GIRL BETA

Kasia Pietras climbing “Bedwetters” (V9). Video provided by Kevin Richardson.

One of the exceptional attributes about Joe’s is that there are a variety of quality V6′s. Some are questionable about the rating, especially when it comes to reach, but they are all worth a good try. “Wills A Fire” is probably one of the best V6′s I have done, next to “Star Crossed Lovers” in Red Cliff.

• The first move is a bit awkward.
• Go up left hand to a good slot, then match.
• Bring right foot up out to the right small edge.
• Go up right hand to good slot, but bump to the right side.
• Match.
• The next few moves can be done about 3 different ways.
• I decided to go left hand to the big pocket, then right hand to the next pocket.
• The crux for me was to cross to the crack and match.
• Most girls have gone up left hand to the pocket, then right hand undercling that is situated just above the right side jug (that is not used in the video).
• They then move left hand to the next pocket, which puts you in a better position to move to the crack/gaston.
• The next move to the crimp is a bit committing, but the hold is really good.
• Match the crimp and throw to a good sloper jug with the left.
• Right foot high and mantle to the massive awesome jug with the right hand and done!

Jackie Hueftle is currently climbing up a storm in France. She was nice enough to share this video with us. I have never been to Font, but the rock looks amazing!

It’s March and that means the start of the season at Joe’s! Temperatures are optimal during the day, and most boulders are climbable in New Joe’s. The Forks boulders will have some snow until the end of the month, however, there are still a lot of boulders that can be topped out. Our trip last weekend was primarily spent at New Joe’s. Ivo Penchev provides us with some footage of “Spam” as well as some boy footage of “Bring the Heatwhole” and “Freak”.

• Spam is known for its tough yet fun mantle for the top out.
• Through your right heel up to the shallow scoop and start turning it into a total foot scum (You will be using the edge of the foot. The heel tends to slip off if you don’t get your toe down).
• I use the first right hand side-pull over the lip to bring my hips up, then bump to the second side pull (Some match the side-pull, however, this made me barn-door and fall to the ground, missing the pads).
• The foot scum is flipped to a toe and the left hand flips to a mantle.
• It’s a committing press, but it sticks!

This is a classic problem that has 3 variations, a V5, V7 and V8. This boulder has not seen many female ascents, so a group of friends and I went out to see why that was. We decided to top-rope this thing first, as the crux is the top out. For me, using the toe-hook to match and then move to the lip helped keep my hips in tight to the rock. Although, using this beta, I had no choice but to cut feet at the lip, which was quite committing. I think more females can do this problem, especially once the beta is dailed. Take lots of pads and spotters! Thanks to Ivelin Penchev for the great footage! And thanks for the solid spotting everyone!!

A few weeks ago I was able to catch up with some competitors and coaches of this years ABS Nationals. This segment was sort of thrown together on a whim and I thank Stephanie Marvez for tracking down the climbers and asking more relevant questions than I could have.

In this video: Kelly McBride, Sarah Shaw, Jesse and Tyler Youngwerth, Robyn Raboutou, Alex Johnson, & Angela Payne.

Alex Johnson was in Bishop at the start of this year and has sent a few tough climbs, including Haroun and the Sea of Stories (V11/12). Congrats to Alex for a successful start to the year! In this video, you see her totally making this V10 look easy, and uses a cool drop knee to grab the left gaston plus a perfect dynamic move for the finish (she does a great job of generating momentum from the left foot). Thanks to Matthew Birch for the video footage.

Alex is sponsored by: a lot of companies…

There is something to be said for pure determination. In order to attain your climbing goal, sometimes you just have to be fierce and stubborn. Working out moves and linking the beta is just one small part of climbing a grade that pushes your limits. To send the first of the grade, you have to have guts and passion (I know… cheesy). When you become passionate about something though, more than likely, it comes with a lot of disappointment. But this is generally overridden by the success you achieve after the hard work. In this video, Katinka climbs her first V9, and does so with conviction.

Katinka is sponsored by: Chillaz & Evolv

Here is the first of many training videos that we will be posting on this site. For the last few years, Flannery has been learning and developing a system to analyze climbing footage and helping girls and guys improve their technique. It is our hope that you will gain some insight from Flannery and Sarah’s discussion and get psyched to train as well.

Not so much of a dyno if you match the right handhold.