Rock Climbing Movement Archives - Apex Adventure Alliance

Climbing Movement: The Lieback

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Lynn Mallach

Want to learn better climbing techniques for out on the cliffs or at your local gym? Follow this 8 part series to explore helpful rock climbing movement tips and techniques, reasons for performing the climbing movement, and how to practice them for added rock climbing fun. We will even include recommended Devil’s Lake State Park climbs to try your new found skills on.

Picture this… you are stuck in an elevator. You are running out of snacks. And you’re strong as hell from being a badass climber (or maybe you’ve just been reading my kick-butt tips!). You, my friend, are going to open that elevator door. You are going to put your foot on one door and you are going to push with that foot. You are going to grab that other door and pull with those hands.

If you can dream it in my made-up, snack motivated scenario, you can do it. It might just take a bit of practice, which is totally ok. The key thing to remember is that if you don’t push hard enough with your feet or if you don’t pull hard enough with your hands, that elevator door is going to shut out your hopes and dreams, and your snacks. So, in other words, tension is key! A layback can be a tricky move if you find yourself not trusting of the tension created from the push and pull effect. So try to settle into the tension.

To do this move, hands and feet must be close to each other to get the proper torque. Turn one of your hips is into the wall, place your hands on the edge of a vertical crack and pull on the edge. Your feet will need either a wall or the other edge or some face holds to push on. I’ve found a lot of success if you have a parallel crack, your feet press on the inner wall, typically smearing, and your hands pull outwardly. As you hand over hand on the edge of the crack, be sure your feet don’t get too far below you or you lose the torque necessary to do this move.

Recommended Devil’s Lake Layback Climbs: False Perspective 5.7 (Misery Rocks), Cheatah 5.10b (Bill’s Buttress), Congratulations (if you don’t know how to crack climb) 5.10a, Gill’s Crack 5.10c (Gill’s Buttress)

Climbing Movement: Pulling a Roof

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Lynn Mallach

Climber begins to get their feet up

Want to learn better climbing techniques for out on the cliffs or at your local gym? Follow this 8 part series to explore helpful rock climbing movement tips and techniques, reasons for performing the climbing movement, and how to practice them for added rock climbing fun. We will even include recommended Devil’s Lake State Park climbs to try your new found skills on.

So we are getting into some dicey movement here. Gaining momentum on difficulty, but have no fear… everything I suggest can happen on easier grades for practice (and for the heck/ fun of it). Before you head out for climbing some roofs at Devil’s Lake, you might need to pick up some new things at REI, Adventure Rock, Target, whatever local retailer sells new undies (come to think of it, I don’t think Adventure Rock has those, but they have t-shirts if you sweat through yours or other sick climbing gear). What I’m getting to here is that climbing over a roof can certainly take some try hard. So pack up that much needed gear for success and try out these tips for success in climbing over a roof.

First, check out your climb before you get on the wall. This is never a bad idea… it even has a name, route reading. You want to try to figure out how you are going to make it over whatever obstacle it is, in this case… a roof. To describe a roof, it is a “thing” that juts out from the vertical wall, perpendicularly with the ground, that could sometimes protect you from rain (although unlikely at Devil’s Lake). You probably get the point, the name “Roof” sort of implies what you are probably picturing in your head.

So, you’ve got your climb, you see there is a roof, you’ve planned your attack, you have a fresh pair of undies (or maybe keep those for later), and you have your best grunts ready. Climb up to that thing and give it your all. Get your feet nice and high, almost so you seem to be parallel with the ground. Reach your hand around the roof and feel all over. Can you come up with a half-way decent hand hold? Ok, great! Grab onto that thing, walk your feet either sideways or up through holds you found in the roof (hopefully you “read” where those were at because you might not be able to see them), and then bring out your best beast mode sounds. Many a times, I have walked my feet up nice and high or have gotten a toe/ heel hook (blog to come on that movement). Hip flexibility is key here because the more you can contort and get a really high foot (Read more about The High Step) sometimes even putting it onto the same hold as your hand, the better. Finish up the climb, give a little fist pump at the top, and get lowered to get into those fresh drawers.

Suggested Rock Climbs at Devil’s Lake State Park that include a Roof: Roger’s Roof 5.8+ (Horse Rampart), Orgasm 5.8 (Bedroom Amphitheatre), Gargantua 5.10b (Old Sandstone), Double Overhang 5.4 (Rainy Wednesday Tower), Lost Face Overhangs I & II 5.8 (Lost Face)

Climbing Movement: The High Step

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Lynn Mallach

You’ve heard of the two-step. But have you heard of the high step? Pretty simple in theory and tougher if you don’t have a lot of flexibility. A high step is precisely just that, stepping high onto a hold/ foot chip. The more you can work on your flexibility, the more foot chips you can reach, the better you can climb.

After having surgery on my right hip a few years ago, it has taken some time to get back in the high stepping game. I’ve created some work-arounds **see grabbing your foot with your hand and lifting/forcing it onto high foot chip/ ledge.** You too can use this patented technique (can you patent a technique?!) if you need or you can follow these tips.

Keep working on your hip flexibility, spot those high foot holds, and working on one-legged squats doesn’t hurt (this has been key in my rehab!). Get that foot up onto a hold, pebble, shelf, whatever will take it. Now that your foot is a little closer to heaven, you have to get your weight over the foot as best you can. Some people refer to this as “rocking on” to your foot. Your hip and foot should be close to being in line. Next, push down on that thing, say a prayer, and go for it.

Sometimes, I use a “mantle” to assist me (press down with a hand, like you are getting out of a swimming pool). Or if that movement is unavailable, your other foot can do this sloppy, semi-smear hop, ugly, no-name-move-because-no-one-wants-to-admit-they-did-it, move. There you have it people, now go out and try and don’t be afraid to get a little ugly if you need to. Just remember climbing is a weird, strange, funny thing we do, so no need to take it too seriously.

Climbing Movement: The Chimney

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Lynn Mallach

Want to learn better climbing techniques for out on the cliffs or at your local gym? Follow this 8 part series to explore helpful rock climbing movement tips and techniques, reasons for performing the climbing movement, and how to practice them for added rock climbing fun. Try our recommended Devil’s Lake State Park routes, which will all contain the discussed movement.

Picture this… a big dude squeezing his big body up and down a tight fireplace chimney to leave you presents. You can check it out yourself by viewing movies such as “The Santa Clause” featuring Tim Allen. Personally, I’ve seen the movies, I’ve seen the dude (not in person), and I’m not totally sure that I buy it.

The only thing that is really going to convince me is trying it out myself. Call me Kinesthetic and leave me cookies at the top. Anywho, when you are confronted with two walls and a space that is large enough for you to get your whole body inside, channel your inner Santa. Let me throw one other thing out here too folks, before we get into the nitty gritty of how-to… this climbing movement doesn’t look pretty.

So here is what you should try. First, you need a Chimney. It should be a space where two walls are parallel with each other and your whole body can fit inside of it. Get your whole body in there. Squeeze a little if you have to, even suck it in if needed. If you can’t get your whole body in, that type of crack is called an off-width, a whole other beast for a whole other time. Next, slither your way up that thing. That rock ain’t gonna climb itself!

You can try your back against one wall with your feet against the other. You can also try one foot per wall and your back against the wall.

If the area is a little bigger, make yourself bigger too. Fill the space with as much as your rockin’ bod as possible and you’ll be on your way. You’ll probably get dirty, but what fun would life be if we didn’t get dirty once in a while.

Suggested Rock Climbs at Devil’s Lake State Park that include a Chimney: The Grotto 5.4 located in the Mouse’s Wall Area. The Chimney 5.4 located right between D’Arcy’s Wall and Pedestal Buttress. Fat Man’s Misery 5.6 Misery Rocks.