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Climbing goons, this is a place to talk about climbing, post your climbing pictures, talk about climbing news, climbing areas, exchange beta, whatever! New to climbing? We're here to help! First read through this post, then feel free to ask any questions you like! The climbing community here on SA is friendly and knowledgeable. We love to help and share our vast, vast wisdom. Climbing 101: What is rock climbing?: “Rock climbing is an activity in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls.” Ok so that's a pretty lame definition, but technically its true. What Wikipedia doesn't get across in the first sentence is that rock climbing is an athletic, puzzling, social, and unbelievably fun sport. Why should I go climbing?: Rock climbing is a sport for the individual. Climbing is for everyone. It is what you make of it. If you want to have fun recreationally, climb to the top of a roped wall and overcome your fear of heights. If you're competitive, get strong and enter a bouldering competition. If you like to explore, rack up and go trad climbing on a classic 3 pitch crack climb. Also climbing is way cool! How do I get in to rock climbing? Rock climbing can definitely be intimidating. Everyone seems to know what they are doing and you don't have a clue. If you don't already know someone who climbs, a lot of folk here would recommend finding your local gym and signing up for a belay (rope holding) class. Not just for the skill set you will gain , but for the chance to meet other people who also want to climb. Its as easy as that! If you do know people who climb, ask if you can tag along, and have them give you some tips. The best way to get better at climbing is to go climbing. Not sure if there's a gym in your area? Check out this link! http://www.indoorclimbing.com/ Need a climbing partner? Try this! http://www.climbfind.com/ Want some more reading on just about everything outdoor climbing related? Climbing destinations? Pictures? Mountain Project is a great place to start! https://www.mountainproject.com Your first day of climbing: Ok you've decided to put on your spandex, harness up, and hit the walls. Here's what you should expect. 1) Don't wear spandex. If you are a man, that is... Show up in something comfortable that you can move around in. You'll see most climbers wearing a t-shirt and shorts/pants. Skinny jeans are a bad idea, remember, the idea is to move your legs UP, so nothing constrictive. Dress for the weather. If its cold, wear loose pants and a hoodie. 2) Use the rental shoes! If the gym asks whether or not you want to pay the extra 3 dollars for climbing shoes, fork over the dough. Climbing shoes, even beat up gym rentals, are far more effective than your street shoe/combat boot/Berkenstocks. Not using climbing shoes is like playing baseball without a mitt. Sure you can do it, but you're not going to be all that successful and people are going to look at you funny. Shoes should be tight! This is so your foot doesn't slide around inside the shoe, and ultimately slip off of a small foothold. A good rule of thumb when trying on climbing shoes is that they should be uncomfortable, but they shouldn't be painful. For the love of god, don't wear those Vibram 5-finger shoes. They're not climbing shoes. Who put out the memo that those are acceptable for climbing? 3) Everyone is going to be better than you... for a while. From the 8 year olds to the senior citizens, you are not going to be nearly as successful as almost everyone else for the first... Month. Don't get frustrated! Don't compare yourself to others around you. Enjoy it for the fun of the sport. The good news is that after a few weeks you'll be significantly better than when you started. 4) Don't pay a whole lot of attention to the difficulty ratings of walls or routes. If it looks fun, give it a shot! More than anything, use gradings help gauge your progress. Don't live by the subjective grade of a route. 5) Have fun. Really, if you're not having fun, then you're doing it wrong. Set reasonable goals. If you're afraid of heights, getting tied in and off the ground is a great start. If you're athletic, try following a few routes to learn some technique. 6) You will be sore! If you've never climbed before, your forearms will ache for the next 2-5 days after you climb. Its normal. That'll go away after a few weeks. 7) The Lingo. One of the most confusing things for a beginner can be listening to two experienced climbers discussing a route. If you are confused about a term here is a good resource for the vocabulary, if you are too shy to ask (which you shouldn't be, nobody expects you to know this stuff when you start :P). Climbing Glossary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climbing_glossary Injuries: So your fingers hurt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climber%27s_finger Do you know what your A2 pulley is? Because it's probably your A2 pulley. See: http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/search/label/Injuries Injury TL;DR: ALWAYS WARM UP FOR >10 MINUTES BEFORE YOU CLIMB SOMETHING MODERATELY HARD. Do rotator cuff exercises, reverse wrist curls, and stop bouldering / climbing overhangs while you're injured. Seriously. The disciplines of rock climbing, broken down by category: Bouldering Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large boulders or artificial man-made boulders. A large pad (crashpad) is typically used to cushion the fall of the climber. However, it may also be practiced at the base of larger rock faces, or even on buildings or public architecture (known as buildering). Bouldering is a style of climbing emphasizing power, strength, and dynamics. Its focus is on individual moves or short sequences of moves. Traditional climbing Traditional climbing, or Trad climbing, is a style of rock climbing in which there is minimal or no fixed protection on the rockface. Protection (Equipment or anchors used for catching a climber when he or she falls. Commonly known as Pro.) is placed in crevices and cracks in the rock for the climber to fasten his rope to as he or she climbs a route. Trad climbing usually involves the leader ascending a section of rock while placing their own protective devices as he/she climbs. These routes consist mostly of cracks which are scaled with a variety of jamming and chimneying techniques. Sport climbing Sport climbing is a style of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, especially bolts, for protection. Sport climbing places an emphasis on gymnastic ability, strength and endurance, while virtually eliminating the need to place protection while climbing. A route suitable for sport climbing has pre-placed bolts following a line up a rock face. Sport climbs are typically between 20 and 120 feet in length. Top-roping Top-roping is a technique in climbing in which the rope runs from the belayer at the foot of the route through one or more carabiners connected to an anchor at the top of the route and back down to the climber. Assuming the belayer pays attention, the climber cannot fall more than a short distance and can safely attempt the most difficult routes. Many top rope anchors can be reached through non-technical routes. When the route is particularly overhung top-roping must be done by following up the back end of a previously climbed sport route and unclipping the rope from each quickdraw. Free Soloing Free Soloing is a style of climbing where the climber foregoes ropes, harnesses and other protective gear while climbing and relies only on his or her physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall. This style of climbing is extremely dangerous. The practice is mostly confined to routes familiar to the climber and whose difficulty lies well within the climber's abilities. However, inherent risks such as loose rocks or sudden change in weather are always present, and some high-profile climbers have been killed this way. Deep Water Soloing Deep Water Soloing is a form of solo rock climbing (no protection or ropes) that relies solely upon the presence of water at the base of a climb to protect against injury. Participants generally seek high difficulty routes usually above high tide. Ice climbing Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. Ice climbing is broadly divided into two spheres, alpine ice and water ice. Alpine ice is found in a mountain environment, usually requires an approach to reach, and is often climbed in an attempt to summit a mountain. Water ice is usually found on a cliff or other outcropping beneath water flows. Alpine ice is frozen precipitation whereas water ice is a frozen liquid flow of water. Both types of ice vary greatly in consistency according to weather conditions. Ice can be soft, hard, brittle or tough Aid climbing Aid climbing is a style of climbing in which fixed or placed protection is used to make upward progress. Here, he climber ascends by hanging on, and climbing on, his or her equipment. In a typical ascent with aid the climber places pieces of equipment (protection) in cracks or other natural features of the rock, then clips an aider (a ladder-like device, also called stirrup or étrier) to the protection, stands up on the aider, and repeats the process. This type of climbing is much less popular since the introduction of Free climbing, and is a different thing all together than today's "regular" rock climbing. Climb on!
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Dec 13, 2012 21:48
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armorer posted:I was hoping someone would spruce this up with some pictures. Thanks for that! I do like to climb it controlled XD
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Dec 15, 2012 18:17
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My gym is an early 1900's cow milking barn converted into a bouldering gym. In the summer time we open all the doors and its beautiful. In the winter snow sneaks in through the cracks and amasses on the floor. We have a few infrared heaters to keep warm under.
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Dec 15, 2012 19:54
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Yeah, climbing in the winter can suck. I use hand lotion. gently caress the naysayers. Only time I don't use hand lotion is when I'm on a multi-day outdoor climbing excursion. Can't have soft hands ripping it up outdoors a bunch of days in a row. For gym climbing, I pamper the poo poo out of my hands as best I can!
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Dec 22, 2012 04:27
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Who's going to Banff this year? My school is showing 3 nights in a row. It looks so awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEC4TKfBGhc
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Jan 28, 2013 04:18
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jackchaos posted:the hardest transition for a gym rat to outside climber is feet. You have so many options yet no options in sight. Bingo. I've also found two major differences being first that in a gym, the holds sort of flex on the wall as they're just screwed in. Outside will rip up your hands really quick. Second, in the gym the holds jut out from the wall, where as outdoors you're reaching in to holes in the rocks. It just feels to me that you use different muscles.
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Jan 31, 2013 16:29
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TotallyUnoriginal posted:3) Possible protein rich mid-climb snack Lemons -> Lemonade
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Feb 6, 2013 15:47
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I have used cedar inserts in the past. They worked pretty well. I ended up ripping the fabric on the inside of the shoe after a month of usage just because of the way they're shaped. That kind of sucked. After that, any time I slipped my foot in to my shoe it would rip a little more. RIP anasazis.
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Feb 24, 2013 17:56
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who cares posted:My friend took me to her bouldering gym on Friday when they were doing free admission for first-timers. I loved it so I took a one-on-one intro class today and I FEEL SO GOOD. The combination of physical and intellectual challenge really resonates with me. There really isn't a point to this post other than saying that I get it. It's so good to hear that you " get it". That's something that the lot of us who have been climbing for years now knew from day one. I like to tell my students that some will get the "itch". You HAVE to finish that one problem you tried. You'll go over the moves in your head time and again. You'll know each rock in a problem and be able to visualize exactly which hand goes where and which foot steps in which direction for every move. Keep it up. Just wait 2 weeks until you REALLY "get it". It becomes so much more rewarding. Let us know if you have any questions. Remember to heel hook EVERYTHING.
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Feb 27, 2013 05:36
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Niyqor posted:This trip we climbed entirely in Muir Valley. Climbed at Practice Wall the first day and Bruise Brothers the second. Basically climbed every 5.7-5.9 at both multiple times. Tried out a pretty fun 5.10b at Practice Wall but by the time I figured out how to get past the part I was having difficulties with it was too late, I was shot. Wah!! I didn't know they were open so early. I'm sort of planning a trip down there. I went last year with my girlfriend and a buddy. We climbed Muir, PMRP, and military wall. Best climbing I've ever done.
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Mar 3, 2013 03:50
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http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150258993599062&set=a.296763149061.194578.283565844061&type=1&theater Organic Retro Pack. Boss.
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Mar 3, 2013 16:54
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Slim Killington posted:Yay new climber! XD Actually I do have content. I've mention that I instruct climbing classes at the local college here. Towards the end of this past quarter my students were really in to trying this one dyne we had put up. They threw themselves at it a LOT and finally one kid got it. It was a lot of fun to see. One of my students filmed a short compilation of climbs in the class including many failed attempts at said dyno. Coolest part is that he has a 3D camera on his phone and filmed the whole thing in 3d. Pretty cool! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq0Yxt-dCfE I'm the guy in the grey shirt and dark hat that doesn't fall. Cybor Tap fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Mar 4, 2013 |
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Mar 4, 2013 01:13
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So did anyone catch wind of this story? It came out last month and it was a huge ordeal in the northeast climbing world. I had actually known this was going on in the past because my buddies are pretty big in the climbing scene down in the Gunks. But someone finally caught it all on camera. See if you can name that climber. http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/just-cleaning Despicable.
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Mar 8, 2013 16:59
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henne posted:routecrafting.blogspot.com isn't updated anymore but has some good reading. A friend has met him an climbed his routes and the author sets well. That blog is really fantastic and I make all my route setters read it before they seriously start setting.
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Mar 16, 2013 07:23
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Claes Oldenburger posted:I saw some dude do a toe hang (grab a hold with his toes, let go of his hands, and then proceed to grab where his toes are with his hands and hoist himself up) last night on the bouldering wall. I don't know if that's the proper term but it was the craziest thing I've seen yet. Even crazier that people actually do that (i assume) halfway up the face of a mountain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eybA9pyXcbI This was a route at my gym. My housemate show's the only way to do the first half.
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Mar 18, 2013 21:30
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PRADA SLUT posted:My hands have been hosed up for like two weeks now too. I climb 3x a week and there's just never any time to recover. Yeah. But I'm the type of guy who would tell ya to take medicine when you're sick or go see a dentist when your teeth fall out.
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Mar 23, 2013 02:28
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So peep this new climbing adventure zone that's being built up in Buffalo. They're converting an old industrial area in to a badass outdoor extravaganza destination. http://gearjunkie.com/rock-climbing-silo-buffalo http://silocityrocks.com I'm so excited for this project to happen. Cybor Tap fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 25, 2013 17:37
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Baldbeard posted:Pretty funny, about a month ago my gym made a conscience effort to start down-rating bouldering routes so overall everything would seem much harder. We just had a competition and visit from Sharma, and I swear we down-rated an additional time with our newest routes for the comp. Lots of other gyms do it too. Deflation of gym ratings is going to lead to sandbagging of outdoor problems. We'll all be climbing VB if this poo poo continues!! God I hate grading problems.
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May 7, 2013 03:13
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any colour you like posted:I haven't been able to climb much lately after breaking my foot while bouldering. But I have been watching a lot of climbing videos lately, and recently found this video of a guy free soloing in Zion National Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTzVTmEoERI He really yanks that little tree at the beginning. Still, very cool.
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May 14, 2013 14:30
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Hey Colorado crew. I'm gonna be out in Denver on June 17th. Possible climbing sesh?
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Jun 11, 2013 04:26
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I do have a place to stay. I gotta clarify. I get in on the 17th, then work doesn't start until the 21st, so I have a few days for a window. Woop woop?
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Jun 11, 2013 17:32
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Whats up guys. I've been out of the game all Summer and am just now starting up again. Sigh. This part sucks. I'm back teaching climbing classes for my university. This year they expect every wellness class to have a 10 question quiz and a "presentation". Now besides the fact that attendance is 70% of the pass/fail grade these kids can earn, what sort of questions should I ask on my quiz? And what about a presentation? All I can come up with for a quiz is climbing terminology and maybe some out of class research for a presentation. My boss basically said lets embrace the new criteria and make the best of it. Any ideas?
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Sep 10, 2013 01:31
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I just finished the second day of a 2 day route setting clinic with Chris Danielson (look him up) who's originally from this area and was more or less doing us a favor. My boss said there was a surprise for us when we showed up yesterday. We got there, and Angie Payne was ballooning up our hardest problems. Chris and Angie are dating so she was tagging along for fun and to get a workout. The setting clinic was pretty cool and didn't really teach specific techniques, but more gave us different ways to conceive the route setting process.
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Sep 25, 2013 20:25
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Its a good question. Setters set problems because they're amusing and force you to do some cool moves. We all follow the same rules because they've been agreed upon and you could be missing some pretty rad sequences. What if a route started with a 5 foot horizontal traverse before it went up? Sure you could just skip the traverse and hop on where you want, but its agreed upon that you haven't successfully completed the route all the way through. That being said, We have one boulder problem in my gym that's really good except the first move is horribly inconsistent (difficulty wise), and just plain not fun. I tell all my students to skip the move and do the rest. We've all AGREED that the first move is a horrible pile of dog doodoo.
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Oct 4, 2013 23:34
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Impromptu trip to the Red River Gorge this coming weekend! Eee!! Favorite climbs there?
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Oct 23, 2013 05:00
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Forgot to update! I got back from the Red. It was AMAZING. I climbed in Muir a bit, and the PMRP. Led Breakfast Burrito at Drive By. That was heady as poo poo. Drive by is incredible. We didn't do quite as much climbing as I would have liked, but I got 3 good days in. Hey Colorado crew, I have a chance to possibly get a job in Golden. I'm incredibly nervous to pick up and move across the country (from upstate NY). If I moved there, I'd probably like to live in Denver. What sort of stuff should I be considering? Whats the cost of living like? Can I live comfortably on a 32k a year? It all happened rather quickly and I'm trying to find my bearings, weigh options, assess commitments, etc... Gah!!
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Nov 3, 2013 00:09
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Hey ya'll. I'm back! Spring is around the corner and I'm planning my 30th birthday party trip down to the Red River Gorge in late March. Hopefully Mother Gaia will make the sun come out and warm my poor little fingers. I haven't really climbed in the past... 2 months. Sigh. I have been lifting regularly, but time to throw the weight vest on and get super climber swole (read: skinny and awkward). Anybody have ideas for the editing the OP with new/better information? I was thinking about linking these nice intro to climbing videos. http://www.howcast.com/videos/512716-How-to-Rock-Climb-with-Cliff-Simanski-Rock-Climbing Ok so maybe he's a buddy of mine. But he's really really loving strong and these videos are a good intro.
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Feb 24, 2015 22:39
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Hey all. I haven't checked in here in a while. I'll be moving to Colorado for work in the next month and I couldn't be more excited! Here's a shot from climbing up at Mt. Nemo in Burlington Ontario last weekend. The colors were in full force. What a great weekend!
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Oct 30, 2015 17:31
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I'll be living in either Boulder or Denver. TBD. My new job starts in January but until then a friend's family has been gracious enough to open up their house to me while I get situated. They're in Colorado Springs... a bit out of the way, I know. But I plan on climbing my face off when I get to CO. The lady and I split a while ago unfortunately. But I do have a nice group of climby friends out in CO who are related to my new job. Lets make this happen.
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Oct 30, 2015 18:00
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Hey all. Back in the game. I haven't climbed in about 6 months because of work. Christ I miss it.
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Aug 17, 2016 03:29
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Hey climbing homies. I haven't poked my nose into this forum in a long time. I'm stoked this thread is still alive and kicking. I can't believe this thread is still alive and kicking, it started 8 years ago. When SA was just a wee apple of the internet's eye I was given the task of creating a climbing mega-thread as a long time contributor in this area of the forums. Does anyone have any suggestions of edits to be made to the first page? Perhaps we close this thread and start a new thread that isn't 200 pages long? Well since you asked, I hurt my back and stopped climbing for a couple years. I now live in Durango, CO and climb incredibly non-competitively. More leisurely. Semi-retired even. There's just so many fun activities to partake in in this part of Colorado! Colorado is making a come back in my life. I'm excited for spring. Shall we edit or close?
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Mar 3, 2021 03:55
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Okie doke. No closing of the thread. Glad the community is going strong and answering all the same questions about tendon injuries and getting past plateaus! Seriously. That poo poo is tough. As long as we're all having fun climbing, life is pretty good.
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Mar 3, 2021 18:11
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