Splitter Camp - Day one

I’ve read a lot about the cracks in Indian Creek canyon. The more that I’d read the more I’d wanted to climb them. The more that I’d read the more that I’d scare myself that I couldn’t. Desert climbing starts at 5.10. There are a few easier routes but they are the exceptions. The climbing generally follows immaculate cracks which bisect the cliffs. It’s an area where style is king. If you’ve got it you’ll fly if you haven’t you’ll flail. I’ve climbed a lot of cracks in Finland but they’re different. They are short, they are featured and the granite has a lot of friction. In the Creek, they are long endurance tests, you have to jam as there are virtually no other options. It’s a place where hotshot Europeans can get torn apart and blown off even the easiest routes. I was afraid. In order to learn the techniques I signed up for a three day crack climbing workshop. This was run by Moab Desert Adventures (see http://moabdesertadventures.com/splittercamps.html )

Before anything else you have to tape your hands up. The climbing is essentially on cracks resembling sandpaper and if you want some skin left on your hands, then tape is a must. Dave Medara and Greg Child demonstrate two types of wraps. The democratic low cardbon emmision reusable wrap (almost a clone of Toby's) and the superior Republican single-use high wastage wrap.

So here I was on the first morning taped up and standing at the bottom of a route. The food and the company in the evening had been excellent, but now it was time to start climbing. The principle is that we learn by doing, the guides set up top ropes and we spend a lot of time on the rope learning the techniques. After Dave Medara had lead the first route (Elephant Man 5.10) I seconded it pretty competently. But it was quite featured and followed a flake and perhaps was a little atypical of Indian Creek. Meanwhile, Greg Child had set up a top rope on Chocolate Corner 5.9. This follows a perfectly parallel crack in a corner flanked by near featureless walls. This is how I imagined the Creek, this would be the test. First hand in, perfect, first foot in – twist the foot, perfect, now step up and place the next hand, perfect, OK now get the second foot, perfect. The jams stuck to the cracks like glue. Repeat - perfect, repeat - perfect, repeat - perfect “Oh my God, this is so good”, I call. Repeat -perfect, repeat - perfect “This is unbelievable” repeat - perfect, repeat - perfect and then the top comes all too soon. I’d just climbed the most immaculate crack that I’d seen. Every jam was bomber and I was on a high. This route was worth crossing the Atlantic for. What’s more (albeit on a top rope) I’d felt really solid on it. My fears of struggling with the climbing here drained away and were replaced with confidence.

Marlene on the tight hands Chocolate Corner

We then cranked things up a little with by top roping a much harder route. I felt shaky but climbed it clean nevertheless. The crux involved a long layback off a finger crack which swallowed my fingers with the feet heel-toe jammed in an off-width crack. Somehow, these movements worked. I managed the top with wild bridging with my left foot smearing against the thin crack and my right knee bared in the off-width which now resembled a flared chimney corner. For non-climbers, this involved whacky improbable moves which actually felt pretty good .

Dave Medara leads the sensational and unique Mr. Peanut

That day I climbed (all on top rope)
Elephant Man (pitch 1) 5.10
Chocolate Corner 5.9
Mr Peanut 5.11 (twice because it was so fun)
Unnamed crack number 17 5.9
Generic Crack 5.10-
The Naked and the Dead 5.8
The Naked and the Dead Variation 5.11 (with three falls)