The next time you come to Seattle bring your ice tools.

Seriously!

​A small group of locals sought out and developed extraordinary mixed climbing and dry tool venues in the I-90 Corridor less than an hour’s drive east of downtown. 

Wait, why would you stand outside, in rainy weather, and hook your way up some choss cliff with ice tools? Because mixed climbing/dry tooling is incredibly fun and every mixed climber needs a training ground to be able to hit the big stuff Like this beauty of a mixed line called Cryophobia in Alberta, Canada.

The author Wayne Wallace on "Cryophobia" (WI5+ M8) in Alberta, Canada. Training for these types of lines is one of the motivations Wayne had to create a local training crag. Photo Credit: James Warren

​Compared to ice climbing, dry tooling is much more precise, it has very specific holds, and it demands more of your concentration and focus. Typically, mixed climbing/dry tooling is also a bit safer compared to pure ice climbing because it is usually steeper and bolted. Additionally - and here’s the fun part - you can do it in the rain, sun, snow, and on wet rock (oh the irony of "dry" tooling in the rain!). How great is that - to be able have fun climbing and train consistently without external limitations? ​

The author, Wayne Wallace, doing a first ascent on "Painted Ruins." Photo Credit: Kyle Willis

The ability to train in all weather conditions is a particular blessing for those of us that live in the Pacific Northwest. Here in Seattle we suffer from poor-to-no, ice; near-constant rain nine months of the year; closed gyms due to COVID; damp, moss-covered rock; short rock seasons; AND, right now (also due to COVID), we can’t even enter Canada. Frankly, we just don't have much to go on for large chunks of the year. 

Why not just train indoors you might wonder? COVID aside, there just aren’t venues to train for ice and mixed-climbing’s brand of spicy (think sharp objects flying around in the gym … gyms don’t like that too much). [ED NOTE: CC interviewed the owner of Furnace Industries who makes Dry Ice Tools for gym training.] 

​Plus, there’s just no substituting outside laps on real rock to stay sharp and fit.

So, if you’re a mixed climber in Seattle, what do you do? You take measures into your own hands and develop a dry-tool crag!

And so, the hunt was on! Several of us locals wondered, “Would we ever find THE dry-tool crag? One with unique and fun climbs?”

When we were able to cross over the border up north, our dry-tooling team of Jenn Carter, Kyle Willis, and I visited the dry-tool venues in Canmore, Alberta (Canada). The cliffs there were set up exclusively for this crazy pursuit. We wondered if something like this could be produced here in the Pacific Northwest. 

Frustrated with aimless searches and sifting through the leftovers of existing rock-climbing crags, our team reached out to a local guide and guidebook author, Kurt Hicks. Kurt sent us to the two places he knew of with the most promise. We were floored with the potential. We got to work right away. In spite of COVID, in just a few short months we developed dozens of incredible routes, and a steady stream of regular climbers began to show up, both for the climbing and to help with developing the area. 

Tom Beirne on the "Darkside." Photo Credit: Wayne Wallace

Kyle, who can best be described as outwardly laid-back, was the most enthusiastic at the outset. He began bolting, scrubbing, and fundraising at a feverish pace. His Go-Fund-Me promotion raised over $8,000 and helped outfit the showpiece crag, called Wayne's World, with the latest hardware. If you ever need, say, a tunnel dug to Issaquah, Kyle will get it done.

World-class climber/competitor Tom Beirne took fire there too, and continues to push the ratings at the second dry-tooling cliff known as the Roadhouse. Tom’s vision has brought us newer dry-toolers along kicking and screaming. His lofty standards made us stewards of the rock, rather than hacks.

Jeremy Park, another enthusiastic local, worked behind the scenes with land managers and access specialists to protect our sensitive ecosystem. He continues to keep us in check on our run-away expansion. 

Dave Egan supplied the top-rope access lines from Sterling ropes. Eventually, a village emerged and a “scene” took hold.

Northwest climbers have always prided themselves on being rugged, but now we have a safe venue for bringing up our technical dry-tool difficulty standards.

​

​In the end, exciting and COVID-friendly dry tool climbing (hands don’t even touch the holds!) is something that one just has to try to appreciate. I have seen so many skeptical climbers become transformed into blithering enthusiasts by the unique athletics, movement, and ridiculous positions you have to go through to get to the chains while dry tooling. You now have an incredible reach and you can utilize the tiniest of holds without being a great rock jock. It truly makes you feel like you have a super power! You just need to hang on to your grip. 

So, what makes a good mixed-climbing crag?

​How about a great rainforest setting, where, on a rainy day, you feel like you are the only person in the world? Or easy access and stunning climbs? Or a vibrant, enthusiastic, and growing group of fellow climbers to laugh and share successes, failures, and beta with? We have all of that here at Wayne’s World. So, grab your tools and come check out the Pacific Northwest’s dry-tooling hotspot.

Allison Ep on "Partytime! Excellent!" Photo Credit: Wayne Wallce.

My favorite route at the crag is called Social Distancing. It has three very distinct technical cruxes and the variety and style of each crux is very cerebral, yet physical. The moves choreograph like a fun, athletic dance.

-- Wayne Wallace

Laurel Fan on a first ascent of "Circumnavigation." Photo Credit: Wayne Wallace

Wayne's Blog: ​http://waynewallace.wordpress.com/
Seattle Mixed Climbing Group - Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/groups/2446968488954489/?tsid=0.1795204297624704&source=result
Tom BeirneI's Instagram: https://instagram.com/tom.beirne?igshid=1lxt3p6fwymvc
Kyle Willis's Shop: https://highmountaingearandrepair.com/
Go Fund Me Campaign for Hardware: https://www.gofundme.com/f/seattle-mixed-climbing-development-fund