- Do you know what top roping, topping out, or sending it is?

Me neither, but we're gonna find out.

What in the heck am I doing?

Yeah!

This week, we're rock climbing, Ah, baby.

- Whoo!

(upbeat rock music) - This Norman Rockwell-esque main street could be Anywhere, Small Town, USA, with its mom and pop shops, antiques and restaurants, and a joint up the street with a giant spinning mug of root beer.

While we are gonna be hanging out in Taylors Falls, we're gonna head down the hill to the 300 acre Interstate State Park, where I'm going to awaken my spider senses and try to get my Spiderman on.

This is the second oldest state park in Minnesota.

It was established in 1895 to protect the beautiful landscapes from gravel mining.

Rock formations on the banks of the St. Croix created millions of years ago by massive lava flows, now provide some awesome opportunities to do some climbing.

Today, we're gonna be top rope climbing.

Top roping is when you tie off at the top of a cliff and throw the rope down to climb back up it.

In this park, there's 80 top rope climbs available, and we're going to tackle all but 78 of them.

Janel Reiger is gonna be showing me the ropes by leading me up the cliff.

She's climbed all over North America from Devil's Tower to Joshua Tree and has been described as a crusher, which in climbing lingo means a badass.

Honestly, I'm a little afraid of heights.

So hopefully her experience lends me a little confidence.

All right, Janel, here we are.

Thanks for joining me.

This is a rock and- (Chance slaps rock) (Janel laughs) Stuff's pretty sturdy.

(Janel laughs) I'm a little terrified.

How about you tell me what are we climbing today?

- Yeah, we are going to be climbing this corner climb here.

It's gonna be more of a scrambly style of a climb.

So it's gonna be a tad bit on the easier side, which is gonna be great to prep you and get you ready for the climb that we're gonna be transitioning over here, which is gonna be a little bit of a steeper climb.

- Dang.

Okay.

So what's the first step?

- Take these ropes and all this gear I have in here and build some natural anchors on top, meaning we're gonna use some trees and some cracks.

And once we get that all set up and equalized, we're gonna go ahead and throw down these ropes.

- [Chance] What if it's best if I just stay down here?

(Janel laughs) I'm just kidding.

All right.

Let's bring this stuff up.

Let's get to it.

I'm ready.

- [Janel] Awesome.

Let's go.

(soothing piano music) - [Chance] What's the one thing that you just love about climbing?

- Honestly, it has a lot to do with the connection with the people that I climb with and the land that I'm honored to be able to climb on.

My mom, you know, was raised and lived in the mountains in Mexico.

And she always says that climbing is in my blood, and whenever I'm on the rock, whenever I'm walking through the land, I really feel that.

- [Chance] So I've got to climb at a climbing gym where you got the nice little grips and everything.

I've never climbed outside.

So like, what's the biggest difference?

- Indoor climbing, everything's kinda set up for you.

You got your ropes set up.

You have even colors on the holds to tell you where to go.

Right?

Well, outside what's really cool is that you kinda get to choose your own adventure.

So you have to really trust yourself and your body.

When you're looking up at a climb, you're just gonna kinda look at the holes and where body wants to go on it.

(Chance sighs) - It's, yeah.

- I like that.

I trust my body.

I trust nature, but that still made me more nervous.

(Janel and Chance laugh) - [Janel] Love it.

(upbeat music) All right.

So, this is where we are going to set up our anchors.

- [Chance] Holy guacamole.

- [Janel] Woo.

- Such a beautiful view.

- [Janel] I know.

- Ooh, whee!

Holy crap.

(Chance sighs) Okay.

So tell me a little bit about this top roping here.

- For to roping on Taylor's Falls, we need to build natural anchors.

We're gonna use these things called nuts and cams, and these awesome nuts and cams, and we'll be going into cracks and areas into the rock.

So we find a good spot for them.

We make sure that the anchor's good and snug.

Give a good tug on it to make sure that's a good bomber placement, and- - Let me check.

- We're good to go.

- Let me make sure.

Ah!

Okay, All right.

(Janel and Chase laugh) All right, now that my adrenaline's going, let's get down there.

- Rope!

(rock music) - All right.

It's going down.

She's actually gonna go up first.

Show me the way.

I'm gonna belay her.

She already walked me through tying in, belaying.

Are you ready to do this?

- I am very ready to do this.

Let's go.

- Let's go!

(rock music) - [Janel] And your hands are almost on this climb, almost more for balance than they really for your strength.

- Got it.

- [Janel] Yeah.

I'd recommend just keep going in this corner, finding those high feet.

Cool.

Nicely done.

So I'm gonna yell, take, so you're gonna break down.

- [Chance] All right.

Holding the break.

- [Janel] Then.

yep.

We're gonna slowly let me down.

Whoo.

Nicely done.

- Now, I gotta get my shoes on.

[Janel] Mmm, hmm.

(Chance sighs) - Okay.

Okay.

(Chance laughs) Holy cow!

Them are some small shoes.

- They, believe it or not, help you climb.

- I pretty much believe everything you're telling me.

(Janel laughs) Holy crap.

- [Janel] Yeah.

You got this.

Don't forget to look behind you.

Beautiful.

(Chance's equipment scrap rock face) (Chance breathes heavily) Yeah!

Whoo who!

- Yeah!

- [Janel] Yeah.

- All right.

So how do I come back down again?

Yup.

You're gonna lean back, like you're sitting in a chair, but not all the way.

Like you're starting to sit in a chair.

- [Chance] Okay.

- [Janel] Now just lean back and let and trust that I got you, (Chance laughs) and kinda walk yourself down.

Nice.

- This is the sketchiest.

(Janel laughs) (Chance sighs) - [Janel] You sent it!

- Yeah.

Sent that.

What does that even mean?

- [Jamel] That means that you climbed up this route without having to take, like, rest or falling, and that you made it all the way to the top.

- Oh my goodness.

All right.

Well, on the beginner wall I feel like a boss.

That one next!

All right.

(Chance laughs) Tell me about some of your favorite climbs in Minnesota.

- Yeah.

It's actually something, getting into climbing that I realized there's so much climbing in Minnesota and the Midwest in general.

My favorite places to climb are probably Palisade Head And also where we're at right now, Taylors Falls.

(soothing music) - I'm a yoga instructor.

I'm, like, in the community, and I'm always trying to teach everybody.

And I often run into people being like, oh, yoga, like, that's just for white people, or that's just for women, or, like, whatever.

Do you run into any of that as a climbing person of color?

You know, like, what was it like you getting into the scene?

- When I first found climbing, I was like, what?

This exists?

And then I looked around, and I was met with so much, like, bullying, subtle racism when I showed up to the crag, sexism, things that made me feel like, am I ever gonna learn any of this content?

Because it's some of, one of the most intimidating sports that I've ever pursued.

And that being said, that's why mentorship within the community was so vital.

And I couldn't find anyone that looked like me that could teach me.

I was like, all right, I'm gonna do this.

I'm going to take this a little bit further.

I'm gonna become a mountain guide.

And that way I can create a whole crew of just beautiful bipoc climbers that are independent, knowledgeable, and feel like they belong in these outdoor spaces.

- That's what's up.

(Janel and Chance laugh) - All right.

Let's see.

I can obviously observe that this slope is a little bit more vertical and slick, but what else is different about this climb?

- It'll be a little bit more technical, a little bit more based on finding those little feet and footholds and those handholds, but we're also going to top out on this climb, meaning I'm gonna go all the way to the top, go around the lip of the climb, set up a belay for you, and then belay you up the climb.

And you are also gonna top out, meaning you're gonna climb all the way to the top, put those feet right on top of that and go, yeah!

- It's gonna happen.

(Janel laughs) You know, I basically don't have any other choice.

(Chance and Janel laugh) Let's get it.

(Soothing music) (Janel breathes heavily) - [Janel] So you can climb the tree, use the rock.

- That's the kind of teacher you want.

- [Janel] And then go to the top.

- Holy Crap.

- [Janel] All right.

At some point, I'm gonna have you give me a little slack.

- [Chance] Slack comin' your way.

- [Janel] You're next!

(Chance laughs) - [Janel] Everything is locked.

All right.

Chance on belay.

(intriguing rock music) - Here I come.

- [Janel] Whoo.

- Oh my goodness.

What in the heck am I doing?

- Okay.

Oh my god.

(Chance breathes heavily) - [Janel] There you go.

Find what you like.

(Chance sighs) - [Janel] You're doing amazing.

Ahh, my favorite hold!

Hug the tree!

(Janel laughs) - [Chance] Let me just hug this tree.

(Chance breathes heavily) All right.

I'm crossing over.

- [Janel] Whoo.

And he's using his feet.

He's looking for good placements for his hands.

- [Chance] That is sketchy.

- [Janel] There's a crack.

You can also get some pretty high feet if you want.

Oh, yeah.

Woo hoo!

Yes!

- [Chance] Yeah!

(Janel and Chance laugh) - Whoo!

(Janel and Chance clap hands) Yes!

- Ah, baby!

- Whoo!

- Oh my gosh.

- Oh!

My heart is really, like, beating out my chest.

Like, you can see this.

(Janel laughs) Whew.

Gosh, I feel very alive right now.

- It's a good feeling.

- [Chance] Wow!

- Full heartful.

- I feel real good.

We're up here.

I feel on top of the world, baby.

- [Janel] Yeah, we out there.

(Chance laughs) - Yo, Janel.

(Chance laughs) I'm very naturally high right now.

(Janel laughs) Thanks for the altitude.

- Yes.

- Thanks for all the instruction.

I would've never tried this without you.

And I feel strong.

I feel capable, confident, still scared of heights, (Janel laughs) but a little, a little less.

Thanks a lot.

Yeah, no problem.

It's honestly an honor to bring you here and share these spaces with you.

It's pretty incredible.

- Absolutely.

Well, we top roped.

We topped out and we sent it.

I got adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I feel alive.

I think about most days working our job, stressed about bills and what other people think of us.

Sometimes you just gotta get out in nature.

Really put your life on the line.

Hopefully you enjoyed this one.

I'll see you again next time.

Pow!