MICA (P) 143/07/2009

Issue 02 :: Aug 2009

in this issue
Are you ready to Rock On!
6 Traveling Climber
Making a comeback after a 2
years hiatus, Rock On is back and Rock On
Date: 7t
2 009
it is bigger than ever! h to 14th
Venue: S Novemb
The climbing event of the AFRA Ad
v
er
Registrat e n tu re Sport
year, Rock On 2009, will be held ion Fee: s Centre
Individua
between 7th and 14th November ls - $15 (
Team $4 U.P. $18
5 (U.P. $ ),
at SAFRA Adventure Sports Centre Website: 57)
(SASC) at SAFRA Yishun. www.sg climb.co
Be charmed by oriental m/rocko
n
beauty when we explore Climbers can expect an
climbs in Yangshou, China exciting week of fun, adrenaline Rock On has come a long way
and excitement, peppered with in inking its presence in our
intense competitions, technical climbers’ hearts, recognized as the

7 Health & Training
courses, carnival and many more.
Known to attract international
climbers, local climbers will have
the opportunity to pit their skills
and techniques with the best from
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and
other South-East Asia countries.
competition of all competitions. Its
absence in the past 2 years is sorely
missed by many.
From a humble beginning in 1992,
Rock On began as a small scale event
held at World Trade Centre with
only 280 competitors.

In addition, Rock On will have Over the years, it has grown to

35 mins fuss-free way to
get stronger at the comfort
of your home
over 20 competitive categories an enormous size which sees over
and the only Junior Category (12 800 participants with many loyal
& below) that is opened to all climbers hailing from regional
Juniors (local & international). countries.

This year it is estimated to see Among the local competitions,

7 Win Evolv Shoes!
Find out how to win yourself
a pair of EVOLV Optimus
worth $168 !
over 800 signups. Register early
to enjoy early bird discounts:
Individuals - $15 (U.P. $18), Team
$45 (U.P. $57)
There will also be a series of
technical courses conducted by
international professionals to
educate and produce more local
judges and route-setters as an
effort to heighten the standards
of our climbing community.
nothing compares to the prestige
of being a Rock On champion. Past
luminaries include Mr. Philip Lim,
Mr. Muhd Hazlee and Ms. Suzanna
Tan.
So who will be the next Rock On
Champion for 2009?
Visit www.sgclimb.com/rockon
for more pdates as the Rock On
draws nearer.
 EDITORAL

Editor’s Desk ask DR. ROCK

Q
Are we there yet? No. Climbing in Singapore would not have been the I know that close crimping puts excessive pressure on
Are we there yet? No. same without the spirit of sharing and giving. Commit the finger joints, but it has become an integral part of
Are we getting there? No. yourself. Give us a day or an hour of your time. Log how I climb. Should I try to break this habit?
Are we halfway there? Maybe. onto our website - www.sgclimb.com to find out
Are we moving? Yes! more about how you can contribute to our climbing YES! From all perspectives, yes!
community. Firstly, your climbing level will improve fastest simply by

W ith the successful conclusion of NBL 2009, and

a very high chance of climbing becoming a
CCAB sport, we are on a roll!
With the help of passionate climbers such as
Suzanna (SCA), Philip and Kelly (Acrobatics), Nazib and
Kelly (SASC), Gabriel (Xinmin Secondary), Irwan and
Junbin (Climb Asia), Garrick (Temasek Polytechnic),
Thiam Huat, Stanley and Chee Yeong (International
Judges) and many more individuals, NSSCC 2009 was
a resounding success.
During these months, SCA has also been busy with
the organizing of - the first National Bouldering
League, a JC interaction session held at NUS, sending
Ms. Beatrix Chong for World Championship in Qinghai,
China, coordinating our Dyno issues and many more.
On 26th Aug, SCA will be sending Irwan, SueAnn
and Beatrix to the Asian Championships 2009 in Korea.
We wish them all the best!
Lastly, there are more upcoming exciting events in
the later half of the year such as Rock On and Climb
working on your weak points. Being
good only on crimps simply means you
will start faltering on slopers or pinches.
On. Keep yourself updated by visiting our website – Being strong in a variety of hand
www.sgclimb.com regularly. positions will ensure that you don’t get
shut down on a route simply because
And before I sign off, SCA would like to remind all you can’t hold a certain hold.
climbers out there, that there is nothing like the real Secondly, the closed crimp position
thing. places a lot of stress on the joints, and
has caused a number of climbers to have
“Go climb a rock – a real rock” chronic problems with their fingers. This is especially true for
younger climbers who are not feeling the effects yet.
Ben Toh
Chairperson
Because it’s a chronic problem, it sets in slowly, and takes a
long time to heal, meaning you’ll have to stay away from climbing
longer for it to heal. AND knowing climbers, they probably can’t
Q What is the point of using chalk? Are there
different grades of chalk?
Singapore Climbers Association Er… to dry your hands?
stay away for long, so the problem will remain with them for the
rest of their lives. Well, apart from the Metolius Super Chalk, most other
chalk feels the same. Afterall, they have the same
You scared yet? chemical composition. The thing about
Metolius’ chalk is that they added a
particularly strong drying agent. So

We have also received wonderful feedback and

response from all you climbers, which spurs us at SCA
QWhat should I look out for when buying a harness?
First off, do not buy one like how your mother would buy
strong in fact that prolonged usage can
lead to dry and scaly finger tips! So use
clothes for you - a one-size-fits-all a.k.a. ‘club harness’ so that you in moderation.
to work harder for our climbing community.
can accommodate any future growth in width. But, more often than not, climbers
SCA would not have been able to do so without the Depending on your intended genre of climbing (e.g.,sport just use whichever chalk is cheaper.
help from our volunteers, Thank you! We would also climbing, rock climbing, mountaineering, etc.), you will likely The only major difference is when

Ben
like to express gratitude to all the belay volunteers need to get a harness that caters to it. using liquid chalk. Basically it’s chalk
for their time and effort in making the NBL, Climb2 For a beginner or simply general purpose use, an all-round
suspended in an alcohol solution,
and NSSCC a great success. thus it’s very important to shake the bottle before
harness would suffice. They should come in a gender-specific size
use, otherwise you’ll just be pouring alcohol onto your
(e.g., XS, S, M, etc.) with at least two gear loops (one on each
hands! Anyway, it works by leaving C theHsuspended chalk
SNAPCL
IMBING.CO
M

side) and a moderate amount of padding. A L

A G SK TRAD
KNOW YOUR CRAG & WIN! Where can i get my next issue of Dyno? It is important to ensure that the waist and leg loops meet your
‘glued’ to your hands as the alcoholBevaporates. Very
useful when you’re on a project whereFO R G E
Tyou
Y O U R have minimal
S W E AT
Traditio

Depth:
Closure
na
Diamete l symetrical sh
r: 12cm
18cm
cord
ape

unique bodily proportions. A good gauge for sufficient harness chances to chalk up (e.g., Realization,9a or Fat Man,8A+).
BELT AN
ASSORT
D BRUS
ED COLO
H INCLU
RS
DED >

Tell us the name of the snugness is when it neither slides over and VEXCAV
CORD
Next issue will be out in November below your hips nor creeps up
Ergonomi

route pictured on the right.

c
one conv asymetrical sh

D
ex ape:
one conc face and

r Rock hangs out @ Climb Asia, and in between

av
Diamete e face

(Hint: Dairy Farm) • During Rock On to your ribs. Additionally, you Depth:
Closure
r: 14cm
18cm

should feel relatively comfortable climbs, tries his best to find your letters and think up >
cord

• At Climb Asia, SAFRA SASC, Campers Corner wearing the harness. cool answers. VEXCAV
Stand to win a a SNAP ZI
Ergonomi
c
P

• Electronic Mailing list (sign up now) Different brands adopt

one conv asymetrical sh

Vanity Chalk Pot worth $44

ex ape:
one conc face and
av
Diamete e face
r: 14cm
different cuts, and only by
Depth:
18cm

courtesy of Climb Asia.

Closure
waterpr
oof zip
>
testing various designs will you Want your questions to be answer
ed?
find the right fit for you, so Submit them to dyno@sgclimb.co
Submit your entry to m
always try before you buy. along with your name
dyno@sgclimb.com with A quarterly publication by Cost should be the least of
and contact number.
VANITY
your full name your worries since you will be The best entry willStable co
High dia
nical sh
meter:
ape

& contact no. walk away with a Low dia 17cm

meter:
taking falls in your harness for a good two to three Height:
20
Chalkpr cm
21cm

SNAP Vanity Chalk Pot

oof closin
handle
with the g system &
years. As a gauge, $80 to $120 is a reasonable price range for a snapbu
ckle
new alu
minium

worth $44 courtesy of

1 zippere
d mesh
4 brush pocket
beginner. holders

Climb Asia. >

All materials in this issue are copyrighted materials of SCA 3

 FEATURE

PUMP IT UP National Bouldering League

C
ongratulations to our champions Chung Sue Ann and Muhamed Irwan. It was
a tight race till the end, but the best of Singapore has shined through. Both
of our champions, together with 2nd place winner, Beatrix Chong, will be
headed to the Asian Championships 2009 in Korea, representing Singapore in the
bouldering segment.

SCA is proud to be the official organisation sponsoring their campaign.

Congratulations also to the winner of the NBL “V”, “A” and “B+C” Division winners.
They are respectively National University of Singapore(NUS), Temasek Junior College and
~ by Goh Xiao Xian Outram Secondary School.

H
aving returned to Velocity@Novena from 15th to
17th May, Pumpfest delivered a strange combination
of delight and disappointment to its spectators and
participants.
Most pleasantly received was the unique wall structure
built by Climbers Laboratory. A continuous wall of three
varying angles of overhanging inclines and one vertical face,
these surfaces were not only textured but also wider than
what the usual competition-goers are used to.
The alignment was also particularly considerate to
spectators as it allowed for a good view of all 4 routes from
a single location.
An interesting twist was watching the Open Men’s and
Women’s finals run simultaneously, seeing route setters
scurrying around and excitement building up among the
restless crowd.
Sadly, the weekend also proved particularly mishap-
ridden with a spattering of careless judging and spotting.
Starting off the event was an unexpected 15-way tie for the
third position in the qualifying round for the Novice Women
category, which had to be resolved with a tie-breaker round.
Accidents continued to unravel, including an ill-fated
given erroneous route information which resulted in her attempting a two-hand start on what was later
clarified to be a foothold to a jump start. This mistake was rectified and Xiao Xian was given another
opportunity to attempt the route, which she finished in dramatic fashion, in the final remaining minute on her third try.
Each have been awarded $200 worth of climbing credits, proudly sponsored by Climb
Asia. More details on how the winning score is calculated can be found at www.sgclimb.
com/nbl.
The aim of the National Bouldering League is to foster greater bonds within our climbing
community, and also to motivate our climbers to greater heights. SCA firmly believes that
somewhere amongst us is our very own version of Adam Ondra and Akiyo Noguchi.
Three, the points system was flawed to the extent
That is why SCA will turn its focus on our younger climbers and work towards that a female intermediate participant finished 3
organising a National Schools Bouldering League and/or Championships in 2010. Such routes but did not qualify for the finals; while there were
some finalists who only finished 1.
an endeavour will require much help from everyone and when the
time comes, we hope all climbers out there can lend us
Four – Open finalists started out on different
a hand – for the future of our sport.
routes in the finals, a strange format and
debatable fairness. Five, no medals or trophies
were presented during the award ceremony. The
last check with winners indicated that organizers
are contacting them in regards to their medals.
Much effort was made in the production of the
“show”; but the numerous glitches and the laissez-
faire way in which the competition is run leaves
one wondering if all the effort made
was skewed towards producing
a “show”, rather than a sports
finalist, yours truly, who was event.
Yes, climbing eventa should
reflect the organisers’ flair and
Rockmaster 2009 philosophy, and SPRC did well to
bring much entertainment to the

H
A costly oversight by Mr. Jay Koh placed him in 3rd position after he unwittingly put two hands on the appening over the 2 weekends from
bonus tile and jumped off in delight under the impression that he had completed the spectators.
13 Jul, Rockmaster was a paradox of
route. sorts. The effort put into producing But hey, don’t forget the
the “show” deserves credit. athletes.
On the other hand, this competition also confirmed the rapidly rising star
of Ms. Janet Goh from SP who flashed all 4 routes in the finals to bag the From the video presentation, to the lightings
top position in the Intermediate Women category. Having only just been and music, the organisers went all out to
promoted after placing 3rd in Boulderactive’s Novice category, Janet entertain the crowd. Yet, the many glitches
confesses to not having done much conditioning but instead climbs during the event that makes one wonders if the
almost every day. competition itself is sacrificed in the making of
the “show”.
Amidst the hard bouldering and competitive air, perhaps
what should be most memorable is instead the courage For one, spinning holds seems endemic during
and determination displayed by Open runner-up Ms. Low the weekend at Marina Barrage. Two, routes set
Shuang’e. Enduring a sprained ankle from the previous during the men’s novice, intermediate and open
day, Shuang’e scaled the problems not just in physical preliminaries were way too hard – Only 1 novice
grace, but also with an uncomplaining air. man manage to finish 2 routes in the qualifiers,
all others did not finish any routes. Similar
Pumpfest may not have been perfect, but in many ways, it was still pretty good. occurrences happened for Intermediate and Open
Men.
Photos courtesy of Pumpfest Photo Contest participants: Nicholas Ng & Daryl Chew.

4 5
 TRAVELING CLIMBER
Yangshuo – Oriental Climbs
A climbing paradise boasting over
70,000 peaks, Yangshuo looks set to
become the next climbing hotspot.
Characterized by its massive karst
towers, the stalactite and tufa
formations on its limestone walls
draw comparisons to those of
Krabi’s. This county, however,
offers grand arches and caves
overlooking peaceful rivers and
luscious farmlands.
Home to lots of classics graded between 6c and
8a, White Mountain is a favorite amongst climbers due to
its overhanging climbs, big moves and deep pockets. Another
iconic crag is Moonhill, a majestic hill with a hole in its centre.
At varying angles, this hole supposedly resembles the moon at
different times of the month, from the new moon to the full
moon.
There’s something for every climber with Yangshuo’s
glorious variety of climbing, from trad to multi-pitch to the
familiar style of single pitch sport climbing. Climbing grades
also come in a good range, from the 5s up to the 8s.
Weather
The periods of March to May and September to November
are good times to climb as they experience less rainfall but
are also colder at around 15 to 25°C. On the other hand, June
to August is hot and rainy. Nonetheless, some climbing can
still be done during rain as certain overhanging crags are not
affected.
6 7
Food and Accommodation
Feast away on cheap, delicious and most importantly,
tummy-safe food. Breakfast goes at around 15 Yuan (SGD 3),
whilst a sumptuous dinner comes at only 30 Yuan (SGD 6)!
A beautiful array of hotels and guesthouses caters to all
budgets. Air conditioned rooms with attached bathrooms
are available for around 50 Yuan (SGD 10) per night at
guesthouses.
Rest Day
Yangshuo is also ideal for regular holidaying with the
surefire formula of good food, beautiful landscapes and
unusual experiences. Soak in the delights of Singaporean
exiles such as fireworks and chewing gums worry-free. You
can also reconnect with nature on a bamboo raft down Li
Jiang, witness the traditional cormorant fishing or hot air
balloon into the open skies.
Getting There, Moving Around
Getting to Yangshuo involves travelling by both air and
land. The nearest airport is at Guilin, about a 2½ hour
road journey away. With no direct flights from Singapore,
one option is to fly to KLCC and then make a transfer flight
to Guilin, which entails a total of 5 hours of flight time
excluding transit and cost an estimated $200. From Guilin
Airport, local taxis and shuttles will
bring you to Guilin City where buses
leave for Yangshuo regularly.
Moving around from crag to crag is
much simpler as vans, motorbikes and
bicycles are readily available for rent at
low prices.
HEALTH N TRAINING
NO TIME, NO GYM,
?
NO HANGBOARD, NO MONEY?
NO PROBLEM!
Push-Up Intervals
Push ups train your pectoral muscles and triceps, and is a
good antagonistic exercise after all the pulling you do while
T
ime, facility and money cannot be excuses of those climbing. A lack of development in the pectorals when coupled
who really want to get stronger for climbing. Simple with over-developed back muscles may lead to the caveman
syndrome, aka ‘hunched back’.
exercises such as pull up, sit up, push up, leg raise
and dips can easily be done with a door ledge or a Tool: Any flat surface
chair. While not specific, a regular regiment of these exercises
are more than adequate for newcomers to the sport.
Exercise: 5 intervals of 10 repetitions
This article is about how to train effectively and save on
time and money ------- Rest: 5 min -------
Interval training is an effective way to get strong fast! It
involves doing intervals of exercises at below your maximum Deltoids strengthening/conditioning intervals
level. i.e. If your maximum pull-up is 10 repetitions, you may
Deltoids are the muscles that move your arms around
be doing sets of 3-5 repetitions during training.
and are indispensable for everyday living. As climbing and
Important! Your training is NOT effective if you fail to especially bouldering involves a
successfully complete at least 3 out of 5 sets. So start with a lot of latching, strengthening your
repetition per set that you feel is 100% completable, and work shoulders is essential to better and
your way up from there. safer climbing.
Note: All intervals below are set at 1min The deltoids consist of 3 parts,
and includes both exercise and rest time. the front, middle and rear, and will
thus require 3 different exercises.
The following exercises are
Pull-Up Intervals aimed at improving the strength of
The climber who does the most pull ups the deltoid muscles. Generally, they should only be performed
provided they do not cause or increase pain.
is not necessarily the best climber. BUT,
the climber who cannot do any pull-up
Tools: 2 x 1kg dumbbells or 2 x 1liter water bottle filled
certainly cannot be the best!
with water
If your maximum repetition is 10, we 1. Front Raises (strengthens the front deltoids)
suggest starting off with 4 reps per set, then
adding on when you feel more comfortable. If you are not 2. Lateral Raises (strengthens the “middle” deltoids)
able to do a single pull-up, step on a cord to
3. Bent-over dumbbell laterals (strengthens the
take some weight off your hands.
rear deltoids)
Tool: Door Frame, Pull-up bar, Table Edge
Exercise: 5 intervals of 5 repetitions of each
Exercise: 5 intervals of 4 repetitions exercise. Total 15 raises per set. No rest.
Increase weight if exercise is too easy.
------- Rest: 5 min ------- Total time required for entire routine is 35
mins
Hanging Leg Raise Intervals
For more detailed explanations, check out
An exercise more specific to climbing than www.sgclimb.com/rocktalk for additional informations and
sit-ups. This exercise is especially beneficial for girls as most sample programs for beginners and also advance climbers.
have problem maintaining their tension on the roof and on
steep walls.
Form: Hold bar with palms facing away and shoulder-width
apart. Keep legs straightened and raise till 90 degrees to the
body. Lower with control. Those who are not able to do this
exercise can try another variation where the legs are bent and
brought up to the chest.
Tool: Door Frame, Pull-up bar
Exercise: 5 intervals of 5
repetitions
Variations: Knees to chest, leg
raised over head, ankle weights used
------- Rest: 5 min -------
 SPOTLIGHT

5 mins with Beatrix Chong

W ith 9 years of climbing experience,
Beatrix Chong, is one of Singapore’s
top female climbing stars.
group training session
would help climbers
to have a better
direction to work
With her supportive husband, Mr.
towards.
Faizalrizal, a Singapore police cost guard,
Beatrix has claimed multiple wins in multiple And hopefully more
international competitions over her years of funding to send more
climbing. climbers to compete
in international
Dyno grabs a 5 minutes interview with
competition.
Beatrix to find out how she does it.
D: Having competed
Dyno: What is your training regime like? Training on-sighting is very important, a in many international
lot of us like to red-point a boulder problem competitions? How do
Beatrix: I climb 4-5 days a week, leaving my you think Singapore
but during competition, there isn’t enough
Wednesdays & Saturdays as rest days. climbers’ standards
time for that. We need to train towards
On days that I’m coaching, I’ll do some competition-like method. compare?
light training such as running in the morning B: Frankly speaking,
D: Many women/men stop climbing after
and do some sets of endurance climb & we are still a big gap
finishing school. How do you think this trend
weights training together with my students from the rest. In order
can be reverse?
lasting 3 hrs. for us to do well, we really need to travel
B: In the past, there were few competitions more to gain experience.
D: How do you prepare for competitions?
and no tracking of individuals ranking
B: I know my strengths Our knowledge are limited and the style of
This caused a lot of the high potential climbing is ever changing. We can continue to
and weaknesses well.
climbers to lose their directions. Many train hard but if we do not go out to explore,
When competitions of us are self-taught climbers and lack we’ll always have this disadvantage compare
are approaching, the knowledge on how and what they to the rest of the world.
I’ll do more specific can do to improve on themselves.
training to improve my For the full interview with Beatrix, log
I believe having more ranking onto www.sgclimb.com/rocktalk
weaknesses instead of
competitions and possibly a weekly
my usual routine.

NSSCC 2009 - a great success

Compared to the disaster of last year, Most Importantly, NSSCC 2009 would
NSSCC 2009 was smooth running. not have been spectacular without the
hard work of the climbers themselves.
Unlike in 2008, no climbers decked,
there was no bottleneck and the GOH A big thank you especially to the
does not have to call for the prize climbing clubs of Temasek Polytechnic,
winners himself. Singapore Management University,
National University of Singapore and Xin
NSSCC 2009 is a complete success!
Min Secondary for providing the bulk of
“We got lots of positive feedback the belayers!
from SAFRA, from the GOH, from the
Here’s the deal. Being a belayer
CCAB”, said Mr. Rasip Isnin, secretary SCA hopes that more climbers from
entails a lot of responsibility (someone’s
of Singapore Mountaineering the other Polys, ITEs and Varsities will
life) and comes with little or no thanks.
Federation (SMF). step forward to offer a day or two of their
You get complaints when the belay is time for future competitions.
However,
not dynamic, when you’re not pulling/
much credit must More specifically, it would be good
lowering fast enough and when you have
be given to the to see more volunteers from the Junior
a momentary lapse.
volunteers in Colleges.
the technical You don’t get thanks for being in
committee. the sun the whole day, for ensuring the If we don’t do our part for our sport,
participant’s who will.
From
safety or for To Suzanna, Ben and their team of
teachers to
craning your volunteer belayers, SALUTE! You made
coaches, there
neck upwards NSSCC 2009 a success!
were many who
for hours.
contributed And not forgetting the other
their time and Temasek volunteers who gave their time to route-
sweat to make Polytechnic set, judge, take videos, take timings, etc.
it happen. Sportclimbing etc...
Team took the
Mr.Philip and Thank You All!
first step in provoking the volunteerism
his Mrs. even delayed their long-awaited
that is so necessary for our sport, by
holidays so as to take on the heavy NSSCC 2008 Post-Event feedback can
providing more than 30 belayers!
responsibilty of being Chief Route-Setter. be found at www.sgclimb.com/nbl.