Red Rocks Long Weekends in November

Mountain Skills Climbing Guides (a guide service I work for in the Shawangunks) was awarded a Red Rocks permit for 2014. Doug Ferguson, the owner and manager has set the dates of the ten day permit for November 14-23. I was hoping to go for a long weekend or two.

Red Rocks is an amazing place to climb. It's a stone's throw from Las Vegas, and there's a lifetime worth of climbing there. The climbing style can vary dramatically, from sandstone splitter cracks to beautiful face climbing on solid brown varnished rock. Red Rocks also has a substantial collection of high quality long, moderate rock climbs ranging from 400-1600 feet in length.

There are many direct flights there from major northeastern airport, meaning a long weekend trip is very manageable. Car rentals and lodging are also pretty simple to set up because Vegas is popular tourist destination.

Please contact me if you're interested in a guided trip there with Mountain Skills, 802-779-7139, ryan@bigfootmountainguides.com. The base rate for 1 person for a full day will vary but most likely will be $400/day regardless of the objective. 2-people is a sweet spot, as the rate will likely only be $100/day more.

Wilderness EMT Courses and Professional Outdoor Guides

In the outdoor industry the standard wilderness medical training certification is the Wilderness First Responder. It's an 8-10 day course that focuses on managing the types of injuries an individual will most often see in the backcountry - minor issues like wound care, dealing with bites and stings, improvised splinting and how to manage an evacuation. I took my first WFR course in 1998. Since then I've taken the course again and recertified my WFR four times. During that time I led many different wilderness trips and guided many days of climbing. I became familiar with the most common climbing accidents, how to avoid them, and also how to manage them when they occur.

This experience kept me familiar with much of the WFR curriculum and gave me the confidence to approach and deal with most minor climbing-related injuries. If I hadn't used my skills, I think the knowledge I gained during my wilderness medical training would have been forgotten.

I still lacked the confidence to manage a major traumatic injury well. Unless you're a professional rescuer you don't use the patient assessment, treatment and management skills enough to feel good about what you're doing. I was always left thinking "Am I doing this correctly?", or "What if I've missed something?". I had to think really hard about the sequencing of important things (airway, breathing and circulation always come first) and make sure I didn't miss anything important along the way.

As an outdoor professional I like to feel confident in my skills. So, lacking confidence in an area like this didn't feel quite right. I suspect many other outdoor professionals feel the same way - managing a life threatening injury would be really hard to do well. Nevertheless, I put off taking a Wilderness EMT course because I worried it wouldn't be necessary for me to do my job well. I argued it was too expensive, too great a time commitment, or that it would be hard to maintain. These things are all true, and if everything goes just right every day you work as an outdoor professional you will never need EMT skills. Every single day isn't going to go "just right" though. Guides help rescue other climbers at the cliff, participate in search and rescue, and manage their own guest's safety all the time. When things go way wrong, which can happen, it's good to have additional skills and the confidence to use them quickly and effectively.

Practicing the transfer of a patient to a longboard for spine
 immobilization

I mentioned in a previous post that I'm in the midst of a career change. I am not going to stop guiding anytime soon, but I don't want to rely on it as my sole source of income (a wise maneuver). A few years down the road I'd like to be working as a nurse or physician assistant. As a prerequisite it's suggested that you work in a healthcare environment before entering most programs. An EMT program is one of the ways many people begin their patient care training. Last month I took a 20-day Wilderness EMT Course at SOLO in Conway, NH to begin my own career-change track. It was a great experience all-around, and gave me a lot more confidence in my own emergency medical response skills

SOLO offers many wilderness medicine courses around the US throughout the year and has a staff dedicated to teaching Wilderness EMT Courses at their base in Conway. The instructors have a very thorough knowledge of the curriculum and a lot of real-life emergency medical response experience. The typical SOLO student is interested in being an outdoor professional and has a genuine interest in outdoor activities. This makes the group more cohesive because everyone shares some common interests in the outdoors. In my course there were wilderness trip leaders, university outdoor program instructors, park rangers, wildland firefighters, climbing instructors and some folks that were there just to take the EMT course there because SOLO is known for offering great programs.

Playing with the lights on Conway Fire and Rescue's rescue vehicle

SOLO's Wilderness EMT course combines the WFR coursework and the NREMT EMT-B coursework. The first half of the course focuses mostly on the wilderness aspects of patient care while the second half looks in greater depth at human anatomy and physiology and helps students prepare for the practical and computer-based EMT-B tests.

I found that 20 days, stretched out over four weeks felt like a really long time. I was ready to be done by the end. However, the practice doing patient assessments, splinting fractures and dislocations and performing CPR was incredibly useful. For me this is what separates the EMT (and wilderness EMT) from other wilderness medical courses like WFR and WFA. You gain much greater confidence in your skills as a rescuer.

One of the arguments against outdoor professionals having EMT certifications is that it's hard to maintain the certification if you're not a professional rescuer. This is true, but many of the other professional development activities we do for continuing education as guides will also count for continuing education as an EMT. Continuing education and professional development are important and often overlooked aspects of our work as outdoor leaders.

Realistically, the likelihood of a serious accident occurring is very low, but being able to think quickly and make the right decisions is really important.  If you're like me (I have a strong desire to be good at my job and I'm a little nutty about organization) then consider taking an EMT course. It will give you greater confidence in your rescue skills should a real accident occur at the crags or on the trail.

On Borrowed Time at Moss Cliff

Life has a funny way of creeping up on you. All through my twenties I traveled a lot. I moved to a new place every year or so, making sure to explore climbing opportunities in each spot. My thirties rolled in and I became a bit more serious about work. I participated in more professional development and cultivated a few professional relationships as a guide that provided cool opportunities.

Now, nearing 35, I'm no longer willing to accept the uncertainties that a career of guiding provides. There are a few "knowns" and many "unknowns" about this particular career path. I'm going to try and outline many of these details in a future post, so that younger guides, or people interested in the trade can have a pragmatic perspective when they enter the world of "professional" guiding.

Suffice to say, I no longer want a life with so many unknowns. I want health insurance, and some extra savings to pay for life's medical "unknowns." A visit with a dentist would be nice too. Retirement savings, I want that too. Hell, I'd like to be able to give more of my earnings to people and organizations who need it more than me.

All of those things can be pretty hard to come by when you work in the guiding industry. Basically you either travel a lot as an independent guide (and hope your relationships at home remain strong) or you try to own your own business and make money off of other guides that work for you. Either way it's a struggle to make ends meet. I'm not really into either of those things, so it's time to look elsewhere for work.

At the moment I'm exploring other career options. Obviously, I'll continue to guide - I am a climbing guide and have been one for the last ten years. As time passes I'll likely be more selective about the guiding and instruction I choose to take on.

While feelings of insecurity have partly spurred this decision, climbing has helped me make the choice also. The days, weekends, and trips I've been able to sneak in with my favorite climbing partners have illuminated my unwavering love for climbing. These intense personal experiences continue to shape and direct my life. Climbing has been the most positive shaping force in my adult life, and I don't want my struggle making ends meet (as a guide it has been constant) to soil my love for climbing.

This week I had one of those days that helped remind me why I love climbing. After 17 years as a climber I finally visited Moss Cliff with a friend Donald, from Ohio who was in the area for a wedding. We enjoyed one of the finest days of Fall climbing I can remember. Moss Cliff, for those who haven't visited, has some of the most beautiful crack climbing in the Adirondacks. The rock there is very high quality, and seems better than the anorthosite at many other High Peaks Crags.

The day was full of stuffer cracks, rebel yells, smiles, and a few muscle cramps by the end of the day. This is what it's all about. Here are a few photos from the day:

The Google+ album can be viewed here:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102795127298376798453/albums/5933472476564380865?authkey=CJH4qqaYmMva5gE

Are Your Kids Safe at Rock Climbing Summer Camp?

Valley Vertical Adventures doesn't run a youth summer climbing camp. We feel that offering a rewarding summer camping experience has too many logistical challenges. There are so many things that need to get arranged and organized. It would require one person's full time efforts for the remainder of the year in order to organize high quality week-long or multi-week programs at a remote location.

About 10 years ago I was a BSA trip leader who took small groups of students to Rumney. A few times a summer we would take 6-8 campers and 2 instructors there for 5 weekdays at a time. We were one of the only group programs there most of the time.

Since then rock climbing has exploded in popularity. Kids learn to climb in gyms and many kids want to climb outdoors. Summer camp seems like a logical way to get kids outside for a week or more of climbing. Climbing camps have sprung up to fill this "camping" niche.

When it comes to climbing, these climbing camps are very similar to guide services. They need to manage risk effectively while providing a rewarding climbing experience. From a professional perspective this means they need to have the proper liability insurance, the correct land use permits must be acquired, instructors must be trained to industry standards, and the utmost attention needs to be paid to safety.

Children, who are frequently unfamiliar with or unaware of the risks associated with outdoor climbing,  seem unable to make good decisions when it comes to safety. The "obvious" dangers don't seem so obvious. Therefore, instructor role modeling is incredibly important for impressionable youth. Choosing the right climbs, wearing a helmet and keeping crag appropriate closed-toe shoes on at all times are all things that should be role modeled by skilled, highly-trained responsible instructors.

Toss in other complications, like vehicle transport of campers, which requires additional liabilty insurance and drivers trained to operate a 15-passenger van or bus, swimming during rest days or during hot weather, and food preparation, which should really be handled by a trained cook-staff in a sanitary space like a dining hall and you've got a pretty complex picture. Really, only large institutions or companies with these resources at their command and extensive insurance coverage can offer a big summer climbing programs.

This summmer I spent a week climbing at Rumney, a rock climbing area in White Mountain National Forest. During my week there I feel like I saw the entire spectrum of climbing camps. I witnessed really good instruction and good risk management behavior and I witnessed appalling displays of unprofessionalism that really upset and scared me.

The White Mountain School was running a camp in NH that week. They are one of the only AMGA accredited high school programs. They use mature, highly-trained adult instructors who are professional climbers, guides or educators. They make sure students wear helmets at all times, maintain ratios at or below the industry standard of 6:1 and seem to manage risk very carefully. This seems like a very good program.
On the other end of the spectrum were programs like International Rock Climbing School, a Boston Rock Gym affiliated program. During my week there we bumped into three of their groups. I didn't see a single adult (someone who looked over 21) closely managing their large groups, I watched shirtless "instructors", barely old enough to shave, climb routes in flip flops in the rain, children rarely wore helmets, and they brought 16 or more people to the most popular crags and basically made a junk show of the base of the crag.

If you're a parent who's thinking of sending your child to a rock climbing summer program you owe it to yourself and your child to do a little research. Not every program is the same. In fact, some of the oldest and most well-known programs seem like the scariest operations. As a climbing "risk manager" by trade, I'm terrified and dismayed by some of the things I see out there.

You probably shouldn't choose a camp solely based on the fact that well-known climbers are involved in the operation. It might be better to ask about insurance, land use permits, and the competency and leadership experience of the instructors. Remember, the best climbers aren't always the safest operators or the best teachers.

I've compiled a list below that may help parents of prospective rock climbing "campers" weed out the sketchy programs so that you can feel good about where your child goes climbing next summer.

INSURANCE

Insurance protects the camp/guide service, but also offers protection for participants if an accident occurs. It can help defray medical costs should a severe accident occur. The professional standard, and the requirement from many land managers, is for a climbing program to carry a minimum of $1,000,000 coverage. Insurance doesn't work unless the company is following all rules/regulations/requirements. Even non-profits should have insurance and are frequently required to have permits. Here are the things to ask about:

• Liability Insurance for Rock Climbing - Don't be afraid to ask for a certificate of insurance if you feel it's necessary. Most outfits will gladly provide you with proof of coverage
• Vehicle/transportation insurance coverage - Any time you transport paying customers you're acting as a taxi/shuttle service. This type of insurance coverage is nice to have if you're transporting kids in a 15-passenger van. All drivers need to be covered.
• Permits for places you'll be going climbing - Ask to see permits from land managers if necessary. Liability insurance won't be valid unless they're allowed to have commerical operations there. Also ask if commercial climbing is allowed at these spots.
• Helmets should be worn at all times - Helmet waivers probably won't work for people under age 18. Besides, kids probably shouldn't be allowed to make the decision whether or not to wear helmets.
• Other - How old is the gear they'll be using? How frequently is it inspected? When are ropes used? Is bouldering (unroped) climbing allowed by insurance?

INSTRUCTORS

Camps generally do similar day-to-day climbing programming as guide services. Therefore, all instructors should have the proper training. Bigger outfits should also have AMGA accreditation.

• Lead instructors should be 21, assistant instructors should be at least 18 - Many insurance companies have a minimum age requirement.
• Instructors should have CPR, WFA or WFR medical training, and ideally have AMGA SPI certification or better.
• Instructor:Participant ratios should be low - 6:1 is the max 3:1 is closer to the appropriate size for high-quality instruction and guidance.

Other Items

There are many other issues that need to be covered.

• Food Preparation - Is the food being prepared in a kitchen? Are dietary restrictions and requirements being met? If they're not being prepared in a dining hall or kitchen where are they being prepared and who's doing the cooking?
• Swimming - If kids are swimming is there a lifeguard nearby? Are adults paying close attention and making sure kids are supervised
• Medical - Who administers medications each day? Do they have medical training? Is there a doctor or nurse present, or someone who's a medical adviser for the organization. 

While this is by no means a comprehensive list, it should help you distinguish between programs.

Ryan Stefiuk is a professional climbing guide based in Northampton, Massachusetts. He is the only AMGA Certified Rock Guide offering programs in Massachusetts.

Even Guides Need a Guide Sometimes

As a newer climber, while working with a guide, it can feel like the guide knows everything there is to know about climbing. Generally speaking, many guides do become experts on their home areas and do have significant technical knowledge. However, even really good guides don't know everything. Professional development doesn't ever stop, and sometimes guides even need the assistance of other guides.

Some guides are a "jack of all trades" and are good at all things climbing, but most are experts in one discipline or another (rock, alpine, technical systems, ski, etc). Personally, I'm a bit top heavy in the rock and ice department, and feel like I lack good skiing skills. I haven't skied that much, and I don't really have much experience assessing snow conditions.

I like being an expert at climbing. It's hard to ski more when there's perfectly good rock or ice to climb. Getting better at skiing is a goal of mine though. I approached IFMGA Certified guide Silas Rossi, a friend and fellow guide, a few weeks ago and told him I'd like to ski and assess snow stability with him for a day or two this spring. The following week we met in the Adirondacks for some fun.

After a casual start we were on our way into Johns Brook Lodge and the Orebed Trail. Before long we were sweating our way up the creek bed below Gothics North Face.

Near the base of the face we dug a snow pit in order to document a complete snow profile. Snow stability wasn't an issue, but I was here as much to refresh my stability assessment skills as I was to ski. Silas teaches the AIARE Level 1 and 2 courses throughout the northeast, so his knowledge and feedback were immensely useful.

Shovel tap tests help identify weak layers and how they
behave under stress

After a few hours of digging, observing, recording, and chatting about our lives we decided to do a little skiing. We skied down from the face and into the creek bed. Silas skied with very gracefully. I thrutched and wobbled my way down, managing to stay on my feet the whole time. Success!

The shaded side of the pit becomes a "reference wall"

Watching Silas ski so aggressively over and off the pillows of snow in the drainage gave me the confidence to ski things I would otherwise have circumnavigated. This is how we learn and gain confidence. By shelving our irrational fears we're able to perform better. This is the beauty of working with a guide. They help you become comfortable in what feels like a foreign, and potentially dangerous environment.

Silas Rossi traversing below the North Face of Gothics

At the end of the day we chatted more over beer and nachos at the Ausable Inn before parting ways. We discussed the state of our young US guiding industry, future climbing plans, and our amazing partners (wives and girlfriends) who stoically spend days, weeks, and sometimes months away from us as we travel to guide and to climb away from home.

Looking back on the day, I see now that the day helped me solidify my snow stability assessment skills as much as any avalanche course has, and that skiing with people that are better than me is the way to improve.

If you are looking to improve your skills and gain confidence as a climber or skier consider hiring a trained and certified AMGA guide to help you with your skills.

Joe Vitti Receives AMGA President's Award

If you're a Gunks climber, Joe Vitti's face is probably familiar. You may not know him by name, but you'll probably recognize his friendly face and mellow demeanor. Joe has been guiding in the Gunks for seven years now, and I had the pleasure of working with him for several of those years. He is one of my favorite climbing partners.

Joe, who has a solid climbing background stemming from his traditional climbing past in central Connecticut, is a very worldly guy. Of all the guides I've spent time with over the years, Joe seems to find the best balance between family life, guiding and personal climbing. He's married with two teenagers at home, and he still manages to take trips to guide and climb in other areas. On top of this he's a student in a local paramedic program.

It should come as no surprise then, that Joe has chosen to donate some time out of his busy life to educating new climbers in the Gunks. This spring Joe started the "Saturday Night Live" series of clinics which focused on basic safety techniques for climbers of all abilities.

For his work running the "Saturday Night Live" series of clinics Joe has been awarded a 2012 AMGA President's Award. Only a few AMGA guides are given this presitgious award each year. Congrats Joe, you deserve it.

The Faster You Run, The Sooner You're Done...

Or, in our case, the faster you run, the more you can climb. I just wrapped up a two week trip to the North Cascades. The last week was a whirlwind of approaching, climbing and descending with little to no rest between objectives.

A solid forecast helped Bryan Ronan and I climb Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Triumph and do some multipitch cragging at Mt. Erie over the course of five consecutive days.

Bryan, a natural athlete, began climbing in the Gunks with me two years ago. He's one of the lucky individuals I've met who's managed to find a balance in his life. He works full time, is a father of two, and manages to stay very fit. It seems he also used a July Cascades trip as a "carrot on a stick" for training purposes.

Dawn on the Sulhpide Glacier, F2.2, 8 sec.

The highlight of our trip was definitely a trip up the Northeast Ridge on Mt. Triumph, and down the South Ridge. This, combined with an approach from our camp at Thornton Lake and our descent to the trailhead at the end of the day made for a big day with lots of cross-country alpine travel. From our predawn start at 3:30 a.m. to our sweaty finish at the car in the dark at 9:30, this day was amazing.

Bryan on a narrow section along the NE Ridge

Triumph is a remote peak with views of some of the most rugged terrain in the lower 48 states. After some low clouds in the morning we enjoyed bright sun and clear skies all day long, making for an amazing day in the hills.

Small Victories

It's July, I'm in the North Cascades for a few weeks of guiding and today is a town day, between clients coming from the east coast to climb in the amazing mountains of the Pacific Northwest. The weather's been on-and-off cloudy days with rain. In some ways it's a departure from my previous trips here, where I've experience largely good weather.

Richard Vlasak, who I've climbed with around the northeast, in the North Cascades and in Alaska came to climb for a few days this summer. This season North Cascades Mountain Guides has been gracious enough to allow me to work as a guest guide. This gave Richard and I access to several great Washington Pass objectives that we haven't done together in the past.

After a quick food shop we headed for Washington Pass and began the approach to the Liberty Bell. Our tune-up objective was the Beckey Route, a 4-pitch route on the west side of this formation. The Liberty Bell is an impressive summit. When viewed from the east it's 1500' tall obelisk of clean granite looming above the hairpin turn on Highway 20 in Washington Pass. From the west though, it looks like a smaller granite dome that would be right at home in Tuolumne Meadows or the Sierra High Country. The beautiful views and clean granite make the long walk worthwhile.

RV catching a self portrait on top of Liberty Bell

After a dip in the Methow River in Mazama we packed and planned for our second objective, Paisano Pinnacle below the west face of Burgundy Spire. This 7-8 pitch ridge climb has outstanding rock and amazing positioning alongside the giant northwest faces of the Wine Spires.

We approached the following day, camped among beautiful larch trees at 6200' and went to bed early. Our climb of Paisano Pinnacle went as planned, and by 7 the next evening we were enjoying beers and burgers in Winthrop, a small tourist town 15 miles east of Mazama.

Along the ridge line on Paisano Pinnacle

After a full rest day we decided to head into Thornton Lake and on towards Mt. Triumph. The Northeast Ridge of Mt. Triumph is a classic ridgeline route on a mountain that stands out, all by itself, in front of the rugged Picket Range.

The approach, through dense forest, up steep hillsides and across several large creeks is arduous but never extreme. Despite a cold, soaking rain, we made good progress toward Thornton Lake, where the official trail ends and the climber's path to Triumph begins.

Crossing swollen creeks on sketchy wet logs was common

Just above the Thornton Lake Richard slipped on a small slab of rock where the trail traverses. His fall, although short (5 feet down a low angle slab), was forceful enough to twist his left knee. After calming down, drinking, and eating a snack Richard determined that he was able to walk as long as his left foot didn't twist in an outward direction at all. A sleeping pad, cordalette, and trekking pole splint provided enough rigidity so that he could walk using the assistance of a trekking pole. I carried both packs while he struggled just to navigate the soaking wet slabs and large tree roots on the steep, narrow trail.

Richard did an amazing job dealing with the challenging trail and weather conditions as we walked back down the 2500' and 5 miles to the car. It served as a giant reminder that nearly any lower body soft tissue injury, no matter how small, can make it nearly impossible to get out of the woods. Worse yet, any type of fracture (even a hairline fracture) in this setting will most likely require a rescue. Scary.

On the drive to a hotel that evening we both agreed that no day in the outdoors should be be more epic than the one we just experienced. We sunk into our beds and slept hard, grateful for the rest after a very challenging day. The following day, as we visited Anacortes and Deception Pass State Park, Richard was more-or-less able to walk normally. As climbers we tend to forget just how rugged outdoor terrain is compared to our everyday routes along sidewalks and roadways in the towns and cities where we live.

A panorama of Deception Pass taken with my Galaxy S3

The whole ordeal, which ended well serves as a wake-up call. Climbing, and everything about it can be dangerous. We try our best to minimize risks but things can and do happen. This is the truth, and to ignore this is to deny the reality of the situation.

As a climber it's easy to forget about life's small victories - enjoying the morning coffee, taking a walk in the park on a beautiful day with your dog, or sharing a nice meal with loved ones. Having the ability and mobility to climb is what I might call a big victory. There are so many people out there that can't get out and climb, hike or bike because they don't have the resources or because their body won't allow them this luxury. Remember this next time you're outside, and don't forget that nearly any injury, no matter how small, can become serious in the backcountry.

Saturday Night Live

People have a tendency to make very matter-of-fact statements about things that aren't entirely true. It's easy to act like an expert, making "true" statements", in front of a crowd and much harder to admit in front of that same crowd when you don't know something. My partner has helped me with this. She's more inclined to respect me for saying "I think it might be this, but I'm really not certain" than for bullsh*tting her and acting like I know what I'm talking about.

We can't all be experts at everything. That's fine. Actually, it's better than fine. I'd rather be an expert in one or two things than dabble in lots of things. Dabbling in climbing is tough. Climbing in any shape or form is serious business. You could die climbing.

Being a safe climber is all about making good decisions. If you're going to make good decisions you need to have a base of experiences that help influence you to make those good decisions. Experience doesn't magically appear overnight. You gain it by doing, from other's teachings (hopefully they're knowledgable and honest about their own base of experience), by reading, and by applying the things you've read and been shown.

The first step in this process is admitting that there are things you don't know and aren't good at yet. Then, through learning and practice it's usually possible to get reasonably good at most things. As climbers we need to be reasonably good at doing things that keep us safe.

This season in the Gunks there's been one really staggering accident that resulted in a sad and unnecessary fatality and a slew of others that have resulted in severe head or body trauma. If you listen from the cliff it's possible to hear sirens coming up the hill and around the hairpin turn nearly every weekend. Many of those sirens stop at the carriage road below the cliffs.

There will always be objective hazards while climbing. In the mountains objective hazards can pose a real threat to one's wellbeing. At a cliff like the Trapps we see very few objective hazards and many subjective risks. People unknowingly expose themselves to unnecessary subjective risks and cause entirely preventable accidents.

Rock climbing is changing. I've been watching it happen. At times, as a guide I feel I've even contributed to those changes. As a "sport" rock climbing has blossomed in popularity. People no longer travel in pairs, as partners, to a crag to climb for the day. They travel in throngs, coming straight from climbing gyms to the outdoors. They no longer mentor with one individual for several seasons, learning the many subtleties of a dangerous yet rewarding craft like climbing.They storm the crags, new gear and group in tow and recreate the gym outside. The measured approach, where one goes slowly and carefully applies their skills, is rapidly disappearing.

The trouble is, one person from a gym who "knows" how to lead or build anchors can expose an entire group of new climbers to the sport. All the while, that person in the "know" and the rest of these green climbers never realize they're climbing on bogus anchor setups that aren't ideal.

My friend and fellow climbing guide, Joe Vitti, has been thinking a lot about the climbing accidents that have occurred in the Gunks over the past several seasons. The recent anchor failure and subsequent fatality, which seems to have been preventable, has shaken him. It should bother all of us.

After looking at the accidents he's determined (I agree with his determination) that accidents are not occurring as a result of total beginner climbers being complete idiots. They're occurring among intermediate/experienced climbers who are capable of climbing and manage to navigate the cliffs, but are incapable of seeing the bigger, very dangerous picture in which they operate.

Rappelling or lowering off the end of the rope is easily preventable. It's possible to make simple and redundant anchors, ones that won't fail, aren't confusing and can easily be determined to be safe. Leaders can be better at self-assessing what climbs they should decide to lead, thus preventing upside down, skull fracturing falls. It's possible to place gear that doesn't zipper out below when you take a lead fall.

These accidents scare the crap out of me. However, I'm not an optimist. I'm a pragmatist and my sensibility tells me that this isn't the end of more accidents - it's the beginning. As climbing gyms become more popular and more people want to try outdoor climbing the "experience" denominator decreases. There's more people out there that know less, and I'm not sure they realize that one small mistake is all it takes to get seriously injured or killed.

The first step to preventing these accidents is letting go of our egos. We need to admit what we know and what we don't know. If I screw up my marinara recipe it's not a big deal. If I screw up my climbing anchor someone could die. If you don't really feel like you know what you're doing, ask for help. Nobody will criticize you for that. As a guide and instructor I applaud people for that. Many other guides do too.

Starting this season some of the local Gunks guides are going to be offering free, informal clinics on Saturday nights. These clinics are geared towards climbers who want to improve their anchoring, belaying and ropework skills. Joe Vitti is working out the fine details still. As details and a schedule become available I'll post them on this site. Joe will do the same on rockclimbing.com and gunks.com.

In the meantime, be nice, but say something if you feel like the anchor or belay setup you see someone using looks whacky. It doesn't have to be an insult and it could be phrased as more of a question. Find out why they're doing what they're doing and help them get on the right track.

Here's the link to the flyer that will be posted around the Gunks -Free clinic-1. Spread the word.

Big Changes

I'm in my eighth year of professional guiding. Up until now I've always worked as an employee for a guide service. However, there seems to come a time in every guide service employee's life when they feel like they know the "ins" and "outs" of the industry well enough to work on their own. I've reached that place this month, and looking back I can't help but think that my departure to "independent-guide" status was long overdue.

Over the coming weeks and months Bigfoot Mountain Guides will begin to have more information about my own instructional and guiding offerings. It might not become a guide service site though. I'm excited about maintaining Bigfoot as a blog and information resource for climbers on the internet. It's hard to find good information when there's so much crap out there.

Hopefully this will give me more time to develop a side project of mine, Catskillice.com too. After beginning work on it last fall, it's fallen by the wayside, but hopefully not headed towards that eternal unfinished website graveyard.

If you're looking for an experienced, brainy guide on the east coast of the United States anytime soon, well I just might be your guy.

Who's Your Guide?

I was out at the Trapps, the most popular cliff in the Gunks, the other day and I struck up a conversation about guiding with another climber. He wasn't from the area and he asked me whether it was hard to get a permit to guide in the Gunks. I replied that it was challenging, and that most guides here work for one of the local guide services that maintain a permit with the Mohonk Preserve. He asked me “what about guides who can't get a permit, shouldn't they be able to guide here too?” I replied to him that if you are well-trained and qualified for the job and have plenty of availability you will almost definitely get hired by one of the four main services or will be able to get an individual permit.

The individual with whom I was speaking was perfectly friendly but our interchange snuck under my skin. Conversations like this have a tendency to make me seethe with frustration. Many professional guides, especially ones that are AMGA-trained, have spent months of their own time preparing for professional coursework and exams. What makes so many people think any reasonably competent climber can be a guide simply because they know more than most beginner climbers?

Would you hire someone who's read books about medicine, but isn't an M.D., to work on your body? Would you hire a bum to do your taxes? How about web development and programming, is anyone who's used a computer capable of development and programming?

The answer to all of these questions is “no”. And the answer to the question “Can any climber just as easily be my guide?” should also be a resounding “no”. Why is it then that there are so many people in the United States that are willing to call themselves “climbing guides” or climbing instructors” even?

Less than thirty years ago there was no formal training and certification process for guides in the United States. All guides learned by “doing” or from a mentor. Some of these guides who remained in the industry longer than a few years ultimately developed good client care skills, strong “guide-style” ropework skills, good terrain assessment/management skills, and the ability to relate to clients of all ability levels. However, there are other guides still in the industry who have not developed those skills. This is, to a large degree, because guide training and certification is not compulsory, it's voluntary.

To this day guide training is not required and I routinely field the same questions, like the one above, over and over again. And, until it is I'll be sounding like a broken record.

It is my feeling that, at a bare minimum, guides should be have professional training specific to the terrain they're guiding in. If a guide is going to guide clients up multipitch rock climbs, even in a very benign place like the Gunks, they should have professional training that addresses a myriad of guiding skills including multipitch transitions, managing traverses, belay stance management, how to safely descend with multiple clients and high angle rope rescue skills. Alpine guiding requires even more training in a number of different disciplines (snow, ice, rock) and most east coast ice guides should address this appropriately by taking alpine guiding and ice instructor courses.

If you're thinking about becoming a guide, or are currently guiding without professional training the bottom line is this – guiding requires an additional skill set that recreational climbers don't gain just from climbing. More importantly, guides frequently take people with absolutely ZERO climbing experience into incredibly dangerous places, places those people couldn't go otherwise. Professional development is expensive, but client's lives are priceless to their friends and families.

On the other side - if you're looking to hire a guide, remember this too. It's hard to place a value on someone's life. Why would you choose to hire just anyone, or hire someone only because they're rates are less? Do your homework and be sure your guides are well-trained.

I'm hoping to write a series of upcoming posts addressing the state of the professional guiding industry. If you have feedback or would like to address the topic feel free to comment or let me know what you'd like to see.

Stuff You Should Read

As climbers we make decisions that affect our safety all the time. Some of these decisions involve choosing the proper "application". How we apply a tool we have in our toolbox is very important. Some examples of tools we have as climbers are belay methods (ATC, Reverso/ATC Guide, Grigri, Munter hitch), knots (figure eight, flat overhand, bowline, clove hitch) and friction hitches (prusik, autoblock, and klemheist). Generally, my choice to use a particular tool isn't a random or haphazard decision.

Here's a simple example. If I need to do improvised rope ascension I can use friction hitches to grab the rope. However, I don't randomly choose any of the friction hitches I'm familiar with. I apply the best one for the task at hand. If I'm using a piece of cord to tie a friction hitch so I can ascend I'll use a prusik, as it grabs well but still releases easily. If I am have webbing, I'll use a klemheist as it grabs a bit better while using the slippery, flat webbing. I won't even consider an autoblock, as even loaded autoblocks slip easily when you grab them.

There's a lot of information out there, and much of it should be taken with a grain of salt. The list below isn't meant to be your final word when making technical decisions. It's only a reference that can help when choosing which knot to tie, which belay device to use, and which friction hitch to wrap in different scenarios.

Hang 'Em High: Hang 'em High is a test of belay device behavior under extreme loads. There's interesting information about why the GriGri is better than the Cinch, and also good information about how much load belay devices can hold. The article is a bit older now but still good for understanding loads, belay devices, and what a belay device should be able to hold in extreme conditions.

X-Mission: Tom Moyer and the SLC Mountain Rescue crew have done testing on all different types of material. Some of the interesting results in this link: a clove seems to be stronger than a bowline in pull testing, double fisherman's knot holds better than a water knot in tape, Big Honkin' Knot (double eight on a bight) is actually weaker than a single eight on a bight. 7mm prusik is really strong.

Tom Moyer's Test Page: More testing on materials from Tom Moyer. The water knot and EDK testing are pretty cool, testing of high strength cord too.

Guide Tricks for Climbers - SP Parker tested the clove hitch to see what happens with static slow pull testing. He had different results depending on where the load strand was (spine or gate). Either way the results show no slippage.

Climbing Mythbusters - Geir Hundal did some testing to bust a few climbing myths that everyone asks about. There's some cool stuff here including info about dropping gear, clove hitches, and the EDK. Also some good info about leader loads on gear while belaying with a grigri and a plate

Clove Hitch Testing - Testing by Dave Lane and John Yates (Yates climbing equip.) showing that the clove hitch won't slip.

Technical Rescue Magazine - Tests of belay methods for rescue loads. Very interesting and compelling arguments for the use of the Grigri for high load belays, and for the Tandem Prusik Belay for securing fixed lines and for use on the belay line during rescue scenarios.

The Reminder

For three seasons I visited Red Rocks 1-2 times a year. I carefully catalogued approaches, route beta and descent information. I guided long moderates and climbed a lot of harder single pitch and multipitch lines. In April 2010, after spending 15 days in Las Vegas taking my AMGA Rock Guide Exam, I thought I might never go back to Red Rocks. I was disgusted by the opulence and excess of Las Vegas. I was sick of prickly, sharp objects getting stuck in my clothing. Most of all, I was tired of the climbing and the long approaches in and out of the canyons.

I don't generally get bored of climbing areas., However, after spending a part of each of the past five summers alpine guiding in the Washington Cascades and training for my AMGA Alpine Guide Exam, I've been feeling the same way about the Cascades. They've worn me out. They just feel old, or maybe they make me feel old.

Climbing in these special places tends to lose some of it's significance when we forget to see the beauty around us. It's wrong to populate your memory of a beautiful place solely with route information, gear beta, and details about a tricky descent or walk-off route. It happens though, especially if you're focused on particular objectives.

I just returned from Red Rocks, where I spent most of a week guiding a close friend up really fine climbs. With the exam monkey off my back I was able to enjoy the subtle beauties of Red Rocks. Warm sunny slabs below the Brownstone Wall, the calico-colored boulders in Oak Creek Canyon, and the quiet trickle of water in Pine Creek Canyon are a few of the subtle charms of Red Rocks.

Next time your head is down and your nose is to the grindstone, stop and look around. Remember why you choose to climb in the first place. I'm there because I love being outdoors as much as I love climbing. I bet you feel that way too. Let's just try not to forget it.

The climbing is beautiful there too! Here is a gallery of images from the trip.

A Photoessay: AMGA Advanced Alpine Course

It's rare for me to post photos with only small amounts of text, as I am much more a writer than a photographer. However, I've just returned from a trip to the great "Northwet" region (the North Cascades!), where we had surprisingly dry weather for more than 90% of our 12-day AMGA Advanced Alpine Guides Course. The weather, route selection and positioning left me with some really great images. Below are some of the best, with the nighttime shots from Forbidden Peak's West Ridge Col being my favorite.

Thanks to Rob Hess, Jeff Ward, Thor Husted, Mark Fallender, Gary Falk, Mike Abbey and Karsten Delap for being great company on this 12-day choss odyssey!

Late September wildflowers on the Hogsback.

Heading up the Coleman Glacier for crevasse rescue training

Sunset on the Coleman Glacier

Crevasse rescue training on the upper White Salmon
Glacier.

Sunset at camp near the Upper Curtis Glacier

Sunset at the spectacular camp near the Upper Curtis Glacier

Nearing the Northeast Ridge of Shuksan's summit pyramid

Karsten Delap managing steep snow and moats near the NE Ridge

Thor Husted scoping a good line down the south side of Shuksan

Karsten Delap in the Fisher Chimneys

Rob Hess near the top of Cutthroat Peak

Karsten Delap looks for a good line on Concord Tower

Managing tough terrain on Concord Tower

Bellingham lights up the night sky

Cloud banks fill in the lowlands

Somehow, Pink Floyd comes to mind.

Bad weather on the W. Ridge of Forbidden