Building a Climbing Rack
Step 3 - Friends

 

 

Im dritten Schritt schauen wir uns mit James Pearson die Friends an.

Friends gehören zum Wichtigsten was sich ein Trad-Kletterer an seinen Gurt hängt. Sie sind schnell zu platzieren, in einer Vielzahl von Größen erhältlich und können an Orten eingesetzt werden an denen zum Teil keine anderen mobilen Sicherungsgeräte funktionieren. Sie erweisen sich als besonders wichtig, wenn man mit dem Rissklettern beginnen möchte.

James Pearson erklärt ausführlich, wie man Friends auswählt, wie man sein Rack erweitert und gibt nützliche Tipps zur Organisation der Klemmgeräte am Klettergurt.

 

1 ISLAND, 2 MONKS AND UNTOUCHED GRANITE

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“Why did James and I pick a small dot on the other side of the planet?”

Because Yuji told us about it. The last time Yuji proposed us a trip, we ended up in Kinabalu, the now oh so famous mountain where untouched granite will overwhelm the climber. The Real Rock tour has thrown Kinabalu into fame, but 5 years ago, when we went there, no climber could even put it on the climbing

Kinkasan is a small island not far from Fukushima, on the north east side of Japan. It has 26km circumference and is inhabited by two monks. From Tokyo it is a six hour journey. Yuji didn’t say that much more: Kinkasan’s coast is covered with granite cliffs, and there is a Shinto shrine on it. Yuji mentioned as well the damages made by the tsunami…

We began our journey with next to no expectations about the climbing, and a big question mark for the rest. 3 days in the trip and I know exactly why we came: for Japan. 

2 years ago we spent a week in this unique country and both James and I knew that we had to come back one day: how could I compare it? Well, the first time you taste wine, you have heard a lot about it. But you smell, and you only smell the alcohol, you taste and you can’t put words on it because wine is subtle, complicated and requests an education. You have to go back to it, learn to enjoy, differentiate and remember. Japan is maybe a little bit like wine.

There is this astonishing mix of modernity (the Japanese toilets and their multi jets, music and self cleaning options give you an idea of the immensity of your difference)  and spirituality, respect, focus.

We arrived at Base Camp, the gym that Yuji opened 5 years ago in Tokyo, and I oscillate between marvel and shame. I am a pro climber, and most of the boulders are too hard for me, the Japanese climbers around me seem to evolve so effortlessly, like flying cats on the wall. But then you realise: the world championship have just finished in Paris and in the bouldering competition, 3 of the 6 medals are not only Japanese, but from Tokyo, from Base Camp. Yuji and his company helps the athletes become professional and they often climb together. Shall I repeat that? Half of the world’s medals come from one gym! Surely there is no wonder that Yuji owns that gym… But that is only just the very top of the iceberg, because behind this 3 medals, there are a lot of other athletes with an incredible level. I have never seen so many good, extremely good boulderers in one place. And I am a former competition climber, trust me, I know what I am talking about.

“Why are they so good?”

The answer is surely complicated but here are a few elements: climbing has become very trendy in Japan, with over a 100 gyms in Tokyo. The Japanese body type is perfect for climbing; light, powerful and explosive muscles. The Japanese constant pursuit of perfection pushes the athletes to train hard, just like everyone around them simply accomplished every task with perfection.

It was dry for the crossing, and after unpacking our bags at the shrine we bouldered on a nearby beach for 1 hour before the rain came. With so much rock to see and so little time, we hiked out anyway along the coast to search out potential lines. The rain became heavier, we became wetter, and after 4 soggy hours we returned to the shrine, hopes high but spirits low. We’d been preparing this trip since September 2015, putting the team together, finding funding from sponsors, organizing the local logistics, yet it would all be in vain if the weather didn’t brighten up.

A morning of rain gave us the excuse to sit down and record some interviews, though truthfully we had little to say as we’d done little climbing. Toru, ever the silent optimist finally dragged me out to the closest boulder spot during a break between two showers, and we were surprisingly able to climb! Toru lived up to his reputation of boldness and brilliance, making the first ascents of two of Kinkasan’s boldest and hardest problems. Finally things were looking up. The forecast was good for the following days, and group psyche could not have been higher. We began to plan our upcoming adventure and our first trip to the other side of the island – the area with the highest concentration of rock, and the biggest cliffs, but had to cut them short as bad news broke.

With my thirst for climbing temporarily quenched, we left the island in limbo, happy, yet sad, but knowing we’d be back in less than 24 hours. We passed the day visiting some of the worst tsunami affected towns in an effort to better understand what hardships the local people had to live through, and how they are moving forwards towards the future. It is one thing to watch the news from the comfort of your lounge back home, it is another thing entirely to see it first hand, and speak to the people who have lost everything - houses, possessions, loved ones!

Suddenly our troubles with the rain seemed embarrassingly small, and we remembered why we were actually here in the first place.

Our personal climbing desires must come second to the larger goal of showing this place to the world. Rain or shine, we have to get out there. Hike around, document the potential, and if in the end we are lucky, open up some new routes.

 

What is special about Wild Country Friends?

Wild Country Friends are famous as the first camming device developed for rock climbing. What started out as a passion project for Ray Jardine actually became Wild Country in 1977. Wild Country Friends go places no other protection will and if you have any intentions of improving your trad climbing especially if you want to start crack climbing Friends are a must-have item.

 

How to build a rack of Friends?

The easiest way to start a rack of Friends is to buy the standard set of 0.4 through to # 3. These sizes cover all of the common hold sizes you're going to find on rock; from small tight fingers too baggy hand jams. When you mix these with a set of Rocks you end up with a really versatile rack.

As you continue to expand your rack of Friends it's useful to have doubles of all the common sizes. Including a single #4 as well. At first however you should double up on sizes from 0.4 through to #.1

 

When to place Friends instead of Rocks?

Friends are generally easier and quicker to place them Rocks. So although you can technically cover a similar range of placements with another set of Rocks it's really useful and encouraging to know that you've got some extra Friends in reserve for when the going gets really tough. You should try to place Rocks whenever you can, especially whenever the climbing is easier, saving your Friends for later in the climb, perhaps during the crux.

 


How to rack Friends on the harness?

For short routes, you can simply rack Friends on one side and Rocks on the other. For longer routes with a bigger rack, you can split that rack into two effectively having a single rack on either side of your harness. You can put all the small Friends on the front and bigger Friends towards the back. Then you can put one of your biners of nuts behind these Friends. Last, you can use the back gear loops that you can't see very well for racking your carabiners and quickdraws.

 

Why is racking important?

Doing things the same way every time allows you to know instantly where the gear is on your harness. This way you spend less time thinking about your gear and more time focused on the climbing. This allows you to both enjoy the specific climbing moves as well as focus on pushing yourself and enjoying the route without worrying about the gear.