Here's a picture of a First Ascent that
Zeke and the SRCS crew worked on this Summer. 5.11 overhanging wild crack!
Zeke
Federman and Zack
Schnieder did the First Ascent, Dave Lane got the first free ascent, then Zeke ticked the second free ascent. We call it "Business Time". "Party Time" is right next to it @ 5.10.d overhanging crack climbing sweetness as well, which Zeke and Matt "
tristan"
Sieleman got the First Ascent of and Zeke did the First Free Ascent of! Only four bolts in 100ft of climbing were placed on "Business Time" and 3 bolts in 70ft of climbing on "Party Time", the rest is gear protected. We were all so excited to find these two amazing cracks in our back yard along the beautifully rushing Bishop Creek. The amazing location, good friends and awesome climbing made this a truly awesome adventure for all! Zack and Zeke and other friends continued to pioneer more fantastic routes along Bishop Creek all Summer long. Some yet to be free climbed, oh boy next Summer awaits!
The awesome Summer in the Eastern Sierra is over and now
Joshua Tree season is upon us! You don't have to be into climbing 5.11 overhanging cracks to join us and
enjoy world class climbing in Joshua Tree National Park this Fall through Spring! Tons of more moderate terrain abounds for your enjoyment in Joshua Tree and of course
in the Eastern Sierra as well. But at least you know the guides at
SRCS are no slouches on the stone!
Stanford Alpine Club Review of PCGI RESCUE COURSE:
From: Chris Chan and Dave Johnson
Co-Presidents - Stanford Alpine Club
3165
Maddux Dr.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Subject: Professional Climbing Guide Institute - Rescue Course
Date: May 8, 2009
As co-presidents of the Stanford Alpine Club (SAC), Dave Johnson and I asked Zeke
Federman (
PCGI Approved Mentor and Assessor and Director of the Sierra Rock Climbing School) to run a PCGI Rescue Course for six of our instructors this past April, in order to broaden the knowledge base of our instructors and improve the safety of our classes. Zeke
Federman worked with SAC to help us choose the
PCGI course that best fit our needs, and he personally instructed the course. Throughout our entire interaction, Zeke demonstrated the highest standard of professionalism and efficiency.
SAC teaches a variety of courses to introduce Stanford students to technical rock climbing. In order to maintain a safe teaching environment, SAC periodically has its instructors trained professionally. Since SAC is not a typical guide service, we wanted a class that specifically fit our instructors needs. Zeke carefully considered the background and objectives of our instructors, and offered the
PCGI Rescue Course, which met our requirements. All expectations for the course were laid out clearly, in terms of both the technical material and also the level of competency our instructors would attain upon completion of the course.
Zeke has an extensive climbing background, and his technical knowledge was very apparent throughout the course. He ably fielded all of our questions, and supported his answers with concrete examples from the results of recent research. Throughout the course, Zeke would describe the context of the material, which helped us anticipate the situations in our own instructional trips where we might utilize the techniques being taught. He has also demonstrated his personal investment in rock climbing safety through his own experiments and his work at the testing facilities at Yates Gear.
Zeke takes safety very seriously and he encourages an open dialogue and an honest assessment of all climbing practices. Where certain questions have still not been resolved through his own testing or the guiding community, Zeke clearly communicated the ambiguity, followed by his recommendation for safe practices. He was open to hearing our ideas and thought carefully about the strengths and weaknesses of our technical suggestions, describing these to us while sharing his overall opinion.
Zeke is a patient and thorough teacher. When we made mistakes during our hands-on practice, he corrected us patiently and in good humor. He always acknowledged the gravity of climbing rescues and provided example scenarios to better prepare our instructors for real-world situations. His desire for us to assimilate the best information possible came through when he spent extra time with us resolving our questions about hauling systems, and reviewing his knowledge to assess whether he was conveying the correct information.
Zeke is not only knowledgeable, communicative and entertaining, he is also extremely committed to excellent instruction and safety, to the improvement of climbers’ technical competence and self awareness, and to the progress of knowledge in the wider climbing community. Our instructors benefited immensely from our interaction with Zeke, Sierra Rock Climbing School and
PCGI. We would not hesitate to recommend them to other aspiring climbers, teachers and guides.
Sincerely,
Chris Chan and Dave Johnson
Co-Presidents
Stanford Alpine Club
SAC Web Site:
http://alpineclub.stanford.edu/ Related Links:
PCGI - ClimbingGuidesInstitute.org Sierra Rock Climbing School supports the Professional Climbing Guides Institute, so should you! If you and/or your company need tax deductions, or you are just the generous type, please support education for current and future generations of rock climbing guides by donating to the
PCGI 501 c3 non-profit in 2009. For more info visit
PCGI's web site via following link:
PCGIJoshua Tree GuidesFall - Spring Mexico Climbing & Adventure Travel PCGI Guide Training & Certification CoursesRock Climbing LessonsFull Day Private GuidingHalf Day Private GuidingGroup TripsFeatured GuidesContact Us
Here is what the steepest tower in the utah desert looks like.
This is one of my favorite photos. On the last pitch crux of the route. One old pin out a roof between you and the anchor. Totem Pole off in the distance of Monument Valley and an eerie feeling like you are hanging off a cliff on Mars. Andrew Burr photograph.
