Adaptive Climbing

Whee! During their lunch break Mark, Nate and Scott let me try out the adaptive climbing set up they had rigged for the Rock 'n Roll Yosemite group.
Whee! During their lunch break Mark, Nate and Scott let me try out the adaptive climbing set up they had rigged for the Rock ‘n Roll Yosemite group.

The Rock ‘n Roll Yosemite group, organized by Access Leisure  has traveled to Yosemite each year for the last 8 years to explore Yosemite by hand bike and do a bit of rock climbing. It was so cool to see them go out and get it, whether it was biking the Valley Loop to see the sights, or challenging themselves with some rock climbing, it emphasizes to me how accessible Yosemite can be.

I’m ascending here with a 3:1 pulley system, making it easier for me to make progress by giving me a mechanical advantage. I didn’t have much trouble when doing this in the best case scenario – free hanging, short pitch – not to extrapolate to the longer routes that people have done on El Cap. Those ascents are inspiring and humbling.

Most of the others in my group also used the 3:1 pulley, but one of the things that Mark Wellman emphasized was how important it is to customize for each individual to maximize their strengths and give them the best experiences. One super fit and athletic woman ascended without any mechanical advantage, sprinting to the top by cranking dozens of full on pull-ups to get to the top. Rawr! It was so inspiring to see that go. And then, another guy was able to use an ascender attached to his foot and another for his hand to make the best use of his right arm and right leg.

Meanwhile, Paradox Sports just finished up an interview with Katie Couric. (part 2) (They say she’s planning to come to Yosemite with them this fall!) and is getting ready to release an Adaptive How To Climbing Guide. So many awesome things happening in the world. It’s cool to be in touch with people doing such amazing things.