Rock Climbing

Why I Hate Projecting

Why I Hate Projecting

Raising your personal bar in climbing requires a bit of projecting to eventually redpoint hard routes that you desire to climb without falling.  I used to laugh at all the climbers in Rifle that would eat, sleep, and breath that same route over and over and over till they got the send. They talked about their project as if they owned it. Projecting has never been my favorite part of climbing...but it is necessary.

How To Climb The Calendar

I found it interesting that a lot of climbers were trying to climb their first or a lot of 5.12 rated routes during 2012. Then in 2013, a good amount of climbers had their eyes set on climbing their first ever 5.13. So when 2014 rolled around, I published a piece called Climb The Calendar - 5.14s in 2014 on the Liberty Mountain Climbing blog.

Ice Climbers Are Tougher Than Rock Climbers

December of 2013 marked my first time ever ice climbing. I know...how did I ever abstain from ice climbing during my 10+ years of rock climbing? Well, I just did.

Thanks to my employer, I was able to attend the Bozemen Ice Festival with two other co-workers to represent Grivel as a sponsor. While we were there, we were able to spend two days on the ice. After experiencing that style of climbing and being surrounded my a ton of people that live for "slaying the ice," I came up with a list of reasons why ice climbers are tougher than rock climbers. I published the list and a ton of photos I took at the festival on the Liberty Mountain Climbing blog.

Lunar Ecstasy

Abraham Shreve and I spent 48 hours aid-climbing the notorious Lunar Ecstasy in Zion National Park, UT.

(click on any photo to start the photos gallery.)














For being my second ever aid route, I found that Lunar Ecstasy was a bit hard for me to bite into. It was right outside of my experience, but well within my reach. I guess there’s never a bad time to raise the bar. Once again we took it slow and ended up sleeping two nights on the wall. I must say, there sure is something amazing about sleeping on a nylon platform that is suspended on the side of a 1,200-foot cliff.

Rock Climbing…What Does It Mean?


The time has come that we, as a climbing industry, establish a differentiation between climbing outside and climbing inside.

“I’m a rock climber.”

If anyone approaches me and says this phrase, I know right off the bat that they are either new to climbing or are referring to climbing indoors on plastic.

Why do I make such huge assumptions? Because I know that veteran-climbers don’t say rock climbing, they just say climbing. That truth alone is the key reason why we need to make an official differentiation between climbing real rock outside verses climbing plastic holds inside.

Joseph Smith at the Glenwood Springs Rec Center. Photo by Benjamin L Eaton.

Currently, the wrong impressions are being given around the world when someone says, “I just got done rock climbing.” One would assume that this person just got back from the local crag, or maybe even from a remote wonderland of rock, where they hung their own quickdraws or plugged their own cams. After hearing a bit more about their climbing session, it is determined that they just got back from the climbing gym where they spent the last 2-4 hours bouldering or top roping on a plywood wall that is riddled with plastic holds.

However, a totally different truth is told when someone says, “I just got back from climbing.” Even though a non-climber would respond with, “Climbing? Climbing what?” a weathered climber would already know that an outdoor climbing session just took place where they hiked an approach, braved the elements, and cut their fingers on abrasive limestone.

Benjamin L Eaton in Indian Creek, UT. Photo by Jennilyn Eaton.
Why would the elimination of the word “rock” change the meaning so drastically? It’s because our definitions for climbing have been left unattended like the garden that sits infested with weeds that strangle the life out of the ripening fruit.

The definitions for climbing currently look like this:
Rock Climbing = Climbing inside on plastic
Climbing = Climbing outside on real rock

The definitions for climbing should look like this from hear on out:
Indoor Climbing = Climbing inside on plastic
Rock Climbing = Climbing outside on real rock

The time is now. Use your words and speak the truth. Just because you climb in a gym doesn’t automatically mean you are ROCK climbing. Are you climbing on rock? NO! You are actually climbing…indoors, hence the term INDOOR CLIMBING.

A Note From The Author...ME: I have nothing against INDOOR CLIMBING. I actually do quite a bit of it myself, especially in the winter. What I do have something against is how we mis-label our actions. Example: If I rode a stationary bike for 2 hours, I wouldn't say to my friends afterwards, "I just got done with a 2 hour bike ride."

Send To Defend Video

I needed a little exercise this winter, video exercise. So I jumped on the opportunity to attend the Send to Defend event in SLC; not to climb but to shoot video. This was good was a good practice session. I think it was my first session using my new lens, so I as able to see what it was capable of.



Send to Defend is a fundraising event for The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance and The Access Fund.

A day of climbing at The Front Climbing Club.
All proceeds go to the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance and The Access Fund.

Climbing, Free food, Prize Giveaways, Silent Auction, and Special Presentation from climbing legend Lynn Hill.