New Improved (Mobile-Friendly) CoffeeTapeClimb Website

Hey All!

I've moved and updated "CoffeeTape" to a new Wordpress site that's easier to navigate and mobile-friendly. Check it out at CoffeeTapeClimb.com, and let me know what you think of the new format and posts. I'll continue to post new content every Monday :)

Best Wishes and Happy Climbing,
Liz

Auto Belays: Why They're Simultaneously Great, Okay, and Terrible

Note: CoffeeTape has moved! Check out the new mobile-friendly site at coffeetapeclimb.com for new posts every Monday and ease of climbing withdrawal symptoms whenever you visit. 

By 2023 most gyms will likely have Siri-like auto belays for partnerless toprope fanatics. Climbers will simply press a fingertip to a small screen and don their wireless earbuds to have a soothing female voice ask them, by name, if they’re ready to climb.

You'll be able to tell Siri if you prefer a loose belay or to be kept tight. Say “take,” and she'll pull up the slack and let you hang when you get tired or are stuck on a sequence. Don’t want to be lowered to the ground when you fall? No problem; tell Siri you’d like to work out the moves, and she’ll keep you right there. She’ll even give you beta if you ask. Better yet, sync her with your Fitbit7, and she’ll keep track of how many calories you burn each time you climb a route, as well as your fastest send time, total time climbing, number of routes sent, number of hangs, total moves made, and how many crimps/jugs/slopers/pinches you've gripped. She can even coach you for workouts, telling you how long to rest between climbs and giving encouragement on the way up. Want to hear your favorite pump up song to get you through the top moves? Siri can do that too.

Unfortunately, for now auto belays aren’t quite that sophisticated.  They gently tug you up the route, can’t “take” when you get tired or confused, and lower you to the ground whether you’re falling halfway up or letting go at the top. When used properly, they’re safe, but not perfect for everyone.

Here is what they do well, not as well, and not well at all:

What they're terrible for:

1. Projecting routes. Every time you fall, unless you’re lucky enough to catch yourself on a jug during the descent, you’re lowered to the ground. This can be quite frustrating, as you have to climb up to your trouble sequence each time you want to try it, which can lead to exhaustion and stress about not making the move (and being lowered to the ground again if/when you're unsuccessful) each time you decide to give the route a go.

2. Allowing you to climb without assistance. Auto belays are constantly pulling in slack until they feel your weight against the rope, thus giving one the feeling of being gently pulled up the route. This also means that the device “helps” you climb by taking a small amount of your weight off.

What they're okay for:

1. Warming up before your partner arrives. Need to run a few easy laps while you’re waiting for a friend? The auto belay is a great way to warm up alone when the bouldering cave is crowded.

2. Burning out at the end of a gym session. Feel bad about making your partner belay you five times up the same route so you can work on endurance at the end of your workout? You shouldn’t, especially if you offer to do the same for them, but, in case you do, the auto belay is a great solution. It’s also good for burning yourself out when your partner has to leave early.

What they're great for:

1. Finding partners. Couldn’t convince anyone to join you for a rope session? Are all your friends boulderers? Simply hang around the auto belay and wait for someone to hop on. Once they’ve finished their climb, ask them if “they’d like a real catch”—or some variation thereof—and 67 percent of the time you’ll have a new partner. Just make sure they know how to belay another human before you start climbing.

Should You Date Another Climber?: A Flowchart Guide

Note: CoffeeTape has moved! Check out the new mobile-friendly site at coffeetapeclimb.com for new posts every Monday and ease of climbing withdrawal symptoms whenever you visit. 

With Valentine's Day less than a week away, you likely fall into one of four categories: 

1) You've already ordered your special someone gifts on Amazon/from EMS or REI. 

2) You're rushing around to figure out what to get your special someone. 

3) You're happy to be single and not have to buy someone else chocolates. 

4) You're single and envious of everyone rushing around to buy gifts. 

If you're in Category 2 and dating a climber, check out these gift ideas. 

If you're in Category 4 and cannot decide if dating another climber is the way to go, follow the flowchart below. 

The Post-Workout PB & Banana Recovery Smoothie and Variations

Don't want to chug this after a workout?
Me neither.

Note: CoffeeTape has moved! Check out the new mobile-friendly site at coffeetapeclimb.com for new posts every Monday and ease of climbing withdrawal symptoms whenever you visit. 

I've read zero articles in the past five years telling me to hold off on eating after a workout. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but according to Neil Gresham's Rock and Ice Magazine article "Endurance Training Tips for Winter," I should: "Properly hydrate for sessions and eat a decent meal or take a recovery supplement drink (including protein and carbohydrate) within the crucial “one-hour window” after every session." This post-workout carb and protein combination, in a 4:1 ratio, is the fitness and nutrition communities' recommendation for promoting ultimate recovery from any and all types of physical activity deemed a "workout." It turns out that chocolate milk is a cheap, tasty way satisfy this 4:1 balance, and thus it has been promoted enough that when I type "chocolate milk as" into Google, "chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid" pops up first on the suggested search list.

But what about those of us who don't want to drink chocolate milk after every workout? Personally, I find the store-bought kind too thick and rich, and chugging a cup or two after a workout sounds like a stomach ache in the making. However, I have found a few cheap, easy smoothie alternatives with the desired carb and protein mix. Enjoy:

THE PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA SMOOTHIE:

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium frozen banana

8 oz skim milk*

1-2 TBSP peanut butter (depending on your taste preference and calorie needs)

3 ice cubes

*Substitute soy or almond milk for a vegan/non-dairy option

DIRECTIONS:

Put ingredients in blender. Blend. Drink immediately if you've just finished a home session or pack in a travel mug or jar for later post-workout enjoyment. 

WHY IT'S AWESOME:

First off, it's delicious (assuming you like peanut butter and bananas). Secondly, it provides one with the optimum ratio of post-workout nutrients in a healthier, more complete package than chugging 8 oz of chocolate milk. You retain the 8 grams of protein from the milk and add in 19 grams of natural sugars for your extra carbs, while now benefitting from the 3 grams of fiber, 13 percent of your daily potassium, and 15 percent of your daily vitamin C you get from adding a banana instead of cane sugar to your milk. Additionally, the peanut butter offers healthy mono- and poly- unsaturated fats and additional fiber and protein. All of your macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat) are now blended in one delicious shake that's easy to sip after a hard session on your outdoor project or on your drive/walk home from the gym. 

FOR EXTRA PROTEIN :

Some studies suggest that ingesting 20-25 grams of protein post workout is optimal for protein synthesis and recovery. For an all "real food" protein boost, try adding 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt to your smoothie, or simply double the recipe to ensure you get your 20 grams. You can also add a scoop of your favorite protein powder to the mix, though I'd recommend unflavored, vanilla, or chocolate (green tea and pb and banana sounds less appetizing).

FOR THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE PB, BANANAS, OR BOTH:

• Try other nut butters (almond, soynut, cashew) if you're not a fan of the peanut variety.
• Don't like nut butters? Substitute 1 cup of Greek yogurt for a protein kick and tangy flavor. 
• Tired or scared of frozen bananas? Add in your favorite frozen fruit instead. You can get creative and make a CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SMOOTHIE by subbing 1/2 cup each of frozen raspberries and blueberries for the bananas. Yes it does taste like a pb+j; I've tried it. 

I've found that drinking a protein and carb rich smoothie or having another snack (greek yogurt with a banana or fruit on the bottom) with at least 10 grams of protein and simple sugars reduces my muscle soreness after a hard session, allowing me to train two days in a row before taking a much-needed rest day. (Well, unless I'm super psyched and the weather's nice; then I might be climbing for more than two days on.)

Seven Reasons to Encourage Your Friends to Toprope

Toproping tends to get a bad rep in the climbing world, and for many good reasons. It's pretty hard to "cheat" and let your belayer take weight off through the crux if you're on lead, and toproping (usually) isn't as scary as tying into the sharp end. However, sometimes it can be beneficial to encourage your climbing partners to tie in to a pre-hung rope:

Luke wishes he was toprope belaying.

1. You can now belay with your butt in a lawn chair. You'll never fully recover between burns if you're standing to actively lead belay, and you need all the rest you can get to send. However, simply taking in slack can be done from your feet or your behind. Just make sure to pick a flat section of ground for your favorite lawn or foldable camp chair.
2. Using your Grigri becomes much less complicated.  There's a lot involved in lead belaying with a grigri: continuously holding down while paying out slack, not dropping the overly large device, and raising the handle just enough for a smooth, steady lower. Make your life simpler by only taking in slack and smoothly lowering with the handle after your partner has reached the end of their toprope. Even better, you don't have to crank down on the break hand if/when they fall like you would with an ATC; let the assisted belay device do the work for you.
3. No more cleaning your own draws. Especially on overhung routes, cleaning the draws on the descent can be an unexpected crux. But if you can get a friend to toprope through the draws and clean them on the way up, you'll never face this challenge again. Simply tell your partner it's good clipping practice—it's harder to unclip than clip—without the stress of leading.
4. You can belay by feel. No more neck pain, and no reason to spend your hard-earned dollars on belay specs. Whenever you feel the rope go slack, simply take in until the rope is taught again; no need to watch the climber. Still feel the need to be safe and watch your climber? Take number 1 to a new level and belay laying down on your back; neck pain solved again.
5. You'll have less wear on the rope. If your climber plans to fall a lot on the route, hanging toprope will put less strain on your rope as they fall with more rope out and onto more than just one quickdraw. Use this excuse whenever using your own rope and offer it as a "helpful suggestion" to your friend if using his/hers.
6. You get to show off your anywhere-anchor-building skills. Impress your friends with your ability to top rope unbolted and possibly previously unclimbed routes by disappearing over the top of the cliff, wrapping some cordelette around a tree, attaching locking biners, and rapping off. Volia: insta-climb. 
7. You'll look like the group tough guy/girl. Want to impress others at the crag by looking like the experienced one of the group? Being the only leader does just that. Leading 5.10 and above also helps.

Gear Review: The Butora Acro

Note: CoffeeTape has moved! Check out the new mobile-friendly site at coffeetapeclimb.com for new posts every Monday and ease of climbing withdrawal symptoms whenever you visit. 

I hate stuffing my feet into tiny aggressive shoes. If it takes me more than a minute to tug, squeeze, and pinch my feet into a pair, and I get a foot cramp the minute they’re finally laced up, then I'm not going to wear them. I love the precision of a stiff, downturned sole, but, due to my self-preservation instinct, I won't use my feet if putting weight on them causes immense pain, which renders my aggressive shoes useless. Thus, up until this point, I've upsized aggressive shoes. For example, my 5.10 dragons are size 9 men's, and I'm an 8.5 women's—and they're still tight enough that I want to rip them off at the end of each pitch. But this fall I only used my Dragons twice…because I found these:

Say hello to the Butora Acro, narrow fit.

Never heard of Butora? I hadn't either until the company made its American debut this summer at the Outdoor Retailer trade show. Butora is based in Korea, but has recently opened sales internationally. The Acro is its most aggressive shoe, specially designed for steep and technical sport climbing and bouldering, and it comes in two styles: the orange wide fit and blue narrow fit (I now use the latter every time I climb outside). Even better, sizing is easy: For sport climbing they fit true to your street size (revolutionary, I know), and going a half-size down is recommended for bouldering.

So why are the Acros so great? Chris Kalous of the Enormocast summed it up nicely when he tried on his pair at the trade show: "I could wear these right out of the box."

I did wear mine right out of the box and was comfortable enough to climb 10 pitches in them at Rifle—that never happens to me with new shoes. The narrow fit is snug and 100% gapless on my feet, thus requiring a bit of tugging to get on, but, once they are strapped down, there are no pressure points that cause my toes, etc. excess pain. I agree completely with the online product description that these shoes combine the ease of a single velcro strap with "the extra security and custom fit of a lace-up shoe." The Acro is my only non-lace-up, and they form to my feet better than my Dragons. 

I climbed outside an average of once a week in my Acros from August through mid-November, and the rubber is only just starting to show signs of wear on the toes. I anticipate getting to at least May without having to resole them (which I most certainly will), as long as I don’t wear them for long gym sessions this winter. And at $154.00, they are about $20 less than the 5.10 Dragon and the La Sportiva Solution, so they’re great for saving a few dollars on your first (or tenth) aggressive pair, especially if you’re not used to ultra-tight shoes. 

Overall, I have zero complaints about my Acros and continue to be amazed by how comfortable they are. I give them five stars, as did the two other reviews on the website, and will not be buying shoes from any other brand for a long time. It’s also nice not having the same shoes at anyone else at the crag—you never have to worry about getting them mixed up.

Fun Fact: Butora doesn't have "men's" and "women's" specific shoes, only narrow and wide fit variations. If you click on the "men's" section, you get the same options as the "women's." I like this setup, as I know plenty of females with wide feet who routinely buy "men's" shoes, and other guys who wish the women's solution wasn't covered in flowers because it fits their narrow feet.  

Butora has specially designed shoes for traditional climbing, all around performance, children, and more. Check out its website for more models. 

If Climbing Genres Were Types of Coffee

Note: CoffeeTape has moved! Check out the new mobile-friendly site at coffeetapeclimb.com for new posts every Monday and ease of climbing withdrawal symptoms whenever you visit.