Try the “T-step” - easily stand in the second step of your aid ladders on steep rock with no fifi hook

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(As far as I know, this general method is attributed to big wall pioneer Ron Olevsky, who called his technique “teeing off”. If someone knows a different lineage of this technique, please share it in the comments.)

Getting into your second step on your aid ladder on steep terrain can be a strenuous and awkward hassle with the traditional fifi hook, even with an adjustable fifi.

Instead, try the “T-step” method to stand easily in your second step with no fifi.

1. Put 1 foot into your second step.
2. Rotate your other foot so your toes point 90° to the side.
3. Put the arch of that foot on top of the toe that’s in the ladder. 

The ladder is held between your shin and calf, creating a sort of lever.  Sounds a little strange, but works great once you get the hang of it. With this method, I can be in my second step on overhanging rock, standing easy and relaxed, and get about 5 feet of reach.

Check this video to see how it's done.

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Nice tips, thanks! Is that a stained-glass window in the gym?

It looks like the same locale that a couple of Mark Hudon's videos were filmed. The Mazma's club room in Portland?

F r i t z wrote:

Nice tips, thanks! Is that a stained-glass window in the gym?

Yes it is. This is the Mazamas Mountaineering Center in Portland. It was a church long ago, and fortunately the windows were preserved.

Ken Tubbs wrote:

It looks like the same local that a couple of Mark Hudon's videos were filmed. The Mazma's club room in Portland?

Ken, you have a good eye.  Yes it is the Mazamas in Portland. Mark was nice enough to offer a clinic here a few years ago. I filmed some of it, and posted some video clips on YouTube. 

Cool technique for maintaining balance, is it easy to get into though when you don't have any holds above you?

M A wrote:

Cool technique for maintaining balance, is it easy to get into though when you don't have any holds above you?

Great question. If it's overhanging and you're on like a rivet ladder with truly zero holds, then no, it's not easy to get into your second steps with this technique.

Fortunately most of the time that's not the case, and you've got some kind of crack at least as big as Donald Trump's pinky finger that you can use as a partial weight hold to move up your ladder steps. As soon as you are in your second steps and have the T step situated, there's no need to use your hands anymore.

Totally great technique that I've used in the past, but pretty much relegated to the history book with the introduction of the Alfifi (and to a lesser degree, the Aideer version or the kong slyde). 

It certainly used to be difficult with a regular fifi or using adjustable daisies to adjust such that getting up in your top or second steps but with the Alfifi it's just part of the flow to tap/feather the Alfifi buckle as you stand up and then immediately being tensioned down against the Alfifi. In the end this uses less strength and energy than what's needed to settle into the t-step (especially when we admit that the video using features that give space between the ladders and the wall which is seldom the case on wall where you need to work to make space between the ladder and the wall to accomplish the t-step)

Kevin,

I hear ya. Being that on your blog is the only other place I've ever seen this technique written about, you have more experience with it than most.

With proper Alfifi technique it can be a pretty good flow. But, for those times when you may not have one (or for people who live in parts of the world where this modern gear may not be easily available) this is still a good one to have in the toolbox. 

To give space between the ladder and the wall, you can stick your knee on the wall for a second, bend it backwards, and that creates space to insert your foot.

And, it's the whole "stepping up and then being tensioned down" opposing forces thing that is eliminated with the T- step, beautifully illustrated by one of my favorite Mike Clelland drawings:

John Godino wrote:

With proper Alfifi technique it can be a pretty good flow. But, for those times when you may not have one (or for people who live in parts of the world where this modern gear may not be easily available) this is still a good one to have in the toolbox. 

To give space between the ladder and the wall, you can stick your knee on the wall for a second, bend it backwards, and that creates space to insert your foot.

Agreed that it's valuable to have in the toolbox, though I would say that where the alfifi might not be easily available, Ole's Aideer devices or the Kong adjustable Fifi hook are easily available. 

The knee to wall, bend foot back is an essential skill, but my point was that when you add this process to the effort of getting higher in your ladders the whole thing becomes a bit cumbersome when compared to process of moving up without the t-step:

When compared: 

• To move up high in the t-step, you're already off balance in the process of moving from the low steps to the high steps, using the knee bend process to pull the ladders a full foot width away for the wall while then contorting the body to push the foot in front of that ladder without losing the precarious balance takes a considerable amount of energy. 
• To move up with an adjustable fifi, one is able to stay centered without needing to balance pushing the knee into the wall and their foot can immediately assist in balancing by having heels together and toes out to the wall

Cute cartoon, but it's more of a indictment of the climber not wearing gear that fits to their waist than it is with any issue with tensioning down to a fifi. 

In the end, it's a great little tool to have in your arsenal and fun to bust out and show people at the crag, but I'd say part of the reason it never caught on is that it works a whole lot better in theory or as a one-off move in certain situations than it does in practicality of constant use. Yes it can delete the use of a piece of gear, but it doesn't advantage the climber much  in terms of speed, energy, or efficiency. And aid climbers are creatures of habit and so if something isn't practical ALL the time, they'd usually rather do one or two moves of what's-not-the-best-but-what-they-normally-do if it means keeping to the same processes rather than having to think about is this the best thing to be doing with every new piece. 

Hey. If you are going to use my name at least do the move correctly!

I use the top step (though mine doesn't have a spreader) or even a hero loop.