why the old x-technique is inferior

[Admin Al]

So, ya think Will Gadd might know what he's talking about?

http://willgadd.com/x-vs-t-why-the-old-x-technique-is-inferior/

[sherpajosh69]

Hey Al, That was the technique I was tough by, I guess you could call him an old timer. We were swinging Hummingbirds and Chinaurdes X-walls with make shift sling leashes. Wow it seems a time warp, climbed some of the routes recently with all the upgraded gear and tri-angle technique and WOW. Yeah X-Technique is dead!!!!!!!

[pappy]

I was all prepared to say he's full of it because I'm just naturally perverse. But as I read it I realized he's just describing the way I climb. I was never instructed in a 'technique' per se, so I've just always listened to my balance. If my balance says my next move should be to put a tool in that spot, then that's where it's going w/o preconception of where a specific technique says it should go. (That goes for Gadd's 'technique', too). The configuration of the ice determines how and where you climb. Anyway, when you climb like that you wind up climbing the way he describes.

One thing that shocked me was when he considered it normal for each placement to take four swings. I always concentrate on one swing sticks, if I've got to swing twice, okay. If I have to swing four times or more it's now become a thrashing, screwed up nightmare and I'm actively pissed and making pretty much everyone nearby aware of that fact. Is he right, are four swings (or more) 'normal'?

[Admin Al]

I work really hard at getting single sticks. I pull straight down to test the stick and if it feels reasonable, even if there is some cracking, I go on it. if I take more than a couple of swings I'm pretty bummed. I feel that ice climbing is all about "conservation of energy" and multiple swings take away from that.

[lucky luke]

So, ya think Will Gadd might know what he's talking about?

Body X technique is probably the first technique for a beginer...is it inferior for that reason?

I disagree with the difference between t and x position described in the link. I think that one most learn the x position and after practice the t position. One reason is that you rely on one ice tool at a time. The higher one. A beginer don’t have the knowledge to evaluate iif his higher tool are good. The second is that when the higher tool are not good, you most be able to save your life on the second one. At that moment, you are in a very unbalanced situation…without training. I suspect that the death of a climber in la pomme d’or last year was due to T technique, without enought knowledge.
 
As you climbed, you learn to place your ice tool as hight as you can to save a swing. If you have a distance of a foot and a half between your two placement or three foot, you do 2 time more movement. The consequence is that you are more tired and less concentrated. The distance is between the place you remove the pick and the place above. In the T position, you keep one feet and a half, but you place one tool over the other. In x position, you keep your tool in as you climb with your feet. Before using the T technique you should be able to climb a grade four with the head of the ice pick at shoulder level in a body X posittion. Inconfortable, but do you want to climb safe or to climb to show off?

never forget that the guy who describe the technique climbed 20 years with body x position before doing T position. He asked you to have his knowledge with zero year of training?

[tradmanclimbz]

heck I don't even know what the x possition is other than you guys bableing away on the interweb..  I just climb.

[strandman]

i know this is ice, but the x position is called stemming

[ELM]

I must be dull right now from 6 house of moving snow. I really lost what he described until I saw this video mentioned in his comments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjMVSlQilKk
I have to say: when I climb that way I feel very confidant. However when I am tentative tend not to climb like that....I have to remember to remind myself.

[lucky luke]

i know this is ice, but the x position is called stemming

Body x position is call monkey hang, if i remember. stemming can be done in icy chimney, for example. i remember a story of chouinard who climb north face of Mt rainier. The first time, he had good weather and he didn't like it. the second time he did it during a snow storm and enjoy his climb. The chimney had verglas and he did steaming and chimney technique.