Provo, UT

Most rock climbers in the world probably have to drive at least half an hour to their nearest climbing gym. Are we spoiled or what???! Half an hour will get us to hundreds of world-class climbing routes and, if you prefer, at least half a dozen professional indoor gyms. (I’ll write a separate post about those.)

Perhaps the most popular beginner climbing area within walking distance of the city is Red Slab, and a 5.6 route along its left side, also named Red Slab, is the most popular climb. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve put ropes up for beginners to get their first hands-on experience with 70′ of vertical rock. Most of them have a great time on this route which is just hard enough to challenge and just easy enough to be mostly fun and not scary.

The view from on top is FANTASIC!!! You wouldn’t think that an additional 70′ of elevation would make such a difference, but it does. I’ve sat atop the slab and watched the sun set over Utah Lake many, many times.

I should clarify what I mean by “beginner.” You must either know the basics of how to tie knots, operate belay devices, put on your harness (yes, sometimes people do this wrong and get into serious trouble!) and other elements OR bring someone along who does and who carefully monitors everyone who connects to either end of the rope. You probably have several neighbors with climbing gear and enough experience to take you out if you beg long enough or bake him/her enough cookies.

While you might think the most common climbing injuries happen to climbers “pushing the envelope,” you’d be wrong. Experienced climbers manage their risk better and rarely make the simple mistakes that lead to most accidents. Provo Mountain Rescue handles accidents in Rock Canyon, so I don’t know the exact stats for this area, but I know that experience teaches people not to go places where beginners may not even realize they’re in trouble.

Red slab sits 150′ to the right (south) of Rock Canyon, after you’ve left the parking lot (straight above the Provo LDS Temple - you can’t miss it) and walked 150 yards or so. Climb the obvious trail to the base of the slab.

Now I’m going to assume that you’ll bring along your experienced climber and won’t really need me to explain the following terms and tips, but knowing these things in advance may impress your guide.

Slab: a slab is a rock that’s less than straight up (or very nearly so). If Red Slab was five or ten degrees steeper, it would lose its status as a slab.

Steep: nothing is “steep” unless it’s at least very nearly vertical. Overhanging rock is also steep.

5.6: this number, using the Yosemite Decimal System, rates how difficult a climbing route is. Rock climbing routes all begin with 5 and the number following the decimal tells the difficulty. 5.1 is too easy to even bother with in most cases, 5.4 is about the easiest route you’ll find, 5.8 or .9 may challenge an athletic beginner, and 5.12-5.15 routes are only climbed by serious climbers. Don’t say the decimal - it’s just “five six” or “five seven.”

Bolt/hanger: bolt hangers (or just “bolts”) are the metal things drilled to the rock where lead climbers can clip their quickdraws as they lead the route. Here’s a photo of me setting a bolt after drilling a hole in Provo Canyon.

Anchors: at the top of most routes are anchors. These are often bolts with chains attached through which the rope may pass. Climbers may then rappel from the route without leaving their own gear. Often simply called “the chains.”
Quickdraw: two carabiners connected by a short webbing sling. One end clips to the rock (bolt or natural protection) and the other end to the rope.

Natural Protection/Natural Pro/Trad Gear: instead of placing permanent bolts, some routes make climbers set their own pieces in cracks which they clip the rope to. Such pieces include chocks (nuts), cams, and others. This is called “traditional” climbing and some purists think bolts should never, ever be drilled into rock, though climbing many routes would be impossible without them.

Lead Climbing: starting from the bottom and clipping the rope (into bolts or pro) as the climber ascends. A fall is possible of twice as far as the climber has gone past the last clip plus any rope stretch.

Belayer: the person who controls the passage of the rope to the climber. If the climber falls, the belayer (or just “belay”) keeps the rope from sliding with a belay device (such as a figure eight, ATC or gri gri) and thus keeps the climber from falling any more than necessary (as long as the bolts or pro is attached and dependable).

Top Roping: once the rope has reached the top of the route, it may be passed through top anchors. If the belayer is at the base of the climb, the rope goes from the belay up through the anchors and down to the climber. The belay keeps the rope tight (how tight depends on the climber’s preference) and if the climber falls, they should only fall as far as the rope stretches, which is usually about 5% of the rope length between the belay and the climber.

Flake: a sharp rock outcropping.

Sloper: a hold that slopes downward. Kind of scary sometimes though often adequate.

Bucket: a hold like grabbing the edge of a bucket. Very easy.

Pinch: pinching a hold between fingers and thumb. Works well on flakes.

Smear: Getting as much rubber on the bottom of your climbing shoes against the rock as possible for maximum traction. You may need to drop your heel or place your foot sideways.

Bulge: a small bulge in the rock which offers a slightly less-steep area, usually a good spot to smear.

Batman: remember the old Adam West Batman TV show? Remember how he and Robin would toss their grappling hooks up a building and then walk right up? Well you can sort of do that when top roping. The difference is that you NEVER pull on your own rope. If you do, you create slack between the rope and your harness, and that means when you let go, you’ll fall. Instead, get the belay line (the rope going down to the belay) into your hands and pull on that. Get the belay to lock off and sit down to help hoist you up. This is a great technique if you get stuck at a crux and just want to “cheat” past it and get on with a fun climb.

Beta: beta is advice given to the climber, like “There’s a huge hold to your right” or “The bolt is right in front of your face!” (I’ve done that one).

Beta: now for some specific beta for climbing Red Slab in case you want it.

• The first 20′ are super-easy. You’ll be feeling pretty good about your skills and your ability to top out.
• The next 15′, though, are the crux. Lucky for you, some rock has broken apart in recent years and made it easier.
• You may need to side pull (pull sideways on a crack while leaning your body to the left in this case - like in the above photo), and at the top of the crux you’ll reach for a big flake. Since it’s a sloper, you may not feel comfortable, but just pinch it and trust it. It’s great!
• Finally, you’ll need to smear a foot just to the right of the crack on a small bulge. If you do it right, with plenty of rubber against the rock, it will stick great! (As a climber in Joshua Tree, California once told me: “Trust the friction, Luke!”)
• Then reach high left for the next big hold and from then on, it’s easy!
• Just continue up and right toward the anchors.
• Batman if you need to just to pass the crux, and do it before you burn out or get scared - the point is to have fun, not climb perfectly on your first try. 15′ from the top is another slight challenge, but if you did the crux, it’ll be no problem.

If you don’t want to lead Red Slab, you can scramble to the top, run the rope through the chains, rappel, and everyone can top rope. You can either scramble from the bottom of the slab where there’s a 10′ wall to climb, then an easy scramble to the top, or hike to the far-right side of Red Slab (but not around any corners) and climb a relatively easy but exposed route to the top of the slab. If you do this, BE CAREFUL! And don’t knock any rocks down. I’ve been on the route before when people above started throwing rocks down that barely missed me.

Most of all, just have fun! Some days, climbing is about pushing your limits, getting scared, and feeling SOOOOOO GREAT when you finish. For most people, climbing is mostly about having a great time, so don’t worry if you don’t do everything perfectly the first time (except for safety measures, of course - you should worry if you don’t do them perfectly!).

Also, be considerate. If you’re just not making it up the wall, don’t hang there forever and make everyone wait for you. Either go for it, batman, or come down and let someone else give it a try.

If you want to take up climbing yourself, take a course at a local climbing gym like The Quarry (next to Movies 8 ) and stay within your comfort zone until you’ve got some experience. After all, experience is what you get when you don’t have experience, and you’ll definitely want to live through your initial experience!