Learning to Crack Climb on Exasperator (pitch 1) in Squamish, BC

[@IanBlakeman]

Mid 90's that climb was my second lead ever. Thanks, this video brought back some memories.

[@cs7774]

I really love these videos. Been meaning to get up to Squamish for so long. If you're interested in some technique beta - you could get a bit more solid on your foot placements. You pass up a great foot jam a few times in the 0.75 section (12:00 - 14:50 or so) and layback a section that you could have taken much easier on good foot jams. 0.75 is a crappy size for hands, but it works great for feet. Also, I think you often place from more strenuous stances than you need to. For example, the placement you made at 13:40 is a bit premature - you could have made another move and placed from that bomber foot jam. Finally, in this video and others I often see you place too often and back-clean pieces. Not a terrible thing to do when you're worried about a single move, but inefficient. Sometimes when you're looking down and realize your placements are too close together, instead of placing the same sized cam higher up and back cleaning the lower one, you can just scoot the cam up the crack and save yourself 30 seconds. For example, 15:00. Anyway, have fun, YGD, etc etc.

[@FirstPersonBeta]

Thanks for the advice. Foot work is my biggest challenge right now. I've been seeking tips to address this from more experienced climbers. Your advice in regards to a .75 crack being ideal for feet gives me ideas as to what to look for as I plan out my moves. In the case of placing gear prematurely and back cleaning, it's an issue of confidence, comfort and making sure I have enough gear for the whole pitch. As I keep doing it, the placements are going to start to spread out.

[@cs7774]

For sure. It's a natural process, that sometimes leads to free soloing :P But don't forget you can scoot gear. Some pitches can be done safely by scooting a few cams the whole way up. E.g., The Spell @ Needles, much of the Stovelegs or the #4 pitch between Dolt and El Cap Tower on the Nose. Just another thing to have in the quiver. Cheers, and thanks for posting a video of a crack that has been on my list for years!

[@awizzlewazzle]

Good stuff, man. i was also in Squamish for the first time a few weeks ago while you were. It's awesome to see you, who out climbs me on your worst days, be pushed outside your comfort zone on these cracks. It was the same for me - I came from face climbing limestone in Ontario to crack climbing in Squamish - it's a totally different skill set and technique but so so different. I loved feeling really secure jams when placing gear and I loved the idea that I could place a cam and climb above knowing it would likely hold. Hope you get on the Grand Wall before you leave! Would love to see your POV of that.

[@awkwardbbq8332]

Takes me back to early 90's spent summers under the Chief. Thanks for the video !!! Awesome quality!!

[@anchoredman6953]

What a great video. You are clearly a very solid leader/climber. I’m sure you don’t need any further advice since it was a couple of years ago - but here’s my 2 cents... or 2 comments: place gear at waist level so as not to take up holds & drop your elbows during off finger jams to make them more secure.

[@badnews9312]

I remember my first trip to Squamish thirty plus years ago - what a humbling experience it twas - absolutely no idea how to climb granite cracks, being from Southern Ontario with a ten-year layover in the Bow Valley...Various types of limestone, from slabby shale to polished overhanging jugs and some nice bands of quartzite at the back of Lake Louise where about the extent of my rock climbing experience.., My second trip, the following summer, I finally made it to belly ledge - mind you, I can't say it was a completely clean climb - An amazing place but a whole new style of climbing to be sure......once you start to get into the groove of things, you can see why so many climbers absolutely love it ......

[@Jirconny]

hands down, gotta admire with how much coolnest you handled this...like a champ

[@revhead]

Your cam placements are excellent. Right size first time for most - which is great to watch

[@mikecroker8847]

not that hard brother

[@Lax-Sharks]

Enjoying watching you getting into crack climbing, remember NRG has a bunch of great crack climbs!

[@PB-sk9jn]

Came up to squamish for 4 days and lead this climb (pitch 1) and seconded pitch 2 back in '97. Gorgeous - brings back the memories thanks. Seconding the second pitch I stuck my feet in the crack and walked the final section where my partner hand been hand jamming. Annoyed the hell out of him. It was something like my 10th ever trad lead. And my 7/8/9 was on Diedre. Amazing times. The rock in squamish is lovely. I'd place Squamish granite, the high altitude Chamonix granite (too little O2 for lichen), and the Cuillin ridge on skye gabbro as my favourite clean high friction rocks.

[@PB-sk9jn]

p.s. you really don't appear to like torquing on your fingers ! :)

[@Mazku89]

Loved this video, great climbing mate, thanks for sharing!

[@barryodonnell4860]

Way to push yourself; that's the path to excellence!

[@GordLamb]

Sick send, bro. That belay ledge looked so inviting lol. Know that feel!

[@badnews9312]

very reminiscent of my first trip to Squamish, I had absolutely no clue as to what I had got myself into - I thought I was a star for the first twenty to thirty feet on Exasperator and then it got thinner - the next pitch is much thinner and steeper.....definitely an acquired taste and a totally new type of climbing than I was used to out at Lake Louise and back East on the Niagra Escarpment limestone in the Hamilton Burlinton, Ontario area.

[@franciscocastellon1556]

Strong work, good mental game.

[@davidkoch5018]

Just for interest: Why dont u set more nuts, but rely pretty much just on cams? Everytime I am out climbing, i feel much safer having placed a rocksolid nut than any cam... And the crack you klimbed had like zilion of perfect nut placement options (at least it looked like that)

[@dukeofnuke2446]

I think he already stated some time ago that he just simply prefers placing a cam than a nut

[@FirstPersonBeta]

In the case of this pitch, it was mostly an issue of time. Despite how I might have looked, I didn't necessarily feel secure and I just wanted to get something in a quickly as I could. I can place a cam and get the rope in it significantly faster then with a nut. That said, wait until you see the next pitch. ;)

[@davidkoch5018]

ok i just saw the second pitch u did. looked like really hard work, but awesome. Finally showing some nuts :D

[@sjmiller131]

Cams are much easier and faster to place from strenuous positions.

[@xrandysmithx]

@@dukeofnuke2446 same reason he wears jammies on a climb with like one hand jam, its eaaaasssy

[@robasbobi590]

My toes hurt 🙄 Good job👍

[@Ron-dt1cz]

Good job

[@vanwellington]

hahahah this is amazing. full sphincter pump!

[@barryodonnell4860]

aaaahhhhhhahahahaha!!!!!!

[@drewcunningham2]

well done!

[@bullionsean456]

sick video

[@patharris3197]

Are there even any stoppers on that rack?

[@mkultramann1798]

I'm fricken dizzy!

[@gomey60]

Man, you really make me want to get on some real rock so badly. Minumum wage living sucks.

[@NotRelevant1]

Walrus Walrusington as long as you have shoes you can boulder! Pick up a harness and find a friend who has a rope you’ve got all you need.

[@TheSkate2skater]

luc lachapelle you dont need a rope to boulder lol... just a crashpad and shoes

[@zanderascher8205]

LukaHB he means to go top rope

[@danielmydans5303]

You are clearly pretty strong but you made that way harder than it needed to be. You barely jammed your feet int he crack at all and foot jams feel much more secure than just smearing on the face next to the crack. Get those toes in there and you can take a lot of stress off your arms

[@ReadBoutGarvey]

Curious as to your thought process when you pull gear out twice during this route - did you just feel much more confident in the subsequent placement?

[@FirstPersonBeta]

Felt I might need it later on and since I got the next placement, I would clean the previous one for more options later on.

[@ReadBoutGarvey]

Rad, thanks

[@TheWrestle119]

I am a beginner to this I have mainly kept my climbing to bouldering bit have been looking to conquer my fear of heights. Does anyone have any references or places I can get info on how to start out climbing? Gear etc

[@WildWilly292]

I just searched 'how to lead climb' and went from there. Probably best to start with sport climbing first! Good luck, it's tons of fun.

[@naranjabrasa]

Tremendo !!!

[@5chr0d1nger5cat]

is the start riskiest because there is not a single attachment ?

[@bkbland1626]

Looks like a good crack for some practice. Lots of good options, which is cool. You know a lot of those jams are pin scars, right?

[@maxblair3317]

This might be a stupid question but what are pinscars?

[@WildWilly292]

@@maxblair3317 a place where someone has hammered a pit on into the rock. When the piton is removed, there is a 'scar' left behind that is kinda like a pocket.

[@XBLHAX]

How tall are you? 6ft?

[@chad4853]

Is this route straight up vertical or is it slabby at times ?

[@FirstPersonBeta]

Certainly felt vertical but probably closer to a 10 degree pitch away.

[@chad4853]

@@FirstPersonBeta so slab 10 degree inward?

[@britainreynolds7365]

Grade??

[@callmeburton]

Britain Reynolds 5.10a

[@sebastianflynn1746]

10c www.mountainproject.com/route/105806955/exasperator

[@awkwardbbq8332]

2nd pitch is 10c and just as good !!

[@johntuttle9544]

Welp, he said he was just learning...troof.

[@miguelcastorena4293]

Climbing gloves are for babies

[@FirstPersonBeta]

They're also for the poor. I save a good bit in climbing tape since I got them.

[@Yarrownew9759]

Kind of ironic isn’t it? Since you’re literally the only person in here that’s whining... like a baby.