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Like sands through the hourglass, so to have the months been slipping
by. The days are longer, with the longest daylight of the year
coming up on June 20th, summer solstice. The month of May had some continued weather related hurdles, but Brian keeps putting up routes, and well, we all are gratefully entertained by the results! We are squeezing in both a delayed Self-Rescue class, and a Women+ crag day before the month wraps up…actually on June 1st, fingers crossed. The Self-Rescue class wraps up our formal instruction for the year, BUT…if you want to learn more organically, get out with us(day or AMC trips) and ask questions. Making you better, makes us better. Next up is our first Gunks trip of the season. Next Saturday/Sunday. Excited, as we always are, with both our new seconds, a few new leaders, and the ‘regulars’. Greta has a great trip she’s prepared for us, and we are anticipating the sun, fun, food, and climbing community. If anyone would like to contribute to this monthly newsletter please email your contribution to risouthcounty@gmail.com or bikeskiboy@hotmail.com. Contribution needs to be 200 words or less to fit in this newsletter format. A photo is helpful as well but not necessary. |
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2025
AMC Narragansett Climbing Trip/Event Schedule This is a synopsis of the upcoming AMC trips/events. See the link above for details. Trip announcements go out about a month before any trip date! The trips are all focused on multi-pitch trad and ice, except for the Rumney trip, which is sport climbing focused. 2025 Trip Classes, and Events
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Brian's Gear Hack of the Month: Tether your GriGri I was five pitches up a climb in Spain threading the rope through my GriGri when it slipped out of my hand and flew into space before I miraculously caught it. I found a hack on the Internet that a guide posted on how to prevent that slip from happening. There is a small screw on the side of the GriGri that you unscrew so you can separate the plastic from the metal. Find where you want to drill the hole. Make the hole just large enough to thread your string through. Thread the string through and tie a stopper knot so it can't pull through. Then tie off the string to your locking biner. Petzl is even making a locking biner now with a hole in it for the purpose of accommodating a string. The hole you drill is in the plastic and does not affect the integrity of the GriGri. Before you attempt to thread your rope make sure your locking biner is attached to your belay loop and with this hack you won't lose your $100 GriGri should you drop it. |
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Climbing
Bio by Ronnie Schroeder: Edward Whymper 1840 to 1911 Edward Whymper was an English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author. He fell in love with mountaineering when, in 1860, he was sent to Switzerland to sketch Alpine scenes for a publisher. He is famous for being the first man to lead an ascent to the summit of the Matterhorn in 1865. At that time, the Matterhorn was the only famous 4,000 meter peak to remain “unconquered.” That made Whymper one of the foremost climbers of the golden age of British mountaineering. But tragedy overshadowed that expedition. On their descent, the most inexperienced climber lost his footing, and he and three other men fell to their deaths after a rope snapped. Whymper never got over the pain of losing his team-mates. In 1871 he published a book documenting his Matterhorn climbs called Scrambles Amongst the Alps. He is quoted as saying, “Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste, look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end.” Learn more. Edward Whymper | Biography, Matterhorn, Books, & Facts | Britannica |
 Mark Phillips (age 11) on Kiener's Route July 11, 1996 |
Brian's
Route of the Month: Kiener's
Route, Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Ran out of local routes of the month so we are adventuring farther afield. Arguably the best moderate alpine route in the U.S. is Kiener's Route (5.4, AI2) on 14,259 ft Long's Peak. Starting from the trailhead at 9,400 ft you do a 4.2-mile hike and 2,400 ft elevation gain to get to Chasm Lake (11,800 ft) where you bivy for the night just below the Mills Glacier. Make sure you are acclimatized before sleeping at this altitude. You will need a bivy permit from the NPS. The route starts up Lamb's Slide a 1,000 ft couloir with conditions ranging from soft snow to dense ice. You need an ice axe and crampons. After conquering the couloir, you take an airy 1,000 ft traverse across a ledge called Broadway and arrive at the Notch Couloir a snow-filled avalanche prone gully you want to get across quickly. From there the rock climbing starts where you do about four to five pitches of 5.4 climbing up the Kiener's chimneys. This is a series of dihedrals where you wander around looking for the path of least resistance. It may feel harder than 5.4 if you are not accustomed to climbing in mountaineering boots. Once above the chimneys it is more 4th class scrambling and an exciting traverse across the top of the Diamond, at 2,000 ft the largest rock face in the U.S. outside Yosemite. A short scramble up the north face gets you to the summit where you can find, in a PVC pipe, a summit log to sign. A long scramble and rappels down the north face Cables Route get you down to the Boulder Field where you can bivy or hike out after a very long day. If you are contemplating a trip there and want recommendations on lodging, climbing, etc. email me. |
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Ken's
Training Tips I watched a video recently by Tom Randall, a renown ‘Wide Boy’, and trainer for Lattice Training method. A thoughtful coach and VERY experienced climber, Tom was lending insight into Pacing while climbing. My take away, and experience is, we often have to understand and consider our pacing in our climbing. Indoors, outdoors, it can(and should) vary. A warmup should be methodical and allow for an awakening of our body to the climb. Obviously, fingers, forearms, but everything that involves not only our movement…down to our toes…but also our thoughts. How do we feel, inside and out, and what might our energy and enthusiasm be? Clear, or, yet to be defined? This is a time for listening and seeing, inside and out of ourselves. Once warmed up, indoors or out, pace is a fundamental piece of our movement. Judging(even from the ground?) what we might expect, where we might rest, and so on. A delicate thin section where we need to take our time, or a couple of thin moves we just need to get through to the big jug. Slab climbing…typically thoughtful and purposeful. Overhung climb…pick a point to rest and assess(as much weight off your hands/arms as is possible) before the crux, and then get through it at a pace that suits you. Pace for Trad vs Sport? Next time you’re climbing. Consider your pace. Is it always the same? Frequently changing? Needs some more attention? Ken’s training recommendation. “Kettlebell Duck Walk”. This incorporates a few things I find valuable. First, the deep squat, like we used to do as kids, before we knew the comfort? of sitting around in a chair at work, or lounging on the couch at night. We used to be able to squat and rest easy with our butt on our heels. From that position, with an appropriate kettlebell weight held/balanced in two hands towards your chest…move yourself forward just enough to move/waddle like a duck across the floor. Maintaining that low squat position as much as possible. Hits the overall body well. Thighs, hips, adductors…back, arms, shoulders. It’s a slow movement, with a focus on control, and what you imagine to be form. Start light, maybe even no weight, and see if this form of weight training with movement doesn’t appeal to you. There is great value in a movement like squats, or curls, but they only incorporate a small range of specific muscles and movements…when we do something like the duck walk, we benefit from incorporating a wide range of muscles that support our larger muscles. From Strongmind.climbing: “Lately, we’ve been thinking about a different kind of mindset – one that’s not just about gratitude, but about sufficiency.” *Googled it for accuracy: ‘the condition or quality of being adequate or sufficient.’ Don’t use it when describing the sensation of a meal or gift presented to you by a loved one!! : ) To continue… “Gratitude says, ‘I’m thankful for what I have’. Sufficiency says, ‘I have enough, I am enough’. It’s a small shift – but a powerful one. In a world that constantly whispers not enough – not strong enough, fit enough, productive enough – sufficiency feels like a quiet kind of rebellion. A way to root yourself in wholeness, rather than chasing an endless finish line. Hazel’s practicing it right now whilst on a climbing trip in Mallorca – letting go of ‘I’m not fit enough’ and choosing to trust that she has plenty for a meaningful trip. It’s not about lowering the bar – it’s about changing the place you push from: not lack, but groundedness.” Lastly: Stinky climbing shoes? I recommended this previously…when not climbing, stuff new, or once through the dryer, dryer sheets in them. The sheet will absorb moisture, and make them smell nicer. A cheap way to not have your home/vehicle smell like a climbing gym. The sheets are good for over and over usage, not just once. |
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Rock
Gym Deals for AMC Members If you're new to our chapter or new to a local Rhode Island rock gym let the gym personnel know you're an AMC Narragansett member and most will extend you a discount on membership. For gyms like Rock Spot and CRG, that have multiple locations, that opens up day trips to new gyms, at no additional cost (but driving and time). Great for the gym season, if you want to try new routes, new holds, and new setters. |
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Join
the ClimbRI email group Most communication among RI climbers (including the AMC) is done through a Google Group called ClimbRI. There are currently just over 400 climbers in the group from RI, CT, and MA. |