Climb Iowa BLOG

Jumbo Love, at Clark Mt., is Currently the hardest route in the US and the world. It was first sent by Chris Sharma in September 2008. it is rated 5.15b or 9b in the French scale. There is a lot of great footage of him doing this route. I suggest you take a peek for yourself.

What 2 categories do youth compete in at USA Climbing's SCS Nationals. Send your answer to info@climbiowa.com for your chance to win a four pack of tickets to Menace Soccer Game

Remember that I am looking for the first three people to submit the correct answer. You will receive a two pack of tickets to see any home Menace game. Submit your answers to info@climbiowa.com.

Based on the YDS the original range for free climbing routes was 5.0 to 5.9. Then in the 60's with advent of new climbing gear, mainly shoes, harder and harder routes were being sent. The community was faced with either continually adjusting the rating of old routes to make way for the new harder routes or adopting a system that went above 5.9. Even at that point it was not decided that it would be an ever expanding rating system, but that very quickly became apparent. This is why in some of the older climbing areas, such as Joshua Tree, you can still come across routes rated 5.9 that by today's standard would be harder. When they were rated in the 50's and 60's there was not a rating above 5.9. Most popular routes across the country have been re-rated to take into account these changes.

The World Triathlon is a swim, bike, mountain climb. It will get under way this year and is being spearheaded by Charlie Wittmack, a Des Moines native who was the first Iowan to climb Mount Everest. Which is exactly where the last leg of the tri will take place. He also hopes to raise awareness about poverty issues along the way. To read much more about this check out the World Triathlon Facebook Page. You will also be able to stay updated vie Climb Iowa. We all wish him the best of luck.

"Red Tagged", is a term used to describe a route that was bolted by a person who then has rights to complete the route before anyone else can get on it. It could also work for a person who bolted the route for someones else. After they have completed it, it is rated. The rating is then considered temporary until other people send it and they weight in on the rating. It seems there can be problems with this system as you may have been able to guess. I was unable to find any examples of any controversy.

The YAC's were started the fall of 2004 with 6 members. We now have over 40. Both Hailey and Olivia were original to the team and now work here at Climb Iowa. Although Olivia still climbs, Hailey is the only original team member still on the team, as most others have aged out. Also between the two of them they have been to national level competitions almost ten times.

Free Climbing is when you are climbing without the use of equipment for aid. This does not include the use of equipment for protection. Protection does not help you climb it just helps you get injured less.

Some mechanical devices were in use for parallel cracks before 1967. These were mainly similar to devices used today for wide cracks such as Big Boys. Then in 1967 Greg Lowe came up with a device that was adjustable and held open by springs called the Crack Jumar. His first prototype was ready in 1972. It met with limited success but sold for only $3.95. A bargain even at today's value for a Cam. Despite being slightly unstable it did represent a leap forward in removable protection so he took a patent out in 1973.

This is a bit of a trick question although the answer could be 5400 lbs you could also ask a couple of different questions about the carabiner. First is the weight being pulled via the long axis of the carabiner? If not, if it is cross loaded then it will hold less weight. You would also need to know if the gate is open or closed. The carabiner is only at its' strongest if the gate is closed. If it is open it will only hold around 7-10kN or 1500 lbs to 1900 lbs. This is why making sure, when belaying, that your carabiner is locked closed; to ensure there is no way it will end up opening and hence becoming weaker.