Rock Climbing: Where there's a wall, there's a way

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Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Nothing at the gym really prepares you for a mono that squishes when you stick a finger in it :gonk:

# ¿ Feb 3, 2013 17:17

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 07:41

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Chris! posted:

Also I need to buy some climbing shoes as I'm tired of renting every time I go - I don't really want to buy online without trying first, any recommendations for shops which sell climbing shoes? I'm actually going to London this Friday, where I imagine there has to be a few good climbing outlets...

Gyms usually sell their shoes for dirt cheap--ask if you can just buy one of their rental pairs. It's nice to have something comfortable (less aggressive), cheap, and replaceable as a starter shoe because poor footwork will wear it through pretty quickly. Sure you can just resole a new shoe, but you can probably just buy the rental pair for less than it would cost to resole.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2013 05:14

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Movement is good for roped climbing, but their bouldering section seems like it was added in as an afterthought. The Spot is by far the best bouldering in the state, and Twisted Pine brewery is right around the corner.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2013 18:57

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

semicolonsrock posted:

Any advice for climbing well while using exclusively my arms and one leg? Got the OK to climb from my PT as long as I "dont use on eleg". Obviously this is going to be hilarious and lovely, but if anyone has any techniques, I would appreciate. I'm expecting to just have to do like V1-2s or something in very "creative" ways.

I had a broken toe a couple years ago and still bouldered with one foot, mostly on the juggy overhang routes, but sport climbing would probably have worked better. I ended up doing a lot of cutting and you work your inside/outside flags a LOT. Wasn't a great time, but it's better than not using an arm I suppose.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2013 00:40

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

I've had the Adjama and the Sama. They're both great, but I think the adjustable leg straps made the Adjama a more comfortable harness overall. It does not come in Badass Orange though, so that's a strike against it.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2013 00:55

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Any day I can climb hungover and manage to not be this guy is a good day.

Now I'm going to drink to forget how terrible I was at climbing today.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2013 03:47

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

gamera009 posted:

Multiple climbing goons out this way. I'm sure someone can guide you around. My money is on modig since he is all up in the climbing of rocks and has superior gear to many of us. Also, he is tall and can reach difficult first clips without a stick-clip.

Barring that, maybe spwrozek. Don't trust Discomancer. He will give bad beta and then make you haul him up the rock. And then he will eat a Builder bar and comment on how relaxed the pitch was. (He will climb hung over)

I will get you lost, climb poorly, and increase your risk of having to bail or dying by 3. But I am an excellent fishing guide!

Hey come on, half of that is a lie, my beta is okay heel hook it

# ¿ Aug 15, 2013 00:58

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

deck posted:

Whenever I grab a "full hand" jug, I always bounce it a couple times for a optimal re-grip. Watch other climbers and you'll see them doing this too. It helps relieve any pressure points (skin folding in a weird direction) you might have caused by gripping something quickly/poorly, so it probably helps reduce flappers.

Also, it should be obvious, but lots of dynamic swinging moves can destroy your skin pretty fast and should be avoided when you don't have the calluses for it.

You see a lot of climbers doing this, but it's not very good technique--the goal should be to grab the hold the right way the first time. If you're doing a lot of repositioning to get the right spot, you'll tire yourself out a lot quicker. Approaching the hold slower/more static until you have the move down right will help build up the muscle memory here, and help sequence into the next move. Great practice for this is to keep doing a route and not move your hands once they're on a hold. You'll see that going from one move into the next is a lot smoother because you aren't stopping to adjust between handholds.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2013 00:11

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

modig posted:

Yeah I used to readjust a lot, I think it's a phase.

Well my pulley tendon is finally healed up, and I'm climbing as hard as ever, and now my elbow tendonitis is coming back. Woo. I think I'm going to have to back off for a while and hope it settles down.

Do you do dips or any tricep work? I find adding a few sets of those after climbing helps a lot when my elbows start aching.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2013 00:29

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Papercut posted:

Here's a fun training exercise:
http://www.planetgranite.com/news/2013/12/02/wow-footwork-frenzy-with-josh/

Wow, that was a LOT harder than I thought it would be. Great exercise though.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2013 02:49

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

MA-Horus posted:

Hi thread

I've been bouldering now for about 6 months, and I go about once a week. I'm a big dude (6 foot, 220lbs) and I can consistently dummy the yellow routes without any issue. But it feels like the jump from yellow to blue is huge, and I don't seem to be making much improvement in tackling the blues.

Anything I could be doing to help improve? I think a lot is just technique.

Not sure what grades the colors correspond to, but if that's the v3-v5ish range, a lot of people start plateauing there for a long time. If you're tall and strong, a lot of what you're probably doing is powering through these routes, which is getting you up the wall, but not in a way that hones your technique (body positioning and footwork). Spend some time focusing less on simply completing the route, and more on completing it smoothly and quickly. So try working working on quiet feet/hands, keeping your weight over your feet, keeping your core tight through a sequence, route reading, and skills like that. Work on moves you haven't had a lot of exposure to like flagging, drop knees, heel hooks, mantles, etc. When you get done with a route, ask yourself if a 5'0 100 pound person would have been able to do it your way, and if not, try it a different way.

Try looking at How to Climb 5.12, which has some pretty good exercises to build strength and technique

# ¿ Jan 7, 2014 15:50

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

modig posted:

My helmet saved my life on sunday

Well not my helmet, and not my life. But that was the title. Stay safe.

I've always been lax about helmets, but that's a pretty sobering reminder--that's not some backwater crag either, Animal World sees pretty heavy use.

# ¿ May 29, 2014 01:20

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Ravenfood posted:

This is exactly what's been happening to me, though its just my right elbow. Its like I pulled it somehow.

Do you do any tricep work? Muscle imbalance is a really common problem and can be fixed by just doing some dips/skullcrushers/pulldowns etc. At the end of a session. This usually manifests as an ache that happens mostly when you let go of a hold in the inside of your elbow above the joint.

Keep in mind I'm not a doctor, don't ignore actual pain, yadda yadda

# ¿ Jun 5, 2014 23:22

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

CoasterMaster posted:

The closest place to me that has some easy routes is Exit 38 (Washington State folks probably know it well). Any tips or words of wisdom on that?

I love that place, Exit 38 is where I learned to climb, it has a ton of good stuff! Make sure you know how to set up an anchor and lower off it. For Exit 38, the north side is way better than south side. It has some awesome places to learn (particularly Squishy Bell and Gritscone). If you go with someone who knows how to set anchors, they can walk around the top of a few routes on Squishy Bell to watch while you set it up, which is nice.

Easy Street has an easy grade and easy routes, plus it's overbolted so you can get a lot of clipping practice in on the way up. Endless Bliss is nearby, it's a great longer route in that area and you're never left wanting for bolts the whole way up, probably the best route in the whole area.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2014 17:22

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:

I suppose I could have been more specific about my goals. I definitely want to get better at rock climbing, and maybe even just supplement it with lifting. If I could at least do some bouldering 2-3 times a week instead of lifting, I would be down but I didn't know how much your muscles/fingers can handle once you develop the specific strength to get going (holy Jesus if my forearms aren't shot for a few days after right now.)

I live in Chicago, there isn't much opportunity for climbing that isn't at the gym, but if I could climb instead of lift except maybe a leg and/or chest/back day, that would be awesome.

You can climb a few times a week, but spend some time working on quiet feet, breathing, body positioning (weight on your feet, not your arms), working on building muscle memory for flagging, heel hooks, drop knees, heel hooks, backstepping, heel hooks, and moving with your hips. Consciously working on technique will be the quickest way to climb longer/harder to reduce that 3 day long forearm pump.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2014 23:08

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:

I picked up the Self-Coached Climber on this thread's recommendation, although a bit ago people seemed to not like it. Anyway, I'll go through their exercises, which looks familiar to what you wrote. Any other good resources for training?

SCC is good, it's just geared for people who try to peak once or twice a year instead of climbing year round. How to Climb 5.12 is another pretty good book worth looking at. A lot of the fundamental exercises involve silent hands/feet, and building correct muscle memory for route reading--you'll "get it" when you just naturally do an unusual move because "of course that's what you'd do there, your feet are here, your hips are here, and you're reaching for there" is your body remembering these moves from similar positions and you translating that while route reading.

Or try https://www.howtothrowasickheelhook.com

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 03:26

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Kylaer posted:

Any recommendations on a shoe with a similar heel and midfoot to the Miura VS, but a less painfully aggressive toe? I climbed in Nago Reds for a long time and liked those, then "upgraded" to Miuras, but even though I actually increased the size, they hurt so badly that I enjoy climbing a whole lot less than before.

How long have you worn them? Miura VS take a looooong time to fully break in.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2014 17:06

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

armorer posted:

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.

Exactly this. A lot of climbers associate "I keep bombing off this hold" as a strength issue rather than a technique/body position/route reading issue. It's a logical enough idea--your fingers are failing so they need to be stronger--but this hides the true problem, and they would benefit from non-strength training WAY more. This can include working the earlier parts of the route more effectively so they aren't as pumped at the crux, building muscle memory so they are making the moves better, economy of movement, etc, and they'll hit a wall when they suddenly have no idea how to actually climb roues at like high 5.10 or V3/4ish where making big burly moves doesn't cut it anymore. You see this time and again especially with tall people and strong dudes who are used to just having "gimme" routes that they can climb poorly but without much difficulty.

The biggest thing though is that technique prevents injuries, not strength and being able to burl your way up harder and harder routes is going to lead to the usual climbing injuries when you significantly outpace your skill.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2014 19:43

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Tsietisin posted:

It was mostly around the bicep area. Felt like I barely had the strength to lift my arms.

If it's pain, don't keep climbing on it, it is easy to get overuse injuries and you're not likely to heal with continued use. Wait, and do your warmup/stretches--it takes longer than you'd think to heal. Don't climb through the pain, you'll only gently caress things up worse. Does this sound familiar? http://www.drjuliansaunders.com/resources/feature_articles/dodgy_elbows/

Not medical advice: a lot of new climbers get muscle imbalances and just need to do more dips.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2015 00:44

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

6thing the Stretch Zions. When I need to sit around and watch other people climb, this is my pant of choice. If you work somewhere with pro deals, try to get Prana on the list, and you'll get a huge discount. Otherwise, they do show up on Backcountry occasionally when the year's style changes, and you can grab them for around $40.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2015 15:57

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

gamera009 posted:

Also, climbing. I am thinking of checking out Tall Cool One in Boulder Canyon.

nooooo wait until i can climb again to work this one you big jerk

# ¿ Mar 17, 2015 16:20

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Dutymode posted:

It doesn't seem to match the symptoms for a TFCC problem, based on a quick search. It's more radial side, no pain toward the pinky, and I cannot find any sensitive spots with aggressive massage. The closest I can find to recreating the discomfort is pulling on my thumb as hard as I can while keeping it relaxed. I can also get discomfort riding a bicycle, or especially operating the clutch on a motorcycle in stop and go traffic.

Edit: this is where it aches-

TFCC problems would be on the ulnar side. It can be a ton of different things that all have similar symptoms, so you should go see an orthopedic doctor that specifically knows climbing injuries, it is not worth it to try to self diagnose or just "inject some cortisone and hope it goes away".

# ¿ May 10, 2016 23:57

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

toiletbrush posted:

Anyone here got much experience with wrist injuries? Two-ish weeks ago both my wrists went painful (my right came on slowly days after climbing, my left went 'crick' on a sloper)...they feel much less painful, but still sort of 'pop' on certain slopers, and the left is quite painful if bent back. I saw a physio who said it probably wasn't serious but take a break for a month and see a specialist if it doesn't improve. Kinda gutted since I've been making amazing progress since last summer's injury stopped me climbing for 6 months.

Go see an ortho that is a climber, or treats a lot of climbers. Call around and ask specifically for that. A lot of orthos see "general purpose injuries" and don't understand the unique forces involved in climbing, and will either misdiagnose, or treat symptoms instead of problems by injecting a bit of cortisone or something, instead of actually fixing your problem. Tendon sheath inflammation is a common symptom for a lot of more serious problems, so it's easy to treat that and think you'll be good, then realize you still have 2 years of recovery because anti inflammatories didn't actually fix anything, just masked the issue.

Wrists are complicated, don't guess at it.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2016 18:22

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 07:41

Discomancer: Aug 31, 2001; I'm on a cupcake caper!

Dutymode posted:

Not to pick on you specifically in any way, but every time I read about climbing injuries, someone suggests this. Living no where near any outdoor climbing, this just feels like telling someone they need to find a unicorn or something. In my experience, doctors have been useful for confirming nothing is torn or broken. Other than that, I feel like I'd have to fly to Denver or something if I'm actually going to find any sort of specialist.

Well, I do live near Denver busted! Maybe you can check with your gym, or ask around there to see if anyone knows someone in the area?

I say that from first hand experience though--I spent a couple years going to orthos that didn't climb (one was a cyclist and one was a skier), and they weren't able to help because they didn't understand what was happening, or where pain was coming from. Switching to an ortho that climbed identified it in the first session, and was able to surgically correct it. But it was seriously the difference between "I don't know what's going on, here's one thing we can try" and "here's how we fix this from happening again".

# ¿ Jun 12, 2016 23:11

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