Hi! I'm new to outdoor climbing and find that the most challenging part of a climb is getting there. I currently use day-hikers, but I'm wondering how I can feel more confident on approaches. I find myself constantly lowering my centre of gravity because I'm slipping on loose gravel/dirt and I have to take the approach relatively slow compared to the rest of my group, even with hiking poles. 

1. what shoes do you wear on approaches? 
2. how can I improve my technical skills to feel more confident? 
3. are there any courses I can take or other advice?

Thank you in advance!

I think the biggest thing is just mileage hiking on similar terrain.  The more you do it, the easier it gets.  You kinda get used to keeping your balance while sliding around a bit.  The Lynn Peak trail is great practice for loose stuff.  Also MacKay creek has some sections like that.

Also, we usually have much heavier packs when we go climbing than we do hiking so I know I do personally tend to be quite cautious and a little slow on descents because I don't want to beat up my ankles or add too much to my vast collection of bruises :)  I don't think anyone gets very bothered by that so I wouldn't sweat it too much.  

I wear approach shoes most of the time but their strength tends to be that they are more sticky on scrambly rock sections.  For loose dirt, hiking shoes or boots with a little bit more tread might actually be a better choice.  I personally prefer having my hands free rather than using poles in most situations.  Many people would disagree with me on that but maybe worth trying both ways ...

One thing that does help me a lot is to get everything into one pack and then make sure that that bag is really locked down against my back so it move predictably as I do.  I definitely find that carrying something like a rope bag separately makes it much harder for me to navigate steeper terrain.  

Hello Mtsai!

This is an interesting problem, and I'm sure you can appreciate that the problem is related to what climb you are approaching. Parking Lot Wall at Smoke Bluffs - you can probably get away with flip flops. Phyllis' Engine - probably hiking boots, maybe even mountaineering boots with glacier travel equipment.  But, I'm sure what you are looking for is a more generic response. I like to share my own experiences with learning how to rock climb and getting better, so here are my thoughts.

1. I wear approach shoes - La Sportiva Evos, at the moment. Anything with a bit of ankle support and good tread means you won't be fighting with the approach and draining your energy before you get to climb. This is probably as good as you will get for most rock climb approaches (and descents) that exceed 10 minutes, without having to haul heavy boots up a climb. As for slipping and sliding on the trail (which I read in your question) - a lot of that goes away with practice and time. Learning to move on unstable terrain doesn't come quickly, unfortunately. I was raised scrambling in the Rockies, where you learn to move in shin deep scree. Lots of patience required! Bottom line, don't get stressed out over the rest of your group. Find someone who moves at your pace, or is willing to dial it back to stick with you. That, or don't worry so much about being last, so long as you eventually get to the start of the climb.

2. Technical skill - seek out partners and groups that are better than you, and learn in the field. People love to share their knowledge. That said - very important - be absolutely transparent in your skill level. No one likes someone with an over inflated view of their ability, and losing trust of potential climbing buddies is a death blow. It can take a bit of time to find people - club trips to crags or climbing gyms is a super place to start. Its all about networking and meeting people.

3. Courses - I hope I don't get blackballed on this, but the ACC Vancouver is doing a great job with specific niche rock climbing courses. The ship might have sailed with signing up, but I think it's worthwhile taking a look. It's also a great venue for meeting other people who are similarly learning that particular skill. We have our mentorship program, which is a fantastic way to get involved with a defined group of likeminded climbers and a knowledgable mentor. You'll have to wait until next year for that.

Good luck!
Shannon

Hi Shannon and Miranda, 

Thank you both for the detailed and thoughtful responses! The approaches that I struggle with are the hike-ins to more remote spots. One recent example of an approach I struggled with was a 1 hour hike in to the start of a multi that was fairly steep and had lots of loose dirt / rock. I found that going up was definitely easier than coming down. Lots of rocks and other loose material caused me to slip lots, so I was essentially pistol squatting down the entire time during the descent. 

I'm very upfront about my lack of experience to group activities and tend to be more cautious because I don't want to come off as more skilled than I actually am. I'm very careful when I look at trip lists to ensure I'm attending trips where I feel confident and am well within my abilities :) 

Along with gaining more experience, I will look into approach shoes and ACC courses!  

Hey Melody,

Many multis in popular climbing areas - whether in BC or elsewhere - have approaches like that, so good thinking to get better at them! Nothing worse than getting hurt on the way out. Shannon and Miranda have already provided amazing advice, so I'll keep this short and just add one more thought:

You mentioned using poles and "...constantly lowering my centre of gravity because I'm slipping..." - I'd suggest thinking about your centre of gravity as you go down. In simple terms, you might be slipping because there's not enough friction and there's not enough friction because your weight may be too far back and you're transferring it on the poles instead. That's a natural instinct for all of us, but it's counter-productive.

My opinionated advice for practice: Ditch the poles if possible, think about keeping your hips over your feet - as in try to lean a bit more forward as you go down - and remember that if you're putting your feet too much forward, they will slip. Smaller steps also help. 

Pavel brings up an excellent point. Climbing poles are not the safety feature you might think of them. When I started out, I didn't use poles (figuring they were only when your joints started to cause trouble). Sometimes they are dangerous, when you put too much weight on them and they suddenly slip out (I've heard of at least one serious injury). Like Pavel suggests: consider not bringing them. You may develop muscle memory to use core muscles on your approaches. It may slow you down even more, but it might slow the slipping!

Good footwear is super important - I agree with Miranda regarding wearing good approach shoes. I too wear La Sportiva Evos for approaches and for all hiking.

One other essential component of being able to safely navigate downhills is agility. You need to be able to move quickly from one foot (which may be sliding) to another without loosing your balance. Agility can be trained at home or outside using an agility ladder (lots of drills on YouTube).  Plyometric drills for runners are also excellent for improving this ability and reducing the chance of injury ( YouTube). 

Melody, I feel your pain! I'm in the same boat. FWIW, I changed backpacks this year to something way more compact, and this has made a huge difference! The rope is now directly against my body, and my draws aren't as top-heavy in the pack - the result is that I'm tipping around/slipping far less. In the past I felt like the weight of my pack made me feel off-kilter a ton, even if I packed it according to usual backpacking principles. This is the pack I have now - currently on sale for 95$! I can fit a 70m rope in the larger compartment, and all of my hardware + food can squish into the medium compartment. I put my harness and chalk in the smallest section, and clip everything else to the outside. For reference, I'm 5'3-ish.

When it comes to being slow - like you, I just tell everyone upfront that I'm going to be slow. It hasn't been an issue! =) And as for shoes - I wear regular hiking shoes as it's all the same terrain IMHO! Where I do differ from what others have said - I've started using hiking poles in places where I know I've had challenges (only The Pillary). I had a knee injury last year and the poles have been helpful for me when going downhill on loose dirt. 

Hi everyone! 
Thank you for providing insightful suggestions. Over the weekend, I did the approach to Area 44 which I had a bit of trouble with the first time I did. I took the following suggestions and implemented them:

Overall, while there are still optimizations to be done, I had a much more pleasant approach experience. Thank you all for the advice! :)