Describe your climbing background:
I started climbing in 1984 while in college in Virginia
and moved to the west coast in 1988 where I first spent
three months in Yosemite and the Needles. It was great
that climbing magazines were not an influence back
then and we saw few if any climbers at the NRG and
Seneca back at that time. My partners and I were content
to be climbing on a 5.7, as we were to be on a 5.11.
All that mattered to us was supporting each other,
respecting the rock and having fun. I feel lucky to
have had this type of background. I decided in 1989
to dedicate my energies to exploring my world through
the mountains and have been climbing and backcountry
skiing more than 300 days a year since that time. Climbing
is my moving meditation and I will continue to explore
my existence through this path.
Why climb ice?
There are few things as wild in climbing as sticking
to a minimal amount of frozen water with just a few
small spikes of metal in contact with the world and
with life.
Describe a climbing experience when things
got out of hand:
When rappelling off of the Central Torre Del Paine
in Chile in 1995, my partner was caught in a gust
of wind that kept him suspended away from the wall
for a couple of minutes. It was the most difficult
descent ever due to the wind and having to establish
all of our own rap anchors for 3,000’ as
the wind had torn out all of the previous anchors
on the Bonnington-Whillans route that we made the
third and fastest ascent of (12 hrs.). We managed
to get down after a long night and then just feet
from our tent, my partner sprained his ankle badly
after falling through a hole in the snow.
What has ice/alpine climbing taught you?
To be resilient and to know better my boundaries of
strength, determination, and pain tolerance. It has
also enabled me to be fully absorbed in the winter
environment, better connected and with more of an understanding
of Mother Earth.
What are you up to when you’re
not climbing?
I wish I could say something other than “climbing”,
but it is my career and my passion and what I love
to do with my time. I am spending a bit of energy
working on my new website www.climbinglife.com these
days which combines my passions for photography and
writing, and with the anticipated arrival of our
first child in February of ’07, I will soon
have my hands full!
Any training advice or suggestions?
Have fun with what you’re doing. Remember to
train the “opposites” of those muscles
used in climbing. I find that lots of push-ups
are helpful. Rest and good sleep seem to increase
my abilities at age 40 more than excessive training.
Diet and hydration should be the foundation of
any training program. You are what you eat!
Who or what inspires you?
I am most inspired by great teamwork in the mountains
and those who seek to push the limits of the possible.
Ben Gilmore and Kevin Mahoney’s new route on
the Moose’s Tooth is a climb that is very
inspiring as well as the thirty-some single point
anchors that they rappelled off on the descent.
How do you see climbing evolving in the next five years?
Certainly the style that Steve House and partners
have been marketing so well has re-aroused the
bold; truly alpine-style of climbing that was made
famous by Reinhold Messner and others more than
30 years ago. Hopefully a movement back to these “origins” of alpinism
will continue to grow and replace the “win at
all odds” mentality that has become common
on Everest, Ama Dablam and many other peaks in
the world.
How does fear affect your climbing?
Fear at some level is always present in my climbing;
facing my fears directly and moving forward (upward)
despite fear is one of my main motivations. Fear
can also be a warning, especially on ice, that
maybe I shouldn’t be here today?
Care to comment on: heel spurs, leashes vs. leashless,
falling on ice, impact of drytooling?
Drytooling can be very damaging to the rock and
in cragging areas it is arguably one of the most
environmentally impacting activities that climbers
engage in. We should do our best to minimize these
impacts by not drytooling on summer rock climbs
and by not thrashing our feet around and scratching
the rock on winter ones. Leashes are a personal
preference although I now prefer to go leashless
almost all of the time as it is a much easier way
to use tools and is much less constricting and
cumbersome. I haven’t
dropped them yet and I still haven’t fallen
on ice, yet!
What are your future plans or goals in climbing?
I'm really enjoying being a “local” in
Rocky Mountain National Park and the myriad possibilities
here for new routes and rare repeats are seemingly
unlimited. I will also continue to return to France,
Alaska, Nepal, Ecuador and Peru (Some of my favorite
climbing and living destinations) to do beautiful
climbs and connect with the amazing locals that
inhabit these magical areas of the world.
For more info, check out Eli's website: www.climbinglife.com
