Improving Trad Climbing Grade

Although we might get lucky and get a few sunny days with dry rock in Squamish, I am happy to wrap up the rock climbing season for 2023. I had a great season in terms of learning, volume of climbs and my grade progression. In this post, I will share a few things I did this season that helped me improve my trad climbing grade.

Background

I moved to Canada in 2016, and for the first four years, I didn’t pursue climbing actively and would climb a few times a month. In those years, I probably did less than 30 to 40 climbs in an entire season. 

In 2022, I did about 25 climbs till July and then didn’t climb the rest of the season after the accident. So, for this post, I will be using 2021 as a baseline for comparison to this climbing season. 

In 2021, I did about 84 climbs (Apr-Sep 2021), most (80) of which were trad climbs. These include some of the alpine climbs in Rexford area, Matier and Habrich mountain. The hardest grade I had climbed was 5.10b, and in the entire season I did about eight climbs that were either 5.10a/b. The rest of the climbs were 5.9 or easier. 

In 2023, I started working with Seth Keena at Evoke Endurance on 1:1 coaching. Seth not only guided me on training but also shared tips that changed my approach to climbing. In the coming weeks, I will do a detailed post on my experience of being coached by Seth and share it here.

Trad Climbing Grade Pyramid

In 2021, I first used the Grade Pyramid approach, which worked well, so I used it this season as well. I tracked all my climbs on The Crag and found it very helpful.

I started the season with a grade pyramid of 49 climbs, with thirteen 5.7s at the bottom, then eleven 5.8s, nine 5.9s and so on, and topping out with a 5.10d. It was a bit more aggressive goal than past seasons, but I knew I had to push myself.

The goal was to work through the grade pyramid over say 10 sessions. Tentatively, the plan for each session was to warm up on a 5.7/5.8, do a 5.9 climb and then get on a 5.10+. Do an easier climb for a quick rest and potentially another 5.9/5.10+ route. As the season progressed, I would gradually increase the difficulty level of the climbs.

For the most part, I could stick with this plan but did adapt based on the crag, conditions and my partner. Based on discussions with Seth, I was also open to doing more sport climbs this season. 

Split Decision (5.10a)

Till mid-April, I was skiing with my daughter on Grouse almost twice a week, so I didn’t climb much early in the season. My first climbing session was on March 28, and I had two more sessions in April. I mainly did easy climbs (5.7-5.9) in these initial sessions around the Parking Lot Wall and Burgers and Fries. Of the 11 climbs I did, only one was a 5.10a.

I climbed more frequently in May and had four sessions at Smoke Bluffs and Murrin Park. One of these sessions was a kids’ climbing trip with another family at Sidecar in Blind Channel Crags.

In one of the last evening sessions in May, Jesse, Raph and I hiked up to the base of Klahanie Crack (5.7) and climbed it for warm-up. Then, we climbed Split Decision 5.10a. The route was not in ideal condition as it was wet and not clean. But higher up, it got better and had some interesting moves under the bolted arch to the anchor. This was probably my favorite 10a of the season so far.

Unfortunately, after these two climbs, I felt a sharp pain running through my forearms and biceps, and my left side felt very weak. I wrapped up climbing for the day while Jesse and Raph did a few more climbs in the area.

The physio said that my left shoulder was weak and my arms were overcompensating for it, which resulted in the pain. For the next few weeks, I did the exercises recommended by the physio. I returned to climbing after 10 days, and my shoulder seemed to return to normal. I did 20 climbs in May, including about seven 5.10a/b climbs.

Mar-May 2023

• Total Climbs – 31
• 5.10a or higher – 11

Thorax Complaint (5.10c/d)

In June, I started climbing twice a week. I would typically climb on a Wednesday and then again on Saturday/Sunday. For this season, I was going to focus on cragging, so I didn’t plan any Mountaineering / Alpine trips.

My first 10c climb of the season was “What Crag” with Jesse at the Commune in Murrin Park. It was a short (9 m) sport climb with a mix of good moves and was a fun climb. 

With Holly and her kids, we had another excellent kids climbing session at Free and Easy. Anders also joined and helped belay the kids. 

As the season progressed, I got on a good number of 5.10a/b climbs but had yet to try a single 5.10d. Finally, in the first week of July, I got on Two Pinks and a Blue (5.10d) mixed route with a bolted face crux right at the beginning. I couldn’t make it past the first bolt, which was a humbling experience. 

A few days later, I had another such experience on The White Mile (5.10c sport). I got past three bolts this time but was shut down soon after that. But it felt good to at least give it a try. 

End of the day, as Raph and I were walking past respiration rock, I decided to try Thorax Complaint (5.10d on The Crag, 5.10c in the guidebook). Last year, I had done Coronary Bypass (5.10a) next to it. Thorax Complaint was a similar roof crack but much harder.

I struggled to get on the roof for a while, and Raph was very patient as I took a couple of rests. Finally, once I had a good jam on the roof, I was able to get up the roof and finish the climb. Not a wise choice to do this climb at the end of the day, but I was happy to get up this route. In June and July, I did 68 climbs total and 28 of these climbs were 5.10a or higher.

Mar-July 2023

• Total Climbs – 99
• 5.10a or higher – 39

Mooshie Corner (5.10d)

Early August, Neha and I were climbing at Krack Rock, and after a couple of climbs, I got up on a 10d corner climb called Mooshie Corner. 

The deep corner climb was pumpy but technically less challenging than I expected. Higher up, one could go left or right. I still had the energy and took the slightly harder variation to the left. This was my first clean climb of a Trad 10d.

I continued to seek out harder climbs, especially 10c, as I hadn’t done many of them. A Little Testis (5.10c Trad) in Up Among The Firs in Murrin Park was one such climb. It is one of the most sought-after climbs at the crag, as it offers some great jamming. 

However, the Totally Clips (5.10b Sport) climb at the same crag was mentally more taxing for me. Maybe it was just my lack of skill in face-climbing.

The hardest climb I did in August was a 10c Trad climb called Sideshow in Boulder Gully in Smoke Bluffs. It was a short climb but was exhausting trying to figure out the moves and protection in the varying wide crack. I was not wearing my Ocun gloves, and my hands sorely missed them. I finally made it to the top, but it was not graceful. 

I added 41 more climbs in August, with 20 of these 10a or higher. The season total by the end of August was 140 climbs.

Mar-Aug 2023

• Total Climbs – 140
• 5.10a or higher – 59

Something Short (5.10d/11a)

I had walked past Something Short, a 5.11a (10d on The Crag) climb, a couple of times and had always wondered if I would get up this route. In early September, as we were heading back to the car after a good day of climbing, I decided to give it a try. I should have continued walking.

I was shut down pretty soon and was barely off the ground, even after multiple attempts. Two weeks later, I was back here with Neha. This time, I did a warm-up climb at Tunnel Rock and walked back to Something Short, thinking I had more in the tank to tackle this beast.

In preparation for this climb, I watched a couple of videos. One was on YouTube, and another was from Cody, who had recorded his friend’s climb. 

The videos were helpful, but I still struggled. From thin finger cracks to hand jams in varying cracks, this route had everything and something new compared to my previous climbs. After multiple rests and falls, I made it to the top. It was by far the hardest climb I had done ever. Neha and I celebrated with a Lassi in Squamish.

Climbing volume dropped in September, as we had some intermittent rains. I also started having severe back pains early in the morning, limiting my climbing. I have been doing exercises recommended by the physio and have had some massage therapy sessions that have helped. Still, I am not back to normal yet. 

I only did one session in October with easy climbs and decided to wrap up the season. But I am happy, as I exceeded the goals (volume and difficulty) I had set for the season.

Mar-Oct 2023

• Total Climbs – 175
• 5.10a or higher – 77

2023 Summary

Here is a summary of 2023 climbing in charts –

Here is the Climber Performance Rating Timeline looks like for my Trad Climbing on TheCrag – 

Don’t have much volume in Sport, but here is what the Climber Performance Rating chart looks like –

The Climber Performance Rating is a neat metric on TheCrag website, and you can read more about it here. While it was interesting to see an upward trend in my CPR score (reached a max of 2670) this season, the more interesting part was the Floating CPR, which for me meant that I should be able to redpoint harder climbs (up to 5.11c for Trad). 

I had pushed my comfort zone this season and made more red point climbs than just focusing on on-sight climbs. However the floating CPR indicated that there was room for me to try harder. 

Overall it was an excellent season, and coaching with Seth, the Grade Pyramid approach and TheCrag metrics helped me rethink my approach to trad climbing. I think I have a good base to build on and further improve my trad climbing next year.

What made the experience even more fulfilling was having amazing friends to share some of these special moments. Thank you!

Territory Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge that this trip took place on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I commit to learning about Indigenous peoples and issues and making reconciliation an ongoing effort.

Source: Native-Land Pronunciation Guide: First Nations.info

Resources:

First Nation Sites: Musqueam | Squamish | Tsleil-Waututh

Grade Pyramid: My Previous Post | Good Spray Climbing | Power Company Climbing

Glossary of climbing terms

The Crag: My Profile | Climber Performance Rating

Training: Evoke Endurance

Disclosure: I work part time for Evoke Endurance. However, the Evoke Endurance or any other links I have shared in the post and under the Resources section are not Affiliate Links.

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