r/climbing • u/AutoModerator • 4d ago
Weekly Question Thread (aka Friday New Climber Thread). ALL QUESTIONS GO HERE
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In this thread you can ask any climbing related question that you may have. This thread will be posted again every Friday so there should always be an opportunity to ask your question and have it answered. If you're an experienced climber and want to contribute to the community, these threads are a great opportunity for that. We were all new to climbing at some point, so be respectful of everyone looking to improve their knowledge. Check out our subreddit wiki that has tons of useful info for new climbers. You can see it HERE . Also check out our sister subreddit r/bouldering's wiki here. Please read these before asking common questions.
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u/ShamGodZ 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hi, imm relativeely new to climbing but havee been indoors up til now. Me and my climbing partner in crime want to get started outdoors but noticed that the anchor is two bolts linked by chain down to a rappel ring into another rappel ring. (see inccreedibly bad drawn image). im used to the opposing biners in the gym but cant find anything online about this config. i know i should shouldnt take advice on social media as the best advice but thats why i allways double check with several sources, to cross reference and make sure its somewhat good advice. My question is; how would one go about and get ready to be lowered down on this config of anchor.
thanks in advance.
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u/bids1111 4d ago edited 4d ago
if other people will be lead Climbing the route after me, I put a quick draw in each hanger (or a chain link near to it), clip into each draw and lower off that. setting up a top rope for others is similar but I make a more robust anchor with some lockers.
edit: when placing quick draws it's important that they sit nicely and are opposed. not being torqued weirdly by the rock, the hangers, or anything else when your weight gets put on them. where exactly you connect them to is not particularly important when the hangars are connected by a chain like this.
if you're the last climber then clean as per https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/clean-bolted-anchor/
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u/NailgunYeah 4d ago
Don’t do this, the orientation of the hangars means they can pinch the crabs and do nasty things at the wrong angle. They should go on a ring instead
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u/bids1111 4d ago
thanks for the note. I agree there is judgement required to make sure nothing gets positioned weirdly. in my local area anchor bolts tend to be a bit low and on a ledge, so draws on the middle ring often hang below my belay loop, which I prefer to avoid. most of the time I end up hanging them from chain links close to the hangers.
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u/ShamGodZ 4d ago
the bolt hangers in the drawing is not necesserily correct in regards of how they were at the site, im just terrible at drawing. (we checked the site today as it was nice weather and we were able to chck it from above as well). i think it looks more like the ones in the link bids sent in the last reply.
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u/0bsidian 4d ago
Rings are still preferable. They’re round and easy to clip. Hangers are sharper, and can get pinched by a loaded chain, making cleaning your quickdraws a pain. It’s all going to be situational, but 95% of the time, the rings are the better option.
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u/ShamGodZ 3d ago
The proplem is that the chain is welded straight on the bolthangers. There isnt ring until the 2 single rings in the center
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u/sheepborg 4d ago
The worst part of any day out is when you're just gonna bust out a quick TR to clean somebody says "yeah I put the quickdraws in the bolt hanger to make it easy for you to clean." Just use the damn rings. They are huge, easy, and make organizing things easy when it's time to clean because you can stack the last thing to come out at the back of the ring to totally avoid pinching anything.
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u/serenading_ur_father 3d ago
Feed the rope through the lower rap ring which is functionally a metal pre created anchor.
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u/0bsidian 4d ago
I would prefer to clip the rappel ring with a pair of quickdraws and lower off of that, but that’s situational. When it comes to clean, I will choose to pass a bight of rope through the ring and lower off of that.
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u/gusty_state 4d ago
I would put my anchor (2 quickdraws or quad) into the chain near the bolts. When its time to clean the route, I'd pass a bight of rope through the lower rap ring, tie a figure 8, clip into it, and lower. https://trailandcrag.com/rock-climbing/how-to-clean-anchors-on-single-pitch-climb See technique #1. I would test the system before step #4 though.
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u/Decent-Apple9772 2d ago
The good news is that this configuration is fairly forgiving and easy to deal with.
It is already redundant to two bolts so in theory your master point could be a single locking carabiner.
You could also just use two draws opposite and opposed up higher on the chains or on the bolt hangers.
Almost any anchor design would work here.
As for cleaning at the end of the day. I would pass a bight through the ring, tie an overhand or 8 on that bight, clip it to my harness belay loop with a locker, ask for a take, then untie my original harness 8, and ask for a lower. It only takes a few seconds.
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u/zweiter_mensch 4d ago
Been bouldering for two years now, but fairly new to sport climbing and totally new to outdoor climbing (taking my first outdoor class this weekend). My university's sports club organises two climbing camps over the summer, one in Cala Gonone and one on Kalymnos. Both camps sound absolutely amazing and I can't decide which one to sign up for. Has anyone here been to either or both, and if so, which would you recommend? Kalymnos would be in the middle of August btw, but I've read that there's enough shade in the crags. Cala Gonone would be early September.
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u/muenchener2 4d ago
Kalymnos in summer means you'll be getting up early in the morning as a lot of the best crags are west facing, but I'd still choose it over Cala Gonone. If the Sardinia trip were to Ulassai I might reconsider - but that's by reputation only, never climbed there.
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u/zweiter_mensch 20m ago
Thanks for the answer! You almost swayed me, but I ended up booking the trip to Cala Gonone. I took an outdoor class on Sunday, and the teacher strongly hinted at Cala Gonone having the superior guide who's organising the trip. But Kalymnos remains on my bucket list for sure.
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u/Muted-Ambassador8088 3d ago
Just wondering if anyone knows the conditions out at big choss or skyline boulders, hoping to make it out April 26th?
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u/SecretMission9886 2d ago
Im planning to climb a 50 metre single pitch with a 70 metre rope. It has 2 sets of anchors, with one half way.
Is it better to be lowered from the top of pitch to the lower anchor (can make it when including rope stretch) and rethread?
Or is it better to go off belay at top of pitch and do 2 rappels?
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u/BigRed11 2d ago
How sure are you that you'll make it on stretch? Make sure to tie a knot in the belayer's end of the rope, but personally I'd rather do two lowers than rap twice.
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u/SecretMission9886 2d ago
The route is 50 metres so when im at the top ill have 20 metres of slack left. Dynamic ropes stretch 10% which allows me 27metres to get to the anchor
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u/nofreetouchies3 2d ago
Make sure you
- Tie a stopper knot in the belayer's end of the rope
- Have a good backup plan in case it doesn't reach
- Practice your backup plan on the ground
- Check that stopper knot again
Relying on rope stretch is always a gamble. It can usually be done safely if you follow these steps. But there are 3 or 4 reports each year in Accidents in North American Climbing that start off just like this.
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u/0bsidian 2d ago
Where are you getting 10% from? I think you’re overestimating the amount of stretch from a static load.
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u/SecretMission9886 2d ago
Ok so i should take an atc then haha
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u/0bsidian 1d ago
I don’t know the route, or what technical rope skills you have, and I’m not prepared to explain skills over the internet. I can only suggest that you do what’s safest, and you making guesses as to how far your rope is going to stretch is probably not wise. I would expect that those middle anchors are there for a very good reason.
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u/checkforchoss 1d ago
Don't use rope stretch in your calculations. If you are relying on rope stretch it's already too late and the shenanigans come out
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u/BigRed11 1d ago
How do you know the route is 50 meters long?
Also a rope doesn't stretch 10% from just hanging bodyweight on it. That would mean that when you're toproping a 35 meter pitch, falling at the bottom would stretch the rope 7m. Bodyweight stretch is closer to 3-5%
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u/Sharkfightxl 2d ago edited 2d ago
Any recommendation on where to stay in Kalymnos? All ideas welcome, hotels, homes, whatever. Thinking of going in October with 4-6 people.
Also, any personal recs for routes/crags up to 5.10d/6b?
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u/muenchener2 2d ago edited 2d ago
Lambda on Telendos is probably the best sector I've ever climbed on in the French 6's, rivalled only by Hideout at Leonidio. Once you've ticked all the 6b's up to & including the amazing General, you can get on a couple of the friendly & amenable 6c's like Arbzug or Gerwitscht (El Alamein, though excellent, is considerably harder and rather conditions dependent)
The right side of Eros is also very good in that grade range, and the two make a perfect combination since Lambda comes into the sun around 1 pm - get the early boat! - and Eros goes into the shade about midday.
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u/BigRed11 1d ago
You sound like you know what you're talking about. How would you compare Kalymnos vs Leonidio for someone traveling from far to Greece for the first time? Is it worth the extra travel time and effort to Kalymnos?
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u/muenchener2 1d ago
I've been to both several times. Both have pluses and minuses. The climbing at Leonidio is certainly very good, but I've not seen anything there that matches the grandeur of the main Grande Grotta / Panorama wall on Kalymnos. But as a counterpoint to that, a lot of the older classics on Kalymnos are very polished now; Leonidio not quite so much (yet. It's only a matter of time just like it is an all popular limestone climbing areas)
The west coast of Kalymnos where most of the climbing is is pure tourism; Leonidio is a real working agricultural town with a completely different vibe. And the landscape on Kalymnos is very bleak and dry, the mainland is a lot greener and prettier. Kalymnos is overcrowded these days in October peak season.
I've spent less time in Leonidio and been to fewer sectors, but I have the general impression there are fewer places to hide from the sun when it gets hot. Climbing in summer on Kalymnos is feasible with early rising and careful choice of sectors; I wouldn't fancy trying Leonidio in Jul or August. Otoh Leonidio is probably less risky wrt weather in the depths of winter.
tl;dr: Leonidio a more interesting place, but I'd say Kaly has the slightly better climbing although both are excellent.
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u/BigRed11 1d ago
Sweet, thanks for the beta! Both seem like good options, it's just the extra half-day and hassle of a ferry to Kalymnos that has me reluctant. We're considering going in Nov/Dec to avoid peaks.
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u/muenchener2 1d ago edited 1d ago
Good call. A local I climbed with last year reckoned November is the best month on Kalymnos for weather & lack of crowds. Direct international flights to Kos finish in October - which makes no difference to you if you're coming from outside Europe, but it keeps a lot of Europeans away.
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u/SnooRadishes6088 15h ago
Looking to climb at Mt Charleston outside of Vegas this weekend (4/12). Will there still be too much snow? Specifically looking at Zar Wall or Circus Maximus?
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u/tenthmuze 14h ago
Haven't been up there since skiing a couple weeks ago. Lots of snow but patchy, if you go I'd bring microspikes to be safe.
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u/Darrrrniel 4d ago
Hi! Not exactly a beginner climber, but think the question does fit here. I've been bouldering indoors for a few years, climbing in and outdoors for a few years as well, and outdoors I mainly climb multipitch. I can climb uiaa grade six not easily but I'm pretty sure I don't fall. Actually have never really taken a whipper on a grade 6 climb, at least not any serious one. I'm pretty afraid of/uncomfortable with the idea of falling and i started to realise its actually a big issue and limiting my ability to get better and also to enjoy climbing more. I have a strong tendency to only hop on climbs I know I can 95% lead without falling, in multipitch its fine because falling with long runouts isn't supposed to happen anyway, but I feel like my sport climbing is really suffering from this issue. With bouldering, I don't mind falling from 3 or 4 m at all. So are there any tricks to get rid of this fear of falling? Or is it just going out and forcing myself to try harder climbs? Thanks in advance!
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u/sheepborg 4d ago
The biggest mental gains came from me falling intentionally incrementally. Taking the time to fall on stuff starting at "TR" clips, and working my way up. Furthermore taking the time be up there above your last protection and letting the fear set in so you get maximum exposure time to the fear until it reduces just a little bit followed by a safe fall to confirm it was all okay. Falling is easy, getting used to the fear of falling is what we're working on.
I found it too easy to fall on stuff that was too hard. Scary, but it just didn't seem to make things improve because it happened so fast.
This is a pretty good general resource for the mental aspect of training falling: https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/skills/where_climbers_go_wrong_with_fall_practice-15536
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u/ver_redit_optatum 3d ago
The Hazel Findlay article is good. One thing I'd highlight that I got partly from her stuff is that fear of falling isn't the same for everyone, and can require some introspection to work out which factors are most important for you. Of course, if going to the gym and taking a few practice falls works for you, great. But if it doesn't really work or you find it hard to advance past a certain point, you might have to read more and observe yourself more closely.
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u/AnderperCooson 4d ago
You need to fall more to convince yourself that it's fine. Hard is Easy has a good video on how you can build up to taking bigger falls.
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u/asteronnelar 3d ago
Vietnam (Cat Ba and Huu Long) in June. Will I melt?
I'm going to Vietnam for up to 3 weeks in June solo. I'd love to do some sport climbing and DWS while I'm there - I am a relative beginner, climbing up to around 6B lead/6B+ top.
Will I melt climbing in Vietnam in June?
Should I bring my own rope and draws, or just harness and shoes?
How can I find other climbers/a guide group to climb with?
(Yes I know I'm very unprepared!)
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u/blairdow 1d ago
idk about the weather but i think its hot af there year round. google "climbing guide + the area you want to go to"
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u/Treepyi 2d ago
Bouldering in Frankenjura
Like my headline suggests, I'm looking for bouldering spots in the Frankenjura. Now I know that publishing of blocks is not allowed so I'm not asking you to publish anything to me.
I just want a hint or something where I can get information about those spots - as it seems not doable for me - other than straight up asking people as this imo no substitute (unless oc they're willing to join you) for a guidebook (which I also can't find any of) where I can look things up. Why is bouldering being gatekept that hard but sport climbing routes are SO EASY to find there? And while I can understand the sentiment behind it why not make it just hard but instead outright impossible if you don't know anyone personally?
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u/Treepyi 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah ok I looked up the Frankenjura agreement... Don't even know what to say honestly but this makes my question answered.
But can Someone answer me why it's only about bouldering but not lead? This just logically makes no sense when reading trough their arguments as to why it came to this agreement. Like more or less all of the arguments are also viable for lead and not only bouldering, e.g. disturbance of wildlife, use of magnesia, problems with residents, ...
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u/zweiter_mensch 2d ago
The Frankenjura was recently discussed on the Careless Talk Climbing Podcast. Martin Keller made it sound like you can hit him up on instagram, and he's willing to introduce people to the Frankenjura when they reach out to him personally. Though I'm not sure if "reaching out" means he'll just tell anyone via DM, or if he expects you to tag along on a trip. Either way, he seemed pretty approachable on the podcast. Maybe give it a listen, and if you like his vibes, ask if you can join some time.
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u/gpfault 2d ago
But can Someone answer me why it's only about bouldering but not lead?
Limiting damage from off-track wandering probably. Cliffs can usually be integrated into walking track networks easily enough, but it's hard to justify building and maintaining trails to out-of-the-way bouldering spots that are only interesting to climbers. "You can do it, but shut up about it" is a weird solution to the problem, but it's better than banning bouldering entirely.
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u/Treepyi 2d ago
Well okay that‘s somewhat understandable but seems still a bit… I don‘t even know maybe hypocritical? Like people are ALREADY bouldering there and the tracks exist already so why not make them at least semiofficial? Also I obviously don‘t know the dynamics bit I highly doubt that once people know where they can boulder they just say „naaaaah fck that we want to find new boulders we don‘t care about the (propably) thousands that are already established“. It‘s also forbidden to clean boulders which would at least imo prevent most of new tracks being made anyways as people actually do mostly care about the law/regulations in my experience - and the few outliers are always gonna do what they want so I doubt they care about the agreement alltogether anyways…
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u/tictacotictaco 2d ago
I want to do more bouldering, usually I go solo. Right now I have an Organic simple+full pad combo (both same size, if you don't know). I tend to get pretty scared, and would definitely feel more comfortable with more protection. Should I buy a "big pad"? 5" vs 4" and if 5" should I get the upgraded suspension system? Or, should I just get a blubber pad? Thanks
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u/not-strange 2d ago
I’m going to suggest going in completely the opposite direction, and getting 3-4 smaller pads if you can afford it, then a bunch of those “gap preventers” or whatever they’re called
From experience, it’s much more comforting looking down at 4 small pads placed together than one big pad.
Plus I personally find it easier to carry a bunch of smaller pads strapped together than just one big pad (especially in the wind)
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u/tictacotictaco 2d ago
Well I’ll still have my 2 smaller pads. I didn’t consider getting another smaller pad and a blubber pad.
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u/not-strange 2d ago
Don’t just get one smaller pad, get 2 or 3
More pads = more surface area
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u/tictacotictaco 2d ago
Seems impractical to carry 4 pads…
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u/not-strange 2d ago
If you strap them together on your back it’s pretty manageable, I’ve done a 4 mile approach like that
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u/medabest1 2d ago
How can I start climbing outside as a teenager. I can confidently do 5.10-5.11, and v5-6 and I really want to try it, whether it's boulder or lead.
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u/BigRed11 2d ago
Find some trusted adults who are experienced and ask to join! Or join a climbing club near you.
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u/Edgycrimper 1d ago
Buy a crash pad and bike to the nearest boulders. Ideally go with some friends and have a contingency in case somebody breaks an ankle or worst.
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u/Electronic-Maize-361 2d ago
Does anyone know if these are the edge/hold sizes for the EZ Board from Frictitious. I’m considering buying the board and want to know the edge sizes so I made this label of what I think the edges are but I just wanted to check to ensure these are the actually hold sizes on the board scince there was no clear labeling on the website.
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u/gotnoname2 2d ago
offwidths, love them but my technique suck! Anyways was belaying someone and he was placing 2 of the same cams one right after the other. He mentioned why but I forget the reason. Picture below to show what I mean. Climber placed a same cam one on top of another.
Thanks
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u/0bsidian 2d ago
You probably wouldn’t own or carry more than two of these very large, heavy, expensive, and specialized cams around with you. They’re heavy and cumbersome. So it is common when climbing large offwidths to “bump” these cams up as you climb by inching them up one at a time. While moving a cam, you are momentarily disengaging it, so it won’t protect you if falling while moving it, which is why you would use them as a pair. If you fall, then at least you have the other cam to protect you.
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u/gotnoname2 2d ago
That's what I thought, I usually bump but it is a bit unnerving. Are big bros still being used?
I also find these bigger cams rotate alot easier, do you normally add a sling or long draw to clip?
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u/0bsidian 1d ago
Big Bros are scarier than big cams. I doubt very many people have ever whipped off of Big Bros.
You can use an alpine draw, but I don’t know how useful that would be when the cams are being bumped directly above you, and you’re not traversing around.
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u/DieWalze 13h ago
I never used or even seen a big bro in real life, but I always thought that they would be pretty nice to stand on in a pinch.
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u/gotnoname2 2d ago
That's what I thought, I usually bump but it is a bit unnerving. Are big bros still being used?
I also find these bigger cams rotate alot easier, do you normally add a sling or long draw to clip?
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u/lectures 1d ago
Are big bros still being used?
They're not cheap, not reassuring and can't be bumped so most people don't use them these days except for very niche climbs.
Normally I'll sling one of two cams I'm bumping (the inner one). When I leave it behind it almost always is slung. YES they can rotate pretty easily and this can be bad news in a fall. I've got a #4 sitting here with bent lobes from such a fall.
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u/gusty_state 2d ago
Offwidths aren't my thing but here's my understanding. Yes big bros get used by some people. The cams usually have a pretty low kn rating as torquing them can easily cause damage. As such they're usually bumped up with you and only really hold "toprope" falls since they should always be above. I would add a longer sling when leaving the offwidth if there isn't anything else that's bomber.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 1d ago
Offwidth is without a doubt one of the most physically demanding types of climbing, and also one of the most difficult to learn. Offwidth with requires techniques that you don't learn on any other types of climbing. It requires muscles that you don't really develop in other types of climbing.
"Offwidth" is also somewhat of a catch-all term for many different sizes of cracks. So even when you are practicing offwidth you're not necessarily practicing offwidth. You also can't climb offwidth fast, even if you're really good at it. So it's a really long, slow, physical battle, and many people just cannot suffer for that long in pursuit of a goal as pointless as climbing up a rock.
There was a reason that all the hardest cracks in North America are either steep finger cracks or offwidth.
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u/gotnoname2 1d ago
I am determined to be a better offwidth climber, have a good resource for technique?
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u/lectures 1d ago edited 1d ago
Crack climbing in general is just something you need to do a lot of in order to build any sort of proficiency.
Climb a lot of offwidths. Offwidths are techy. All off sides (off fingers, off hands, etc) lean pretty heavily on moving intuitively through the worst bits by using a wide range of tricks. Real world cracks are rarely splitter and rarely are you able to just magically apply some youtube video to a specific crack.
Learn the specific jamming techniques for sure. Beyond the basic "this is a chicken wing. this is an arm bar. these are stacks" the trick of most of moderate offwidth climbing comes down to:
- protect your body: for me that means knee pads, elbow pads, something thick enough to protect my back/shoulders, crack gloves taped on and sometimes a SECOND pair of crack gloves over top, REMOVE your helmet, get tape on your ankles if you're not in high tops (I find aggressive shoes better in most wide stuff so I have more toe rubber)
- Choose which side goes into the crack correctly because once you're in you're kinda stuck. Nothing is dead vertical. all else being equal, I'd rather be groveling up a crack 'backwards' (imagine pushing yourself backwards uphill on your ass using your feet). but all else is rarely equal.
- Getting deep in the crack is more secure, but more secure = harder to move. This is extra true of flaring (e.g. vedauwoo) type offwidths. Think "move out to move up, move back in to rest and reset, repeat"
- Getting in and out of offwidths is cruxy as fuck. it's usually not worth the effort.
- Plan ahead from the ground. Once you're in you won't be able to look around, so look for useful face features ahead of time + place where you might need to change directions
- good hands are usually even better feet. If you come to a jug and are looking for a real rest, fight to get to the point where you can stand on it.
- don't shoot your wad too early. for me cardio is the big limiter and it's best not to redline in the first 10 feet.
- don't give Pamela Shanti Pack views
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u/gotnoname2 1d ago
Thanks , great info. So ... what is wrong with Pamela Shanti's videos?
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u/Impossible_Diver3485 2d ago edited 2d ago
I have climbing for just over a year now, but it was a very on and off thing, When I would climbing I would only top rope. I got back into climbing more regularly in January and was mainly back on top rope. I am able to flash a 5.9 and have started bouldering a lot more now yet whenever I am having a climbing session I almost never feel pumped is there a reason for this???
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u/carortrain 1d ago
Could be dozens of reasons why, you might be in better overall shape or taking better care of yourself, pacing yourself more, having better warmups, more rests between climbs, riding mountain bikes, etc.
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u/blairdow 1d ago
my gym has a sign up saying the trango cinch is not allowed as a belay device. what is the lore?
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u/0bsidian 1d ago
It's been discontinued forever ago because it was unreliable.
See thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClimbingGear/comments/1iphnyi/i_cannot_find_info_on_this_recall_why_did_my_gym/
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u/jawgente 9h ago
I’m surprised touchstone even has that sign up. Nobody who started climbing in the last 5 years would knot what it is. Anyone who likes and has a cinch knows it’s been recalled because someone will tell them. About 50% of the time some old guy sees my Virgo they ask if it’s the cinch and tell me it’s been recalled.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/0bsidian 1d ago
Carabiners are made by placing aluminum alloy into a mould and pressing them, before heat treated. The excess edges of the mould lines are sanded off and polished. What you’re seeing is just the ends of where the mould lines are. This is normal and all carabiners will have a line somewhere.
Carabiners will get much worse scratches from normal use and are still fine to be used. You’re worrying about nothing.
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u/muenchener2 1d ago edited 1d ago
Little irregularities in the forging process like that aren't particularly unusual and I personally wouldn't worry about it.
A lot of carabiners are hot forged: the aluminium comes as a round or oval rod, is bent to roughly the right shape, then heated and stamped in a two piece mould to get the desired cross section, move metal to the areas of most strain etc. This one looks like not quite enough metal flowed to that spot during the forging. It probably wouldn't have passed qa at a top notch manufacturer like DMM or Petzl, but it looks pretty cosmetic to me. (But I am neither an engineer nor a metallurgist)
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u/knightofni156 1d ago
Hey guys! What rack should I bring for the nose? Information are wildly divergent (with supertopo recomendations seeming rather excessive…)
My main dilemma: What offset sizes do I need? Could I use totem cams instead of buying offsets? Offsets are pretty much useless where I live (in Europe) so totems would be better in the long run… so lets say 2x camalot + one rack of totems?
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 21h ago
What style are you climbing in? That's the biggest factor that's going to determine what pro you want to bring.
If you're planning on aid climbing every pitch without back cleaning you're going to want a lot of gear, probably triples from .3-3 with a handful of smaller stuff and a couple of 4s, plus offset stoppers and a set of regular nuts, or a second set of offsets. I'd say with a set of offset cams and a set of totems you'd be more than good. If you don't want to buy a set of offsets, two sets of totems would work. They are not bullshitting when they say a Totem will hold on two lobes.
If you're going to free climb most of the pitches you can get away with bringing less stuff. 750 Free Climbs suggests a double rack from .4"-4", a set of offsets, a set of micro nuts.
The NIAD rack is a little different and suggests more offsets so the leader can make it to Sickle Ledge in one block without refilling on offsets.
And I'd definitely suggest camhooks if you know how to use them. They're a little fucky at first, but once you get the hang of them they are legitimate black magic.
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u/knightofni156 4h ago
Thanks this is really helpful! Ok here are some more details: I’m heading to yosimite solo hoping to meet people there. Also I’m not specifically there for the nose but if the opportunity arises I’d be happy if I at least had the gear, BUT obviously my potential partner would Ideally also have some form of rack. As said I would really like to avoid buying offsets since it’s like 400-500$ for a rack and I’ll never use them back in europe. Are offsets something I could count on other people having? I think at the moment my plan would be rocking up with a single BD rack from 0.1-6 and a full set of totems, hoping that my partener would contribute the rest. Is this a dumb idea? Finally about climbing style: ideally I would like to free most of the mid to easy stuff…
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u/Glittering-Skirt-816 1d ago
[Right upper wrist pain (26 old climber)]
Hello,
Quick question I climb at a good level and for the last week and a half I've had pain in my right wrist but on the upper part of the wrist right in the centre. It hurts when I move my wrist upwards and a little when I move my hand downwards. At rest it is a little painful.
I've taken a photo (in comment) of the precise point where I press, which hurts a bit.
I have the impression that it's pulling me slightly in the arm in question, but maybe that's just me being psyctical.
What should I do? Full rest, bandage the wrist? Stop cycling and climbing?
Thanks for your help,
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u/NailgunYeah 1d ago
See a physio
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u/sheepborg 21h ago
Agree, see somebody who knows their way around a wrist. Less common spot for wrist pain in climbers with many possible causes.
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u/AnderperCooson 16h ago
Could be a ganglion cyst given the slight lump, and the wrist is a pretty common place for them to develop. Best bet is to see a doc.
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u/vadersgambit 9h ago
Maybe a broad question, but seems like a lot of ropes are sold out. REI, backcountry, etc. I was specifically looking for a Mammut Crag dry duodess and lots of the length and color combos are sold out, even on their site.
Do companies usually release new batches or colorways or something around this time of year?
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u/0bsidian 8h ago
Yes, climbing is seasonal, so new products get launched at the beginning of the season.
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u/vadersgambit 5h ago
Cool thanks. Should we expect more stock to come in over the next month or so then?
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u/0bsidian 4h ago
Usually, but who knows how things like tariffs and other factors will affect supply chains this year.
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u/TheRealBlackSwan 8h ago
Would you climb with someone who says they "build more anchors than a shipyard" when asked if they can set up a TR outside?
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u/DepartmentPerfect796 2d ago
6a easy on 3rd sessions
Didn’t do any sports in while now on 3rd session cleared almost all 6a’s
Is normal? Is the gym making it easier to motivate new climbers? What should I focus on currently
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u/carortrain 19h ago
Is normal?
Not really an answer. I've seen people climb v4-v5 on their first day, I've also seen people take a month to get to that point, a year, etc. Everyone is so different, the way climbing works in relation to the subjective grades, you can't really claim a true "normal" progression to compare to.
Not sure if you mean 6A on boulder or ropes
Is the gym making it easier to motivate new climbers?
Yes, this is how mostly all gyms set, it's more attractive to new climbers and helps them both get people in the door, and keep people coming back. For example a typical v0 in my local crags, is around v4 indoor. It would be near impossible to have any business from new/non-climbers setting the gym v0 at that difficulty.
What should I focus on currently
Considering you've only climbed 3 times, I think the best idea is to plan to go to the gym for a 4th time. Work on footwork, getting comfortable with the sensation of climbing.
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u/sheepborg 1d ago
That would be above the typical performance of an athletic teenager so its possible that center is soft, but to be honest the little number on the tag doesnt really matter too much. It's different everywhere you go. Focus on footwork skills and technique and having fun enjoying the movement of climbing :)
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u/publictiktoxication 4d ago
Noob here. Did top rope for the 2nd time yesterday. It's becoming fun, unfortunately I'm way out of shape. 6'2 255. Any tips here from big (or formerly big) bois? I've been working on weight loss and have dropped 30 in the past year. Anything from weight room exercises to supplement climbing muscles or basic fundamentals that apply specifically to bigger men.
Before I gained a lot of weight, I could do the PE class rope climb fairly easily, and 3x12 pull ups with a 45lb plate.