We’ll be accepting applications until March 1st, 2012.

Seeking shelter under the Rainy Day Roof, Jackson Falls, IL

Is it snowing on your holiday? Raining on your parade? …actually, I can’t help with the second one. But if snow is falling right before you were planning on sending, you better not shout and you better not cry – and I’ll tell you why! Snow may be inconvenient for us rock-hounds, but with a little preparation it usually doesn’t have to stop us. Here are some tips to make escaping FFF (Forced Family Fun) a little easier this holiday season.

1. Beware Falling Debris: After a dump of the white stuff, you’ll probably have to wait about a day for holds to dry off. Once the freeze/thaw cycle has started, keep a sharp eye out for ice, snow, and rock that might fall soon. Wear a helmet, and seek the most sheltered climbs. Be cautious everywhere – especially on the approach.
2. Bring a Tarp: Don’t look surprised when you get to the crag and there is nowhere dry to set your stuff. Unless you want to build a leaning tower of gear, bring a tarp (the ground-cloth from a tent works well).
3. Butt Pad: Toasty buns will make you climb 3 letter grades harder…maybe. In any case, bring a small piece of foam or a sleeping pad to prevent FCS (Frozen Cheeks Syndrome). 
4. Take Sticks: If you’re walking very far or over rough terrain, a pair of trekking poles prove very handy. Old ski poles work almost as well and only cost $5 at a garage sale.
5. High Tops and Gaiters: Even one dump of snow into your shoes is enough to end your day. Prevent it with boots and/or gaiters (even if you look dorky).

What other tricks do you use to extend your season? Share them in the comments!

1. Don’t believe yourself.  If you’re like I was, you’re thinking, “there is no way I can pull this off.”  Well, consider believing me anyway.  I rarely climbed harder than 11- a year ago, and in the past 10 months I’ve sent 32  5.12’s.  5.12 is such a great grade, because it’s really hard, but it’s also really attainable for most people with a bit of effort.  Also, you can tailor this goal to yourself – there is a big difference between 12a and 12d.

2. Start small.  Find a couple low-end 12’s that fit your strengths to gain some momentum for the journey ahead.  Short routes, with short cruxes are ideal to convince yourself you can actually climb 5.12.  Send a couple of these, and you’ll have the strength and confidence to start eyeing longer, more sustained lines. 

3. Climb for quality – climb for redpoints.  The goal is measured by numbers, but it’s about self-improvement and fun.  Don’t waste your time chasing numbers on crappy pitches – find high quality lines that you are excited to spend some time on, and make multiple attempts in the same day.  You’ll be surprised what you can send in two tries, as opposed to onsighting.  Note that, if you fall on an onsight attempt, its helps a lot to go ahead and finish the route, so you know what to expect on the redpoint.  Sport routes will probably make up the bulk of your list, but I encourage you to climb routes that attract you, whether they are protected by gear, bolts, or both.

4. Rest.  Proper rest is essential between redpoint burns.  Don’t expect to climb the same quantity of routes in a day as you used to.  Remember – you’re using a different strategy.  One of my favorite resting techniques is to nap in a “sending hammock.”  These hammocks look just like any other, but they are actually a cocoon of muscle repairing goodness that will carry you to glory.  In any case, don’t rush it.  Rest up, and send hard.

Hopefully, this is enough to get you psyched on some goal.  Tweak it, double it, make it your own.  Get your partner(s) stoked on a goal of his/her own and pursue them together.  If you expect this goal to be your biggest achievement in climbing, just wait until redpoint 18 or so – you’ll realize this was just training, and now you’re really ready to get out there and blow the top off your self-expectations.  And keep in mind – 20 .13’s in 2013 is pretty catchy, too…

Eldo is a heads-up kinda place – any new leader embarking on Calypso (5.6) will know what I mean. The gear is (usually) there, but its less than obvious (and less than comforting at times). I’ve wanted to climb Over the Hill (5.10b) for years, and finally got around to it this weekend… twice… Did I mention that I love climbing? I clipped the first fixed pin and entered crux number one. Quickly, I realized I have never done any remotely hard stemming moves – and Over the Hill is all stemming. A featureless right-hand wall meets a somewhat textured left-hand wall in a 90 degree corner – the holds that do exist face the corner. “I guess I don’t have to worry about hurting my finger,” I thought, as I pressed my palms against the walls through the lower crux. Exhilarated by the unique movement, I scampered to the ledge below the upper crux, squeezed behind a tree, and spent five minutes figuring out how to get off the ledge without crashing back through the tree. Want the beta? Left finger mono-pocket, right thumb pressing a dime edge (okay a nickel-edge), and a good left foot. Voila! I was in the upper dihedral ready for the upper crux. A few more press moves and a few more pitons landed me on top – smiling. My partner has climbed this route at least once a year for the past 25 years, so he cruised right up it. Next up was the beautiful, arcing arête to the right, rising 150ft from the talus.

After watching my partner spend an hour fighting the wind and cold on Aerospace (5.11R) I decided against that level of suffering this early in Eldo season. But, (un?)fortunately, the weather was better the next day, and I promised Jeff I would do it the next time we were there. The bottom of the route has potential for a ground fall from 25 feet, so that was quite a “welcome back” to Eldo. Tiny water-formed divots and edges carried me through the delicate crux, and I was greeted by more run-outs. I almost fell 15ft out from a bolt when the micro cam I was testing ripped! So I placed the cam again (because it looked friendlier than 30ft of slack) and backed it up with a brassie. Had I taken a number 3 or 4 BallNut, I would have been totally confident in the gear. Next time!

It all came together, though – one more tough section followed by gorgeous views through the exposed 5.8ish headwall, and the send was complete! The best part will be repeating it for years to come with the comfort of familiarity and, of course, the crucial BallNut.

Eldo season is open for business, and I’m in love with the place – for now.

The winners of the Trango, Rocktoberfest 2011 raffle are:

 1^st Prize: BetaStick Compact stick-clip – Liam Dillon

Grand Prize: 10 Smooth Quickdraws – Christine Emmerton

 What a great weekend!  Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the great weather and contribute to a really important cause.  For those of you who don’t know, the Red River Gorge Climbers Coalition (RRGCC) puts on Rocktoberfest every year to raise money to pay the mortgage on the Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve (PMRP), which is home to hundreds of routes at iconic crags such as the Motherload.  As climbers, it is a special privilege to have control of the access to the rock we hold so dear.  The final payment on the land is due in 2013 – we are so close!

 This was my first time at an event like this, and it went extremely well.  There was so much psyche in the Trango booth that I could hardly keep up.  Brad and Kelsey came out to support Trango, and we couldn’t have done it without them!  Between talking with participants, running around to hardware stores, and sending some hard routes, they had their hands full! 

 The evenings were filled with events like the dyno comp, live music, climbing movies and slideshows, and crate stacking.  Crate stacking is a game in which you stack milk crates as high as you can while climbing up the tiny column of plastic until it topples over.  A handful of participants made it over 20 crates, getting pretty close to the crane that was belaying them!

 We did some demos at the Boneyard inMuirValleyon Saturday, which was a fun process.  I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy hanging out at a crag talking shop about Trango’s awesome climbing gear?  What products got the most attention, you ask?  The BetaStick Compact stick clip is relatively new, and people were always amazed at how long it becomes from such a short, lightweight, and easily packable size.  The head on the BetaStick holds the carabiner at an angle that makes snagging that first (or second or third) bolt a breeze.  The Cinch was also a big hit.  The Cinch gives the smoothest feed for lead belaying of any other belay device because it allows the rope to travel through in  a straight line, whereas other devices always have a bend in the rope.  This auto-assisted locking device is invaluable, especially while pushing yourself on some of the best sport climbing in theUS(The Red!).

 People were also stoked on the Smooth Quickdraws.  (*Checkout the video on our new homepage!) Two words sum up these draws: tough and light.  I have never used such a lightweight, high performance sport climbing draw.  Most “light” draws have skinny little dogbones and wiregates to cut weight, but the Smooths are able to keep the weight to a minimum and still have all the features you look for in a primo sport draw: notchless gates on full-size carabiners, strong spring action, and a beefy nylon dogbone, tapered at each end.  And for a limited time, there’s one more word to sum up these draws: SALE!  Check out the 5-packs on our special offers page to save almost 40%!

 Thanks again to all the participants who made the event a success!  I can’t wait to see you all again next year at Rocktoberfest 2012! 

 Keep sending,

Adam Sanders

Trango - Red Rocks Rendevous

Well folks it’s been a week since we braved the Nevada winds, sun , rain, sand and… did you see snow? I am pretty sure I did. Though I was told all of this was typical for the Red Rocks Rendezvous, I wouldn’t know, this was my first one. Normally the Trango team keeps me safe and away from others in the warehouse, where I perform the absolutely necessary (and daunting) task of getting things in and out the door, as this is my job as the Logistics Coordinator. This year however, we thought we’d take a chance and allow myself some time in the great outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of shipping and receiving and instead allow me some time to meet our fans and our customers– to meet the folks who up until now were just names on a UPS shipping screen. Plus, I had never even been to Las Vegas; What’s that you say? Trango will pay for me to go to Las Vegas–Count me in!

OK, so I will have to admit, I’m a bit of “noob” climber, and I had no idea that such a beautiful place existed right outside of the City of Sin. Living in beautiful Boulder, Colorado has allowed me to get in some really great climbing with out having to travel very far. So when my girlfriend and I arrived, rented the car and started driving west on hwy 215 towards Red Rocks, I was excited to see that there was more to Vegas than Seline Dion and Hollywood Hangover’s.

Spring Mountain Ranch was the location for the event, a pristine state park in the middle of the desert with brilliant sandstone walls keeping watch over the rolling hills of Juniper Valley. In the middle of the park was center stage for the event and a few hundred yards away was the on- site camping for sponsors and event participants. Trango was among about 20 other climbing and outdoor industry sponsors who had set up booths to show off their gear and answer any questions, as well as entice participants to go and purchase our products from the Mountain Gear store , Mountain Gear being the event organizer we were more than happy to do so.

Having spent most of my time in the Trango warehouse, shipping products out to people, it was really great to actually see folks come to the booth and be really excited about our truly innovative and unique products. Almost every person who came to the booth wanted to play with the Big Bros (“whoa…that’s a big crack” was heard more than once”), try out our auto-assist belay device the Cinch (“ this is so much smaller, lighter and has a smoother feed than the [insert competitors product here]..” was often the response) and were amazed at the feather light Superfly Carabiners (“oh man…these come in lockers now…sweeet!”). Also people loved our climbing knife selection especially the lightweight and cleverly designed Piranha Knife (“wait… it has a screwdriver AND a bottle opener…?”). I learned a lot about our customers and received a lot of positive feedback. For me, it was great to do an event like this simply to see that people are really stoked about our products and that there is more to climbing than whose puffy jacket is puffier; who has lived out of their car the longest and who has the nicest rack ( get it…rack)…Its more than all that…it’s about community.

Though the winds were against us, this years Red Rocks Rendezvous was a huge success, though next year I’ll schedule some time to actually climb and work on keeping the EZ- Up on the ground. Being given a chance to go out there and represent Trango; a company that people whole-heartedly love and has such a strong tradition rooted in the climbing community was an honor. I look forward to seeing you all next year. A big shout out to Paul Fish, President and founder of Mountain Gear for giving all of us– “Old timers” to “Noobs”– a chance to come together and experience what it really means to be a climber.

-Jared Clark

Team Trango Logistics Coordinator

Cold morning in Red Rocks

To learn more you can log on to  http://www.absnationals.org/

Here’s a cool video tralier  from ABS…enjoy…

ABS 12 National Championships: Official Trailer from NE2C on Vimeo.

http://www.cpr.org/article/Risky_Business