CAMP USA Athlete Libby Sauter has climbed big walls around the world and holds speed records in Yosemite, but this fall she traveled to Arkansas to climb as many short single-pitch routes as she possibly could in a 24 hour spree of sending called the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell. Here are her top 6 tips for other first-time climbers at 24HHH.
- Bring toilet paper! The event is exceedingly low-waste by design, and provides essentially no disposable items to climbers.
- Make a pumpin’ playlist to keep the energy high as the sun gets low!
- Ensure that you can climb in your costume! (See photo…) You will undoubtedly get worn down, but staying in character and costume can lighten the mood and help you be amped for the next route. And the next. And the next…..
- Use a short rope! 125-140 (~40m) feet will do you for almost all routes! And it’s so much lighter!
- As Hans Florine says – Start out fast, just wont last. Start out slow – go go go!
- EAT! DRINK! Be merry! But eat some more. Eat before you feel tired. Eat! Eat! Eat! Getting calorie/glucose deficient can quickly cause your fun-factor to drop and precipitate cramps. Keep the snacks (and electrolyte-laden water) coming! It’s best to arrive a day before hand and stash water and food (in animal proof containers) around the canyon so you can carry as little as possible in between climbs!
Photo Courtesy of River Valley Adventures Magazine
