Trip Tactics

B. and I take a lot of trips throughout the year – weekends to multiple week excursions. We also usually have different climbs we want to get on, which can make planning tricky. To make the best use of time and to ensure equity, we've figured out a few different tactics to make sure everyone is happy.

I. Back-and-forth

When routes are close to one another, we'll go back-and-forth between routes. Usually, we'll dump gear at one sector and carry the minimum needed to the other. We used this approach at Ten Sleep, alternating between Back 40 and Grasshopper walls, which are a 5 minute hike from each other.

II. Split days

Sometimes, going back-and-forth isn't convenient. In these cases, we'll split our days in half, focusing on one project in the morning and one in the afternoon. This can work well in areas with different sun exposure throughout the day – like Rifle. It's also helpful when bouldering, where climbs might not be that far from each other, but moving pads is too arduous.

III. On-and-off days

When it's not convenient to hike to multiple crags each day, we'll pick project days for each other. In these cases, B. will work a project while I rest, and vice versa. We use this approach quite a bit at home, where our projects might be in different areas or in different disciplines.