As we have said a million times before on this site the climbing in Rio fantastic. It is also quite unique when you compare it to many other places around the world. There is a great diversity of routes and styles here, but almost always climbers are going to face some sort of technical face climbing up positively inclined slabs protected by rusty Brazilian “grampos” that can be anywhere between 4 and 8 meters apart.

There aren’t a lot of big jugs on vertical rock, there aren’t a lot of splitter cracks for perfect hand and finger jams and the bolts protecting our routes are exposed to the harsh sea air that accelerates their corrosion. It is the way cariocas learn to climb and what we have become used to. We learn to trust the friction of our abrasive granite and to smear our way up the tiny holds, knowing that the single bolt that protects us was probably placed 25 years ago, but is still strong enough to hold a leader fall and perfect to rappel off if necessary. It is climbing in Rio.

Because of the peculiarities of climbing here, it is common to see visitor climbers shut down on grades they normally would race up. Like anywhere there is a learning curve to leading many of our routes and often times climbers from North America or Europe find themselves leading a number grade lower than they are used (2 or 3 numbers grades lower if they are indoor climbers).

I have come to expect this and there is a part of me that quietly enjoys seeing it happen. It’s not a malicious attitude, just an innocent payoff for all the hard work we have put into getting comfortable on this terrain. I have climbed in other places where I also felt out of place and have seen the same sense of satisfaction in the local climbers, proud to see their home climbs hold up against other peoples abilities. It’s a nice ego boast and much better than having some foreign climber run up all the hard climbs you have taken so long to master and then proceed to tell you they aren’t as hard you originally thought they were.

But then again… it is also good to be put in your place every once in a while as well. And recently we were visited by a young American climber named Matt Othmer, who managed to humble all of us here at Ancorauê.

Matt is a strong climber that has been at it for 15+ years (since he was 12 I think he said), has an impressive international climbing curriculum and was recently accepted to Yosemite’s Search and Rescue Team in Tuolumne. He was introduced to me by our mutual friend Asa Firestone and ended up crashing at my place while he spent his vacation in Rio. Right from the beginning, he seemed pretty confident in his abilities and was eager to get out on some hard routes. I have seen this attitude before and was more than happy to show him he wouldn’t be as strong as he thought when climbing here on our slabby granite. Sure he climbs a lot of granite in the western United States but that’s crack climbing, I wanted to see him run up our “micro agarras”.

Normally a solid 5.10 climb is good enough to quite even strong 5.12 climbers coming out of the US. If you don’t have great footwork here, you are in for a rude awakening. Its not just a matter of pulling harder, you just won’t make it up the climb. I took Matt out on a classic 5.10 technical climb on Sugarloaf call As de Espada… and he on sighted it faster than I could second it, and he did so with a smile on his face…. Not even the slightest complaint about how different or unsecure the climbing was.

So then I thought it might take a 5.11 climb to put him in is place. A few days later we went up Waldo, a 330 meter classic climb up the north face of Sugarloaf. This climb is incredible and one of my favorite climbs on Sugarloaf. It has a few very delicate sections of 5.11 face climbing, a good distance between bolts and not always the most solid rock. Matt not only breezed through the 5.11a section but he then proceeded to free on sight the overhanging 5.11c section that everyone I know normally aids…

Really? No complaining? No… he felt right at home and was just wanting more. Next stop… Via do Totem, a 6-7 pitch overhanging 5.11+/5.12 route on the southwest side of Sugarloaf. This route is a local test piece and many Carioca climbers have been climbing it for years without managing to send the entire route (myself included). Matt on sighted the entire route and almost took the hard 5.12d arête finish, but was convinced otherwise by myself and the hot afternoon sun.

That’s when I realized there wasn’t much I could do to stop this guy and that it was better to stay quite and try to learn as much as I could from him. With a rope gun like this I could probably get up all those hard routes on Corcovado I have been wanting to climb for so long. Soon we started making plans to repeat some serious aid routes as well, something I have very little experience with. In the end though we ran out of time, the weather turned and my shoulder starting acting up too much to do all those things.

But Captain America (as he came to call him) did stay for almost 6 weeks in Rio and climbed hard the whole time. The only days he didn’t climb were when it was raining or couldn’t find a partner (and even then sometimes he would just go solo stuff). He wouldn’t even go out at night, he would just go to sleep at 9pm and then wake up at 6 in the morning to go climbing. Who does that? Who comes to Rio and doesn’t go out at night to party and meet beautiful people? In the end I was jealous of his climbing abilities but I am not sure if I could make the same personal sacrifices… I think I just enjoy beer too much.

It was a pleasure getting to know Matt “Wolfgang” Othmer though. Despite the fact the he downgraded all of our 5.11 crack climbs here to 5.10, he is still quite an enjoyable person and he became good friends with us all by the end of his trip here. I look forward to climbing with him more on his next trip down, or possibly sooner if I can make it up to Yosemite this year. Big props to you Matt… until next time!

A list of climbs that I can remember that Matt sent (mostly on sights) while in town:

• Urubu A Vista – Pão de Açucar – BR 7+ / 5.11
• As de Espada – Pão de Açucar – BR 6+/ US 5.10+
• Waldo – Pão de Açucar – BR 7 / US 5.11
• - Via do Totem – Pão de Açucar – BR 7+ / US 5.11+
• - Limar da Loucura – Pão de Açucar – BR 8 / US 5.12
• - Chamine Stop (solo in tennis shoes) – Pão de Açucar – BR 4 / US 5.8
• - Cavalo Louco – Pão de Açucar – BR 6 / US 5.10
• - Italianos (at night w/out a headlamp) – Pão de Açucar – BR 5 / US 5.9
• - Pedrita – Campo Escala 2000 – BR 8 / US 5.12
• - Epitáfios de Ilusões – Campo Escala 2000 – BR 7+ / US 5.11+
• - Migalhas Indecentes – Campo Escala 2000 – BR 9a / US 5.12+
• - File Com Certeza – Barrinha – BR 9a / US 5.12+
• - Largatao – Pão de Açucar – BR 7 / US 5.11
• - Urbanoide – Cantagalo – BR 5+ / US 5.9+
• - Adrenalina 1000 – Cantagalo – BR 6+ / US 5.10+
• - Jacques Costeau – Pão de Açucar – BR 5 / US 5.9
• - Sol Celeste – Três Picos – BR 5+ / US 5.9+
• - Solidas Ilusoes – Três Picos – BR 5 / US 5.9

Ok, so it’s already February and this is this first blog post we are doing this year.  Maybe we have fallen behind a little, but it is mostly due to how busy we have been.  December and January were busy times for us and it has been hard to find the time and motivation to sit down in front of the computer and work on our site.  I can’t complain though since it has meant we’ve gotten to spend a lot of time sailing and climbing with a host of great new friends.

We ended last year with a lot of heat, rain and climbing.  It was tricky tying to find days that were dry enough to climb on, as Paola and Alex that were visiting from Italy found when we climbed the appropriately named Italian route on Sugarloaf.  It seemed every time I led a pitch it would start to rain, and then every time they would start to follow the same pitch the rain would stop and the rock would dry just enough for them to come up to the next belay. We made it though and it was a great time for everyone.  I am quite excited to have met them and plan to visit their new house in the Dolomites sometime soon.  Good luck with the construction guys!

On one of the better weather days I got a chance to go up Costão with Sean from Houston and his buddy Drew.  Sean and I have a bunch of friends in common and I was glad to finally meet him.  He ran up the east side of Sugarloaf (probably with some help from his magic bandana) and proved he would have easily climbed a harder technical route.  We made plans though that next time I am in Houston I am going to take him climbing at Enchanted Rock, and he is going to take me sky diving.

The new years came and the bad weather lasted through the first few days of January making the sailing trip Mingo and I made down to Ilha Grande with Martin and Mike an interesting ride. We got some storms on the way down but luckily the weather turned for the best and we spent the next 4 days sailing in the sun, hanging out on beautiful beaches and being schooled about how Manchester United is the best football club in history. These two guys were quite entertaining and made the trip a real pleasure… except for maybe Mike’s strange taste in music. I never quite figured out how a grown man could like Britney Spears so much! Haha!

Getting back into town I got the great pleasure of climbing and hiking with Yasmin and Jesse from NYC. Yasmin held her own on the multi-pitch climb we did up the south face of Sugarloaf, and then again two days later when we hiked up Pedra da Gávea. I hadn’t been up Gávea in years and I had forgotten how beautiful it was. The hike is strenuous and has a small section of some more technical scrambling that both of them breezed through to make it to the top of one of the most beautiful peaks in the city.

While up there we also got the extra treat of getting to watch the Canadian base jumper Rob Heron jump from the north face in his wing suit and fly all the way around to São Conrado beach on the south side. Apparently it is incredibly technical wing suit jump and you have to have forward impulse within 3 seconds or its all over. We watched him jump but then after that we couldn’t see most of the rest of his flight. We ran into him again hiking up to make the jump one more time though and he was able to fly for almost 1 minute before he had to open his chute. Really impressive stuff… a little scary, but impressive.

And finally our pilot friend Stu Green came in town and climbed with us again for the second time. He flys for British Airways and one of his routes brings him into Rio every once and a while. We had already climbed Italianos when he was here last time and this time we went up K2 on Corcovado and then had an afternoon cragging in the Tijuca Forest. On K2, Stu and I chose to take the trad variant up the second pitch, a beautiful 5.10+ (US) / 6+ (FRA) crack that has some great layback moves with good hands and slippery feet. Then the next day in the forest Stu, Mingo and Ducha worked on a few classic sport routes and Stu almost sent Pedrita a 5.12 (US) / 7a (FRA) after just a few goes. For sure next time he will check this one off. It was exciting to watch and helped in motivating me to get back to training. Hopefully Carnaval coming up next week won’t stray me too much off course….

In this busy season I did find a little free time to climb for myself though and repeated a new/old route up the east face of Corcovado with Tomas. This really cool finger crack runs parallel to K2 just a little bit higher on the mountain. Apparently it was an old route that had been deactivated until a dedicated local climber named Flavio Leoni went there recently to chop some metal stakes that had been placed to build concrete reinforcements for some lose rock underneath the Christ statue. The route is short but tons of fun and has a thin 5.10 finger crack on its first pitch and some strange friction moves on the second pitch before linking back up with K2. Its well worth a visit and we are very grateful to Leoni for having put in the work to get this climb back up and running.

So far its been great start to 2012. I have high hopes that this is going to continue to be a great year throughout. I will try to be better about posting more updates along the way, but I think I have already proven I’ve got a lot of work to do in that area…

p.s. Thanks for everyone that I stole pictures from off their facebook page!

Best wishes in 2012 from us here at Ancorauê!!!

posted by: Andrew -- 04/02/2012

Sometimes though, when sitting in traffic or when reading the daily news I also have my doubts. Maybe Rio is too big. Maybe it is too hectic. Maybe I would be better off living somewhere else. But then its seems something crazy always seems to happen to remind me what an unique place this is and why I like it so much. Just like what happened the other day with Ducha and I.

We meet up in the morning and went to go climb an easy route up Morro dos Cabritos, an impressive rock feature that sits on the shore of the Lagoa, right in between Copacabane, Ipanema and Botafogo. The route we were going to climb is called Última Opção and its 270 meters of easy slab climbing up the west face of the mountain is only interrupted by one 5.10 move to overcome a well protected roof that runs horizontally across the rock. The view is breathtaking, as the higher you climb the more you see of the Lagoa and the beaches of Ipanema and Leblon, not to mention the dramatic backdrop of Pedra da Gavea and Dois Irmãos. You would think that would be enough to forget the hustle and bustle of the city, and it usually is, but this day we had a special treat waiting for us as we started to climb.

Ducha was roped up and just about to start leading the first pitch when he stopped in his tracks and slowly called me over to investigate something he saw in a small hole not 2 meters away from where we were standing. My eyesight isn’t the best and in the shadow of the forest canopy I found it difficult to make it out at first, but sticking out of the hole was the head of a full grown adult boa constrictor!!

My first reaction at seeing a snake head the size of my hand was to want to get out of there as quickly as possible. But once we realized was type of snake it was and it was clear to us that it was not aggressive we decided to keep going. Ducha began climbing up the route while the snake simultaneously started slowly slithering down the rock into the forest. I had to sit there and belay Ducha while keeping one eye on the snake to see what direction is was going to take.

In the end it was all good and the run in with ths snake that was nearly 2 meters long and fat from just recently having eaten was a positive one. It was exhilarating to see that scene so close up and right in the middle of the city. The climb was relaxed and fun, which made the whole day that much better. I of course want to start a movement to rename to climb to something better suited like “Rio’s Snake Dike”, but I don’t expect many people will be as excited about the idea as I am.

Either way it was one of those days that remind you just why this city is so special and why I will probably be here for a good time to come.

posted by: Andrew -- 24/10/2011

Mingo and I ticked off a few more classic routes here the other day.  Two routes I have wanted to do for years.  The first was Aquarius (6º VIsup, 280 meters), which is an incredible 6-pitch route up the east face of Pedra da Gavea. This route has several things going for it.  You begin climbing at about 500 meters above sea level and quickly traverse over to a part of the wall that is just a shear uninterrupted drop down to the forest below, so the sense of exposure is unique.  It also has several tricky pitches that mix trad with bolts including probably the most beautiful dihedral pitch in the entire city.  It extends 50 meters of moderate lay-back climbing all protected with friends and nuts.  The dihedral is so big you can clearly see it from the São Conrado beach 600 meters down below.  This pitch alone makes the long approach and the hand full of tick bites we both suffered well worth it.

The other route when did is across the bay in Niterói. Its on the southwest face of Alto Mourão in the state park of Serra da Tiririca in Itacoatiara and is appropriately named Face Sudoeste do Alto Mourão (4º V, 550 meters). Itacoatiara is a special place and even though it takes longer to get from downtown Rio than Teresopolis it is well worth a visit. It is basically the Urca of Niterói with an incredible beach surrounded by huge domes and tropical forest. Alto Mourão is the tallest of the domes and is also known as the Head of the Elephant. It has a hand full of routes on its southwest face the most classic of which is probably Face SW. This bolted route is long and easy and mixes some face climbing with a lot of friction. Mingo and I simul-climbed it and cruised through the entire 550 meters in about 2 hours even we had never down it before. We got a little lost in the middle but now knowing the route it could easily be done in probably closer to an hour. Some people have spoken poorly of this route since it’s a little dirty and not technically difficult but we both really enjoyed the style and esthetic beauty of the wall, which is full of bromeliads and cactus. The best part is that after the climb and the charming summit, from which you can see all the way to Cabo Frio on a clear day, its just a quick hike down to get back the beach for a refreshing swim.

posted by: Andrew – 16/10/2011

AGUIPERJ is an organization that was founded in 2001 with the intent of setting a recognized standard for safety and professionalism for individuals workings with and offering their services as climbing guides and instructors.  To be certified you have to present a minimum climbing curriculum that proves you have sufficient climbing experience, pass a series of written and practical tests and have also completed the required number of hours of first aid and self-rescue training.  Certified guides must also participate in additional trainings and organizational meetings offered by AGUIPERJ throughout the year.

We are excited to have this certification as not only as welcome addition to our credentials but also as a tool to better connect us with the climbing community that been growing so quickly here in Rio de Janeiro.

posted by: Andrew – 27/06/2011

It really was a beautiful day and it would have been a shame if we had let it go by without getting out on the water.  We had a nice 15 knot wind with some decent swells and every one had a great time.  Helena did great on her first sailing trip ever and has proven she has what it takes to one day become the world class solo sailor her father always dreamed of being. We had a great time sailing out to Copacabana with beautiful people and perfect weather. My only problem was that with having so many Spanish speakers on board I realized how much I need to study.  My Portanol isn’t what it used to be…

Thanks Cata for the great initiative! Lets do it more often!

posted by: Andrew – 25/05/2011

After that climb I raced off to a great birthday barbecue with friends and family at my fathers place and then headed out the next morning to spend the rest of the holiday weekend in Salinas about 3 hours from Rio (its nice to have a birthday on a holiday). There I camped up Mascarin’s place, close to the Valle dos Deuses, and climbed two classic routes on the Capacete mountain, CERJ and Sólidas Ilusões. Both routes are fantastic and offer exciting climbing on solid rock. Sólidas Ilusões (450 meters, 5º V) which I climbed with Vinicius, has some great trad pitches and was climb I had been wanting to do for a long time. CERJ (400 meters, 5º A0/VIsup) is one of the most popular routes in the region and was opened with great style in 1970. This route I simu-climbed together with Tomás quickly before heading back home on Sunday.The weather and company was great and I couldn’t have asked for a better 30th birthday.

posted by: Andrew – 02/05/2011

Our other good friend and close climbing partner, Tomás Zveibil, successfully soloed two nice routes on Sugarloaf not too long ago.  The first route was São Bento, which he cleverly filmed using an overhead camera and created the great sort video posted below.  He then soloed the longer and slightly more difficult chimney route “Stop” (280 meters). This is one of Sugarloaf’s oldest routes and is still offers a great adventure until today. Although it is considered a relatively easy route many people still find it a tough to lead.  As Tomás says, “The bolts are so far apart and so oddly placed that soloing and leading are basically the same thing.”  Unfortunately he didn’t film this solo, but he did take a great picture of himself towards the end of the route once you come out of the chimney.

Congratulations to both Ducha and Tomás for both of the climbing and media arts skills.

posted by: Andrew – 27/04/2011

Sensação de Extasê is in the middle of the forest on the North face of Pedra da Gavea and is a very diverse route. It starts out with a pitch of crimps and friction moves and then heads into an incredible pitch that includes a relatively easy roof section with nice hand holds. The next pitch is the crux pitch, which is well protected and has interesting vertical moves with small holds that require good balance and solid body positioning. The last two pitches are the hardest psychologically to lead since the pro is further apart (but nothing too bad) and the holds much smaller.

Climbing Calis on Saturday was completely different. The route has good crimps pretty much all the way up and is located in the middle of the city in between Ipanema and Copacabana. The first pitch is easy and a little but more run out, but the second pitch is the real beauty and where the harder climbing starts. It is an incredible vertical pitch with holds that don’t always seem solid but that pave your way through a sequence of holes so big you can fit a person in them. The climbing is exciting since the bolts are generally a few meter below you and most of the time, you cant tell exactly where you are going due how vertical it is. This is a great route to lead and also offers fantastic views of the Lagoa and of Copacabana.

posted by: Andrew – 18/04/2011