Conquering Bishop's Highballs: Part 1

"Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid—in fact, the opposite is true. Courage without thought or meaning is simply recklessness. Brave people aren’t fearless; they’ve simply found something that matters more to them than fear." - Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine

Giovanni Traversi, 40ft. off the deck on Ambrosia V11. Photo by Dusty Glasner.

Before we get started, I'd like to thank Forrest Sheldon for inspiring me to write this article :)

I've never really had the best mental game for highballs. Some people might think that's a funny statement considering I spend most of my time climbing in the Buttermilks, but it's true - it takes me a long time to work up the courage to climb tall, challenging lines. There's this period of acclimatization to the highball environment that I have to go through to prepare both physically and mentally for a climb, and I think that's true for a lot of people. Before sending The Process (V16) Daniel Woods spent days climbing Bishop's easier highballs; before sending Ambrosia (V11) Giovanni Traversi dialed in his moves on top rope until he felt so secure that there was no question he could do it from the ground up, ropeless. Everyone's got their own way of preparing themselves, and it's important that you feel comfortable with a highball before you ever get on it.

I've seen a lot of great how-to articles recently about conquering your fear of highballs (like this one by Georgie Abel), and while I think the advice offered in these articles is both valid and useful, none of these articles really provides you with a method, or set of climbs, that will help you to up your highball game. So I'm here to provide you with a road map of sorts for overcoming your fear of highballs - Bishop style.

As a note, I'll only be covering climbs that I have experience with in the V0 - V4 range in Part 1. If you don't climb up to V4 yet that's ok, you should take your time and do these at your own pace. If you're planning on projecting something above V4 hopefully these will be fun climbs that help you in preparing yourself for the big send.

IMPORTANT NOTE: HIGHBALLS ARE DANGEROUS. You should be 100% ready to accept the risk of climbing any highball before you get on it. If you feel uneasy/uncomfortable with a highball, do not feel pressured or rushed to get on it. You should only climb it when you personally feel ready.

Getting Started: What To Climb First & Learning To Trust Your Feet (V0 - V1)

When people tell me that they want to get better at climbing highballs, but they really haven't climbed one before and they don't know where to start I always advise them to get on Robinson's Rubber Tester (V0). Now, Robinson's Rubber Tester isn't a climb I'd consider to be a highball, but the holds are extremely small and it forces you to trust some insecure feet - a skill you'll need to develop if you want to conquer many of the slabbier topouts in the Milks. And while you may get a little scraped up if you fall from the top of it, you're certainly not likely to injure yourself in any serious way. It's a fun test-piece, and one that's challenging for even the most skilled climbers.

Julia Payton slabs out on Robinson's Rubber Tester, V0.

PRO TIP: If you've got Robinson's Rubber Tester on lock, challenge yourself to do it handless, in your approach shoes, or with socks over your hands.

After Robinson's I generally suggest hopping on Sunshine Slab (V1). This climb is tall, and the crux is trusting a smear up near the top, but the landing is flat which makes stacking pads easy, and the hands are secure. Plus, after grappling with the feet on Robinson's the smear should be less than intimidating. I usually suggest running through Sunshine Slab a couple of times to get your head right, and then trying the unnamed V1 on the right hand side of the boulder. The unnamed climb is much more challenging than Sunshine Slab in that the hands are much smaller and there are a couple of intimidating high steps involved, so be ready to really get your heart racing on this one.

Step Your Game Up... Literally (V2 - V3)

So you've done a couple of easy highballs, you've become comfortable on smaller feet, and you're ready for the next challenge. Great! With these next few climbs you'll be practicing trickier footwork and will get a little bit higher off the deck, which will hopefully lead to feelings of exhilaration and excitement instead of anxiety and fear.

This section excites me because I get to talk about two of my favorite V2's in Bishop: Sheepherder and The Hunk. Sheepherder is a classic, and it's no gimme (for proof, watch Andy climb it here). Navigating the bottom requires patience, balance, and exceptional footwork, and the crux, which is at the top of the climb, requires focus and confidence. The holds aren't nearly as good as you wish they were, but you'll come to find that they are enough and that with the right body positioning you'll be able to utilize them to your advantage. That patience and focus you practice? It will serve you well on future highballs where you'll need to keep your cool.

And then there's The Hunk - possibly the most beautiful V2 in all of Bishop. At 20' high this is truly an impressive line, and a must do for those looking to get into highballs. The Hunk is a bit more technical than any climb I've included on the list so far, and will require you to navigate a series of small edges to reach the top. The technical crux is at the bottom of the climb, but I'd be lying if I said that the move to the hueco isn't a bit committing (It is, especially if you're shorter).

Beautiful, glorious, breathtaking... Carlos Mason reaches for the top
 jug on The Hunk, V2. Photo by @the_burrow_photography.

After The Hunk and Sheepherder I suggest trying your luck on King Tut (V3). Don't underestimate this seemingly simple climb. The crux is using a high step on a Robinson's Rubber Tester style foot to come over the lip, and while the foot will definitely hold you, any hesitation to stand on it can lead to a case of the "wobbles" (aka swaying back and forth unsteadily). I will admit that this climb still gets my adrenaline pumping from time to time, but with the right mixture of balance, commitment, trust, and focus, gaining the top holds is actually quite rewarding.

Can You Take Me Higher? (V4)

Yes, I can. And yes, that was a Creed reference (in case you don't know who Creed is, go here). And yes... I know you're judging me for referencing Creed in a climbing article. Fun and games guys, fun and games.

Alright - down to business. You've learned footwork on Robinson's, gotten high on The Hunk, and have overcome your fear of commitment on King Tut. You've improved your focus, practiced patience, and have become more confident in your ability to crush highballs. What should you get on next? These next couple climbs live outside of the scope of the Buttermilk Mains, but they're absolutely worth the travel time.

I'll start by talking about Green Hornet (V4), which is out in Dale's Camp West, about a 15 minute hike from the Buttermilk Mains. This climb will force you to use small holds and excellent technique to make it to the physical and mental crux - a balancy and committing left hand bump at the top of the climb. If you're on the shorter side like me, you'll probably need to use some small intermediates on the face that your taller friends won't need to worry about using, but don't let that deter you from trying this one out.

Now we'll move on to the ultra-classic, 25' tall Jedi Mind Tricks (V4), located in the Pollen Grains. The only word I can use to describe this climb accurately is "majestic," because it is truly one of the most compelling lines you'll ever see. I would highly recommend having a couple of layers of pads and spotters if you plan on attempting this climb, especially if you're doing it for the first time. There are two definite cruxes on Jedi Mind Tricks: the physical crux near the bottom (or for some the middle of the climb), and the mental crux which consists of a couple of big lock-offs at the top. But if you can muster the mental fortitude to top this bad boy out, you'll find that this is a very proud send indeed. I've included a video of Andy Liu on it below so you can check it out!

PRO TIP: Don't do Jedi Mind Tricks in the midday sun like I did. Much nicer to do it in the shade, or on a cool, dry day.

It's worth mentioning once again that highballs are indeed dangerous and that you should only get on them when you are absolutely certain that you're ready to, and once you've 100% accepted the risk associated with climbing them. That being said, I hope this provides you with a realistic starting point for getting your mental game right for doing Bishop's highballs, and can't wait to give you Part 2!

As always, thank you for reading.
LKS