belay

Frank

Thank you for another great year

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:44:25 -0500

When I started writing a business plan for Higher Ground I started with what I thought would be a logical first step. I started with the mission statement for Higher Ground. My Mission Statement “To Build A Place Where All My Friends Can Come And Climb With Me”

Keeping our mission statement in mind we have made many changes over the years and we want to keep the changes coming. We have more ideas of what we want to se Higher Ground become in the future.

So Thank You very much for being with us for another year. We really appreciate climbing with you and we always look forward the next time we share a rope with you. - Have a happy and safe New Year. Climb alot, and be sure to stop and smell the edelweiss.

Off belay

Frank

Nice Shiny New gear

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:17:09 -0500

I haven’t seen any tremendous surges in climbing gear technology for quite a few years. I remember climbing with a hammer and a heavy rack of pitons at the gunks in the early 70’s. I read Doug Scotts “Treatise on Clean Climbing” in the 1972 Chouinard Catalog. I remember when I first started climbing with nuts (Hexes and stoppers) and I really remember my first fall on a Hex and the fear that came over me.

I remember when Friends first hit the scene how revolutionary they were. I also remember some gear that flopped lower than a chinchillas ears. Gear like the “Titons, Tube Chocks, JokerCams (one lobe cams) , IBeam Chocks,

I also remember the first commercially available harnesses - The Whillans and the Forrest Swami and Leg Loops, It’s a surprise that those harnesses were not the end of civilization.

Shoes, We spent a few years climbing in heavy hiking boots, Then a rubberized canvas shoe called the EB. Mine spelled so bad my family made me keep them at my friends farm so they wouldn’t have to smell them.When I got my first shoe with sticky rubber I thought that I had died and went to that big-wall in the sky.

And how about rope. I started with Goldline rope which was a nice twisted rope. If you fell on anything overhanging you spun really fast counter clockwise. After that you then started spinning really fast in the other direction. When Edelrid first started selling their Perlon rope it was the first Kernmantel rope on the market.

Helmets? we started with Bell Shorties which were actually a short motorcycle helmet. They weighed a ton but they protected the melon. The only other option was the Joe Brown helmet. The helmet doubled as a pasta bowl on at least one expedition (We even put Mozzarella in it)

Belay devices? I started off doing Hip belays and shoulder belays, In the mountains the Boot Axe belay was standard fare. I remember a few years later when the Sticht Plate came out. it was a giant leap in climbing technology.It wasn’t until the early 1990’s that the grigri first made the scene.

There are a few things coming out that seem to be innovative. Black Diamonds Gridlock Biner prevents dangerous crossloading while belaying. Shoes are becoming more and more technical every year, New belay devices, Skinnier ropes, thinner harnesses.

We aren’t seeing any really new technology but we are seeing advances from existing technology. I wonder what the future holds

See you at the gym.

New Years Resolutions

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:44:47 -0500

What are your goals for 2012?

I have some big goals for the next two years. One of which is to climb the Eiger North Face, Another is to climb the easy but fun looking Flatirons in Colorado

Whatever your goal it takes preparation, training and commitment.

We have seen so many times before in the past where people have the will to be a champion but not everyone has the will to prepare to be a champion. When you write down your goals this year write underneath them P___T_____C______ think about your goals for a day then check off, do I have the will to Prepare_____Train______Commit_______ . If you can honestly check off all three of these things ten congratulations, you are ready to start to undertake your goal.

We can help. Discuss your goals with us at Higher Ground and we can help you devise a plan to achieve your goals ( sharing your goals with someone else is also a way of cementing your commitment to achieving your goal)

See you at the gym.

Roofies Part Five

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:56:40 -0500

Climbing is much like a video game, You have to conserve your fuel or your ammo or it’s game over.

Think for a moment that your muscles are no more than a group of motors of varying sizes. Your fingers are the smallest motors and as you move up the arm, the forearms, then the biceps the motors keep getting bigger and bigger. It takes more fuel to run a big motor than it does a small one. You need to rest from the core muscles out and start using muscles from the farthest extremity in back toward the core

Lets take another concept for climbing roof. Can you lift a suitcase that is close to your body weight with one arm? Most probably you can. Now lets see if you can do a one arm pull-up? Which requires more strength? I am assuming you find the suitcase easier to lift, why? because you are using a larger muscle group than when you are doing a pull-up. I have found that when climbing a roof anytime I can keep me feet closer to my core It’s a lot easier.

So this is the end of the “Roofies series”. It’s now time to stop reading and head to Higher Ground and climb a roof.

See you at the gym.

Roofies Part Four

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:49:54 -0500

Think of some basic techniques. Keep your arms straight, relax your shoulders, HOLD ON FOR DEAR LIFE!!!

You need to relax when you climb roofs. You need to conserve as much energy as possible. There is nothing worst than pulling the lip of a roof and suddenly realizing that you have flamed out your arms and falloff from fatigue.

Have you ever listened to the Beatles? then I am sure you remember the song “Twist and Shout”. The next time you are on a roof thy this. Keep your arms straight, foot on holds and try to twist back and forth in order to make progress. When you are on a roof you are going to throw a few Drop Knees, try to keep your hands close to chest level, Don’t over-reach, if your arms stay straight in front of you , you’ll be less likely to swing. If you end up with your hands over your head (horizontally) you are in for the big swing and quite frankly that swing willbe a prelude to flight.

Climbing roofs is more than fun, it’s exhilarating, wild, intense.

See you at the gym.

By the way, Phronea is Greek for Mind

Roofies Part THREE

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:21:25 -0500

Years back Jason and Tiffany Campbell were doing a clinic at Higher Ground. Tiffany put a pair of Immobilizers on my arms, brought me to the roof and said “Climb It”. I laughed not thinking it possible. As I went up I grabbed each hold and instead of muscling my way up I twisted, turned, dropped my knees, threw out some hip scum and moments later pulled the roof.

This showed me that climbing any roof requires technique over brawn. so here is a simple exercise to start you on your way to doing roofies.
On your next day at the gym get on a few overhanging walls and climb up and down while keeping your elbows locked. Instead of bending your arms squat down and lower your center of gravity. think of it this way, you are bending your knees instead of your arms. Don’t Cheat!! climb up and climb down. It’s not the difficulty of the route you are climbing but rather practicing the technique thats more important.

Consider this, Put a pole on top of two folding chairs, lay down on the floor and do chinups while your feet are still on the floor. Pretty easy huh? thats because you are using your Pectoralis muscles. now walk over and try doing a few pullups normally, Lots harder huh? thats because you are using a whole different set of muscles that are not as strong.

See you at the gym.

By the way, Phronea is Greek for Mind

Roofies Part Two

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:42:33 -0500

The most inspiring picture I ever saw was just inside the old blue Gunks guidebook by Dick Williams from the early 70’s. There was from 1967 of John Stannard hanging by one hand off the 3 finger hold at the lip of the roof on Foops. Probably one of the most famous pictures of the era.

John had spent months working on climbing that roof free. He drove from the Washington DC area to New Paltz , New York every weekend just to try climbing Foops. John was doing something that every other climber was afraid to do - Fall.

I don’t know how long it took John to finally free the roof on Foops but it became one of the most famous climbs of the day. I was so inspired by it that 11 years later I went to work on Foops. After a couple months of work I finally knocked it off.

Climbing roofs is inspiring, sexy, and awesome. Look on the internet sometime for a picture of the late great Wolfgang Gullich soloing a Separate Reality (5.12d) in Yosemite. Not only does it look like the Hairiiest situation possible, Wolfgang has the expression on his face like it’s absolutely pure enjoyment.

Check out the video on this website of me climbing the red roof in the gym. It’s not a particularly hard climb but dang. it sure is a lot of fun. The simple techniques I am going to be explaining in the next few blogs should wet your appetite. If you can’t wait then come on in and let us give you a lesson.

See you at the gym.

Roofies

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 22:38:22 -0500

I have spent a big part of my climbing career upside down, hanging off a roof. Having grown up climbing in the Gunks learning how to climb roofs were a necessity. I climbed Foops in Skytop after 28 falls. I did the first ascent of Non-Dairy Creamer in Stover Park in PA after weeks of trying. To climb a roofs requires you put in the milage but with some technique and some strength you can make some of these insurmountable problems solvable.

Climbing roofs requires core strength and precise footwork. Climbing a roof is more about technique than it is about strength, Don’t get me wrong, climbing these is not for the weak of heart and muscles. Brawn is still necessary mixed with some brains.

I first learned how to climb a roof by a simple statement in an old Mountain Magazine. The discussion was about Henry Barber and how he climbed Foops “Without his feet ever leaving the rock.” Have you ever had an “ah ha moment”? I did then and there. I immediately drove down to Ralph Stover Park and jumped on a climb called Neanderthal. A simple 3 foot roof climb that had been kicking my butt for quite some time. Up I went and I was determined to not try to chin-up (campus) my way up the roof. This 5.9 suddenly felt like a 5.4 to me because the technique suddenly kicked in.

In the next blog I will talk a little more about the techniques involved in climbing roofs.

See you at the gym.