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Sierra Blair-Coyle deep-water solos in TK beautiful place.
Sierra Blair-Coyle deep-water solos in TK beautiful place.

I Want to Try Deep-water Soloing. Where Should I Go?

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Sierra Blair-Coyle deep-water solos in TK beautiful place.

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Called the purest form of climbing, deep-water soloing (DWS) is free rock climbing practiced on sea cliffs, lakeside ledges, or climbing walls above pools. In deep-water soloing, water serves as the safety net.

In deep-water soloing, water is your safety net. In deep-water soloing, water is your safety net.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting type of climbing; usually you can鈥檛 free climb past 20 feet or so,” says professional rock climber and U.S. bouldering team member听.”听With deep-water soloing, you can climb 70 feet or more. It鈥檚 really freeing to climb above the ocean or a lake.鈥

Here鈥檚 where to go鈥攁nd a few tips for climbing from Blair-Coyle: 听

Majorca, Spain

DWS got its start on this island in the 1970s when Miquel Riera began climbing the sea caves at Porto Pi. Here, DWS earned its Spanish moniker: 鈥減sicobloc,鈥 or psycho bouldering in English. In 2005, top American climber Chris Sharma made an epic line at Es Pontas famous, but there are climbs of varying difficulty at Porto Cristo, Cala Barques, and Cala Sa Nau.

Ka鈥檃napali, Maui

Blair-Coyle has climbed at Maui鈥檚 Black Rock twice. The sea cliffs have plenty of holds, which make them a fitting spot for DWS beginners, but experts can also excel here while navigating the sharp lava rock. Add in idyllic views above tourmaline waters, and it鈥檚 clear why this spot is one of Blair-Coyle鈥檚 favorites.

Azores, Portugal

This archipelago west of Lisbon is on Blair-Coyle鈥檚 climbing wish list. The island of San Miguel and its horseshoe鈥搒haped bay have hosted cliff-diving championships, but it鈥檚 also a prime spot for DWS as adventure athletes climb the volcanic seawalls.

Blair-Coyle offers these tips for those new to psicobloc:

  1. Bring a few pairs of climbing shoes. If you fall and one pair gets wet, you鈥檒l want a spare鈥攐r two.
  2. Leave your fleece-lined chalk bag at home. Choose one with a plastic lining. And bring three or four Ziplock bags of chalk. If your chalk gets wet, it will be useless; you鈥檒l want a spare in case of a splash.
  3. Your climbing technique might stay the same, but you鈥檒l need to master a different fall: Enter the water straight, like a pencil.
  4. To become accustomed to the drop, you might want to practice climbing a bit and falling intentionally.听

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