Author Archives: Jonathan

About Jonathan

So I guess I should introduce myself. Hi, my name is Jon and I am a junkie. A climbing junkie to be specific but a junkie none the less. I enjoy sharing my climbing adventures and I hope you enjoy reading about them. I've put a lot of blood and sweat into getting the photos and stories for this blog and as a result they are the sole property of OnTheSharpEnd.com AKA me but I'm a rather chill guy and if you drop me a line I'm sure we can work something out. Climb safe. -Jon I've been a little slow with the postings. I definitely haven't given up climbing but time is scarce when you're in grad school.

CrossFit as Ultramarathon Training

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The Yakima Skyline Rim 50K is a trail ultramarathon in the high desert of Washington that traverses 31 miles and has ~9,500 feet of elevation gain. It was both my first ultramarathon and my first organized race of any distance. To be upfront about it, my complete lack of experience makes me wholly unqualified to offer advice on training, never mind training for an ultramarathon. That said running the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K was a transformative experience and I am going to share my atypical training experience none-the-less.

About six months ago I decided to train for the Leadville trail marathon. I started running consistently and built up enough endurance so that my long runs were in the high teens. Like so many novice runners I did too much, too soon and the end result was an inflamed posterior tibial tendon. Besides adding milage that my body wasn’t ready for I also purchased a pair of Merrell Road Gloves for my short runs. I really like the Merrell Road Gloves now that I have sufficient arch strength but at the time I had no business running in a minimalist type shoe for any distance.

My training ground to a halt because of my inflamed tendon. After a month of complete rest I started going on one and two mile runs. I slowly rehab’d my foot and about two months ago I was finally back to where I could run six miles pain free. At this point I wasn’t in good shape but I wasn’t in horrible shape either.

I started doing CrossFit because I was concerned that my foot wasn’t strong enough to handle the mileage of a traditional training program. The CrossFit gym I go to is CrossFit 206 in the Leschi neighborhood of Seattle. If you are looking to try CrossFit I would highly recommend CrossFit 206. Their workouts are fairly standard in that there is 15 minutes of mobility training, 30 minutes of strength training (deadlifts, squats, cleans, etc), and then the workout of the day (WOD). The WOD is an intense 5 – 15 minute workout that is nonstop and usually done as fast as possible.

The WODs leave you exhausted but it is only 15-ish minutes of exercise. Can that really be enough of a workout to adequately train for an ultramarathon? My full training program for the 50K was CrossFit three to four times a week and then going on one longish run, 6-10 miles, and a couple of short runs, 2-3 miles, after CrossFit sessions. Well, after only two months of going to CrossFit 206 I finished the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K with a semi-respectable time of 8:09. Surprisingly my body felt good and I was not zonked when I crossed the finish line. I’ll admit I was a little sore all over and my calves were acutely sore for the two days post-race but I have been more sore after some of the WODs. On a side note: the CEP compression socks I wore really helped control cramps and spasms in my calves as I climbed seemingly endless hills. Just look at the profile of the race and tell me that doesn’t look like a calf punishing day of fun.

I think the 15 minute CrossFit workouts were able to prepare me for an 8 hour run because for those 15 minutes the focus is solely on developing fundamental strength. By fundamental strength I mean strength developed by full-body exercises that engage all the primary muscles as well as the stabilizers that are so often neglected. The fundamental strength helped in a number of ways. While running on loose rock I noticed that I was more surefooted because of the stronger stabilizer muscles in my legs. While trudging up thousands of vertical feet of trail I was acutely aware of how much stronger my legs felt. Despite weightlifting being the antithesis of distance running, the squats, deadlifts, and cleans really paid off. While running down thousands of vertical feet of trail I noticed how much stronger my core was and how I could engage my core to control my descent and relieve my quads.

So is CrossFit good ultramarathon training? I’d say that it worked for me but I caveat that with the Yakima Skyline Rim 50K is “only” 31 miles. Would CrossFit be enough for a 50 or 100 miler? I think it would be if your longish run was scaled appropriately. Now that I have the ultra-bug I am toying with the idea of a 50 miler and I am pretty sure I am going to continue the CrossFit + one long run training plan.

Smith Rock: 2013

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Smith Rock is a pretty amazing place. I didn’t know what to expect. Sure I had seen pictures and heard about the hard sport climbing but that didn’t quite prepare me for my first outing.

My buddy Clark and I had a couple of free days and decided to head to Smith Rock because the forecast said it would be sunny and warm. The weatherman lied to say the least. The first day we got rained on, hailed on, snowed on, and had to brace ourselves during the gusts as we crossed Asterisk Pass. Not quite sunny and warm but even with the crummy weather we had a blast.

We first hopped on Cinnamon Slab (5.6) to get a feel for the rock. I am very glad we did because climbing tuff was unlike anything I had ever climbed on. It took a bit of time but my “vision” for the best hands and feet eventually came around and it was a very enjoyable climb.

We wanted to hit the classic moderates during our brief two day trip. First on our tick list was Spiderman (5.7 – 2 pitches) so we scrambled through Astrick Pass and over to Spiderman. It was slightly drizzling and neither one of us was super-thrilled to lead but Clark sacked up and lead both pitches of Spiderman with numb fingers on damp rock. Even in those manky conditions it was easy to tell that this was a classic climb. The route eats up gear and moving around the daunting roof is airy but super secure if you have the right size hands to jam.

At the base of Spiderman someone had written in chalk that their rope had got stuck. We had heard that this was not uncommon so we opted to scramble down. With the gusty winds it took us a bit to find the right trail down but even with dealing with the wind the scramble was faster and more secure than rapping the route. Plus on the scramble there was a knotted rope to lower yourself into a mini-cave: how cool is that.

The sun came out as we were scrambling down and it was a much need blast of warmth to rejuvenate our spirits. With the sun shining we moved over to Out of Harms Way (5.8), which is a half-trad half-sport route. I lead this and had a surprisingly difficult time jamming up the flake. It looked like it would be a couple of jams and I would be up but I managed to make it super awkward. Once I got to the top of the flake I was in for a treat. I had never pinched dime sized crystals to make upward progress but that was what was called for. There were bolts every five feet so even with nubbins for hands and feet I felt good.

We basically called it a day after that and went to Bend, OR to get beers and burgers at Deschutes Brewery. There is nothing quite like a cold beer after a good day of climbing.

Our main objective on the second day was to climb Wherever I May Roam (5.9 – 5 pitches) which is on the backside of the mountain. Since it was a balmy 33 degrees we decided to wait ’til the afternoon with the hope of climbing in the sun.

We started the day with Five Gallon Buckets (5.8). Climbing the huecos was pretty amazing. It was a first for me and I enjoyed it so much I climbed it twice.

With the sun shining we moved to the backside and started Wherever I May Roam (5.9). The cool thing about the route is that it is five pitches of sport climbing. I typically think of sport climbs as one-pitchers but I guess not. I took the first pitch (5.8) to get on top of the pillar. The only thing special about the first pitch was how sharp the rock was on my freezing hands. We had totally blown the timing and the sun hadn’t even touched this side of the rock yet.

Clark took the second pitch (5.9) which starts with a big step over an airy gap as you move from the pillar to the main face. At this point the wind was blowing something fierce and my puffy jacket did little to keep me warm.

I took the third pitch (5.9) and in many ways this was the crux pitch. If you have read anything about Wherever I May Roam you’ve probably read how people get “lost” on the face by following the wrong bolts. I had read that also and I thought there was no way I was going to get lost. Yup, I was wrong and got totally lost on the face. Even looking back I can’t figure out exactly where I went wrong. The problem is there are bolts every-which-way and there is not a clear path of least resistance. Plus you can’t see the anchors until you are basically on top of them. The best advice I can give for this pitch is to remember that the anchors are all the way around in the dihedral and to keep moving up and over.

Clark took the fourth pitch (5.9) and while I was belaying him snow was blowing up on me as I hung in my shaded belay. I haven’t shivered that hard in ages and let me say that it was not even type II fun. When I joined Clark at the fourth belay I was in full body convulsions mode and was not in the most pleasant mood, but in an effort to just keep moving I lead the mostly unimpressive fifth pitch (5.8).

Getting down was straight forward. We rapped off the backside into a sandy gully. The second rap was from a set of chains on the west side of the gully which drops you at the anchors for the third/fourth belay. I can imagine the tiny belay ledge gets pretty crowded on a nice day. After that there were two more rappels from obvious anchors. Normally something goes wonky while I am rapping but this one went surprisingly smooth.

Once we were down, and out of the wind, it really hit me how great the route was. If the whether had been nicer I think that this route would be in my top five favorite routes. I would highly recommend it… on a nice sunny day.

All in all Smith Rock deserves its reputation as a world class climbing destination. I can’t wait to get back there.

The top of Wherever I May Roam

Smith Rock

Starting up the third pitch of Wherever I May Roam

The top of Wherever I May Roam

Cinnamon Slab

About to start Spiderman

Spiderman’s first pitch

From the top of Wherever I May Roam

Spiderman

Scheming

Out of Harms Way

Monkey

Smith Rock

Not fun

Smith Rock

Five Gallon Buckets

Wherever I May Roam: Second Pitch

Looking down the fifth pitch of Wherever I May Roam

How to Choose a Climbing Rope

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This article by eveningsends.com is a good introduction to choosing a climbing rope. I found the article because I need to pick up a fresh rope with my upcoming REI dividend and was searching for opinions. I think I am going to pick up a Mammut Tusk 9.8mm 70m because it seems like a general purpose rope that will stand up to plenty of top-roping but is still light enough to take on the irregular alpine outing. I have also had good experiences with Mammut ropes and they’ve built trust in my book. I wasn’t planning on getting a 70m but the article made the good point that as the rope wears I’ll most likely chop off the ends to maximize its lifetime. With a 70m there is more room to chop which is a plus.

One important point that I feel I must reiterate here is that you never want to use a sharpie to mark the middle of your rope. The article says it best.

Finally, don’t use a magic marker to mark the middle of your rope. A report conducted by the UIAA found that using any kind of pen or marker to mark the rope results in a 50 percent decrease in strength! However, another report by Kolin Powick at Black Diamond found that this issue isn’t totally settled.

NC Considering Closing Prime Climbing Spots

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North Carolina is considering closing some prime climbing spots from December to February every year for budgetary reasons. This is totally not cool. Access Fund – Action Center

North Face Verto S4K GTX Review

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The North Face recently asked me if I wanted to review a pre-release pair of their new Verto S4K GTX boots. Without hesitation I said yes because everything I had read about the Verto S4K GTX’s sounded fantastic. The boots did not disappoint. My one sentence review of these boots is that I will never be a good enough climber to use them to their full potential. These boots were designed to climb, and they were designed well.

The first thing I noticed about the S4K’s was the aggressiveness of them. These boots were made for alpine climbing. They are most definitely not a general mountaineering boot that was tweaked to improve climbing performance. The S4K’s were designed from the ground up as a mixed terrain boot.

When I laced them up for their first adventure I was taken aback by the fit of the boots because they didn’t feel like any boot that I had ever tried on. I was truly surprised by how securely my heel locked in place. Every boot I have owned in the past has resulted in gnarly blisters from that little bit of friction from my heel rubbing with every step. My heel in the Verto S4K’s was locked and going nowhere. The North Face calls this healCradle, I call it awesome.

The other thing that stood out on the Verto S4K’s was the toe box. This boot was made for climbing and as a result the toe box is more akin to a climbing shoe than it is to a traditional mountaineering boot. I took a picture comparing the toe box of the Verto S4K to the toe box of La Sportiva’s Trango Alp. As you can see the S4K’s is much more form fitting. My foot fits fine in both boots while wearing a liner with a beefy wool sock, but with the S4K’s there isn’t a lot of wiggle room. Personally I liked it. I have average width feet so if you have wider than average feet you might be SOL. Also if you’re prone to getting cold feet then I’d be aware that these might reduce circulation and be problematic for you.

So far I have only done a few snow slogs and a bit of ice climbing in these boots. The snow slogs were in the heavy, wet PNW snow and my feet stayed completely dry. It wasn’t particularly cold so I cannot attest to the warmth of these boots but I would imagine that they’d be able to handle almost everything but the burliest weather in the lower 48.

Ice climbing with these bad boys was straight up phenomenal. I have a pair of Grivel G-12′s and the heel welt on the S4K’s was more than sufficient to hold my crampon securely in place. What made these boots phenomenal while ice climbing was the slight down turn in the toe. It was not obvious while I was hiking but when I was front pointing on some moderate water ice I definitely noticed a little something. The actual sole of the boot is not turned down like a climbing shoe but rather the insole is. It is the little things like this that really wow’ed me. Also while I was front pointing my heel was still solidly in place. For a half-shank boot the S4K’s are impressive. My foot was secure in the boot, which was locked to the crampon, which was glued to the ice. It was a really wicked combination that brought a smile to my face.

These boots are not perfect though. In my limited testing of them the one thing that was less than ideal was the pressure in the toe box while I was traversing long, moderate snow slopes. While I was traversing the outside of my down hill foot would get a bit achy. I think this was a combination of the tight toe box and the fact that they were brand new. As I continue to break them in I am pretty sure it will go away but only time will tell.

This is a review in progress of the Verto S4K GTX boot. As I get to know them better I’ll post more. I have yet to take them scrambling or rock climbing but I am sure they’ll perform superbly. All things considered this boot is fantastic. It fits my foot well, it is thoughtfully designed, and it is built to climb harder than I will ever be able to.