Getting around big bulges in rock

Hi,

So I was at Lamb's Knoll near Zion and ran into a problem I have had before while climbing outdoors. I don't remember the name of the route, but here's the problem: The first bolt was about 10' off the ground and it was reasonably easy to get to. Then just above the bolt was a shelf, and a big bulge in the rock. About 5' above the bulge was the second bolt. I simply could not get over the big bulge. There were no positive handholds and getting my feet in the rock would have required me to hyperflex my knee! 

Am I supposed to hook my feet up to the top of the bulge somehow? My legs don't spread that wide and I think if I had tried it I would have come off and decked on the shelf, then fallen another 10 feet and broken something. Please see diagram below.

Also, how do you all handle slabby or non-vertical routes with long runouts? I have taken lead falls in the gym, but there I don't bounce painfully off the rock. It was very unnerving, Do people take stick clips with them up routes? Am I just being a pu$$y? (It's a lot different facing injury when you're old v. young - things take a lot longer to heal.)

Anyway, my confidence in climbing outdoors is kind of damaged. Any suggestions for conquering fear outdoors would be helpful. I had to use a bail biner as well on my recent trip, due to nerves. Would taking beta blockers help?  I have a heavy supply of those.

Anyway, thanks for any help.

Hey Mark B, hard to answer your initial question without knowing the actual  route. However, climbing outside is a much different animal than in the gym, and sometimes the route goes around a bulge, not straight over it.  

Yes, some routes are scary, and you might get hurt if you fall.  The best way to make the transition to outdoors is to climb as many routes as you can, but at a much lower grade than you normally climb in the gym.  That way, you can learn to read the rock and gain confidence in your ability with less risk of falling.

And yes, there is nothing wrong with clipping in hard to the first bolt and stick clipping the second If it looks sketchy. Also, there is  no shame in backing off. It is  much better to be healthy and able to  try another climb another day.  All the training in the world won't help your climbing ability if you have two broken legs.

Mark Bwrote:

Hi,

I simply could not get over the big bulge. There were no positive handholds 

I can't say for sure unless I saw the route but sometimes a technique called a "mantle" works for this.  You can probably find some video of it somewhere.

 

Also, how do you all handle slabby or non-vertical routes with long runouts?

Simply put, don't fall.  It's a completely different mentality than a well protected overhanging sport climb.  You need to gain confidence in what grade you can climb where you feel 99% that you will not fall, and when you are on long runouts on that grade, you have to tell yourself "I cannot fall off of this unless I were to jump".  And then don't fall.  It also helps to use a climbing style which is static and always has three points of contact , so that if a hand or foothold breaks, you still don't fall.  Again, this style may be very different that the way you climb in the gym, where you may be climbing dynamically.

 Any suggestions for conquering fear outdoors would be helpful.

Start with the easiest grades possible, build up your confidence, work up.  Remember to breathe.

Would taking beta blockers help?  

I think you should ask the doc who prescribed them.

Anyway, thanks for any help.

Be careful out there.  It is easy to get hurt and you are right to be cautious.

To get over fear climbing outdoors, climb outdoors more on a grade you're comfortable with. I started outdoors 3 grades below my gym grade. All rock is different as well, so the comfort thing resets sometimes. I also like climbing with a strong and encouraging partner who can retrieve gear if I can't do the climb; there's also nothing wrong with top roping while you gain confidence in route finding.

Sandstone like at Lamb's Knoll can be scary and I'm not familiar with the exact route but you maybe were meant to use friction from your entire leg and flat hands to muscle up. A mantle or a heel hook may have also helped. Flexibility can be an asset while climbing.

Black Rocks near St. George is a great place to gain confidence in easier routes. 

Julian H wrote: Buy yourself a 30 ft stick clip and skip the first bolt but do stick clip the second bolt. Climb/ pull on the rope to the next draw and repeat all the way to the top. Most elite climbers sick clip their way up to place draws or top rope boulders before actually doing any climbing. Lamb's Knoll is a well protected sport climbing area for behinners, you should easily be able to do that. Then you can be cool like this kid. Is this the climb? cdn2.apstatic.com/photos/cl…

Remember that this well-worn technique (I do it all the time) is known as Fraiding.

Free + aid + afraid

Rosemary Bloomwrote:

To get over fear climbing outdoors, climb outdoors more on a grade you're comfortable with. I started outdoors 3 grades below my gym grade. All rock is different as well, so the comfort thing resets sometimes. I also like climbing with a strong and encouraging partner who can retrieve gear if I can't do the climb; there's also nothing wrong with top roping while you gain confidence in route finding.

Sandstone like at Lamb's Knoll can be scary and I'm not familiar with the exact route but you maybe were meant to use friction from your entire leg and flat hands to muscle up. A mantle or a heel hook may have also helped. Flexibility can be an asset while climbing.

Black Rocks near St. George is a great place to gain confidence in easier routes. 

Thanks. It was almost opposite an easy 5.7 called “unknown crack to 2 bolt face.” I started up the 5.7, then thought better of it as the first bolt was 20’ up. I’m not comfortable yet falling 20’ onto uneven terrain. 

Anyway, a guide came along and did the 5.7, and they were 20 feet away from us when I was trying to get over the bulge.

Still, I can’t find a picture of it in MP, so I don’t know which route it is.

Practice down-climbing. As long as I'm reasonably sure that I could reverse the moves, I'm not too scared to keep going.

Also, be aware that many gyms have soft grades compared to many outdoor areas; don't expect your indoor grade to translate.