LOCALadk Magazine

28 Fall 2017 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Rock Climbing By Katie Machia With photos by Tony Machia It was back in 1984, when Corey M. "Ziggy" Zeigler was in his first year of high school at the Fort Williams Colle- giate Institute in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that he discovered rock-climbing. He was working in a sports shop selling and repairing bicycles, and one of his co-workers started talking to him about the challenges and rewards of rock-climbing. "He took me under his wing, and we did quite a few routes together," said Ziggy. In fact, the friendship that formed while they ascend- ed many mountains led to their joining a few other avid rock-climbers in writing a guidebook titled Pass Lake…The Next Generation: A Guidebook to one of Northern Ontario's Leading Rock Climbing Spots ! Today, Ziggy is a New York State Licensed Tier I and Tier II Rock and Ice Climbing Guide. He also guides hiking, camping, white water rafting, kayaking, and canoes trips. During the day, Ziggy is a Chief Information Officer for the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, where he helps to coordinate health information technology among civilian and militar y physicians, clinics, and hospitals. This includes electronic health records, a health information ex- change, and data analytics for Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Law- rence counties. But when his work day at the office is done, Ziggy turns his attention to outdoor adventure. Ziggy built a 40 -foot multi-surfaced rock climbing wall in his side yard. The West Branch of the Oswegatchie River runs behind his home in Harrisville and this helps create a relaxing atmosphere for outdoor instruction. Ziggy has used his rock-climbing wall to teach many beginners, including family and friends. When it comes to learning how to rock-climb, Ziggy sug- gests, "Tr y and find someone you trust, and who has expe- rience. Go with them and spend some time with them. The best way to learn is by doing it." There are many experienced guides for hire in the Adirondacks, he said. "It's about head- ing down there and meeting people. Learn the basics, and progress from there." For those potential climbers who are afraid of heights, climbing gyms are a safe place to start, as they are "fairly predictable," Ziggy said. People who are ner vous will be more likely to "have a certain amount of trust in the anchors because they're not tied to a tree, and you can take a little step at a time," he added. "Ever y time you fall, you're just going to sit in the rope. Once you trust the rope, take it out to the real rock." He suggests several locations in Keene Valley that would work well for beginning climbers. His favorites include the Chapel Pond Slab and the Beer Walls, both along Route 73, each with numerous climbing routes that have var ying levels of difficulty. Ziggy has taken his son, Kadin "Kaz" Zeigler, 12, climbing in both spots. If he isn't scheduled to work on the weekend, he and his son head up to the Adirondacks to do some climbing. Ziggy said it's the variety of climbs that makes the Adiron- dacks more unique than any other place he has rock climbed. There are climbing spots that are relatively accessible, and others that are more remote and take some hiking to get to. There are entr y level and there are harder climbs. For exam- ple, he explained, some people prefer top-rope climbing, in which the climber is attached to a rope that goes up through an anchor system on the top, and back down to the person standing on the bottom who is ser ving as the belayer. Others tr y lead-climbing, in which the climber periodically attach- es herself to protection such as pre-placed bolts as she as- cends, but still with the assistance of a belayer. When it comes to a fear of heights, Ziggy said it's not an uncommon thing among people learning to climb. He doesn't push, belittle, or yell at climbers, because "none of that works," he said. The best way to get comfortable climbing is to let the person "find their own way and go up even five feet, and then call it a day." As someone who has spent the past eight summers in the Adirondacks, I've had the opportunity to tr y a lot of excit- ing things – paddle-boarding, kayaking, climbing, biking, and cross-countr y skiing. However, I had never attempted rock-climbing, due to my fear of heights. So I worked with Ziggy to overcome this fear, by learning the basics of rock-climbing with him and his son on the 40 - foot multi-surfaced rock climbing wall at their Harrisville home. During that lesson, I was given some ver y helpful ad- vice, including the basics such as how to select a good pair of climbing shoes from his supply box. They needed to be tight, because squishing my toe in the front provided a better grip for me to push up from a rock. "It actually adds strength to your feet by compacting and combining your toes," Ziggy said. The next step was to strap on a traditional harness. I stepped into the two separate loops, grabbed the belt and pulled it up just above my hips, wrapped it around tightly, and did the most important thing, doubled back the strap through the metal buckle. "This is where most climbers get in trouble," Ziggy said. (After hearing this advice, I went back and double checked each time I climbed that wall to ensure the small piece of fabric was indeed doubled back). Ziggy then showed me how to tie a proper figure eight knot through my harness, which would keep me secure for

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