"Leavittation" invented by Randy Leavitt and Tony Yaniro

Whyclimb upside-down? Is it masochism, is it fun or is it simply a 5.17 circus-trick? Well, all of the above but it is also necessary in order to surmount offwidth roofs. How is it possible to climb out a roof crack that is offwidth – that is too large for a fist jam and too small to chimney? When it is necessary to resort to hand/hand or hand/fist stacking in a roof it’s usually time to “invert.”Inverting requires getting your feet above you head and hanging upside-down by them allowing the climber to advance their hand-stacks across the roof. It will depend upon your hand, fist and foot size when you need to invert, but most climbers  need to invert when the roof is approximately 5″ wide.

There are various methods for inverting and they are all core intensive. And then there are various methods for pivoting, getting right-side up again, as well as moving while inverted.  All methods of climbing inverted are based on a technique developed by Randy Leavitt and Tony Yaniro referred to as “Leavittation.” Yaniro and Leavitt developed the technique in order to surmount the infamous 5″ roof-crack Piasano Overhang, Suicide Rocks, CA in the 1970s.

Invert Methods

There are a few methods for inverting. One of the most common method of inverting, or kicking-over, is off of a hand/fist or a fist/fist stack.  Kicking-over requires a bit of momentum and a lot of core strength. It’s easy to rely on your hip-flexors for power while inverting but this movement it predominately instigated from your lower abdominal muscles. Activating your lower abs not only gives you more power to invert but also protects your lower back. I recommend that when learning to invert you start on offwidth boulders as placing gear while inverted is a bit perplexing.

Matt Kuehl demonstrates a full-inversion while Offwidth bouldering
http://mattkuehl.blogspot.com/

In the sequence below I am getting inverted on Spatial Relations  in Vedauwoo, WY. I place my gear in front of myself in case I fall right out of the inversion (but not so that it will be in the way of my feet), get a solid hand/hand stack and kick-over. As soon as my feet are wedged above my head I can drop my hands out of the crack and rotate my upper body to the other side where I can continue to pivot right-side up.

Image 1: Placing gear in preparing to Invert on Spatial Relations, Vedauwoo, WY Photo: Tom Kingsbury

Image 2: Setting up my hand/hand stack on Spatial Relations, Vedauwoo, WY Photo: Tom Kingsbury

Image 3: "Kicking Over" on Spatial Relations, Vedauwoo, WY Photo: Tom Kingsbury

Image 4: Getting a solid heel/toe placement. Spatial Relations, Vedauwoo, WY Photo: Tom Kingsbury

Image 5: Pivoting around my feet and advancing my hands. Spatial Relations, Vedauwoo, WY Photo: Tom Kingsbury

Here is an excellent example of  kicking into an iversion as demonstrated by Kris “Odub” Hampton on Trench Warfare 12d.

Kris "Odub" Hampton getting inverted on Trench Warfare 12d, UT

There are other methods of inverting: it’s possible to invert off of a chicken-wing placed over your head. A chicken-wing is a common technique for climbing offwidth cracks in which you  insert your arm bent at the elbow into the crack and use counter-pressure between your palm and the triceps to remain in the crack.

Climbing out Gabriel 13c on a chicken-wing. Photo: Jim Thornburg

For more about climbing inverted see:

Matt Kuehl: Life Inverted
Leavittation: The Offwidth Renaissance