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Where / how / how badly does it hurt?
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Apr 11, 2013 20:50
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Have fun! Pay close attention to gear placements made by experienced climbers. If you are cleaning gear, look closely at where and how it was placed before you remove it. Ask yourself why it was put there instead of an inch to the right or left (or some other spot entirely). Tug outward on it, downward on it, sideways on it. See how it responds to those various forces. You should be able to get a ton out of a three day course if you pay close attention and ask lots of questions.
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Apr 29, 2013 14:03
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Portland Metro Area Goons - I'll be out there in late July with my wife, and am looking for some advice regarding outdoor climbing spots. Last year I was out around that time and went to Smith Rock for two days. I loved it, but a lot of it was too difficult for my wife (you really need to climb 5.11 or 5.12 to get the most out of Smith Rock) so we had to stick to only a few sections. She also got sketched out by the misery ridge trail. It turns out she doesn't like trails with a lot of exposure and loose material underfoot, but we can just avoid that next time. I may just head there again (I have the guide book already), but I was wondering what other options people would suggest. I would prefer not to bring out trad gear on the plane, and can pretty reliably sport lead up to 5.11d. After that I like to have someone stronger on hand to clean up my messes... My wife will probably just TR stuff that I put up, going up to around 5.10c. If there are moderate sport routes, she would have a go at them on lead though. I have read about a number of other areas out there like Broughton Bluff, Carver Cliffs, and Beacon Rock but I don't know how much sport stuff to expect in those areas. I guess I'm asking - Should I just take a few days and drive back out to Smith Rock? Or should I make a few day trips to some of these other areas instead?
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May 1, 2013 20:43
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henne posted:Hope I've been some help, I might be climbing out there at the same time so maybe we'll run into each other or something. Quite helpful, thanks. You nudged me in the direction of just going to Smith again (which is what I wanted to do anyway.) I have the Allan Watts guidebook - it's rather incredible. I think I was a bit daunted by it the last time I was out there, and I spent too much time listening to everyone say "climb out of the sun!" and too little time focusing on what areas lined up best with our climbing abilities. I would love to climb Wherever I may Roam, but I think my wife may get really sketched out going through Asterisk pass.
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May 2, 2013 12:15
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henne posted:Climb White Satin or Lost in Space which are on the front side of astrix, rap down to the base of where ever I may roam, climb it, then rap back down and walk around the smith rock group and climb at phoenix butt on the way out would be a fun day of lots of 5.9 - 5.10c climbing and no trip over astrix. There is like a move or two of 5.10c on lost in space that can be french freed if you have to. Awesome, thanks! I will go over the guide book to get that plan set in my head.
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May 3, 2013 12:17
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I haven't climbed in France, so I don't know any of the areas there. In general though there are a few main differences leading in a gym vs leading outdoors. First is that a lot of gyms set lead routes so that there is never a particularly frightening fall, and the bolts tend to be close together. Leading outdoors you will find bolts are spaced further apart (sometimes quite a bit further) and the falls aren't always clean. (A route may wander left or right significantly, and a fall will lead to a swing since you are far to one side of your last clip.) Sometimes there is a ledge or a tree or something below you and you really don't want to fall. Mostly that affects the mental aspect though, so if you keep your wits about you it shouldn't be a big deal. The second appreciable difference I would say is route finding. In the gym you are typically either following colored tape or colored holds. You use what they give you, and that's it. Outdoors there is no tape (although there are often chalk marks, which can be misleading) so you just climb whatever works. You often have a lot more usable small foot chips outdoors. The other differences are mostly rock dependent. Different types of rock have different qualities and tend to present different types of features. Without knowing where you are climbing it's hard to say anything meaningful about it. Edit: You should also go with someone who has experience leading outdoors. There are serious safety issues to consider regarding the condition of the rock, the bolts, and the anchors. You will also need to know how to clean a route so you can retrieve your draws, which you don't have to do in a gym setting. armorer fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Jun 2, 2013 |
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Jun 2, 2013 21:40
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What grade range are we talking about? It is sometimes possible to rest on steep climbs, but generally only if you have a particularly good hold or really good feet. A lot of upper body strength will obviously help (do pullups to exhaustion on the hangboard after every climbing session.) Also core strength helps because it allows you to transfer more weight to your feet, which saves your arms and back. Make a point to do a lot of steep climbs, do more pullups, do more crunches, and make sure you are making good use of your feet. Do those things for a while and you should get notably better at steep routes.
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Jun 5, 2013 20:47
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I have both (Miura VS), and climb equally well in either one. I got the solutions initially, and when I sent them off to be resoled I got a pair of Miuras. Get whichever fits you better.
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Jun 22, 2013 15:46
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Sleepstupid posted:First-timer question: I should wear socks with rental shoes right? Experienced climbers don't wear socks with climbing shoes, primarily because you want the shoe to be tight fitting and not shift at all. If you are just starting and renting shoes, chances are that having socks on with them really won't make much of a difference in your climbing ability. If you decide to wear socks with them, just make sure you rent shoes in a size that fits snugly over the socks. You don't want any room in the toe box, and you want the shoes to be laced (or velcro'd) tight against your foot so it can't shift around when you weight it. That said, all the climbing gyms I know of spray rental shoes with disinfectant spray so you really shouldn't catch anything from them. In the summer though climbing shoes get smelly and gross, so I would probably wear socks with rentals.
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Jun 28, 2013 16:52
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Petey posted:1) What's the best way to clean the bottoms of climbing shoes? I am kind of confused by this question, because they are generally just a flat slab of rubber. I've never actually had to clean (or even contemplated cleaning) the bottoms of my climbing shoes.
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Jul 9, 2013 18:29
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YourCreation posted:Climbing on sandstone can dirty them up pretty good, as general outdoor wetness. I wonder if he meant cleaning while climbing? I usually just rub them against my pant leg before I hop on the wall. When climbing outdoors if there is a meaningful amount of muck on them, I generally just lightly brush the soles against the rock and/or my pants leg before I climb. I guess that could be what he was asking.
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Jul 10, 2013 00:41
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Petey posted:Mine - which are 6 years old at this point - seem to be permanently dusty / chalkdusty to the point where the traction seems to be suffering. However, if this isn't a straightforward question, then there may well be something wrong with my shoes as opposed to them being dirty / dusty / etc. I climb three days a week in a gym for roughly 3 hours each day. As a result I need to get my shoes resoled at least once a year, and typically cycle through 3 different pairs while one or two of them are out of commission. Maybe that's why I've never found myself needing to clean them? The only times they get dirty are when I am climbing outdoors, and as I said before I just brush them clean in those cases. I also only get to go on maybe 6 or 7 outdoor climbing trips a year (multi-day at least), so they don't see a whole lot of outdoor action. I don't walk around in them at the crag (I take them off after each climb/pitch), so that helps too. Edit: I just saw that your 6 year old shoes were not used much during 5 of those years. Whew! I thought maybe I was crazy for a minute there with how long my shoes last.
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Jul 12, 2013 01:01
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Pander posted:Like I said, the only negative point is the toe rubber giving out. Otherwise, great entry shoe. I'm not sure how frequently you climb, but a year of climbing on any shoe is going to wear a small hole in the toe rubber. I wouldn't count that as a negative at all, it's just how it is. If you want to get them resoled, you should stop climbing on them before the hole wears into the leather though.
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Aug 7, 2013 03:02
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It sure is. I climbed it when I was out there two years or so ago. The square-ish building behind it is actually a huge climbing gym. It was raining when we went so we climbed inside for a few hours until there was a break in the rain. They let us then rush out and climb the tower even though everything was still wet. If you are ever nearby, I recommend spending a day there. There is an awesome roof section inside the gym that extends for maybe 25 feet with a few routes that run out along it.
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Aug 16, 2013 14:16
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Pander posted:
Try climbing the overhung side when it's wet, the sky is ominous, and the winds are whipping around you. There was no lightning or I would have never dared, but it was an experience none-the-less. Edit: I remember the sky being darker than this. It is probably a bit blown out in this photo.  Edit2: Here is the interior roof section  A view of some of the inside from the balcony seen in the previous image  And another interior view also from the balcony  The room with this roof section is roughly square, and the walls to the left and right are full of routes as well. If you go back through the doorway there is a large bouldering area in the back. Outside there are a number of other bouldering areas as well. armorer fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Aug 16, 2013 |
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Aug 16, 2013 19:20
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I don't know what sort of stuff you cover in class, but some ideas are: - Knot diagrams of where they have to name the knots. - Questions about different grips and climbing techniques, maybe with an accompanying illustration. - Pre-climb safety check hitlist. - Questions about climbing grading systems around the world. - Questions about different types of features, or maybe about different types of rock.
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Sep 10, 2013 02:22
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As others have said: It is much better to back off when hurt and return to climbing in a few weeks than it is to keep going, and eventually knock yourself out of commission for a year or more. Just take a break, work on cardio and core strength in your off time, and come back strong.
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Sep 18, 2013 15:19
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Suck it up and work more on core strength. In most climbing endeavors, being tall will help you. It definitely hinders you in some things though, typically when you are all bunched up on sit starts or the rare similar move mid-climb. I'm 6', so tall but not really tall, and I know the sort of moves you are having trouble with. I assume you are taller than me, but if you complain about it in the gym to anyone shorter than you they will probably laugh and tell you to quit complaining.
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Sep 18, 2013 21:04
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Crabby Abby posted:I started lead climbing indoors a few months ago, and I still have to remind myself not to clip over my head unless I have to. In some cases it may be unavoidable, but clipping at chest level is so much easier and means that you don't need as much rope out to make the clip. I think it's hardest for me on the first and second clips because I want to get those two done as soon as possible. It's disconcerting to climb higher for the clip knowing that I could fall all the way to the ground. Once I'm high enough though I don't really worry. Yeah, you actually fall further if you fall while clipping high than if you just climbed a bit more and then clipped. If you find a good hold and can confidently clip high, then go for it, but if you are feeling sketchy where you are it's better to keep moving. Obviously there are scenarios where that isn't necessarily right (the fall has a dangerous swing, you don't trust a particular hanger, the next move is a big dyno, etc...) but it holds up in general. Edit: To be perfectly clear, your fall distance is actually the same in either case if you ignore rope stretch, but you end up closer to the ground if you fall while clipping high. With rope stretch though, you fall further when clipping high. And because I have to run out and won't be able to respond to this for a while, consider these two simplified scenarios: I am climbing a route and my last clip (clip A) is at 30 ft., the next clip (clip B) is at 40 ft. Scenario 1: I climb to 36 ft, and clip high. In this case I have 14 ft. of rope out, enough to go from clip A to clip B, and then come 4 ft. back down to my harness. If I fall now, ignoring rope stretch, I fall 14 feet below clip A, ending up at 16 ft. Thus I fell from 36 ft to 16ft, a 20 ft. fall. Scenario 2: I climb to 40 ft and clip at my waist. In this case I have 10 ft. of rope out, enough to go from clip A to clip B. If I fall now, again ignoring rope stretch, I fall 10 feet below clip A, ending up at 20 ft. Thus I fell from 40 ft. to 20 ft, another 20 ft. fall. Now if you factor in rope stretch, which you should because it can be the difference between a ground fall and a close shave, you fall further in the case where you have 14 ft of rope out, simply because it stretches more. armorer fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Sep 20, 2013 |
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Sep 20, 2013 18:07
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Chroisman posted:Getting into these harder problems though, I hear a lot of talk about body tension but I'm not exactly sure what that is and what it's meant to feel like. Can someone explain it to me? Most climbing involves pulling or standing on holds to get yourself up the wall. That is extremely obvious, but bear with me a second. When you do this, gravity is pulling down on you and so there is a force keeping your hand (or foot) in contact with the hold besides you actively holding it. You will see this clearly if you hang on a big sketchy sloper - so long as you are directly underneath it, it is relatively easy to hang from, but if you lift your weight up higher, suddenly your hand slides right off of it. Gravity helps when you are below it, but if you are next to it you can't actively hold onto it well enough to stay there. Sometimes when you are climbing, particularly in roof sections, you need to hold onto holds where gravity isn't pulling you into the hold, but rather it is pulling you off of the hold. Pinch blocks on roof sections are a great example of this. When people talk about "body tension" they are generally referring to a way of increasing the friction that you have on a particular hold. A made up example could be something like this: You need to make a move out of a roof section, where you have a decent foot back a ways under the roof and a single pinch block right before the roof ends. The pinch block edges run parallel to the roof edge, not perpendicular. You are moving up to a good jug on the vertical face above the roof. In a scenario like that you can pinch the block in an undercling position, and push HARD against the foot hold while keeping your body stiff (go go gadget core strength). In that case, you are using body tension to generate more force against the pinch block than if you simply held onto it like a pinch. If you foot is really good, or if you have two decent feet, you can often actually undercling it (I mean your thumb becomes unnecessary in the grip) which lets you extend your body further around the lip of the roof, and makes the jug much easier to reach. Moves like that require a lot of core strength, because gravity is trying to pull your hips down and you have to fight to keep your body straight and stiff, in order to keep your hold on the roof.
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Sep 22, 2013 15:37
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From my experience a lot of climbers don't like slab. The biggest issue with it is that if you are lead climbing, falls are always unpleasant because you slide against the rock the whole way down. That said, there is a place a few hours from me that has a bunch of bolted slab routes and it can be fun from time to time. Your observations are spot on though, slab climbs (particularly in the higher grades) generally require a lot of precarious balance and smearing.
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Oct 6, 2013 13:37
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modig posted:You know, I've heard this about slab falls, but all my actual slab falls have been totally chill. I've never taken a bit slab leader fall, but like a 6-8 foot fall has been fine. Has anybody actually seen the dreaded cheese grater fall? I've never taken a cheese grater fall, but I am pretty cautious on slab and try to fall in a semi controlled way. I took one "fall" where I basically slid down the slab on my toes. It took a month's worth of rubber off my shoes and I could smell that they had burned a bit!
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Oct 6, 2013 18:08
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Not that I would free solo stuff anyway, but I've been stung by a wasp twice now while climbing. In both cases I was pretty lucky that the nest I happened on was really small, I only got one sting, and it didn't make me fall. I've also been hit by rockfall while climbing, although again it was a small stone and basically just startled me. It's one thing to believe in your ability (and maybe with good reason!) but it's another thing entirely to trust mother nature not to mess with you.
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Oct 21, 2013 20:07
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Yeah that says to me that he has thought a little bit about what he is doing, but I still think it's remarkably stupid. If he's after adrenaline or something, there are safer ways to get it. Be safe out there people. You can be one of the best climbers in the world and get tossed off of something easy by a freak accident.
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Oct 21, 2013 20:31
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MA-Horus posted:Footwork doesn't seem to be a huge issue, it's more grip. A lot of bouldering comes down to exactly where your weight is with respect to the wall / move you are trying to make. Your feet may be placed securely, but still be completely wrong for the move you are trying to make. When people say "footwork" here they are sort of lumping a lot of body positioning technique into that word because footwork is how the technique often manifests itself. If grip is an issue, it's entirely possible that you don't have the strength yet to make the move, but it's equally possible that your body positioning is making the move require significantly more grip strength that it otherwise might.
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Jan 7, 2014 20:51
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Headhunter posted:Hurray! I got my first real climbing injury! If you felt a pop and have pain, you should go see a doctor.
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Feb 5, 2014 14:07
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I was attempting a problem that I've already completed before but was trying it in a slightly different way and felt something in my wrist kind of 'pop'. Now I can't make a fist without my ring finger hurting.
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tynam posted:So I haven't really climbed outside my gym since I started, and assumed the grade differences wouldn't be very big between gyms. A few friends dropped by once and mentioned how much more difficult the bouldering grades were at my gym, but I didn't think much of it. Last week I visited LA Boulders and was able to climb up to V5... while I'm a solid V2 at my gym. The disparity was big enough that I'm a bit confused now, either LA Boulders is softballing or Sender One (my gym) is grading exceptionally harder. Is there anyone that goes to either of these gyms that can give me an idea? I don't really care about the numbers, but it's hard to talk with people now when I'm getting advice, and they mention I should be a so and so grade before this and that, like the post below. That's a really big disparity, but grading is often different from gym to gym and crag to crag. My guess is that Sender One is consciously grading hard.
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Feb 21, 2014 22:02
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spwrozek posted:I do have a question for the frequent gym climbers. Do you usually pick up a 40M gym rope or do you just use the ropes that most gyms let you use? It seems like these ropes are used by everyone and could be a bit more sketch. If I plan on a bunch of gym climbing this winter is it a worthwhile purchase? If the gym will provide you a lead rope, you should probably use it. They have insurance to pay, and it would be crazy for them to give you a core shot rope. Obviously you should still feel out the rope as you flake it, but it should be fine to use. Using their ropes in the gym causes less wear and tear on your rope, so it will last you longer for your outdoor adventures. That said, my gym only has three loaner ropes and sometimes they are all in use. I typically bring my rope, but leave it in my locker unless I need it.
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Nov 15, 2014 13:27
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tortilla_chip posted:Once you chop a rope into the sub 50m range use it for the gym? I don't see a compelling need to buy a rope specifically for gym use. This. If you get a dead spot at the end of one of your longer ropes after a bunch of use, but the core and sheath are still good, you can lop off the end and keep using it. (MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT ENDS UP). If it gets short enough, relegate it to be your "gym rope". I use a 60m rope at my gym when the gym ropes are all in use. It's long, but it's really not that unmanageable.
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Nov 16, 2014 00:07
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coldfire07 posted:I'm pretty new to climbing (about a month and a half), and have just been bouldering so far. I've got decent upper body / core strength, and I'm starting to finish most v2s and some v3s at my gym. I've been increasing my finger strength with some resistance putty, and have successfully been able to do a pullup on my doorframe. I think the general "rules" around fingerboard use are reasonable. If you are just pushing into V3, the time that you would spend on the fingerboard would be more effectively spent doing more gym climbing. Most of the boulderers that I know who work fingerboard sessions into their normal routine are climbing ~V7, and still only really do it when they can't get to the gym for some reason, or when they end a gym session and feel like they have something left to burn up. If I were you, I would put it off and just try to get to the gym more (don't know how often you climb now). You mention pullups a few times, and I want to point out that while hang boards can be used for pullups, they are really best suited to static hangs. The warnings that folks give about hang boards are because you can really mess up your finger tendons if you overdo it. If you decide to get a fingerboard anyway, find some beginner routines on youtube and do those for a while. Don't jump into anything intermediate or advanced. It is really easy to mess up your tendons, and tendon injury will set you back months.
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Dec 9, 2014 20:00
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Bread Set Jettison posted:So a while back I tried to get back into climbing and within 2 months I hosed up a finger. I dont remember exactly what it was but I remember it being a pulley (which I had no idea where in my fingers). I rested till it was fixed and then just kind of stopped climbing. I'm now again trying to redo climbing, so are there any good stretches to avoid this injury? I don't know of any stretches, but the general advice I've always heard (and follow) is: Warm up properly before getting on anything serious, make sure to stay well hydrated, and use an open hand crimp rather than a full crimp whenever possible. There are ways to tape your fingers to provide additional support for the pulleys, but I haven't tried any of them personally. There is a lot of useful information online about pulley tendon injuries if you google a bit.
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Dec 9, 2014 20:51
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eithedog posted:And another move that I'm trying to do, is something similar to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwtdmaYI7WQ&t=1885s, (foot over ones hand - does it have any name? in my case it's horizontal, not vertical as in video), where I think I suffer the same problem. Any exercises that I can do to help with move like this? That move is called a "heel hook"
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Dec 9, 2014 21:24
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Lets take a typical beginner as an example. I have encountered "this guy" a dozen or more times climbing at the gym. He can push though a few V3s, but has trouble on others. V2 doesn't provide any real challenge any more. "This guy" says that his primary weaknesses are slopers and crimps. In truth, he is more than capable of making the moves involving slopers and crimps, but he falls off of them because his body position is poo poo. Should he get a hangboard and practice hanging on slopers and crimps? No, he should climb more and learn better footwork and body position. He has no idea what his problem is, because he hasn't climbed enough yet to really understand what his weaknesses are. Obviously training for climbing can help anyone climb better, without them first passing some magical 2 year mark or whatever. Without actual specific advice from someone who has watched the individual climb though, it is irresponsible to recommend something that can cause injury and may be completely unnecessary.
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Dec 11, 2014 17:24
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Sharks Eat Bear posted:...Quote from me about "typical beginner" problems... We agree that "training for climbing" (generic term, in this case lets say responsibly using a hangboard) can most likely help a climber at any level. I am not arguing about climbing training. I have not read the book you suggest, but I have read Training for Climbing. The first thing that it has you do it go through a detailed questionnaire to identify which types of training you are most likely to benefit from. From there, you go off and focus on specific things for a while and then eventually circle back around and go through the questionnaire again. This whole discussion arose because a new climber asked the question "should I get a hangboard". You are repeatedly attempting to turn the discussion into one of "Is training for climbing worthwhile?" The specific question was "should I get a hangboard", but the undertone of the question was "I feel like I should be able to climb harder stuff, but my fingers keep giving out." Every new climber I have ever seen reaches a point where they think this, and the problem is always bad body position. When you start pushing into V3, holds get smaller and optimal body positions get weirder. When you start to push into V5 you start seeing stuff where core strength matters more than ever, and after that from my experience problems are too individualized to point to anything specific. That is the range of bouldering problems where I think it starts to make sense to identify your weak points and specifically work on them outside of your ordinary climbing routine. (And yes, obviously there are problems below V5 that have other specific quirks. These are general observations about a variety of bouldering problems.) I personally think it is irresponsible to tell someone at that point in their climbing "career" (for lack of a better word) who wants to climb better to go get and use a hangboard. Sure, if used properly it might help. I guarantee you though that the person's time would be better spent working boulder problems with people and getting advice from more experience climbers. At all of the gyms I've ever climbed in (which admittedly is only 6 or 8) the bouldering crew has been super friendly and willing to help new climbers with technique.
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Dec 11, 2014 20:59
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explain why I don't think saying that "this guy" could benefit from training necessarily means he should just start hangboarding. The other thing I think is worth emphasizing is that, "this guy" will probably learn better technique/footwork/body positioning relatively quickly if he's climbing a few times a week. Not to say he'll rapidly develop perfect technique -- everyone at every level can always improve technique -- but I'd guess that within a matter of months, not years, he'll have made significant improvements in his technique. If you're even moderately athletic and climb consistently, it's pretty easy to get to the point where finger strength is the main limiting factor in progression. Starting to work on finger strength earlier will put "this guy" in a better position to both improve and remain injury free when he inevitably does get to the point where it's the main limiting factor.
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Tarnien posted:In addition to the sizing, there are really only a couple of other factors that go into a shoe: closing system (lace, velcro, slipper, etc), downturn toe, heel style, and type of rubber come to mind. I agree with you in general, but there is tons of overhung stuff easier than 5.11 which would benefit from a downturned shoe. One other thing that also varies from shoe to shoe is the stiffness of the forefoot platform. Some shoes are better for edging because that section of the sole is more stiff and you can plant it more securely on a tiny protrusion. Keep in mind also that there is a guy who works in my gym who regularly cruises through V6 problems in a pair of Vans, so for all the difference a pair of shoes can make, they won't work miracles or anything.
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Dec 19, 2014 22:10
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Tarnien posted:I'm not saying there isn't downturned stuff easier than 5.11, just that the downturned shoes are designed for holding onto little foot chips with very small edges under roofs. Most of the easier roof climbing involves big, flat feet that wouldn't necessarily be helped much by a downturned shoe. Regardless, the tradeoff you'd lose in terms of making flat wall climbing harder/more uncomfortable would make me recommend avoiding anything downturned until you're sure it's what you need. That is probably true. I have a couple different pairs of shoes at this point, so I can pick and choose if I feel like it. Most of the time now I just wear a pair of Mythos, because they are remarkably comfortable and I can leave them on for extended periods of time. They are definitely not my best climbing shoe though.
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Dec 19, 2014 22:36
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asur posted:At least from the pictures they don't look very aggressive and I think at V4 and higher you'd definitely see the benefits by going for a more aggressive shoe. I've also heard of the strapping system breaking on the Solution and those have a similar system though the band looks thicker. I had a pair of Solutions I was quite happy with. The strap on one of the shoes broke after the second resoling, but I stitched it back together with a little length of thin webbing and it held up fine after that. The problem with the strapping is that after a long time, the steel eyelets that the strap runs through abrade the strap enough that it can snap. It took a few years on mine though, and was easily fixed. If you like the shoe and aren't afraid of a needle and thread, I wouldn't let that dissuade you. The straps on these look almost twice as thick, so they may be fine anyway. That all said, I haven't climbed with these, just with the Solutions. Edit: I should add that the day my shoe strap broke, I was climbing at the gym. I keep a roll of tape on my chalk bag belt and I literally wrapped my mid-foot in tape to keep the shoe on. I climbed like that for the rest of the day. If I had been on a multi-day trip to a nice climbing destination, I would have been pretty pissed about it. (Although I always bring two pairs of shoes on such a trip, so maybe not.) Since it broke at the gym though I just went home and stitched it back together. armorer fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 14:13
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PRADA SLUT posted:Would Miuras work better than Solutions then, due to their strap system? I got a pair of Miura VS after my Solutions. The Solutions are a lot more flexible in the midfoot than the Miura VS, because they have a split sole. From an on-the-rock climbing perspective though I've found that they climb pretty much the same. I still have both pairs, I'll add some pictures here in a minute, including the damage and repair to the strap. I'll have to retire the Solutions soon because I've had them resolved too many times and finally tore a hole in the toe. Edit: Pics! My Miura VS are half a size smaller than my Solutions. I got them later and I guess I wanted a tighter fit? I don't remember really, it's been a while Soles compared: Keep in mind these have both been resoled at least once, but the shape is still essentially the same. The sole on the Solutions is two parts and it will flex a lot in the middle. In practice I never found that to be relevant though. The heel looks like a more structured cup than the Miura VS heel, but they feel similar in that they both tightly cup the heel. If anything the Miura VS heel is tighter. The overall shape and "aggressiveness" of the shoes are very similar. The Solutions might be more comfortable, but I am not sure really since my Miura VS are smaller.  Top shot: The Solutions have a much larger rubber area on the top of the toe. I don't find myself toe hooking enough stuff for that to matter really though.  Damage / Repair to Solutions: It is hard to see, but I actually overlapped the strap by about a cm onto itself, and stitched it back together. I thought I had stitched it to some webbing but I guess I stitched it to itself. You can see that the grommet got a little rusty over time from sweat, which probably it rough enough to wear through the strap.  Bonus shots This is the toe damage that I will retire my Solutions for. I could probably get them repaired again and have Rock & Resole replace the toe caps, but this hole will open up again long before I wear through the new rubber so it's not really worth it. I've gotten more than enough out of these shoes already anyway.  These Miura VS have not been climbed in since I had them resoled last, so this is what new rubber from Rock & Resole looks like. This is a half-sole and toe cap. I forget exactly but I almost certainly requested the 5mm XS Edge rubber. I have no affiliation with them whatsoever, but they have resoled my shoes many times now and I've always been satisfied.  Double Edit: Since I put all this shoe info here, I may as well put out my shoe progression in case it helps anyone. My first pair of shoes were Scarpa Technos. They were way, way better shoes than I needed as a beginner climber. I basically abused the rubber on them learning to climb properly, and after a year or so sent them in to get resoled. At that point I figured I should get more aggressive shoes, since the Technos weren't aggressive at all. I bought the Solutions while waiting for the Technos to come back, and went back and forth between them for a while. I wore through the Solutions before a big climbing trip and wanted aggressive shoes with me, and I had already broken and repaired the Solutions strap, so I bought the Miuras VS. (Shoes are expensive, sigh). This was over several years mind you, so the costs were spread out. On that trip or some other one around the same time, I managed to lose ONE Techno. I had them on a non-locking biner and one must have popped off when I sat down on a boulder to drink some water hiking out, because when I got to the car there was only one there. I bought some Mythos to replace the Technos, because I wanted comfy shoes. Currently I am mostly gym climbing on the Mythos. When summer rolls around again, I'll be going back and forth between the Miura VS and the Mythos depending on where / what I am climbing. armorer fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Jan 8, 2015 |
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Jan 8, 2015 21:35
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Crabby Abby posted:This has started to happen with my pair of Miura VS. If I had better footwork it probably wouldn't be a problem, but I guess I don't. Interesting. I hadn't heard about that but I just looked at mine and sure enough there is damage there. More damage to the fabric holding the steel buckle part on than to the strap, but that would actually be harder to fix if it snapped.  I will have to keep an eye on that. I hadn't really examined them closely there before. These have seen a lot of use and been resoled, and I am confident that they'll last through at least another resoling before that becomes an issue though. The damage on mine is only on the last buckle. There is some minor wear to the other straps, but nothing that would cause a problem. (The shoe will wear out elsewhere before those straps break.) Edit: I don't really think I could have avoided this with better footwork. Sometimes your instep really needs to be right up against the wall like that for tiny feet and the shoe is just going to rub no matter what you do.
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Jan 8, 2015 23:07
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ConspicuousEvil posted:To add a different perspective on shoes to the mix (as I've owned 5 pairs of solutions, 4 pairs of Miura VS and countless other pairs of shoes), there is definitely a difference in performance between the two. The Miura is made to be a high-performance edging shoe, meaning it's sharply downturned, uses XS Edge rubber and more of it, and has a much stiffer midsole than the solution. The solution's flexibility makes it a better smearing shoe and its overall shape makes small footholds on steep terrain more accessible. The Miura VS, however versatile it may be, pales in comparison on steep terrain. Overall, when in doubt I defer to the solution, but on vertical or slightly less than vertical terrain the VS is excellent. That makes sense. You have had way more shoes than I have, and I'll happily defer to your experience on that alone. When I want a shoe for technical face climbing, smearing, or tiny feet, I would go to the Technos. Whenever I wear out my Mythos I will probably get a pair of the Techno X ones they are making now if they feel similar. Obviously La Sportiva makes the two different shoes for a reason. Given three shoes though: Technos (or Mythos), Miura VS, and Solutions, the Miura and Solutions filled the same role for me.
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Jan 8, 2015 23:31
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