Climbfind Heroes

[heroesclimbfind]

Your ranking & my ranking of the best rock climbers won’t match. Here’s why.

TLDR: Rock climbing operates like every other sport: Sponsorship is about a lot more than performance; and gender bias prevails. Please stop acting surprised.

Non-rock climbers won’t stop talking to me about Alex Honnold. Not necessarily about his free solo ascents of big walls, but just about his segment, more generally, on 60 Minutes.

“So how do you measure success in rock climbing? Is it speed—how fast somebody gets up a wall?” they ask.

For America, fittingly, TV finally made rock climbing a recognizable sport. If it weren’t for Alex Honnold in 2015, rock climbing would continue to be discussed exclusively by rock climbers.

Relative to other competition sports, rock climbing remains obscure. In fact, I still meet many people who don’t realize it will be part of the 2020 Olympics. And, non-climbers certainly do not understand how it will be scored (to be fair, neither do climbers, but that’s another issue).

Still, any sport—well known or otherwise—participates in a massive multi-billion-dollar industry. In 2010, the New York City Marathon increased the city’s economy by $340 million. The Chicago Cubs generate an alleged $600 million each year for the state of Illinois. The sports industry produced almost 500,000 jobs in America in 2013, from coaches, to referees, to agents (Bleacher Report). This estimate does not, for example, include the stadium vendors, ticket sales specialists, or related third-party jobs (Economic Modeling Specialists Int’l).

Basically, sports are a mega moneymaker.

Rock climbing gyms, youth teams, and training camps are cropping up everywhere. Whether you like it or not, rock climbing is becoming a more popular sport.

Why is this important? Well, if you pay attention to the goings-on of the climbing community, there is a subtle but salient debate occurring. It’s about who contributes the most to our community.

Is it the first ascentionist? Is the person who bolts the lines? Is it the most well-rounded, best-performing, highest-ranked athlete? Is it the World Cup winner?

When you pay attention to the climbing community’s debate, it’s clear how young and immature this sport—and its stakeholders—truly are. I don’t mean this as an insult. Rather, I’m saying it as a reminder, a gut check.

Rock climbers have the acute advantage of learning from other competitive sports: how to handle sponsorship, how to handle diversity, how to protect the environment, how to reward good citizens…

Let’s start with sponsorship.

In 2011, Adidas purchased family favorite Five Ten for $25 million in cash (Gear Junkie). In 2014, Columbia Sportswear bought Prana Living for $190 million  (Dealbook, New York Times). In 2016, Petzl reported 700 employees and consolidated revenue of €154 million. There are myriad climbing gear and clothing companies from Sterling Ropes to Mammut to Evolv to Metolius to Mad Rock to The North Face.

Sponsored athletes from each of these multimillion-dollar companies are hired to showcase new gear and model clothing. Athletes inspire young people to participate in the same sport and endorse the quality of a particular product. When sponsored athletes mess up, they’re dropped. It’s pretty simple.

Ryan Lochte, 12-time Olympic medalist in swimming, lost his endorsement from Speedo after he lied about a non-sports related incident in Rio. Doping cost pro-cyclist Lance Armstrong sponsorship from Nike, Oakley, and 24-Hour Fitness, as well as earned him a lifetime ban from competing in any sporting event governed by the U.S. anti-doping agency. Golfer Tiger Woods lost sponsorship from Accenture, AT&T, Buick, Gatorade, and Tag Heuer after his extra-marital affairs became public. The list goes on.

Because rock climbing is growing in popularity, companies have the luxury of choice. There are so many talented climbers today; it’s nearly impossible to say one person is holding the torch for us all (except maybe Adam Ondra). So, sponsorship is a fickle thing.

Bad behavior begets repercussions. Even minor incidents can cost you major endorsements.

Now let’s talk about gender.

There is a huge disparity in funding and sponsorship opportunities between male and female rock climbers. Just 29 percent of sponsored rock climbers are women. Ergo, there are 2.5 men with climbing sponsorships for each sponsored woman (Alan Kimbrough Moore’s Blog).

When such a huge disparity in funding and sponsorship exists between genders, this means that women have fewer opportunities to obtain coaching, gain competition experience, travel for climbing, or, generally, spend time on training. In turn, this will affect performance. The cycle continues as women trail in performance, and cease to gain sponsorship. Experienced female climbers lack the same financial rewards as their male counterparts, and they stop climbing earlier. And so on.

“The self-perpetuating cycle of women’s sport being given less attention than men’s, and seen as less ‘deserving’, continues,” writes Tamsin Kelly in, “Are Men And Woman Treated Equally In Sport? Sadly, not yet,” for the Huffington Post.

Outside climbing, only 7 percent of sports media coverage is devoted to women’s sports and just 0.4 percent of commercial investment goes to women-only sports, according to The Women’s Sports and Fitness Foundation.

Nevertheless, over 60 percent of sports fans polled said they would like to see more women’s sport on TV (WSFF).

As you can see, it’s not an issue of demand. It’s an issue of the economics of opportunity.

Lack of sponsorship may also affect, for example, the amount of time female climbers spend developing new areas or establishing first ascents. Instead, pressured to “prove themselves” in a male-oriented industry, female climbers seek to repeat hard sport routes, boulders, or big wall climbs.

And “prove themselves,” they do. In 1990, Lynn Hill was the first woman to redpoint 5.14, Masse Critique in Cimaï, France. This was after the first ascentionist, a Mr. Tribout, claimed no woman would ever be able to climb it (Wikipedia).

Although there were a lot of there “firsts” in-between, in 2012, Sasha DiGiulian became the first American woman to climb 9a (5.14d), making her the best female sport climber in America by difficulty. She was also the first North American Woman to onsight 8b+ (5.14a) (not to mention, she would go on to be 3-time US National Champion).

Meanwhile, during those same years, Joe Kinder was working on high-quality first ascents, including Bone Tomahaw, 9a (5.14d), Weekend At Bernie's 8c (5.14b), Southern Smoke 8c+ (5.14c), and Maquina Muerte 8c+ or 9a (5.14d) (The Project Magazine). This made him at least one of the strongest American developers, if not the best developer, of new hard lines.

Who is the better climber? Better community member? Better role model? Who deserves sponsorship the most?

Personally, I believe sports have four major areas of contribution to society, and I will order them by what will likely be the least to the most controversial for rock climbers:

Health – Sports promote active, healthy lifestyles.

Community – Sports provide a sense of community to rally around causes, such as the environment, a sense of identity, and diversity.

Economy – Sports provide jobs and contribute to local economies, often through entertainment.

Celebrity – Sports celebrities increase cause-related marketing and become role models for future generations.

I bet you can see where I’m going with this logic.

There are many ways sports contribute to society, and many ways an athlete can contribute to the sport.

Frankly, I’m pretty frustrated with current dialogue surrounding climbers’ contributions.

When you limit contributions to a singular measure (or grade), it becomes quite exclusive, alienating. 

The narrative also tends to be biased by a white, male-centric history.

What if we lived in a world where the most talented climber was that person who could hang from the smallest hold? In this world, women—generally perceived to be stronger than men at crimping small holds—would be on top. How would you feel about this measure of performance, of being “the best”? How would this change the dynamics of sponsorship or gender diversity?

When you think back on Alex Honnold and his 60 Minutes of global attention, it would be quite plausible for him to have said, “In climbing, the smaller the hold, the harder the climb.” My family would have believed that. My non-climbing friends would have bought it.

Grades are just one measure of difficulty. So is climbing without a rope, so is trying new beta or movement, so is putting up a first ascent or being ”first” to any degree.

It seems clear to me that rock climbing is just like other sports. Yes, I know. You want to it be different because rock climbing—to any rock climber—seems like a lifestyle more than mere entertainment or an extracurricular activity.

However, sponsored rock climbers are simply professional athletes. They advertise for brands in order to sell more products and boost local economies. They become role models for future generations of the sport, and these generations look for diversity of gender, race, identity, geography, disability, and age.

Future generations say, “I admire this athlete because she’s from my hometown… she has a particular skill… she looks like me… she’s my same age… she has passion… she shares my values...”

Famous athletes have the privilege to promote causes, from environmental protection to the eradication of childhood poverty. Rock climbing, like swimming, golf, and basketball, provides athletes with a platform to promote equality and human rights.

NFL players who kneel during the national anthem use their limelight and notoriety to advance the cause of Black Lives Matter. The U.S. Gymnastics team leverages their popularity and podium to advance the #MeToo movement. Alex Honnold operates the Honnold Foundation to provide solar energy for a more equitable world.

If a rock climber uses her prominence in the community to speak out against bullying, we should champion that cause, not criticize it. When climbing companies behave like sponsors of any other sport, we should accept that rock climbing is maturing as a business, keeping in mind that we, as consumers, still have power. Eventually, when lessons are learned and the time (and rehabilitation) is right, we should forgive inhumanly strong athletes for their humanity (yup, looking at you, Michael Phelps).

I like to imagine Joe Kinder’s enthusiasm, his genuine zest for the sport when he said, “I am really pleased with my generation of climbers. We are at a really vital point where climbing is growing like crazy, it’s getting more respect as a real sport, and it can only get bigger and better,” (Climbing Magazine).

Rock climbing will only get bigger. That’s true. But, better is up to us.

[heroesclimbfind]

One Climber’s Opinion

 In Response To: When Feminism Goes Too Far by Davita Gurian

Among the 294 people certified as rock, alpine, or ski mountaineering guides by the American Mountain Guides Association in 2010, only 26 were women. Betsy Novak, the association’s executive director, says among 60 guides certified in all three areas, just seven are women, which, she explains, is more than in other countries.[1] 

Why are women so underrepresented in climbing and mountaineering?

“The reason why there are fewer women is not in the nature of the profession,” explains Novak.

“I think it’s rooted in our own cultural history.”

And that’s the problem I have with Davita Gurian’s article, “When Feminism Goes Too Far: Are female climbers oppressed? Not really.”

Gurian supplies anecdotal evidence that she has not been oppressed as a result of her gender in climbing. In fact, she claims that a woman should “[try] voicing her fears openly to her male climbing partners, instead of harboring an internal resentment toward them.”

As a woman, climber, and feminist, I don’t harbor resentment toward my male counterparts. In fact, many stand alongside me today in combatting our misogynist cultural history, one that still favors a patriarchal society. On the eve of one of the largest demonstrations for women’s rights in U.S. history, faced with real threats to reproductive health rights and gender equality, I think it’s necessary to address the dangerous logic of Gurian’s article.

Language Matters

Let’s start with this story in Gurian’s article. The male boss of a female climber wants to call an all-female climbing night, Beta Babes, a term that the female climber finds “deeply offensive, oppressive, and demeaning.” After all, “Babe” is a diminutive term for “baby” and used either for female romantic partners, the sexualization of women, or, well, a shy Yorkshire piglet.

Gurian writes, “Sure, she’s got a right to that opinion, but please show me the harm in that term.”

Ok. Let’s discuss it. 

As it turns out, language matters.  Don’t take my word for it, Dr. Lera Boroditsky, associate professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego, dedicates her career to examining how different languages encourage different cognitive abilities.

For example, in a study comparing Mandarin speakers and English speakers, the difference in the vertical versus horizontal shape of the written language changed the way those speakers thought about time. Mandarin speakers were faster to confirm that the month of March comes earlier than the month of April after they had just seen a vertical array of objects, than after they had just seen a horizontal array of objects. The reverse was true for English speakers.

In the same way, there is evidence that gendered language reinforces traditional gender stereotypes.

In a different study, Boroditsky investigated how the gendering of objects in certain languages affects the way speakers describe those objects.[2] For example, Spanish and German speakers were asked to rate similarities between pictures (of both females and males) and pictures of objects (the names of which had opposite genders in Spanish and German). Boroditsky found that both groups rated grammatically feminine objects to be more similar to females, and grammatically masculine objects more similar to males, even though the objects had opposite genders in the two languages.  Furthermore, her research found that German speakers were more likely to use stereotypically masculine descriptions such as “hard, heavy, jagged, metal, serrated, and useful,” while Spanish speakers were more likely to use stereotypically feminine descriptions, such as “golden, intricate, little, lovely, shiny, and tiny” for the same objects according to their linguistic gender.

Although certainly more recent, these are not the first studies to argue that gendered language matters. Philosopher Douglas R. Hofstadter wrote a parody in 1986 on sexist language. In his satire, society spoke in generics based on race rather than gender. So, instead of “chairman”, people said, “chairwhite” or even “you whiteys.” After reading his work, it becomes impossible to argue that black men and women who hear “all whites are created equal,” should be expected to feel included. Hofstadter concludes in his paper[3]:

Only by substituting “white” for “man” does it become easy to see the pervasiveness of male-based generics and to recognize that using “man” for all human beings is wrong. 

So, when Gurian asked, “please show me the harm in that term,” I didn’t take it as a rhetorical question. Gendered language matters, and I’m happy to explain further how this happens. Female-gendered word “whore” is bad, but “pimp” is good. Think of all the pejorative words you know, most take a feminine gender. Now, try to think of the male ones. Even Gurian’s use of the word “sensitive” is used almost exclusively to degrade women--we are overly “sensitive". It perpetuates this stereotype that women are somehow slaves to their hormones, which was one of the earliest reasons for why it was said that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote.

Logically, it doesn’t follow that because Flash Foxy exists, we should be ok with creating Beta Babes. In fact, one solution might be, let’s rename both groups.

As gender identity is brought to the forefront of ethical and political debate, there is even more reason to be better educated on words—cisgender, transgender—as well as generics—he, she, ze—that do matter. The debate is about education, not politically-correct rhetoric or sensitivity, and by educating ourselves, women can achieve equal positions in both language and society.

Minorities matter

One of the more frightening statements in Gurian’s article is when she states, “I wrote this essay because I don’t believe that we should be making enemies and villains out of men in response to our own fear of discomfort.” Feminism does not make an enemy of men. Fighting for minority rights does not come to the detriment of the majority. It is not one or the other.

Talking about social injustice, marginalized identity, or gender oppression doesn’t make women “overly dramatic.” In climbing, is it a problem that 65 percent of women, as opposed to 29 percent of men, are uncomfortable in the gym? Does your opinion change if we replace “in the gym” with “in the workplace”?

To those women, Gurian says, “[they] might do well to begin by analyzing themselves first before demanding that everyone around them cater to their every sensitivity.” I’m going to give Gurian a pass on this part—I choose to believe she was channeling a bit of the “overly dramatic,” herself. Respondents from the Flash Foxy survey in question made it perfectly clear that while the climbing community can be wonderful and welcoming, there is still room for improvement.

Citing recognition of Lynn Hill, Beth Rodden, or Ashima Shiraishi doesn’t mean women have equal place in the climbing community. If we want to keep talking anecdotes, I have experienced sexism inside and outside the climbing gym. Both men and women have made me feel marginalized for sexist reasons on certain occasions. Sometimes it’s been hurtful, and sometimes I haven’t even noticed until it was brought to my attention. It certainly won’t make me stop climbing. Often I choose not to address it.

I prefer to talk about evidence rather than about anecdotes. Unfortunately, there is not enough empirical evidence to show that the climbing community is some sort of gender equality oasis. Statistically-speaking, it’s unlikely. So, if you believe that sexism exists in society at large, I feel it is only rational to assume it must exist to the same extent in climbing.

It is indisputable that minorities, whether via race, religion, age, disability, or gender, have been persecuted throughout American history. The fact that Gurian is 23 years old and doesn’t see the same plight, well, good for her. It likely means, all that feminist complaining—the political marches and female-focused news—have accomplished their goal of raising awareness about lingering sexism in society and, sometimes, in the sport of climbing.

Tiffany Skogstrom, setter at MetroRock Climbing Centers, said to Crux Crush[4]:

“Up until recently, climbing was considered a male-dominated sport.  Thankfully, more women are climbing strong and closing that gap.  It would be nice if the route setting demographics matched the climber demographics.” 

Sexism in rock climbing is perpetuated when women get less of a voice about route setting in the gym, when routes are deemed “girly”, when “small fingers” becomes a substitute for the more accurate “strong fingers”, or when any person—male or female—defines physical strength with male-centric words, like “burly” or “butch.”

Yes, more and more, women are gaining ground and recognition in rock climbing. But does that mean we should stop vocalizing our feelings about being marginalized at times? Absolutely not.

I am so happy that Gurian has the strength to speak out against naysayers, to feel unafraid in uncomfortable situations. However, I believe the persistence of voice and action by so-called complaining feminists is the reason she has that luxury today. Women have dedicated decades, centuries even, to earning that equality and the right to speak out without fear of professional, personal, or physical reprisal. 

In my mother’s time, there wasn’t a single woman sports broadcaster on national television. In my time, I watched multiple women boulder V14. And, I hope, in my daughter’s time, she won’t remember that sports were once separated in gender binary. But, as always, it’s important to remember how hard women worked to get here and how much farther we must go.

It is impossible for feminism to go too far when it simply refers to equal rights for all.

-Wendy

References & Reading:

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/sports/23guides.html

[2] Lera Boroditsky, Linguistic Relativity, in 2 Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science  917 (Lynn Nadel ed., 2003); and Janet B. Parks & Mary Ann Roberton, Development and Validation ofan Instrument to Measure Attitudes Toward SexistlNonsexist Language, 42 SEX ROLES 415, 415-16 (2000).

[3] Read the full paper, “A Person Paper on Purity in Language”, here: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/cs655/readings/purity.html

[4] http://cruxcrush.com/2013/06/10/secrets-of-the-female-route-setter/

[heroesclimbfind]

Climbing & Concussions

I remember when I was a teenager skiing in Colorado, nobody wore helmets. In fact, what I remember about helmets was how “uncool” it was to be seen in one. "Dude, are you going to be making crazy jumps on double blacks or something?” A helmet was seen as either nerdy overreacting or poser overconfidence.

Today, most sports realize that helmets are non-optional attire. For skiers, bikers, climbers--both professional or recreational athletes--helmets are a no-brainer.

Brain injuries are tricky. Doctors don’t always want to zap 100-times the amount of radiation in an x-ray into your brain with a CT scan. So, most times, the  diagnosis of a concussion is based on clinical symptoms: brief loss of consciousness after the injury, memory problems, confusion, drowsiness or feeling sluggish, dizziness, double vision or blurred vision, headache, nausea or vomiting.

I was recently in a indoor bouldering competition where I incurred a concussion. What’s weird is, I didn’t notice at first. What’s worse, nobody else did either.

Concussions can happen with a blow to the head, but also a variety of other ways. For me, I was trying really hard to succeed in finals. The problems during qualifiers during the day were extremely dynamic. The walls were overhanging. Jumping is not my forte, but I’m willing to try hard, so when I flew off one sideways jump to a sloper, twisted a full turn and a half, fell forward (or backward, I can’t really remember) with my head whipping back and forth, I kept going. The next day I woke up and to the feeling of whiplash, like I had been in a car crash. I knew my neck was strained but I was also anxious to climb outdoors the following day. It never occurred to me that I could be concussed.

Bouldering outdoors was a terrible idea. I was nauseous on the drive up to Farley (but thought it was car sickness). I kept stumbling around, but people laughed, and I kept thinking I must be tired, hungover, or maladroit. I was with new friends and I was too embarrassed to tell them how bad I felt or how hurt my neck was. I sucked it up, even though I found it hard to form sentences. I was exhausted. By the end of the day I finally put it together that maybe I had really hurt myself. I went to bed and decided if I didn’t feel better soon, I’d go see a doctor.

Still extremely tired, with a headache, and feeling out of sorts, I went to urgent care at my university the following day. After a neurological assessment, my physician told me she believed I had experienced a concussion. Two days after the incident I was still experiencing:

Concentration and memory problems

Slurred speech

Irritability and extra emotional feelings

Sensitivity to light and noise

Sleep disturbances

Fatigue

I still don’t know how I could have prevented my concussion. I do think the gym could have paid more attention to their setting and the dangers of contortionous dynamic movement versus the height of the wall. As for me, I was inclined to “shake it off.” Even after the doctor told me I had a concussion and explained the long-term effects and seriousness of the consequences if I fell on my head again (wherein lies the real danger), I felt like it wasn’t a “true” injury. There was no blood or bruising and other than being disoriented, there were no outward physical signs of pain. Which is why I’m writing this post.

Brain injuries are no joke.

Other climbers were like “it’s no big deal, I’ve had tons of concussions,” but that’s a horrible perspective to have and project to others, especially more impressionable younger climbers.

Concussions have been a hot topic in other sports, like ice hockey and football. Boston researchers have discovered the severe effects of repeat concussions and a condition called “chronic traumatic encephalopathy” or CTE:

“High school football player Nathan Stiles—who died in 2010 after bleeding occurred in his brain during a football game—had early signs of CTE in his brain when it was autopsied as part of the study. The 17-year-old didn’t die from that condition but from the brain bleed, likely caused by an earlier concussion that hadn’t had time to fully heal before Stiles was tackled in subsequent games.”

So, what do you do--what AM I doing--after a concussion?

Get plenty of sleep at night, and rest during the day. Keep a regular schedule.

Avoid activities that are physically demanding, require a lot of concentration, or are mentally or emotionally stressful.

Avoid multitasking -- whether that’s watching TV while fixing dinner or fielding multiple messages on your smart phone.

Your reaction times may be slower, so ask your doctor when you can safely drive a car, ride a bike, or operate major equipment.

Consider returning to work or school gradually -- start with half-days if possible.

Take only drugs that your health care professional has approved.

Adults: no alcohol

Kids: no video games

Bottom line: Rest. Even when it might seem “uncool” to do so. 

I also think it’s time that climbing organizations talk about prevention and treatment options that other sports pursue, like ImPACT.

“Developed by clinical experts who pioneered the field, ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is the most-widely used and most scientifically validated computerized concussion evaluation system.  ImPACT provides trained clinicians with neurocognitive assessment tools and services that have been medically accepted as state-of-the-art best practices -- as part of determining safe return to play decisions.”

Basically, ImPACT gives athletes and coaches a baseline for cognitive functions (what your normal behavior and balance should look like) so that you return to physical activity only when you’re ready. It also helps physicians better diagnose your symptoms and the severity of your brain injury.

Let’s make an imPACT in preventing concussions in climbing with awareness of its severity, as well as prevention methods and ex-post treatment.

[heroesclimbfind]

Girl Power!!!

A group of women climb hard stuff in Joe’s Valley.

[heroesclimbfind]

Alex Honnold (USA) and Hazel Findlay (UK) head to Southern Africa for an experience of a lifetime.

Africa Fusion takes us from the breathtaking orange granite and vast landscapes of Namibia, through the desert and across to lush red sandstone of Waterval Boven in South Africa. Carrying on the journey in South Africa we follow Alex and Hazel North to the wild and remote Blouberg (Blue Mountain) range.

From the North we then journey far South to Cape Town, where Alex and Hazel explore a city crowned in mountains, from rock face to rock face. Their odyssey reveals surprising treasures and world-class climbing – while experiencing the joy of the journey along the way. Join them as they uncover these hidden gems in unforgettable settings.

Climbing Locations: Namibia: Spitzkoppe South Africa: Blouberg, Limpopo Waterval Boven, Mpumalanga Cape Town and Yellowwood, Western Cape

[heroesclimbfind]

Need New Performance Gear for Rock Climbing? Use This Promo Code.

Get 20% off apparel at HYLETE with this special Promo Code: CPTJT314M

HYLETE makes lightweight performance apparel for the "hybrid athlete"--that means climbers, yogis, runners, and more. They believe in training, competing, and healthy living. Relatively new to the climbing game, HYLETE is already well-known among competitive athletes in Crossfit and TRX.

It's cool to see more and more apparel companies recognizing the mental, as well as physical strength required in rock climbing. Plus, who doesn't want to bring back the sweatband?? That's why I'm super excited to join their Compete Team!

Thanks for this special promo code #HYLETEnation !

[heroesclimbfind]

An obscure climb in Fontainebleau, France, called “La Directe de la Fosse Aux Oreilles,” tucked away in the infrequently-climbed sector, Drei Zinnen. It technically starts one move in, cramped inside the little cave, or “fosse”, but the difficulty is mostly from the crimpy face moves depicted here. The undercling is a mere half-pad crimp undercling, and don't be deceived by this low-quality phone video--it's quite overhanging--making it surprisingly powerful!

In my opinion, the sit-start makes the most sense. Let’s call “L’Assis de la Fosse Aux Oreilles Directe,” at 7C (7B+)!!

See the full description here:

http://bleau.info/zinnen/1448.html

[heroesclimbfind]

Attention Boston climbers!! Students & Teachers now get a discount on membership for the semester.

I like this trend… climbing gyms have really gotten expensive. Let’s hope there’s no hidden activation fee involved.

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An article written by women for women (but applicable to every climber!) about training on a campus board.

But first, here's a checklist to help you decide if campus rungs are right for you:

I have been climbing for at least 18 months.

I am at least 16 years old.

I have not recently had reoccurring pain in my fingers, elbows, or shoulders.

I have plateaued.

I want to get STRONG!

Check them all? Then refer to the list of campus board exercises in the CRUX Crush link above!

[heroesclimbfind]

Climbing in Varazze, Italy, is likely best know for its boulder problem Gioia, which means Joy. Possibly the hardest boulder problem in the world, Gioia saw its 3rd ascent this year by BD athlete Nalle Hukkataival (FA by climbing local Christian Core). But, if you're not an 8C or 8C+ climber, you may wonder what else is out there. Well, look no further than this modest video of a few moderates (6C to 7C) in Varazze. Although the sector is fairly small--with lots of choss, to be sure--it is also pretty diverse in elevation and climbing style and grade. Crimps, slopers, roofs, slabs, you'll find it all, including some super 5-star boulders! Video copyright Nicolas Griere (March 2014) Climbers: Wendy Bradley and Nicolas Griere

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These guys look like they know how to have fun...! Bouldering in the magical forest of Fontainebleau.

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Advice By Dave MacLeod

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Quick & Easy Climbing Motivation Tip #1

The weather is nice and crisp, perfect for Fall climbing.

But, ironically, when the weather is perfect, I actually find it more difficult to motivate myself to finish a project. Instead, I enjoy the good weather from the sidelines, watching friends, or choose casual and easy problems to climb instead.

Even when you're crazy about climbing, finding motivation to finish a project can be difficult. That last bit of "umph" that takes you from projecting to sending is both elusive and essential.

Luckily, I've found an easy way to overcome mental blockages. Make a bet.

Sure, I'm also a competitive person. But there's something about a harmless wager that brings back my sending spirit.

The other day it was simple. Send this climb and you win a beer (or lose and pay a beer). Send this climb and you get to choose the dinner place (or lose and eat at an obscure restaurant). Send this climb and win a massage (or lose and give a massage). Wear stretch pants the next climbing day, grow a mustache, climb in a costume... It's silly. It's small. It works.

On bad weather days in the gym, this method is especially productive. I found myself laughing, flailing, and then surprisingly sending problems I had already been working on for a few sessions.

Yes, of course, I wanted to finish these problems... but something about the added bonus of a bet--the threat of losing something when you fail--made all the difference.

In the end, maybe it wasn't the bet at all. Maybe it was the general lightheartedness of the session that put my mind and body at ease, eliminated "sending" anxiety, and created the atmosphere I needed.

Nevertheless, I'm keeping this arrow in my quiver the next time I having trouble hitting my target climb for the day.

Got your own, quick and easy climbing motivation tip? Send them to [email protected]!

Meanwhile, watch how we do "friendly" monthly competition at my local gym in Paris, France, Bloc'Out.

[heroesclimbfind]

Martina Mali is a heroine!

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Asana athlete Joel Zerr's footwork is better than yours. Fact.

Watch Joel kill it in Bishop, CA, with some fancy footworking ascents of March of the Pigs (V11) and Mandala Sit (V13).

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Coffee Connoisseur & Camping: Finally, A Good (Cold) Brew!

You may sleep in your car, not shower for days (just kidding--weeks), and eat tuna out of a can in order to climb at your favorite crag. But, the one thing that climbers don't skimp on is coffee.

A nice cup o' joe is necessary for survival. Fact.

Now, I'm not going to lie. When there's a choice between a "cafe au lait" or a shower, I choose the cafe. When I only have enough money to buy coffee beans or breakfast, I choose coffee beans (that is breakfast, right?).

I'm not going to guess why campers and climbers have zero standards for living but extremely high standards for the flavor profile of their caffeinated beverage and the mids and basses of its taste.

But, I am going to point you in the direction of a new type of brewed brew: the cold bruer.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't know you could brew coffee cold. Like, brew it cold, not brew it hot and then chill it with ice (thank you for that, Starbucks). An actual cold brew.

Having just spent a few weeks camping in the mountains in Switzerland in August (it gets pretty hot), I'd personally appreciate a way to brew cold coffee with natural springwater. I'm pretty sure I would have sent much harder climbs.

Not convinced by my dirtbag opinion? Believe these two coffee connoisseurs, Boston-area baristas Sal Persico and San Bellino, who said to Boston's NPR News Station "Here and Now":

PERSICO: I think the advantages of cold-brewed coffee would be that it's a user-friendly brew method. So you can grind coffee and doesn't really have to - generally you use a coarse grind, but you can sort of eyeball it, and it's pretty forgiving too, and it's also very shelf stable.

BELLINO: A lot of people love the famously like, low acid, sort of low-acidic yield. It's very flavorful. You can - also with a concentrate, you can vary intensity, so that's what people like. They - a lot of people enjoy that it can be sort of - yeah, you get a more intense sort of flavor profile of the coffee when you cold-brew.

In sum, when you camp, no need to worry about a fine grind, cool storage, or stale taste with cold-brewed coffee.

Well, I'm convinced....

So where can you get a cold brew?

In addition to having an obvious passion for coffee (oh yeah, and climbing), I am passionate about entrepreneurship. So, recently, the founders of the Cold Bruer reached out to Climbfind to discuss their product, and I was keen to spread the word.

Straight from their Kickstarter page:

We love brewing coffee; over the past couple years we have enjoyed discovering new ways to do so.  One process in particular that stood out was slow drip cold brewing, and while the current brewing devices for this process are pretty impressive, they are impractical and overpriced. So we decided to develop the slow drip cold brewer that we wanted.

Inspired by the simplicity of Chemex, Cold Bruer is driven by clean and functional design while also making no compromises to the brewing experience. After many design iterations, we finally have a prototype we are truly proud of.

It turns out, machines that make a cold brew are generally inefficient and expensive. Thus, this Kickstarter project.

You can support Gabe Herz and Andy Clark's project here.

Gabe has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Andy has a BFA in Industrial Design from Rochester Institute of Technology. They both have experience with manufacturing in China. Their mutual love of everything coffee and design led them to form Bruer.

In return, depending on the size of your donation, you will come away with the entire Cold Bruer system.

So, next time you're in the deep woods, hot and sweaty, camping and complaining about the lack of hipster indy poem-reciting coffee shop, equipped with chalkboard menu and gingerbread special (like they have back at hom in Boulder, CO), you'll be able to micro-brew your own on the spot.

Seriously, though, coffee and camping have finally found a good mix. More of a tea person? Then go browse Kickstarter and support an entrepreneur today.