Crack Climbing Secrets

I admit, I have a tendency to see gear as something that demands expense, attention and maintenance. All things which could be better manifested as time climbing or playing with my dog. Yet I must be realistic. I have learned over the years that anything which is not helping me is hurting me, and I have a lot of small and specific gear habits that I am quite particular about. Gear is important. Getting it right will definitely free you up to enjoy the climbing more, especially when the climbing style is inherently pretty gear intensive….like at Indian Creek. Of course if it all becomes too much of a hassle, we can just go free solo

Recently I have been climbing at the Creek with lots of visiting friends, and I have noticed that I have a lot of fussy little gear preferences that they were interested to know about…so here is a list of personal Indian Creek secret weapons:

Cams.
What could be more important at Indian Creek than cams? Well, shoes. But we’ll get to that! As always, and especially when you are carrying a ridiculously large rack, LIGHT IS RIGHT. If you use Mammut Moses carabiners and Metolius Powercams, your rack will be lighter than everyone else’s by a significant percentage. I would rather go climbing than do math, so I can’t tell you what that percentage is, but it’s pretty easy to pick up one rack in one hand, and one in the other, and you will see what I mean.

An important trick I always use is to tape the sling of the cam, just above the biner, so the biner can’t spin (just like having an elastic for the bottom biner on a quickdraw). There is nothing worse than cruxxing out, usually in a layback position, and having the biner spin upside down just before you desperately try to clip the rope in.

Shoes.
Actually, shoes are even more important than cams….you use them even if you aren’t using cams! This one is very simple. You need Five Ten Moccasyms, one half size smaller than your hiking shoe. If you don’t wear these shoes, you will climb a full letter grade lower at Indian Creek, and you will also be in pain. They are not paying me to say this. It’s just true. If you don’t wear Moccasyms at the Creek right now, you have no idea what a difference it makes, but you will find out and you will be happy!

Tape.
Pagan Mountaineering in Moab carries a special version of Mueller tape which is made to be sold in Europe. It is called Eurotape. Bizarrely enough, this is the exact same tape Mueller produces for sale in the US, but is twice as sticky. I know all this, because I actually called Mueller, trying to find the stickiest possible tape, when I was freeing the Salathe, because my tape was rolling on me and causing a problem and I was desperate for stickier tape. Luckily for me, after we discovered all this, Pagan started to stock Eurotape, so now I never have to be without it. It really does make a difference when your tape doesn’t roll, especially on thinner crack sizes. This is definitely a case of what isn’t helping you is hurting you, if you use less-sticky tape. I buy an entire box at a time, especially because it’s not possible to buy sticky tape in Yosemite, where it can really be an issue.

Aspirin.
Some cracks, and some particular sizes (ring locks!) are very painful. Wearing the right shoes helps a lot with the foot pain, and taping helps somewhat with hand pain. Also, you gradually get used to crack technique, and things don’t hurt as much in general. But at a certain point, especially if you are trying something specific and/or difficult, pain in your fingers and toes can be an actual logistics problem. I had the hardest time with this on the Salathe headwall, Pink Flamingo at Indian Creek, and Concepcion when I was working on those routes. I found that if I would take a few aspirin a couple of hours before I planned to start climbing, and then two or three more just before I started climbing, I was able to climb a lot more comfortably. Coffee seems to be a natural pain killer too, along with its many other virtues.

Dogs.
The best dogs for Indian Creek are heeler mixes. Though I have had great success with many other dogs as well. When you get down from a long hard crack battle (not that you will be battling, I’m just saying if!), there is nothing more wonderful than a wagging, smiling dog who is totally happy to see you safe and sound and back on the ground! They are also very helpful in cold weather and are more environmentally sound than hand warmers.

Make sure to bring a water dish up to the cliff, as it can get hot up there sometimes, even on crispy winter days. On the other hand, since it can get surprisingly cold as well, remember that your down jacket should always be tucked around shivering dogs rather than on you. You have other clothes.

Happy climbing!