Old(ish) Climber, New Tricks
Lessons Learned Outdoor Bouldering
Sarah Laico (she/her) ’19
Sarah Laico [Zach Kaczmarek]
I’ve always identified myself as a climber, but prior to moving to Colorado, my climbing took place indoors 99 percent of the time. I was a self-professed gym rat. Gym rats, on principle, don’t spend a lot of time on Mountain Project, the go-to outdoor climbing app.
It was early May when my best friend, Ryan, and I, found ourselves scrolling through “the Proj” while climbing at CityROCK in downtown Colorado Springs. Our friend, Zach, had asked us if we were interested in climbing in Joe’s Valley, Utah, for Memorial Day weekend.
Camping and climbing? Of course we said yes.
“Oh, sick! Joe’s Valley is all bouldering?” Ryan said, pulling up the area on the app.
“I think I vaguely knew that,” I replied, recalling a Reel Rock film featuring Joe’s Valley about the punk climbers who established boulders there a few decades ago. “That’ll be fun. We don’t boulder outdoors often一it’ll be a nice challenge for us.”
Truthfully, I could count on one hand how many times I’d been outdoor bouldering, which is surprising when you consider that I’ve been climbing for nearly 18 years. Still, I was open to broadening my climbing endeavors, and Ryan and I always encourage each other to push ourselves and experience new things. This would be a great opportunity to do that.
“Truthfully, I could count on one hand how many times I’d been outdoor bouldering”
I climbed for the first time when I was 9 years old. I had been trying various extracurriculars without much interest, but when I went to a friend’s climbing birthday party, I was immediately hooked. When my mom arrived to pick me up, I dashed up to her and exclaimed, “I think I found my sport!” From that point on, climbing dominated my life. I took classes, competed my way through middle school, fell off the boat in high school (thanks, boarding school), and sought out climbing at every prospective college I visited. It was no wonder that I landed at Colorado College, where I spent my afternoons climbing in, and eventually managing, the Ritt Kellogg Climbing Gym. It is difficult to express how important finding climbing was for my character; without this sport, I don’t really know who I would be.
Returning to climbing in college brought a new level of challenge and excitement, primarily because I had a many more opportunities to climb outside with peers who had far more experience than I did. For the first couple years, I was simply happy to be climbing outdoors at all. I didn’t really care what I was climbing or where.
Once, as a freshman at CC, I ventured out to Thunder Ridge to tackle “Whaleshark,”a V6 on a vertical slab with crimpy horizontal rails and a somewhat dynamic finish. We一my roommate, a few hallmates, and I一rolled up to Whaleshark and projected it for an hour, several of us sending it. My roommate, an equally strong and experienced climber, shook her head in disbelief and slight saltiness. “You’ve never been bouldering outside, and then you casually send this V6 the first time that you do?” I shrugged. The meaning of it was lost on me.
Sarah Laico [Zach Kaczmarek]
Here I am now, four years post graduating CC, a Shopper Marketing Associate for a protein bar company, driving along winding roads to Orangeville, Utah, at the end of May. Ryan and I were unbelievably stoked. In the month leading up, we had learned that around two dozen climbers from CityROCK were also headed to Joe’s Valley. We were eager to expand our climbing community.
As we pulled up to the campground at Joe’s Reservoir, Ryan hollered Zach’s name out the window in a delighted shriek. Soon enough, Zach returned his call with equal enthusiasm. We set up our tents and camp equipment before journeying up higher in the site to find the bulk of the CityROCKers hanging out around a fire, cooking up dinner and chatting.
We connected with our friends Travis and Andrew, two beastly climbers. At CityROCK, Ryan and I have reached the point where we can pretty reliably send all V6-7s; we are still chipping away at V7-8s and V8-9s. Travis and Andrew, on the other hand, can pretty reliably send all of the above. We knew we wanted to climb with them, not only because they’re lovely to spend time with, but you can learn so much from them. Climbing with those who are stronger than you makes you stronger.
We jumped on the first invitation thrown our way. Travis and Andrew were heading out the next morning to support their friend Hayden on a V8 he’d been projecting for weeks.
Were we in? Of course we were. Early alarms were set and carpools arranged.
We arrived, half awake, to the base of this gnarly roof climb. Our hands and feet felt chilly in the brisk spring morning air. Andrew, Travis, and Hayden immediately started laying out bouldering pads to get their blood moving. Chalk dotted the boulder from the underside on the right, along the horizontal ledge, and continued to the top on the far left. I gazed at it with an equal amount of intimidation and appreciation.
At first glance, I was convinced that the problem was impossible for me. The sheer core strength to begin the route required you to undercling with both hands and press your feet outward to put your body in a near-horizontal position. Hayden made a couple strong attempts, working his way along the roof. He clearly knew the beta quite well from attempting it over the last couple weeks. On one of his first tries, Andrew nearly sent the whole thing, proving to us that it was, in fact, doable. Travis was oddly abstaining from trying it all一we would only later learn why.
Zach, Ryan, and I, eager to touch some rocks, all gave it a go. And another go. And another. The first moves, initially impossible, were becoming more feasible. We were working the moves horizontally, piecing it together. We were climbing a freaking V8 outdoors, dammit! After perhaps 45 minutes or so of all of us chipping away, Hayden got on the problem and did it smoothly from start to finish. It was enchanting to watch him in a pure flow state, as he climbed this rock that had been torturing him for weeks. He had unlocked it, and we were happy to support him in the process.
“The first moves, initially impossible, were becoming more feasible. We were working the moves horizontally, piecing it together. ”
For the rest of the weekend, we proceeded to follow our friends to boulder problems like puppies. I felt silly for knowing so little about Joe’s, impressed that many folks around us had come to the area with specific projects in mind.
I soon found, though, that we had stumbled across the perfect learning environment. We were surrounded by fellow climbing friends. More friends meant more crash pads, knowledge of the area, hands to catch you, and laughter. We’d always have at least three pads and at least one person who knew all the moves. The number of times one of us was making moves up and was assisted by Travis saying something like, “Higher, higher, higher,” or “More left,” or “Ummmm…” when we were holding the worst part of the rock? Innumerable.
We also learned a lot from mimicry. There was so much we had yet to know…
Lesson 1: Hot Rock= Sweaty Hands
It was naїve of us to think that we’d just climb all day. The reality is, unless it’s the fall or early spring, it gets hot. Now it made sense why Travis and Andrew wanted to get up at the crack of dawn to help Hayden; waiting till midday may have meant forfeiting the send, the temperature immitigable.
Lesson 2: Too Much Rock = Shredded Hands
If you’ll be bouldering for days on end, there’s no avoiding shredding your fingertips一but you can at least delay the process. The reason Travis didn’t even bother getting on Hayden’s project, even though he was likely strong enough? He was saving his fingertips. Meanwhile, us dumb-dumbs decide to attack a V8 as our first boulder problem of the trip, destroying our hands from the get-go.
Lesson 3: Rock Humbles You
Joe’s knocked us down a couple pegs. Of course, we had an excellent time getting closer with our gym mates and goofing around between the climbing, but we definitely felt sorely in need of a do-over.
That’s not to say we plan to wait until next year, though. No, since Joe’s, Ryan and I have been seeking out more boulders. We want to keep learning and continue being humbled.
Lesson 4: Outdoors, Anything Goes
Currently on a long road trip, Ryan and I scan Mountain Project for boulder problems en route to each destination. We’ve stumbled upon some really excellent-looking areas on the app, only to find that locating the physical rock is a nightmare. I’ll be cursing descriptions like “go to the obvious boulder straight from the parking lot” after traipsing around for 20 minutes, nothing obvious whatsoever. Once we arrive at the rock itself, we’ll hem and haw over the beta. Are these the start holds? Do you go left or right? The first time viewing a boulder, it’s unlikely you’ll know the first ascenscionist’s intended beta.
The weather also has total power over us. Is it too hot? Can’t climb. Is it raining? Can’t climb. Even when those factors are accounted for, we’ll find ourselves hampered by bugs.
Lesson 5: The Hardest Choice is Walking Away
The most frustrating aspect of outdoor bouldering, however, is risk management. Sometimes, we’ll find a positively rad boulder problem, but with only two of us, two pads, and a sketchy crevice landing, we don’t feel like we can protect it. Sure, one of us could hop on the problem and send it. But if either of us falls, it will be difficult for the other to help secure a safe landing.
So why even bother outdoor bouldering?
First, it’s not always just you and a partner. When you have the luxury of more humans and bouldering pads, the responsibility of handling all of the variables diffuses. Suddenly, the experience much more closely resembles bouldering at the gym一hanging out and joking around with your buddies, taking turns at the problems in front of you. Except you also can have a beer in your hand.
Mostly, I do it for that moment when the stars align. Finding a boulder problem, identifying the beta, and mitigating the environmental factors certainly takes time and energy. But when you’re able to nail the weather window, stick the moves and even send the problem, it’s all worth it一because climbing on real rock is climbing in its purest form.
I still get inevitably frustrated by something when I boulder outside. But I keep on going back to it. As a climber for nearly two-thirds of my life, I think I’ve been craving a steeper learning curve. I needed a new outlet in my climbing, when I’ve plateaued at the gym for so long.
Even when you consider yourself perhaps not an expert at something, but well-seasoned, there’s always room to grow. Bouldering outdoors has taught me to continually stretch myself一even if it involves a lot of cursing climbers on Mountain Project.
