Also called topping out, heel-hook rockover · Terrain
A top-out takes you from hanging on the lip (the top edge of the wall) to standing on top. On a flat top you press down on your palms, which is a mantle. On a rounded or steep lip you first hook a heel over it, then roll over the heel.
Grade Topping out matters wherever your gym has boulders you can stand on top of. Finishes like this are common from V2–V4 (judgement). The heel hook for a rounded lip comes at V3, so try it low on the wall first (this book’s suggestion).
In motionThe top-out mantle
Figure 88 Watch the chest: it stays over the top edge from the palm press onward, so the foot can come up beside the hands and the hips rise over it.
How to do it
Get your feet high before you commit at the lip. Waist height is ideal [248, 249].
Swing a heel onto the lip. Place it on an edge, bump or dimple. You can’t adjust it once you load it [248, 249]. On a rounded lip, or one that leans out, get the heel up first. It takes weight off your arms [53, 91]. See Heel hook.
Pull with your arms and the heel together. Straighten the lower leg as you pull [91, 248].
Turn the knee of the heel leg in. Bring your chest over the lip. Flag the other leg, or press its foot on the wall, as a counterweight [248, 249].
When your hips reach the lip, roll from the heel onto the toe. Keep the foot close to your hands [249].
Turn one palm flat on top, then the other. Press down. Let go of the heel, bring the other leg up and stand [248, 250].
Figure 89 (a) From behind: left foot high, right heel hooked on the lip beside the hands. (b) From the side: the climber has rolled from heel to toe. The chest leans over the top and the palms press down.
