FigFour & Safety kit ready for use

The breeze was catching at the leaves and the birds singing softly in the distance as I contemplated the tools in my hands.  I was spending a morning at Rutland Outdoor Centre with Steve Boylan, having a go with the FigFours that Rock Blok, the centre’s outdoor climbing wall, have recently introduced.  “Why don’t we start with a bit of a warm up?” said Steve, pointing me in the direction of the traversing panels set out around a large tree.  With the centre being a popular spot for family activities, the traversing walls include plenty of large juggy holds suitable for new climbers, so we spent a few minutes just moving around, getting ready to get onto the main 8 metre tower.

With safety gear donned, I tied in and balanced the FigFours in my hands.  I’ve been lucky enough to try ice climbing, but never mixed climbing or dry tooling, and so I was a little apprehensive as I looped the stiff rubber strap over a friendly grey jug and started hauling myself up the first route.  The plywood handles are ergonomically shaped to provide numerous ways to grip them, and the rubber loop protruding from each ‘axe’ is flexible enough to mould around the holds as you use the FigFour, but it is still firm enough to remain pointing upwards as you grope around and attempt to loop it onto your next hold.  As a newbie, my choice of hold for the FigFours tended very much towards the jugs, but as Steve demonstrated, with experience and precision, the rubber loop can grip sloping or small holds for a more challenging climb.

Steve Boylan demonstrates two possible grips on the FigFours

You can use whatever footwear you fancy when you try out FigFours at Rutland Outdoor Centre; stiff winter boots are a popular choice, but I decided to keep it simple and stick to rock shoes.  The climbing tower itself is heavily featured, making foot placements straightforward, with one side hosting a chimney.  Steve confessed that he and his colleagues have to spend some of their time dissuading the local bird life from becoming too attached to the chimney and trying to build nests in it!  Gaining confidence as I became more used to the climbing style demanded by the FigFours, I followed an enjoyable route up into the chimney, gradually edging into the restricted space where footwork became more important.  As the holds peeled off into a different direction, I found myself adding a sideways pull to the FigFours, and then before I knew it – pop! I was off, swinging gently on the toprope.

I worked my way around the tower, trying out the routes suggested by Steve while he remained a reassuring and encouraging presence at the base.  Despite choosing climbing shoes, I was surprised by how dependent I became on the FigFours and this, along with gripping the handles too tightly, definitely contributed to how pumped my forearms rapidly became – after 4 or 5 routes, I was ready to put them down! I’m sure that having the FigFours available to practice with more regularly would help me to overcome this and achieve something like better style, as well as providing an enormously useful chance to practice technique before a trip out for real.

Steve starts up the route which becomes the chimney

Having introduced the FigFours during the winter climbing season, the centre hasn’t seen a huge demand for them but as the weather improves and the outdoor wall becomes a more reliable alternative for those looking to train in the dry tooling or mixed climbing disciplines, they should become a popular resource. Having the FigFours available for hire also allows climbers who might be contemplating a first trip using tools to try them out and understand the challenges that this sport entails; so I’d definitely recommend that climbers who might be considering it to take the opportunity and have a go.  If you are an experienced climber, you and a partner can turn up and hire out the kit, but Steve and his team are also willing to instruct anyone who’s climbing alone, or who would like a bit more guidance.  Climbing on an outdoor artificial wall next to Rutland Water is an enjoyable experience in itself, and with the range of other activities on offer, you could make a day of it, or keep non-climbing friends or family entertained too.

If you would like to try FigFours, head over to the Rutland Climbing Centre web site.

FigFour – Training aid for mixed climbing and dry tooling is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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3. Basildon gets a new climbing wall

This week is a really special week because this post is from a new friend from Argentina. Please allow me to introduce Ignacio Romero from Mendoza. Ignacio has been kind enough to send me a climbing drill for those of you who don’t use a gym but would like a structured training plan that you can implement at your local wall.

The workout is split into 2 sessions; short endurance and long endurance. You can do them alone or with a climbing partner.

Day 1 – Short endurance

1 – Warmup: “Traverse”
Traverse around the climbing wall for 5 minutes straight. Easy movements.

2 – Warmup: “Five plus five”
With a partner: start traversing, taking turns adding 5 holds each time, partner repeats and adds 5 more, so on, until you reach a maximum of 50 movements each. Challenge each other to tougher and tougher movements.

Without a partner: set an easy traverse, but of 80 movements. Resting is allowed if necessary, but never without hands.

3 – Short endurance:
Set one or two routes of 25 movements, of high intensity, avoiding finger stressing holds.
Do 3 sets of 3 repetitions (a repetition being a full route) resting 5 minutes between repetitions and 10 minutes between sets.

4 - Flexibility: Stretching
Always stretch properly before you head home. I’ll post a full stretching routine soon.

Day 2 – Long endurance

1 – Warmup: “Traverse”
Traverse around the climbing wall for 5 minutes straight. Easy movements.

2 – Warmup: “Five plus five”
With a partner: start traversing, taking turns adding 5 holds each time, partner repeats and adds 5 more, so on, until you reach a maximum of 50 movements each. Challenge each other to tougher and tougher movements.

Without a partner: set an easy traverse, but of 80 movements. Resting is allowed if necessary, but never without hands.

3 – Continuity: Long endurance
Set one or two routes of 40 movements, of medium/high intensity avoiding finger stressing holds.
Do 3 sets of 4 repetitions (a repetition being a full route) resting 6 minutes between repetitions and 10 minutes between sets.

4 - Flexibility: Stretching
Always stretch properly.

I hope you enjoy this routine. I’ll certainly be giving it a go. Thanks Ignacio!

If anyone else out there has a killer climbing workout or even just a single exercise or tip that you want to share, please let me know.

Climbing techniques – a plan to raise your game: Week 9 – Guest post from Ignacio Romero is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

1. Climbing techniques – a plan to raise your game: Week 5 – strength conditioning and grip (workout 2)
2. Climbing techniques – a plan to raise your game: Week 4 – strength conditioning and grip (workout 1)
3. Climbing techniques – a plan to raise your game: Week 6 – strength conditioning and grip (workout 3)