slab climbing

{{Short description|Type of rock climbing route}}

{{Multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=370 | header=Examples of slab climbing

| image1=Johnny Dawes on Poetry Pink.jpg|caption1=Johnny Dawes on Poetry Pink (E5 6b)

| image2=Looking down the Devil's Slide - geograph.org.uk - 605840.jpg|caption2=Looking down the classic slab-route, The Devil's Slide (HS 4a), Lundy

| image3=The Meltdown 8c+ 9a Twll Mawr Dinorwic Quarry Wales 2.png|caption3=Angus Kille on The Meltdown (9a), Twll Mawr

| image4=El Capitan - Climbers.JPG |caption4=Multiple teams ascending the early slab pitches of El Capitan}}

In rock climbing a slab climb (or friction climb) is a type of climbing route where the rock face is 'off-angle' and not fully vertical. While the softer angle enables climbers to place more of their body weight on their feet, slab climbs maintain the challenge by having smaller holds. Some of the earliest forms of rock climbing were on large easy-angled slabs encountered by climbers while mountaineering (e.g. the Idwal slabs in Wales or the Flatirons in Colorado), however, the introduction of advanced rubber-soled shoes enabled climbers to use the technique of 'smearing' to ascend steeper and blanker slabs.{{cite book | title=How to Rock Climb | isbn=978-1493056262 | edition=6th | first1=John | last1=Long | first2=Bob | last2=Gaines | author-link=John Long (climber) | publisher=Falcon Guides | date=August 2022|pages=vi-xx | chapter=Introduction: Getting Started (Modes of Ascent)}}{{cite web | website=Climber (Magazine)| url=https://www.climbernews.com/what-is-slab-climbing-slab-climbing-technique/ | title=What Is Slab Climbing? + 7 Slab Climbing Technique TipsWhat Is Slab Climbing? + 7 Slab Climbing Technique Tips | date=22 September 2021 | accessdate=5 October 2024}}{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/skills/face-climbing-techniques-slab-climbing/ | first=Bob | last=Gaines | title=Get Better At Slab Climbing—Master This Critical Skill | date=31 January 2022 | accessdate=5 October 2024}}

Slab climbs on rock surfaces with good friction, such as granite or sandstone, emphasize the foot technique of 'smearing', and thus can have almost no hand holds for very hard routes. In contrast, slab climbs on rock surfaces with poorer friction, such as quartzite or slate, emphasize the foot-and-hand techniques of 'crimping' and 'edging' on small edges in the rock. Regardless of the surface, slab climbing emphasizes balance and body positioning, and is often considered a 'pure form' of rock climbing, less reliant on physical strength and power — and it is thus considered a core skill for novice climbers.{{cite book | title=How to Rock Climb | isbn=978-1493056262 | edition=6th | first1=John | last1=Long | first2=Bob | last2=Gaines | author-link=John Long (climber) | publisher=Falcon Guides | date=August 2022|pages=57–65 | chapter=Chapter 4: Face Climbing | quote=Slab Technique)}}{{cite book | date=2023 | title=Climbing Guiding Manual | publisher=Association of Canadian Mountain Guides | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3OnLEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22slab+climbing%22&pg=PA212 | accessdate=6 October 2024 | chapter=Chapter 17: Guiding Rock Climbing | pages=212–213 | author=ACMG | quote=Slab Climbing}}

The lack of holds and features gives a greater sense of exposure and falls are painful due to scraping against the face,{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/skills/how-to-slab-climb/ | title=Slab Climbing Is Hard | first=Fitz | last=Cahill | date=8 June 2022 | accessdate=5 October 2024}} making slabs feel intimidating. On advanced slab-routes, the lack of options for inserting protection makes traditional climbing challenging (e.g Prinzip Hoffnung) or dangerous (e.g. Indian Face).{{cite web | magazine=Alpinist | url=https://alpinist.com/newswire/worlds-hardest-trad-slab-climbed-by-james-pearson/ | first=Erik | last=Lambert | date=30 September 2008 | title=World's Hardest Trad Slab Climbed by James Pearson| accessdate=5 October 2024}}{{cite web | magazine=Gripped (Magazine) | url=https://gripped.com/profiles/the-story-of-britains-first-e9-by-johnny-dawes/ | date=1 June 2020 | accessdate=5 October 2024 | title=The Story of Britain's First E9 by Johnny Dawes}} Slab climbing can be confused with face climbing which is on vertical rock, with Tommy Caldwell telling Climbing in 2023, "you have to be able to stand there and let go without tipping over backwards", and Paige Classen adding "I would define slab as an angle, not a style".{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/places/how-hard-can-slab-climbs-actually-get/ | title=How Hard Can Slab Climbs Actually Get? | first=James | last=Lucas | date=14 December 2023 | accessdate=4 October 2024}}

California is particularly notable for its abundance of high-quality granite slabs (e.g., Suicide Rock), with routes such as Tommy Caldwell and Beth Rodden's Lurking Fear on El Capitan, one of the world's hardest multi-pitch slab-routes. English climber Johnny Dawes was notable for his 'smearing' technique and his ability to climb extreme slab-routes without using his hands.{{cite web | website=Gripped (Magazine) | url=https://gripped.com/video/if-you-like-slab-this-is-a-climbing-film-for-you/ | title=If You Like Slab, This Is a Climbing Film for You | date=21 January 2023 | accessdate=5 October 2024 | first=Aaron | last=Pardy}} Dawes made the first free ascent of Indian Face and pioneered slab climbing on bolted sport climbing slate routes. One of the world's hardest slab climbs was The Meltdown {{climbing grade|9a}}, a 1980s Dawes project in Twll Mawr, that was only climbed by James Mchaffie in 2012.{{cite web | magazine=Gripped (Magazine)|url= https://gripped.com/profiles/these-are-the-worlds-hardest-slab-climbs/ | date=27 January 2023 | accessdate=5 October 2024 | title=These Are the World's Hardest Slab Climbs}} By 2024, it was joined by the two {{climbing grade|9b}} graded slab-routes of Cryptography (in Switzerland) and Disbelief (in Canada), as well as the neighboring line of The Dewin Stone at {{climbing grade|9a+}}.{{cite web | website=PlanetMountain | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/franco-cookson-makes-first-ascent-the-dewin-stone-9a-plus-slab-twll-mawr-north-wales.html | title=Franco Cookson makes first ascent of The Dewin Stone, 9a+ slab at Twll Mawr in North Wales | date=10 November 2023 | accessdate=5 October 2024}}