Projecting can be a stressful process, especially if you’re nearing the end of the season and trying to send a route that you’ve failed at time and time again. Your time and energy are limited, so you need to make the most of each red dot attempt if you want to send a route quickly. Smart decision-making early in the project process can really speed things up. Here are five tips for your fall sport or trade route project that should reduce the total number of red dot attempts you need to finally get that send.
1. Write down your beta version: After you finish your first session on your new project, write down any beta versions you remember. You can use pen and paper or an electronic device. A hand-drawn route map is also extremely useful. Draw the route in as much detail as possible. Add your hand holds, toe holds, knee bars, rest positions, and bolts. After each session throughout the screening process, return to your written beta and roadmap and make adjustments as necessary. It may also be helpful to go through your route map daily to keep the route fresh in your mind.
Filming yourself climbing the route is another very useful tool. You can observe yourself from an outside perspective and discover key elements of the beta that you may not have noticed during ascension. However, filming yourself is no substitute for writing your beta. Creating your route map and beta notes helps you memorize and rehearse the route in your mind, speeding up the learning process.
2. Don’t waste energy: You have a limited amount of energy during each cliff session. Use this energy wisely, especially when you feel yourself getting closer to the red dot. After your full warm-up, it’s a great idea to run the course bolt-to-bolt to memorize holds and sequences and fine-tune your body and mind for a good red dot attempt. Avoid working too hard during this discussion session. You don’t want to get pumped up by the flash or use up your energy unnecessarily doing a crucial point over and over again.
3. Brush the wedges and explore: When you’re hanging out in your harness to recover between sequences, use this downtime to your advantage. Explore the terrain around you. Brush each hand and foot hold and look for subtle nuances in the holds. Does this little curl feel better with three or four fingers? Which two fingers should go in this pocket? Really get to know the holds. Memorize them. Brush the holds not only to improve their quality but also to discover new hand and foot placements.
4. Take the fall: If a potential fall on a specific section of the course feels scary and causes strain and over-grip, you need to do something about it. If you know the fall is safe, take the fall. First, let’s take a smaller version of the case. Then build bigger and bigger ones. Overcoming fear is especially important at the top of a course where you may be more tired. Unnecessary fear causes stiff movements, poor decision-making and wasted energy, limiting your chances of success.
If the fall is truly potentially dangerous, consider what you can do to mitigate the danger. For example, discuss with your insurer the possibility of giving more or less slack. Extend a quickdraw. Process for a while longer before moving on to the spicy section. Pull on one arm to save juice in the other arm for gear placement or clip.
5. Consider working on the project from top to bottom: The obvious way to plot a route is from the bottom up. You compose the first section, then connect the first section to the second, then the first and the second to the third, etc. However, on sustained, pumped-up routes, you are more likely to fall at the top than the bottom during a ride. red dot attempt. It is therefore very important that the top section is perfectly composed.
An interesting way to plan a route is to work it from top to bottom. What exactly does this mean? Let’s say a particular route can be divided into three sections. In this top-down method, you will work on the last section until you feel good. Then you can try to tie the middle section and the top section. Then, once these seem manageable, you will try to connect the three sections and eventually start making proper red dot attempts.
This method requires a little extra work because you first need to get closer to the top of the route to start working on the sections. This isn’t really a problem, as you can take it easy by going up the route bolt-to-bolt first, brushing up on holds, and beta testing along the way. Many climbing professionals are big fans of the top-down method because it can counter-intuitively save time throughout the process. Stefano Ghisolfi, for example, used a top-down projection approach for his eventual redpoint of Excalibur 5.15c.