beta figure8

You’ll find this route on the center column facing the lead wall and if you like surprise endings, you’ll dig this route. It has some real fun moves and some fun features. You’ll find a nice mix of pinches and buckets with just enough grit to make a nine.



The route starts off with a small hold start with a long reach to a huge mantle hold. Once you get your hand over it, the mantle is not a bad hold but it is a decent stretch even for me at five eleven. From here it is a straight forward climb to the top with a few shake outs. The last 8 holds from the top out get pinchy but if you move quick, you’ll get there. Set to Don’t Fight it by Gavin Turek.

This route is in the back corner next to the auto-belay and it is a douse. It’s a blue route with some nice corner work in the middle but the top is all tiny holds. This route isn’t rated yet but we have a spoiler for you.



This route starts like many in this corner with some opposing corner holds. About half way up there is a pair of inverted pockets and a weird reach through that hangs you hard right. After that, you clear a series of two finger pockets and some tiny holds and before you know it, you’re at the top. Set to Feel It Still – Portugal. The Man

It has been too long. The last figure8 Podcast episode was published back in January 2017 so I thought a nice easy 5.7 route would be a good warm up for my day and for the Podcast.



This orange route is on the center column near the bouldering wall and is a nice warm up route to start the day. Most of the holds are nice buckets with a few smaller holds to get your hands warm. The great thing I like about this route is that if you’re pushing through it pretty fast you can slow down a bit or skip some holds to get a better burn.

This video is also the first to use some new test graphics. You’ll notice new intro, route card, and bumper images. The bumper images are also the first to include our new @climbfigure8 social accounts. Have a look, check the route, let us know.

 

I have been climbing on the guest pass of a friend at Salt Pump for a while. We have a routine, we climb a few top rope routes, get pumped out and call it a day. I’m lead certified at evo Rock + Fitness but had never bothered to get lead certified elsewhere. Until today, when we decided it was time to take my lead test.



I haven’t been climbing lead in a while so I was a bit nervous that I was not going to finish the test. You see, when you test on lead, they often ask you to climb on a route above a specific grade. Since I’ve been rocking the 5.6 – 5.10 routes lately, I wasn’t too excited to test on a 5.11 lead route. Especially since 5.10 has been the extent of my top rope game so my lead ability has been around a 5.8.

When I asked to certify at the front desk, they said I would need to climb a 5.10a or harder to certify. That did not mean I would need to complete the route but I would need to get at least 3-5 clips in to the route before demonstrating a lead fall. I was not worried about failing the test if I could not finish, I was more worried that I would get 2 clips into a 5.10a and slip off a crimp and embarrass myself.

Lucky for me, they had just done a reset of most lead areas and almost none of the routes were graded. That eliminated a lot of over hanging routes with small holds. We ended up finding this nice green route, that may have been rated 5.8 or 5.9 but looked like a great start with a little over hang so I would have a nice fall. I stuck all the clips, took my fall, and then nailed the lead belay test.

After completing my lead test, I was now free to try any of the lead routes. I tried a 5.8 purple route with no over hang but a lot of corner work. I almost made the top out on the first try but missed it by a few holds. I will have to take my new beta and try again next time. Later we tried a blue route rated 5.8 with a feature that looked like a beach ball sized death star. I made it up to the second clip before I realized I had bit off more than I could chew. I ended up finding a fun yellow route where the main lead wall meets the center pillar. The staff said the yellow routes were ‘warm up’ routes, but that must be for the pro climbers. I made it three or so clips in and couldn’t commit to the next move. I had to leave it and live to climb another day.

You may not have noticed but I haven’t been on a lead route in more than a year. I’ve also never captured a clean climb on a lead route, ever! The sadness ends today with this 5.8 route at evo Rock + Fitness in Portland, aptly named ‘Rub the Belly.’



Today marks a milestone in the history of the figure8 Podcast because I have now climbed the first ever lead route clean (not to mention on sight) but more importantly it was climbed ‘squeaky clean’ which means there were no breaks and no hanging on the rope.

I really like this orange route for those making the transition from top rope or mock lead to full lead climbing because it is really approachable.

The first hold gives this route its name, Rub the Belly. The first hold looks a lot like a Buddha belly and the best start is to put two hands around the top of the belly.

Every clip has solid holds so you know your not going to take an embarrassing fall but it is also still challenging enough to make the top out feel like a victory. There is a small overhanging roof that is totally possible for most people but not so easy that you feel like your in the kids section on lead.

If you’re looking for some more lead practice, there are a few other routes set up at evo right now that are slightly out of range for an on sight lead but could be climbed on mock lead for some beta before attempting a lead climb. The clips for a mock lead are only ideal for adjacent routes so be mindful when you are on lead. If you are brave, just nail it first try or take the whipper, but if you are like me… maybe down climb a few holds to avoid a big swing.

In any case, if you want to get on the sharp end of a lead route, I would strongly recommend Rub the Belly to build up some confidence.

(Update: 04/10/2017 Rub the Belly is still set up but its days are numbered!)

This green route faces the benches on the center pillar and was a fun one with some nice features.



This route has some nice features and even though its a 5.8 it is still a great climb with lots of nice angles. You’ll even notice the light heel hock around the feature for balance. There is a great mix of small holds broken up with some buckets to shake out the pump.