How does one climb a flat slab? That is, an approximately 10' foot stretch of flat rock, say, at about 60-70 degrees, with virtually no holds that I could find, with the exception of a couple of minor "dimples" in the face, but nothing I can really get a grip on to pull up or anything.

just walk up the wall if it is ony 60-70 degrees.

body weight should be on the "balls of your feet" not the toes. This maximizes rubber on the rock for friction. Legs should be vertical, this means on 60-70 degree slab your butt should be out in the air.

...The climb is rated 5.9 but I don't know if that applies to the slab...

If it doesn't apply to the slab, then the slab is easier than 5.9 in difficulty. Once you have mastered that, come out west, where we have tons of 5.11 and 5.12 slab climbs--as well as B1 and B2 slab boulder problems. :wink:

Curt

If it doesn't apply to the slab, then the slab is easier than 5.9 in difficulty. Once you have mastered that, come out west, where we have tons of 5.11 and 5.12 slab climbs--as well as B1 and B2 slab boulder problems. :wink:

Curt

come out west... good slabs to the sky.
Stay on yeur feet.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him a 5.9 slab!

Even better: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's patience, give him a 5.13 slab (Rainbow Wall). Thanks BH. :wink:
http://i9.photobucket.com/...angi/RainbowWall.jpg

BTW - This is one of the best pitches in Eldo.

That's no slab, that thing is overhanging. 8^)

Curt

quality research.
13a slab?..is that like a 13a offwidth?

:? ........ another thread offically hijacked by drunken wise guys on a Saturday night. :?

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him a 5.9 slab!

Even better: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's patience, give him a 5.13 slab (Rainbow Wall). Thanks BH.

BTW - This is one of the best pitches in Eldo.

That's no slab, that thing is overhanging.

Drive up to Whitehorse in North Conway, NH. It's a good place to learn slab with routes as low as 5.3-5.5. Then when you master that, you can try some of the runout 10's and 11's.

Josh

Contrary to common conception reducing the area your shoe contacts the rock actually increases the friction. (One reason rock shoes are small and tight.)

You can think of it as a pressure problem if you like

The way to increase your pressure is to put the majority of your body weight over your feet and only use your hands for balance, thus using 100% of your body weight for the normal force.

I heard about a woman's high heel shoe; where a 100 lb woman, for example, put all her weight on the tip of the high heel, it would develope a force af about 1 ton at the tip of the heel...

You could but you would be wrong! The friction depends on the FORCE not pressure. Therefore if you reduce the friction generating area, the pressure increases resulting in the same net force (the component of weight normal to the surface). It's true the material has to do more work but the friction force is not affected

I remember the friction force vs. surface area debate from secondary school physics... my thought is: if materials like soft sticky rubber are part of the game, isn't it true that the climber's weight distributed on a smaller area of rubber would cause the surface structures of the rock to dig deeper into the sole, causing it to stick better?

Hand,

A few of the points giving in these posts were right on the money, and I'll expand on them. I have climbed up to and including some 5.13 slabs, so I think that some of my techniques can help you.

The easiest way to think about how to center yourself is to draw an imaginary line from dead north through the center of your hips downward to your feet. That is your starting point. The second, but more important rule, is weight distribution. It is very important that you stay light on your feet and keep your center over the weight bearing foot. Be very precise with your movements, because jerky and imprecise placement and movement can easily dislodge you from tenuous edges and smears.

When you place a foot on a micro hold or smear, you must gently and precisely shift your center so that it is over the weight bearing foot. If your center (core of hips) is not directly over the weight bearing foot, you will feel off balance. The out of balance forces can cause involuntary contractions in your muscles, also known as sewing machine leg, which can make it impossible to maintain your balance on very small holds and smears.

Sewing machine leg is a clear sign that you are out of balance, and it is easily remedied by shifting your center back over your weight bearing foot. Remember to also keep breathing and stay calm.

Next time you're out near a slab, try to apply these techniques just a few feet above the ground. With a little practice, you should start to feel what good balance is, and then you will find that your slabs will seem much less daunting. Let me know how it works out for you.

The issue of helmets has been debated often enough that I’m hesitant to bring it up, but since this a new climber asking about slab, it’s appropriate. On relatively low angle slab, even if you do everything correct with respect to rope management and body positioning, it’s easy to fall in such a way that foot contact with the rock will tip you over. Because of this, I strongly recommend wearing a helmet while climbing slab.

One of the previous posters recommended pushing off from the rock when falling to avoid scrapes. No question about pushing off on a steep or overhanging wall or indoors, but it’s not an automatic call on a slab. The danger is that pushing off will result in tipping over. Also, taking some scraping on the hands to reduce the intensity of the fall may be the safest way to go. There are no general rules here. Each situation has to be judged considering such things as the angle of the wall, the roughness of the rock, and the length of the fall.

In 1993, I was at the scene of a fatal accident involving a fall on a slab. As a result, I’m rather cautious on this type of climbing.

Cheers,
Rob.calm

Moreover, if Hand tries to turn this into an exercise in physics, he'll be spending most of his time hanging in his harness.

rufusandcompany wrote:
Rufus, I enjoy very much to hear all apects of a subject, in this case slabbing. If the physics of slabbing is addressed, I appreciate it only because of the greater knowledge and awareness it produces.

HOWEVER, when it comes to the application of what I learned, the basics is what I apply because that's what's most important to me at the time. So. in a manner of speaking, a knowledge of fine details broadens my understanding...personally, I find it helpful.

By the way, I went to a slab today and applied what YOU said. Yes YOU RUFUS!
I paid attention to my heel at various points of the slab I was on, I applied the idea of staying light on my feet, and moving slowly, keeping my body weight over the leg doing the work, shifting my weight calmly from one leg to the other, using my hands for balance not for pulling up. And you know what? It all worked! it was a great experience, albeit, the slab was probably only a 60 degree pitch, but it was good enough to practice on and it was definately a victory for me.

http://www.fauxandwood.com/lynnandtom1.JPG
Handtraverse
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"Mountains are not fair or unfair - they are just dangerous." - Reinhold Messner