MASTERCLASS
Summertime is scrambling season in our hills! So here are some top tips to brush up your skills from our mountaineering expert Rob Johnson.
Climb up into scrambling terrain and you enter a realm with real consequences to a simple slip. The very best way to safeguard against this, and to move smoothly and efficiently through steeper terrain, is through good movement.
With people who are new to scrambling I focus on a few skills which remain applicable whatever the grade. These are based on good balance and footwork – the foundations of moving well on scrambling terrain.
■ FOOTWORK All upward progress should come from pushing through your legs, not pulling on your arms as you might when rock climbing. Legs are considerably stronger than arms, so let’s use them for momentum. There are three main styles of foot placement:
SMEARING – This is using the friction of your boot against smooth, angled rock surface when climbing. The stickier the rubber on your boots, the greater the angle you will be able to stand on. Experiment somewhere safe with how steep an angle you can walk on in ascent and descent, and how this varies on different rock and in the wet. Aim to keep as much rubber in contact with the rock as possible, and to stay upright on your feet so that your weight pushes down into the rock.
EDGING – This describes the use of small edges as footholds. Modern scrambling boots often have a ‘climbing zone’ on the sole that is smooth rubber and sits under the big toe. Aim to place this on the edge you are using as a foothold and experiment with how small a hold you can use. You will find that crimping your toes will strengthen your foot placement if you are wearing bendy boots (stiffer boots will be better for edging but not as good for smearing).
WEDGING – This is as simple as wedging your foot in a crack (the obvious downside being that it can then sometimes be difficult to remove your foot again), this gives a wonderfully secure placement that can be especially welcome in the wet.
■ MOVEMENT Having recognised the types of foot placement available we can then think about our movement skills. This will help you make best use of the placements and keep your balance as you move through what can be very awkward terrain.
Here are a few techniques to play around with. Practise on ground with little consequence first:
SMALL STEPS
