Chain Reaction - Obsession

One of the most stunning and recognizable lines at Smith Rock heads out an arching overhanging arete. This oft photographed route is Chain Reaction, and long the object of my obsession. I first saw this climb in 1996, but at a rating of 5.12c it was far out of my league at the time. It wasn't until 1999 that I actually tried it but my early efforts were marked by excessive hanging, thrutching, and whining. In 2000 after a strong summer of climbing in Wyoming, I thought I was ready for Chain, but despite getting to the top of the climb, I was nowhere near ready to do so cleanly. I had to settle for "Latest Rage", a striking 5.12b arete up the cliff a bit.

In the spring of 2002 once again I thought I was climbing well, and I made Chain my project. I figured out the dreaded "thighmaster" sequence, but I couldn't link the section above that, and I never made the final throw without hanging. The best I did was to get to the top with only weighting the rope twice to rest or "hang". At first I thought I was making progress, but then I stalled out despite trying the route 3 or more times a day nearly every day the last week that I was at Smith. The final day was a hot and humid day on the Sunday after the spring fling trail work day. I should have not even bothered„m Then it was off to Thailand for some steep sport climbing.

Chain Reaction

That brings us to 2003, I got to Smith in October after doing some hard trad climbing and bouldering and once again, Chain Reaction was my project. The first try was pretty weak as I couldn't remember the moves, but a few goes later I was back to my 2 hangs. Then came the breakthrough, a slight change in how I grabbed a hold, and a foot switch and high step and I had the middle section linked. I felt that I was making solid progress, and that I could redpoint (climb from the bottom to the top without using the rope for anything but to protect me in case I fell) the climb at any time. I was able to climb from the ground up to the last hard move, a long throw off of a good left hold to a good right hold, but with the feet underneath the roof. This move was fairly easy to do after a little bit of resting, but I had never managed to climb up to and stick this throw. Unfortunately this trend continued through the next 17 tries with a few that I bobbled the moves and fell off lower. I tried various contortions to try to rest myself before I got to the move, and I tried some different footholds and even a heelhook hand move variation that had worked for Dave who was also trying the climb. Finally I got fed up after a try where I got up to the throw nearly perfectly and still missed it. I needed new beta (beta refers to the specific sequence of moves used to get up a climb- from the old betamax tapes). I finally settled on a variation of the heel hook Dave had used and then another heel hook and a left hand pop to the hold. I felt this would work as long as I still had strength to get up there fairly fresh. I ate some lunch, rested a bit, walked up and down the hill to warm up, and then got ready to send. The ritual started before I began to climb. I tied into the rope, sat down and put on my tight climbing shoes (right foot first of course), then I took off my fleece, down jacket, and long underwear top (down to a cool t-shirt), strapped on my plastic courage (helmet), checked with Matt, my belayer, and started up.

[***warning, excessive climbing ahead skip to next paragraph to avoid***] Right hand on a knob,left in a pocket. Step up right foot into a shallow pocket, left into another pocket, then lean forward and pop up right hand to a big ledge. High left foot on a knob, step up to a high left pocket, right foot onto the ledge, and right thumb in a pocket. Match left into the pocket and right to an edge. Match feet and step up right, turn left to undercling and clip. Move left hand to good edge and right to good sidepull pocket. Step feet up and big reach up to left sidepull pocket. Clip with right hand, then grab arete. Step up right and then left foot and reach up high on arete. Then step up left and then right foot to edge on arete. Match feet and wrap right leg around the arete up to the upper thigh. Squeeze hard and move right hand up arete to thumb catch. Then squeeze harder and reach left hand up to diagonal slot (the infamous "thighmaster" sequence), Reach right around arete to shallow pocket and clip with the left. Chalk left and grab the top of horn on the arete. Match right foot and step left up to pocket. Step up and bump right hand to another pocket and then a shallow bulge around the arete. Lean elbow joint into the arete and reach far left to a good pocket. Step right foot onto the horn and sit onto foot while sliding right hand to the arete. Then gaston (pull to left on vertical ridge) with left hand, chalk right hand then reach whole arm around arete while chalking left. Grab shallow pocket on arete and switch left foot to horn. Step up and lean back and clip with left behind, then grab jug at the lip. Step up feet and pop right hand up to arete above the roof with thumb on slight bulge. Heel hook on small knob to left and pop left hand up to a nubbin, then switch heelhook to the jug and hike up on it. Pop left hand to flat edge above arete and match hands. Mantle up and step up on the edge and clip the chains. Piece of cake when you put it all together. Unfortunately my knee popped out of joint when I hiked up on the heelhook, but it didn't seem to stop me.

This was a good year for sending long term projects, as I climbed another one, "Leave it to Beaver" in Joshua Tree this spring. This climb represented as much of a mental as a physical crux as it was a 5.12a traditional climb (a traditional climb is one where the protection consists of various pieces of equipment that the climber places in pockets and cracks as opposed to sport climbing where the protection consists of permanent bolts that have been placed in the rock.)

Nanda Belays

Matt Belays

setting up the throw

Doing the heelhook

Doing the throw

Return to the Index Page