Climbing Technology: The Next Step for Speed Records

Unlike many of the heroes of the outdoor world, I don’t live on the road, climbing whenever the temps are good, and it suits my fancy.  My climbing partner Jake Whisenant and I both work full-time jobs and have to find time to squeeze in as much climbing as possible.  We also both started climbing in our mid-20s, so no comp-kid freakish strength or parents that were mountain guides.  Hence, time is undoubtedly important.

How I've Improved Without Optimal Time

Balancing climbing with a busy work schedule is achievable with planning and prioritization. I set clear goals and schedule them into manageable tasks. I previously used spreadsheets to time-block and allocated specific times for workouts, treating them as appointments throughout the week.

Sample of a typical workout schedule

As organized as this was, I found it to be a very manual process and I needed a way to be more efficient with time and preparation. In addition, the metrics I used were subjective and I searched for a way to be more precise with my training overall.

Being introduced to COROS and the metrics they offer has allowed me to take the next step in training for the record breaking climbs I pursue.

Using COROS to Train for Record-Breaking Performances

COROS is the ideal tool for those time-strapped weekend warriors. I think about big speed climbing goals in terms of total exertion.  If my goal is to climb something in 8 hours, I want to be prepared for 10 hours of strenuous exercise.  Before COROS, I didn’t know true exertion because I had no way to monitor heart rate or calories burned.  Now, through the watch, heart rate monitor and app, I can track my training and adjust as needed.

Now, I keep an eye on my heart rate while I exercise to keep it in the right zone and when I am done, I open my COROS app.

Brant's Training Load in the COROS app

I use the VERTIX 2 to help keep track of all of my climbing and training, particularly speed climbing. There are so many modes to track indoor climbing, outdoor climbing, mountain runs, and even gym cardio.  The locking carabiner is clutch, otherwise I almost certainly would have lost it already.  I regularly utilize the “lap” feature to analyze performance and improve split times.

Heart Rate data from a recent climb

How we used the VERTIX 2 to break a record

Jake and I were within shooting distance of the El Cap speed record for Lurking Fear; a record that stood for 21 years and was set by the legendary climber Yuji Huriyama and his partner Nick Fowler at a time of 3:04. There are extraordinary tales of Yuji barely placing any protection and screaming as he flew up the wall.

In late September, our fastest time was 5:16.  We were close but had more than 2 hours to cut off.  Enter COROS VERTIX 2.

I began wearing the carabiner clip and heart rate monitor and utilizing it in a way that fit my needs perfectly. I utilized the “Mountain Climb” activity* and would just reach back and hit the “lap” button each time either my partner Jake, or I, finished leading a pitch and said “off belay”. It only took two seconds to do, which is incredibly important when time is of the essence.

Time to get back to work on El Cap.

19 “off belays”, 4 hours and 6 minutes later, we were at the top with some surprisingly awesome data.  As we hiked back to the valley floor, we had our usual debrief and stopped off in our favorite place for some big time views (pictured below).  When we got down to the valley floor, I pulled out the COROS app and realized we struck gold.

Overlook of Yosemite Valley

Since I had “lapped” every pitch, we could see exactly how long each pitch took and could compare them to what we thought they should take.  Here is a quick synopsis of a lengthy conversation that would shape all future attempts and speed climbing strategies:

• It all came down to focusing on the most time-consuming pitches and absolutely perfecting the tactics employed. If we could improve the 6 slowest pitches by 6 minutes each and every other pitch by 10%, that would give us an hour off our previous time of 4:06.
• I looked at the heart rate monitor data and realized that I was barely exerting at all the first half of the climb, while following, and far from redlining the second half when I was leading. Effort has never been a challenge for me, so I knew I could fix that, and it should give us another 5-10 minutes in the bank.

Pitch data from the Mountain Climb activity*

As we planned our next attempt, my promise to Jake was if he could get us to the halfway point in 1:35 or under, I would get us to the top under 3:04.

Two days later, on October 27, 2024, Jake and I hiked up from El Cap meadow at 6am before the sunrise.  We started up Lurking Fear with the sun, at 7:35am.  It was a perfect fall day without a cloud in the sky.  We hit all of our split times on the first half and Jake got us to the halfway point at 1 hour and 33 minutes.  We executed the fastest changeover that either of us had ever been a part of and I was in the lead in a flash.  I brought all my pitches in under the expected times and we absolutely red-lined it to the top (BPM 184).  When Jake arrived at the anchor I took the picture below and we howled and rejoiced our success.

We topped out 2 hours and 55 minutes and 32 seconds after starting. A new speed record.

Brant's VERTIX 2 at the end of the climb

More about Brant – the Climber:

Brant is an experienced climber and personality behind The Gravity Lab Youtube Channel.  Over the past year he has accomplished:

· Salathé Rope Solo Record: 19h57 (May 2024)

· Lurking Fear Speed Record: 2h55 (October 2024)

· Lurking Fear Rope Solo Record: 8h47 (November 2024)

· Multiple 5.13b sport/trad climbs (e.g., Cosmic Debris)

· V10 and multiple V9 boulder problems

Brant and Jake at the top of Lurking Fear

Click here to learn how COROS can help improve your climbing.

*Mountain Climb mode is not intended to track pitch data. For more precise information, Outdoor Climb mode is recommended.