Slab Climbing is the Offwidth of Face Climbing

Slab is my jam.

Jonathan.... the climb comes up the water groove, right?

And to answer Ted's question.

Yes-- there are special techniques, they are tough to learn and require many many many years to master. I will share one now, you go practice and report back in a few weeks.

Go and eat a huge meal of Mexican food, or El Salvadorian or Cuba or what ever gets about one pound of beans into you.

Go climbing, your favorite slab will work.

When you are at that clipping "stance", the one where you cant let go with one hand to clip.

Just summon up a gigantic FART... release it long and slow AND make the clip while the propellant is aiming down and out.

Remember... "for every action there is a reaction" ... or something like that, maybe a physicist with a PHD can explain better.

I used to tell people any extra weight helped the feet stick better....true !

Nolan Huther wrote: my favorite technique is stacking my middle finger on my index finger and pressing down with it below my chest, near waist level, on an edge. Usually pointing away from my body.

Maybe this was already mentioned, but I haven't read all of the replies: drop your heels and stick your butt out (so that your legs are perpendicular to the ground). Try not to reach high (it pulls your hips in) and make small moves when possible. If you find a "foot jug", rest by placing your heel on it (or the inside edge of your shoe), rather than your toes. scan for feet, rather than hands, and keep moving. If you fall, it's better to slide (or run) than to tumble.

That vid looks like Comes a Dervish ?? Cheatin..it's finger crack in a slab

I started out hating slab but it's growing on me. Loose sandstone is the scariest.

also, The Meltdown:
vimeo.com/55772201

San Rafael Swell Eastern Reef Utah.. About 200 slab climbs here up to 2000'

USBRIT wrote:San Rafael Swell Eastern Reef Utah.. About 200 slab climbs here up to 2000'

Slab. In the nothingness you will find everything.

Admittedly I'm not the best climber, but I'm not seeing too many people offering advice in this thread, so here goes...

Move slow like a Tree Sloth. If you are unsure of your footing, but need to move you hands, don't just let go with a hand. If you do that, then you are suddenly transferring all of the weight that was on your hand down to your feet. Instead, slowly ease the weight off of that hand (like a Sloth). Do the same when shifting your weight to a new foothold/handhold.

Most slab climbs are less than vertical and you often don't need your hands to hold you into the wall. If your next foothold is good enough to support your whole weight (it doesn't take much, a dime-sized edge, or a slopy divot will work), and it isn't too high (say below by your knees), then you may be able to step up on it without having any real holds for your hands. Lean in as close to the wall as you can and slowly transfer your weight onto the next foothold. If you can get your hips over the hold, then you can stand up on it. The only thing you will user you hands for are to steady yourself. After you stand up, you will basically only have one small point of contact with the wall, so know what your next move will be before you commit to standing up.

Mantle moves are a slab climber's best friend. Look everywhere for any feature you can use to mantle. Also, look for features off to the the side that you can push on (the opposite of a side pull) to help you shift weight to your next foothold.

Good footwork is key. roll your toe onto small edges by rocking your ankle towards it, forcing as much rubber into edge as possible. small Divots in the rock that stink as hand holds are often overlooked, but can work better sometimes than a more obvious, but minuscule edge. Shoes stick well on slopes of around 50-60 degrees, so if the bottom of a divot is in that range, smear your big toe in there. Keep your weight directly over your foot, don't lean too far in when you are smearing.

The good news with slabs, is that you usually don't have to get into a hurry. You don't really have to worry about your forearms pumping out unless you are over gripping. So take your time.

And like Guy said... Farting helps too.

If you started climbing 45 years ago like I did, slab climbing is second nature. Whether its walking or scrambling up low angle approach slab or climbing a 5th class slab up to 5.11. Really hard slab climbing (.11d & harder) is a precision game of balance & finesse. It is as much a mind game as anything. Belief & faith in ones self is critical. Like most hard climbing, cool temperatures are critical to sticking.

Slab climbing saw an American revolution in 1984, when sticky rubber became commercially available. What was impossible in EBs became climbable. I personally experienced this on "Razor Hein Stick" (.12c) in Boulder Canyon. I made the first ascent of this climb, top-roping it in 1984 & then leading it in 1985. I had tried to top rope this steep slab in 1981 in EBs but got no where & couldn't stick to the smears. But Boreal's Fire rock shoes were like magic in 1984.

I repeated Razor Hein Stick many times in the late 1980s. Sometimes it was desperate & it was all I could do to dog & fall my way up it. Other times it was effortless & I felt like I was floating upwards. Slabs are magical in a sense. Shoes & temperature are of upmost importance, but so is your frame of mind. I floated up slabs both drug free and stoned immaculate. More often stoned than straight in the 80s & 90s. If your head is in the right place it is like entering a new dimension.

I have never compared slabs to offwidth cracks. Offwidth technique was one of the more difficult crack techniques to learn (other than rattly off finger size cracks). They are a trash & require long sleeve shirts & pants. They can tire out every muscle in your body.

By contrast, slabs require strong calve muscles & big toe endurance. The only problem is if you climb too many slabs, you will get out of shape for overhanging rock. Slabs make a good rest day activity.

Go to Veed and do Horns Mother ..then Spider God..nice combo

+1+1+1 for starting this topic. I'd take run out slab over overhanging sport any day. Shoes. Are. Everything. Particularly for standing on tiny edges and smears, core and body tension are also real important. Getting a high foot and perching on it it really useful for clipping, and one leg (pistol) squats are great for training legs, core, and balance all at the same time.

Mark R says it all.....

EDIT to add... so does cyclestupor.

I will add this.... clean your shoes first... they need to be squeaky clean and sticky

Haha...farting can't hurt, as long as you're not at the first bolt and crop dusting your belayer!

What do you guys do on slick, featured slabs with lots of edges or crystals? Butt in the air, heels down for a smear, or do you try to edge on these?

Done a fair amount of 11+ slab over the years and FAs on a number of 10+/11- slabs in Yosemite and other granite spots in CA. Real deal 5.12 slab is just a horror show I was never interested in.

Honestly, like Chimneys/OW the ratings are really all messed up. The fitness you gain in slab specific foot/toe muscles is not the sort of thing as easily quantifiable as overhanging routes. Same with endurance...when you have it you find "endurance routes" easy with moves well below their apparent rating. When you don't have endurance then it is a pumpy slaughter fest. When you get fit for slab, suddenly those 5.10A routes like Needle and Spoon or Fingertips seem easy. In reality your lower body has gotten strong.

1. Footwear must be slab specific. Fit is a combo of soft for smearing and board lasted for edging. It can take a long time to dial in fit and shoe design that is ideal for you with many false promises.

2. The only way to get fit for slab is to climb slabs. I have never done a gym route rated 5.11+/12a that wasn't actually about 5.10c in Tuolumne. You need 5.12 foot/toe strength and you only get that with mileage.

3. Slack rope/chain/webbing w/e you have. Its good for training your lower body. Its not just balance, but a fitness in your legs to stabilize yourself that you gain.

4. Train small pimps. Its not always just in your feet. Sometimes it IS a fingernail pull-up while padding with your feet.

5. Climb more slabs. The best ones in the 5.10 range give you something to pull on and challenge your feet too. Really good climbing. I got better after living in the Meadows for 2 summers and the Valley the rest of the time.

:P

Ted Pinson wrote:Haha...farting can't hurt, as long as you're not at the first bolt and crop dusting your belayer! What do you guys do on slick, featured slabs with lots of edges or crystals? Butt in the air, heels down for a smear, or do you try to edge on these?