I had the good fortune to teach an Intro to Rock Course last week at Smith Rock State Park. Bob, Scott, Craig and James joined me for two days to learn the nuts and bolts of climbing. James is from the UK and had no previous rock climbing experience and the three gentlemen from western Oregon had a long list of successful mountaineering adventures under their belt and were interested in adding rock climbing to their skill set.
Day 1 began with the basics. We learned and "refreshed" knots, belaying and discussed various types of climbing techniques. We then put that practice into action and hopped onto Smith's world renown welded tuff.
We began with some moderate face climbing and worked on skills such as mantling, edging and smearing. Small pockets and mini nubbins make even the most improbable vertical face reasonable.
We than switched gears to crack climbing and began to use our hands and feet in ways that they were never intended to be used! After a clinic and demonstration of hand jams, foot jams, the crew threw themselves at a fun and deceptively tricky crack. A little blood and skin later, everyone learned how to hang off their hands and torque their feet in cracks. Crack climbing, although painful at first, is a necessary skill for climbers and mountaineers alike.
Day 2 began just where Day 1 left off. We began climbing longer, more difficult routes that required a combination of balancy face skills as well as the occasional hand and foot jam. I also introduced rock climbing protection, both active and passive, and explained gear placement and anchor systems. There was plenty of time for folks interested in anchors to play around with an assortment of gear.
The culmination of our two day trip was a multi-pitch climb. Our multi-pitch climb tied together all the elements and skills that the gang had been learning over the last two days. Our objective was Cinnamon Slab, the classic two pitch 5.6 at Smith. The first pitch is a beautiful crack in a corner.
Cinnamon Slab also boasts a "spacious" belay ledge making it a probable and comfortable objective for our party of 5.
Here is a shot of Scott and Craig living it up at the belay. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse and we were not able to complete the second pitch. After bringing all four students up the belay I decided it was time to go down. On day 1 we practiced rappelling on Rope de Dope Block and today we had to rappel out of necessity.
Bob had a pleasant rappel down to the base of the climb. Halfway through Scott's rappel, it started raining. I ended up lowering the remaining two climbers and hurrying down myself as the skies opened up on us. Good thing we didn't attempt the second pitch! I wanted to thank all the participants for a great course. A good foundation in rock climbing skills and techniques is a prerequisite for many routes in the mountains.
Rock climbing is also just a great way to spend a beautiful day outside challenging yourself mentally and physically. I hope to see you all again out at Smith or in the mountains.
Your Guide
John
footsteps up to the summit. The clear night with the light of a near full moon and the planet Mars, presented an awesome nighttime backdrop to our summer ascent. At sunrise, the mountain shadow was striking, stretching out to the southwest (photo below, with guides Matt Cline and Jon Bates).
Heading Up the Sunshine Route
Navigating a Steep Section on the Circumnavigation