Important Reminders From Lofoten and Stetind

1. Crack climbing is your primary safety net in the mountains

I recently climbed Stetind—Norway’s national mountain—via the West Face and West Ridge, which is a popular route if you're slightly more experienced. Every time I do routes like this, I’m constantly reminded of just how important crack climbing is in the mountains. I always think to myself,

"How the heck do people climb these things when they don't have jamming skills? They must be doubling the grade!"

So often, these big mountain routes follow natural crack systems to reach the top because the crack is the line of weakness. If you aren't in a crack system, you're usually on a section of face climbing connecting one crack to another, but the main point is that these routes—more often than not—follow crack systems.

On this route, I jammed on every single pitch at least once, and on many pitches, over 50% of my handholds and footholds were jams!

My thought on these routes always goes back to:

"Thank goodness I know how to jam, this would be so much harder if I couldn't."

Without jamming, I'd be trying to layback or pull around the outside of crack features just to avoid inserting a hand or foot.

So many times in the mountains, jamming technique has saved me. People often say your rope and your rack are your biggest pieces of safety gear. While that's true, your primary point of safety before any of that gear kicks in is your climbing ability. And a massive portion of climbing ability in the mountains comes down to your crack climbing skills.

I’m so glad my crack skills are at a decent level because it brings me confidence on this terrain—and confidence brings enjoyment.

2. Speed on big walls is about efficiency, not rushing

I also climbed Presten in Lofoten (a 350m, 12-pitch wall), and that climb reminded me about speed on bigger routes.

If you can move over terrain efficiently, you automatically feel safer, more secure, and more confident on bigger faces. Over the years, I've come to realise that speed on multi pitch climbs isn't about rushing your climbing movement—it's about overall efficiency. You don't have to physically climb faster than normal; you just have to streamline how you operate.

Here are a few ways to build real efficiency on a big face:

1. Lead at your normal pace: Don't rush your leads. Always take your time, be careful, and climb thoughtfully.
2. Second at a slightly faster pace: Seconding is very safe because the rope is above you, making it the perfect place to save time. Consciously try to second a little quicker, especially through easier ground.
3. Use your downtime at belays wisely: While you're belaying your second up on guide mode, use that time to eat, drink, check the topo, and figure out where the next pitch goes so you can brief your partner when they arrive.
4. Look after your partner when they arrive: When your second reaches the belay, they might be tired (especially if they've been climbing faster). Make life easy for them: get them clipped in, make them safe, and switch over the belay device from seconding mode to leading mode
5. Multitask during belay chats: When your second arrives, you'll naturally chat about the pitch. Chat and work at the same time—for example, start stripping the gear off their harness and racking it onto yours while you talk.
6. Pass gear in bunches: If you're the second passing the rack over, don't hand pieces over one by one. Pass 3, 4, or 5 pieces at a time to your partner.
7. Route-read before you climb: Before starting your lead pitch, take a couple of minutes to look up and confirm exactly where the line goes. Two minutes spent reading the rock is far better than going off-route and burning 10 minutes.

As you can see, wall speed isn't about climbing like a maniac—it's about continuous, smooth momentum. As soon as you stop moving or organizing, time disappears.

On a 12-pitch route, spending 10 minutes at every belay adds up to 2 hours of total transition time. But spending 5 minutes at every belay takes only 1 hour. That’s a whole hour saved just by being organized at stance stations!

If you want to ask me your specific crack climbing questions and get 40+ years of crack climbing experience from Tom and me distilled into a 30-day course

Get a free Global Crack School lesson, and join the waitlist…don’t miss out yet again!

Happy jamming,

Pete