Cragging

Today I was fortunate enough to get out and enjoy the beautiful (dare I say, summer-like) weather here near Reno.  I had some ideas of going backcountry skiing today, but that fell through for various reasons, and instead was treated to warm and featured granite locally, not a bad consolation prize.

This was the first crag where I really got my ass handed to me when I thought I was capable of climbing at the grade, the route epitomized what I struggled with:  climbing that required some form of technique.  The route that spanked me was the UNR Crack (5.7).  Moderate rock climbing indeed. The crag was River Rock, located 15 minutes from West Reno.  I had come back a few times and tried it again, failing at the same move every time.  I had been able to complete its neighbor Spring Break (5.8) before, but the UNR Crack was elusive for me, quite the mental crux even on top rope for me.  I had to actually trust a hand jam and rely on it in its entirety to make the next (easy) move.  The previous three or four times this did not happen.

Today we show up and every easy, good ‘warm-up’ route (like UNR Crack, or so says everyone…) was taken.  There is a crack that splits River Rock and is considered the classic route of this small I-80-side crag, Karl’s Crack.  It is a 50 foot 5.10a crack.  The hardest outdoor grade I had climbed was a 5.9 at Red Rock, which is known for having ‘soft’ grades.  The group comes to a consensus, Karl’s Crack will be where we start the day.

“Shit.” I think, “I can’t get up UNR Crack let alone the classic 3 grades harder….”

Endless swearing, grunting, hand bleeding, and hang-dogging later, I top out on it.  Stoked as ever.

That route is awesome, and in retrospect the more I think about it the more I like it.  It has a little bit of something for everyone, and is a good route that can allow you to see your weaknesses and strengths.  It has cracks ranging from thin finger locks to wide off-widths that are just wanting to spit you out, to face moves, and some slight smear zones.  Generally an awesome route!

I’ll be back on that one again, for sure.

After this, I found myself back on familiar territory.  The low ladder-like holds allow me to move right to the spot that has puzzled me multiple times before.  I look at the hand jam I need to make, I look at my left hand, looks like hamburger from the rough rock, I go for it and fail, fall, and get lowered off (isn’t top rope neat?).  Paul Wall was kind enough to lend me some tape to cover the open cuts on my hand, and I apprehensively make my way back up to the same move, the one that had shut me down an additional time.

And then there it was, suddenly it clicked, the jam stuck this time, and the rest of the route I was smiling to the anchor.  I finally finished a route that was easy, but had been elusive to me, and a type of climbing that I have been terribly weak on.  If it involved a crack with face moves around the crack, I avoided it.  Similar to when I got shut down on Cat In The Hat in Red Rock.  Similar to me at first on Karl’s Crack.

But finally I got it!

The way I see it, cragging and bouldering are awesome for building absolute technical threshold stuff, but sometimes you just need it to boost that confidence.   After getting shut down repeatedly, I finally have ‘gotten it.’  Next step is to lead it….

I’m getting really excited about the next month and a half or so.  Awesome time of the year for alpine rock and backcountry skiing.

Tonight I will start, and maybe post in entirety, a three part trip report on last weekend’s trip to Bishop with Jeff.