Bear-Back

Yes I know it's spelled Bare-back, I was just thinking about what a "bear" it is to climb roof routes without the spur! But what fun, too. I got thinking about bare-back climbing after the 2009 Ouray Ice Festival, I kept thinking afterwards "Shit! I could have won that thing!" if only I had trained-up bareback beforehand, more Monday-morning quarter-backing I suppose.

Yet it got me thinking about bear-back, the first day out I went without the spur but brought them in the pack, just-in-case. Day two I left the spurs behind in the car, by day three I had taken the heel-plates off so only the three bolts remained, I was hooked on a now more potent blend of The Junk, than ever. Suddenly routes I had sent many times with the spur now seemed utterly questionable, clipping became an act of pure gravity-defiance, I am happy to report that I have sent exactly two routes in twice as many outings.

Maybe though that is not the point, conceivably the climb-well movement needs for mixed to come in line. I say this because this winter when I watched friends climb with spurs, spurring tools, bat-hanging hands-free I thought, "that IS aid-climbing", to some extent anyway. Finally seeing it done in a fluid manner by the likes of stephanie Moreau, Jeff Mercier and Evgeny Krivosheitsev last winter made me take notice, this was the way forward.

After all leash-less just happened and their are plenty of hold-outs out there, I see them on every outing blasting away at some hapless flow.