TRAINING: keeping the ball alive

people want to talk a lot about training it seems, and my opinion is that training makes a big difference.

i often ask if a new climber can do 10 pull ups - not because i care if they actually can, but because it instantly shows their attitude to training.

training matters because being stronger and more precise with your movements is better for everything.

the old 'climbing is the best training for climbing' adage i dispute. of course climbing is good for climbing, but its not the best.

the climber who climbs a lot will be good. the climber who climbs a lot and trains will be better. there comes a point where you need to pull beyond your own weight, recruit antagonistic muscle groups and cut thru strength plateaus.

a way to do that is to stack on more weight and set yourself a series of developmental exercises, and whether thats in a gym or on an indoor wall guess what? its training.

the problem with climbers attitudes to training comes in two ways; they think 'training' means weights and gyms, and they dont want to reflect that much of the climbing they already do is only at a training level anyway.

understand the premise that anything done to get better, rather than expose your best, is training. its also the first step in understanding what it takes to actually develop, rather than just repeating unevaluated inefficiences and weaknesses.

so what do you train?

you train your weaknesses.

common weakness that i see in almost every climber and myself are:

• lack of stamina for the approach: people that can do 20 pullups who cant slog 2hrs thru snow with 15kgs of gear.
• lack of co-ordination to make asymetric and non-symetric movements with precision: people that dont realize they have different strengths and weaknesses left and right, top and bottom.
• lack of body integrity: people that grip too hard, take too much weight on their arms, cant connect upper and lower body movements.
• lack of cardio-capacity: people that spend too much energy needlessly then cant recover well.
• lack of body awareness: people that have a limited repetoire of applied strengths.

so what to do?

• for stamina you can do endless squats with weight and hours on a ski machine, but throwing a heavy pack on and walking and running hills is better. gym stamina stuff is good as a back ground to a session, with lots of reps to stress muscle groups, but unless you can afford to do 3hrs sessions then the hills and trails is the better way.
• for co-ordination the gym comes into its own. gradually increasing the weight & complexity of full-body, non-machine lifts is a quantifiable way to get there. off-setting them with antagonizing exercises and high rep/low weight sets further mixes it up to create clearer pathways amidst greater muscular confusion.
• for integrity its similar to co-ordination, except its about form under stress. the stress can come from weight, fatigue, balance or complexity and the focus is on maintaining efficiency.
• for cardio-capacity its about intensity. overload your bodys oxygen demands with big-muscle movements and learn to keep it going, both increasing your capacity and finding opportunities to rest.
• for awareness mix it up. endless combinations and juxtapozed big guy/small guy exercises to expose your body to alternative strengths and weaknesses. engage in lifts and rep counts with edge: a little dangerous, that youre not sure you can finish, that will hurt if your form collapses.

theres no lack of exercises and workouts out there so i wont fill this space with them. thats not the problem. digesting the applications is. and the only way to keep the applications alive is to put your ass on the line.

keep the risk factor relevant by intentionally not adapting. staying away from machines is the start. anything youre not good at combine at a critical time when form matters.

you should go into every training session - whether its on the trail, on the ice, in the gym, at the wall - with an idea of whats ahead and the tingle that you may not be able to complete it.

some times you will, sometimes you wont. and looking into what decided that is the actuality of what training is all about.

EASY ACCESS BIG CANYONING

thought youd never see those words in the same sentence huh?

another guide has spilled the beans on his secret project and we are off to work the anchors out next week.

this is BIG. about 15 significant waterfalls, with lots of small ones in between, about 1000m of descent and almost NO WALK IN.

think about it - all the tech stuff and multiple descents without having to haul all the gear 1000m up.

cant wait to see the place in winter.

for now just got some old photos and a hand drawn topo from a japanese sawa nobori guy, but more after when weve taken our own.

heres what we have to go by:

from the topo theres 20 falls, about a third of them higher than 15m. this makes it an ideal first big canyon or somewhere to dial in your descending technique before launching into the multiday stuff.

stay tuned for when we get back.

just back

just stepped in from a BIG 3 day descent down kai komagatake in the minami alps.

theres at least 30 big falls down the entire 2000m of descent, some done in several pitches. also several jumps into big aquamarine pools, lots of swimming and cool places to bivvy.

not for the timid, this is the real deal.

just like winter its early starts. except its not -18c.

the well dressed big canyoneer. note the trail running shoes, light colours and hydration system for the approach.

notice also the bear bell and the sign on the right bridge pylon showing a bear warning.



 

the bivvy at the top at just under 3000m. well protected from the winds even tho its just a ledge 3m wide.

a good picture of the jungle hammocks we use

 

looking down the barrel. the bottom of the first abseil and already committed.

notice we are above the cloud level.

 

hauling the rope. plenty of that with over 20 abseils, many a full ropes length.

that coil of orange 6mm cord hanging from my harness started at 20m long, used for anchors.

it was all gone half way thru the 3rd day.

john at the base of yet another big abseil (and behind what looks like a dope plant but actually isnt in case you were wondering).

now we are in the clouds, tho it isnt raining.

notice too water is starting to run in the canyon. compare that to the volume in later pictures.

 

another long abseil.

the water volumes increasing and weve dropped thru the cloud level.

second nights bivvy at the base of the steep section and where the lower gradient river starts.

a good shot of the hammocks.

its the same place we set up BC in winter. hard to imagine it under a few meters of snow and the river frozen.

 

now you can see the size of the pools we are swimming across. deep, blue-green and so clear they can be checked safely from above.

not many photos after here as the camera was stashed inside a dry bag so rarely came out, but we were jumping 10m waterfalls, sliding 30m chutes and still several +30m abseils to come.

looking closely you can see the very top of the canyon on the skyline: the distinct notch in the ridge down to the left from the summit.

at this point weve probably dropped about 1500m.

 

BIG CANYONING SEASON

its about as far from ice season as it gets right now.

+30c days, high humidity and temperatures at 2500m getting to around 20c makes any ice formation, even in Japan, impossible.

BUT theres still stuff to do. BIG stuff that like ice climbing, few other people are doing, far from the over-crowded outdoor ‘adventure’ meccas that is all many ever see of Japans wilderness.
over the summer we will be running some of the winter climbing areas as canyons – same place, through the looking glass.

waterfalls that we climb in winter we now rappel. ice sheets we edged around we can now swim across. all the down jackets and goretex pants are now replaced by wetsuits and boardshorts. the sub-zero nights huddled in frozen tents are now spent warm, swinging in hammocks. that frozen lost kingdom of winter ice comes alive as

these are serious canyons, just as comitted and remote as the climbing in winter. amazing places few ever get to see. like the winter version most are 2 or 3 day undertakings, with solid approaches and total self-sufficiency – not like the pussy 1hr trips some companies are selling as ‘canyoning’.

our interest was sparked with clients asking what the gullies and waterfalls were like in summer。
so we had a look and i will tell you now, they are amazing.

$$$$$
cost is 30,000 yen per person per day with the usual discounts for more than 3 people or 3 days. yeah, its a bit expensive – but for it you get the real deal, in remote places, with qualified guides, specialized gear and ‘A-list’ access. no crowds of punters guaranteed.

like always, this covers all the pro gear, guiding, permits and training.
what you need to bring is:

• hat
• minimum 4 liter water carrying capacity (approaches are hot and dry)
• trail running shoes (please no hiking boots or ‘special’ canyoning shoes)
• large day pack (40L is good)
• change of clothes AND warm layer (you dont want to be wet all the time)
• several dry bags (real ones, no garbage bags)
• hammock (mexican/parachute hammocks will do, but ones with bug mesh are much better)
• food for each day (we will provide stoves – no fires)
• sun cream
• bug cream
• bear bell (no joking)

be prepared for lots of walking, lots of rappelling, lots of swimming.

SO YOU THINK YOUR WINTERS ARE REALLY EXTREME?

What the..!?

Yep, there’s nothing like ice climbing.

Whether you just want to try it or are training for bigger things, no one forgets their time ice climbing.

Some say rock climbing is a religion. Which then makes ice climbing a cult.

In Japan???

You bet. The country’s covered in water falls and much of it hits well below freezing during winter.

Lots of peaks in japan sit above 2000m, which means it can be relatively mild at valley level and perfect higher up.

Whats more, theres often good access and no crowds. If you’ve come from North America or Europe you may be pleasantly surprised.

Isn’t it insanely dangerous???

It can be. But not in this case.

We climb only in areas we are well experienced in, using only the best equipment designed specifically for the purpose, taking every safety precaution we know of.

Your safety is our priority, but there are some accepted risks that we thoroughly discuss in detail and minimize.

What’s it gonna cost then?

That depends on where, what, for how long and a few other things.

Honshu: Yatsugatake, Kaikomagatake, Amitabadake

￥30,000 per person per day*

Hokkaido: Sounkyo

￥33,000 per person per day (minimum 2 people/2days)

*discounts for multiple days and groups of 3 or more

This covers:

l  Boots (specialized for climbing)

l  Snowshoes (when needed)

l  All hardware (helmets, crampons, ice tools, protection, ropes etc)

l  Guiding (instruction, belaying, logistics, opinions and experience)

l  Lunch (high calorie, western, hot, nutrient dense, coffee/tea, vegetarian etc if requested)

l  Permits/fees (camping, wall fees)

This doesn’t cover:

l  Snacks

l  Hotel accommodation

l  Transport (except Hokkaido transport to/from Sounkyo-roadhead)

l  Insurance

l  Extra meals

*a note on insurance

Ice climbing is not the easiest thing to insure, especially for foreign visitors.

To keep things reasonable we suggest climbers get their own insurance through IHI bupa, a company that specializes in travel insurance for climbers and expeditions.

Rates are competitive and policies easily arranged online.

Cold weather camping gear can be arranged at ￥5000 per day.

Should I really be doing this??

If you can do 3 pull ups, snowshoe with a day pack on and don’t mind the cold, then yeah.

Don’t be fooled by the stuff on YouTube – those guys are pros.

If you’re new to ice climbing we start on a super-safe ice wall, then head out to natural forming icefalls when you’re ready.

Think though: its not like comparing indoor ‘rock’ walls with the real thing. Man-made ice walls are just as steep and difficult as the natural ones, just they are safer and have cafes at the bottom.

Who the hell are you?

Japaniceclimbing is a small operation run by seasoned guides.

Front man is Ed Hannam, known throughout Japans guiding community for his independent and pro-active attitude.

Ed’s background consists of 5 years canyoning guiding in Japan, 12 years of climbing trips to the great ranges in China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Nepal and Sikkim, expeditions into Laos, the Gobi, Iran and Tibet plus extensive experience in Central Asia.

Ed trained in Nepal and Pakistan as a high altitude guide and instructs climbing guides in Sichuan, China.

Career highlights include ice first ascents in China and Tibet and expeditions to K2, the Pamir and the Kunlun.

During the 2011 Great Tohoku Disaster Ed co-directed a small specialist logistics team working in the worst hit and most remote areas of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, being awarded a special commendation from the mayor of Rikuzantakada.

His henchmen all have extensive ice, alpine, backcountry and rope-specific guiding backgrounds.

So how do we make it happen?

Contact me.

If you’re already heading over here skiing you’re most of the way there.

Tell me how many people, how many days, where you want to go and anything else I should know  (beginners, training, vegan, freaked out by heights etc).

Then I will get back to you with the details.

All you need to bring is:

l  Snacks (high calorie but go easy on the sugar)

l  As many gloves as you have (seriously, I carry 4 or 5 pairs)

l  Several pairs of socks (even the best ice boots need padding)

l  Warm clothes (windproof outerlayers, warm hat…)

l  Day pack

l  Sunglasses

l  Camera

l  Thermos

WINTERS COMING!!

whatever the time of year, winter is coming. either doing it or getting ready to do it, theres a way to make this season the best youve had yet.