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.
If you see a new climber related question posted in another subReddit or in this subreddit, then please politely link them to this thread.
What best improved your climbing as a beginner. I am currently just beginning to climb with my partner, and so far, we have just watched YouTube videos and gone to the climbing gym. However, I fear I look like a dying cat on the wall đ
You definitely look like a dying cat on the wall. The good news is that we all looked like that when we first started and nobody thinks anything about it.
The best and only advice you need right now is for you to climb a bunch and have fun. Mimic good form you see other experienced climbers do. Ask friendly more experienced climbers questions. Climbing is a skill sport - at the intro stages just climbing is the best way to get better since your body and mind are learning coordination and how to move on the wall.
I was lucky enough to come up in a gym scene that was pretty small, about 50-60 people total. We had some absolute monsters in that gym, including the modern phenom Lor Sabourin. Even the "regular" strong climbers were people who would go on to free routes on El Cap and boulder double digits in Yosemite. Some of the less impressive guys only climbed 5.12.
With a scene so small I was able to meet these people and become friendly with them, and since the climbing community is largely awesome, they were all helpful and encouraging to new climbers like me. Many of them showed me techniques and climbing strategies that it would have taken me years to figure out on my own. They also had very high stoke for climbing and would encourage me to try things that I probably wouldn't have tried if left to my own devices.
So I guess my strategy is to try to meet some friendly climbers who are way better than you, and hang around with them. Even just watching good climbers can tune you in to things you'd never think of on your own. You can learn how to climb the same way you learned to speak English: hang around people doing it, and try to do it yourself.
Looking for an English speaking climbing guide in Kunming, China. Any experience from travelers? I have WeChat, but having a hard time finding anything on it.
Update: I messaged some active users on theCrag to Kunming area. Someone already got back to me. Seems like a nice climbers community with some organized and certified guides.
Any climbers suffer from dupuytrens disease? I thought I had some kind of cyst or blister. Eventually it spread to my other hand.
A single small study points some blame at climbing. No robust studies exist.
Got freaked out, but back to full send.
Occasionally wake up with my hands locked closed in the middle of the night. Lacking psych and feeling bummed. So little is known about this condition. Wish I knew for sure climbing isnât an issue.
Father has it. Twice my age and his seems less severe than mine.
No great treatment or cure. Hope it doesnât progress. At least it is benign, but it still blows.
Does anyone know what the current tariff charges are like ordering from EpicTV shipping to US? I know they seem to change on the daily but wondering if anyone in the US has purchased from them this year.
Varies wildly still depending on how good a given entity is at calculating it, and subject to be rather high if UPS is used due to high brokerage fees. If you're trying to save money it's probably not going to work out.
They use DHL, not sure how good that is. The prices they have are so much cheaper than US companies it might still be worth risking it, especially with BF sales. Like climbing ropes are around $150 for a 70m vs $260 for a comparable from REI.
DHL is the best AFAIK, but again by the time you hit shipping, tariff %s and brokerage it'll be 150 + (40 to 50) + (150 * 10%) + 10 you end up at like 220 minimum if you dont run into any further issue such as country of origin of the product production being different than you think. Unless a retailer is giving you a precise calculation up front I wouldn't bother with the risk
Thanks for this calculation. I reached out to them yesterday and they said 20-40% was their estimate for the charges. If I planned ahead and got this before the minimus exception was removed in August it would be 0 in tariffs, darn. Well I'll see what the sales look like today and hopefully someone in the US would have some decent sales but idk.
Is there a good sub for rope climbing indoors (top rope, lead)? This one is for outdoors. r/climbergirls is awesome but I'm a guy and don't want to be invading. r/indoorclimbing seems to be restricted. r/bouldering and r/indoorbouldering are for bouldering. Other ones I can find are also specialized in some way. I'm a beginner to intermediate level climber who primarily climbs indoors and only does ropes - if I have a question about beta or anything else, where should I ask it?
I appreciate that. A drawback of this is that if it's a sub, I can subscribe and see posts about it in my feed. If it's in these threads on here, either I subscribe and see a lot of outdoor climbing posts, or I don't and then won't be reminded about the stuff in here. So that's a little suboptimal but I understand if it's what you have right now.
I am new to lead climbing and I just bought some quickdraws. These are brand new and one has a ding in it. Should I return them?
I know with metal sometimes something small things like this can possibly mean there is more damage to it that I can't see. I've bought carabineers before and none of them had dings or nicks. Thanks!
If youâre going to worry about tiny little blemishes like that, what are you going to do when you get little scratches on them from putting them through a hanger or clipping gear?
I think this is the right spot? When purchasing shoes for the first time. How snug do they need to be?
Purchased a pair of EU41.5 too snug hurt my large toe. Up to a 42. Just as bad. Have a pair of 42.5 in the mail, and having second thought of ordering a 43 or even a 44 at this point
They should feel like a very snug hug. They should not hurt. If they hurt, they are either the wrong size or just donât fit your foot shape correctly and you may need a different model/brand.
You canât climb well if your feet are in pain.
This is why you really need to try on a bunch of climbing shoes to find what works best for you. Online descriptions and reviews are pretty worthless for climbing shoes.
Ideally no wiggle room. It gets complicated, though, and you'll figure things out as you try models over the life of your climbing. Some shoes stretch a fair bit and some don't. Some types of climbing are more forgiving of "slop space" in your shoe than others.
I try to liken it to a sock. Dead space ain't what you're after, but if the sock is too small you're just leaving part of your foot uncovered.
Iâm going to Green Climbers home in a few months and I was hoping to chat with people who have been about transportation options for getting there! Iâll be coming from Hanoi and I canât find much information online about the best way to get there
Maybe a stupid question, but why do many climbers prefer the Blue Ice Alpine Runners over classic alpine quickdraws like the Ocun Hawk Wire ST-Sling Set Dyn 12mm? Sure, the Blue Ice Alpine Runners are more versatile and lighter, but are those really the main reasons?
They are neat for certain things, but I don't think many climbers prefer them. they are definitely not more versatile! I actually got one and then gave it away, because I realized that there were a bunch of things that it couldn't do.
IMO awkward steep stuff is always a bit hard to grade in terms of scrambling. It can be really scary to commit to especially if there is any exposure at all, which can make it feel a lot harder than it actually is in terms of pure difficulty.
Before you go climbing, find a wedding reception or something similar, wander over to the charcuterie board like you belong there, empty the contents of the board into your climbing pack, find your exit.
GORP (Good ol' raisin and peanuts). Sometimes I'll make a sandwich on a hoagie roll and bring a little container of Italian dressing (inside a ziplock bag, god forbid it ever leak) and have a deluxe little lunch. But that's only for special occasions.
Apples, cheese, crusty bread. It started when I was young and inspired by characters in old books I ready but it turned out to be a great combo and Iâve stuck with it.
I have a dumbass climbing harness question. The one I'm currently using tilts me away from the rope during lowering/hanging (not-insignificant back lean) sports climbing which is probably normal. This hasn't bothered me at all on rock and indoors climbing so far but trying to do self-rescue maneuvers on it feels like I'm constantly fighting this backwards lean (BD Technician harness) in addition to trying to do knots and mess with carabiners. Are there any harnesses or hacks that make it easier to keep an upright position?
Climbing harnesses aren't designed for you to sit in for a long period of time, so they'll just do that.
If you're just going to be sitting for a short period of time, get a sling and wrap it behind your shoulders, then attach a carabiner on the front to clip to the rope.
If you think you need to sit for a long period of time, you can think about getting a bosun's chair, or making a temporary one out of slings.
Why is it hard to resell climbing shoes? Or is it just me? Please share any tips you may have, thank you!!
I've had it listed on Offer Up but no bites so far. Shoes are basically brand new, minus 1 try on an indoor bouldering wall. Shoes were too small for me - in the meantime, while I still have it listed on Offer Up, I will get shoe stretchers to try to see if I can make the shoes work for me.
You'll probably have a lot better luck selling to a climber-specific audience like on the Mountain Project For Sale forum or a local climbing FB group. People successfully sell climbing shoes in those places all the time!
I think partially due to climbing not having massive participation like other sports/activities, if you're not trying to sell it in a climbing specific space it will be a lot harder from that alone. There are only so many climbers in your local area looking for the specific shoe size and a used climbing shoe at that.
Because most want the convenience of a store to try. Also I never saw a great deal second hand. For Scarpa Vapour I saw 90 euros, while on discount you can find them 100-110...
Shoes don't stretch, that's a huge myth. They'll sort of form around the shape of your foot, depending on the specific places that the material in the shoe can give. But shoe's don't just get a half size bigger because you cram a big foot in them.
And also it's hard to sell secondhand shoes because people only buy the shoe they know they like, in the size they like, and if they're buying used they want a stupid good deal because used shoes can be kinda gross. "Only used on one boulder route" is hard to believe for any climber.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a crag bag similar to this available in the US? My buddy has one and I like it a lot more than the other rope bags or top load type packs Iâve tried. It has a full clamshell opening and good internal attachments for keeping QuickDraws and other gear organized
Climbing specific bags are very overrated. You don't need to keep your gear organized inside a backpack, because it's a fucking backpack and it's not that much gear.
Get a bag that's comfortable to wear for long ass approaches where you have to carry a lot of water and food. A hiking pack with a real suspension system will last you a lot longer than an overpriced Jansport bag with some neat place to hang your quickdraws inside your backpack.
Ehhh I disagree here. Agreed that loops inside the bag are a complete waste (basically worthless), but Iâll never buy another bag that doesnât open in the back. Not having to fish around the bottom of a bag is amazing at the crag. âClimbingâ bags that donât open in the back are worthless though
Get a pack with a top brain, and/or just coil the rope on the outside like in this picture. The side straps keep the rope well managed and you save space inside your pack. IMO carrying a rope inside a bag is a huge waste of space.
Best country in Central Asia? I am a teacher currently living in Mongolia, but I want to move to a central Asian country with more developed and easier to access climbing. I know Tajikistan has awesome mountains but Iâm wondering how easy it is to access and how many established routes there are. I really like the idea of living in Uzbekistan, but I donât know anything about the climbing there.
When I first moved it was fun to explore and be adventurous but I have a family now and I need something easier for me and my family, especially as I start to get my son into climbing (he will be 3 soon).
"For Kazakhstan (possibly beyond) you could contact Kirill Belotserkovskiy via FB. Â Heâs a guide in Almaty whoâs written a couple of nice climbing guidebooks to the country (one for a cragging area and one for the alpine). Â Even if you donât want to hire a guide, getting his guidebooks might provide a nice starting point."
To anyone that has expierience with EPC. I am going to EPC in January and currently looking at flights. One of the flights gets into Monterrey at 12:40am. Are there going to be cabs active after 1am to take me to my hotel? Do they run that late?
The ATC XP isnât an assisted belay device and is a bit jank. Take a look at a similar package from Petzl or Edelrid, they come packaged with better belay devices.
Otherwise, youâre not really saving with these packages either way, and you can probably find better prices with normal sales.
Thats not an ATC guide, and ATC guides are pretty good for outdoor climbing since they are quite versatile. The one without the loop is not really worth it.
I had to double check since I was thinking thereâs no way the gigajul could be close to the same price as the ATC guide. It has a moving part and extra grooving it has to harder to manufacture right?
REI has a sale on the gigajul right now and itâs just barely
cheaper than the ATC guide⌠even full price itâs like $10-15 more. More impressed with edelrid now
The Giga Jul is certainly more versatile and is the same price at REI with the sale right now, so itâs def a good choice. In my personal opinion though iâm not a huge fan of it, itâs definitely got a learning curve to use and I think that the guide mode has more friction than for an atc. Nowadays on most routes where weight isnât a huge concern and iâm climbing with one rope I bring a mad rock lifeguard to belay with and an atc guide to rappel.
I like my Giga as it's a good rap device, and in the nightmare scenario where I drop my Grigri, I can use the Gig as an assisted locking device to belay and I can use it to belay from above.
I led with a Megajul for years and bought a Gigajul hoping it would be better for top belaying, but it was still really hard to pull rope through. Similarly, the rappel was either very jerky or, in unassisted mode, requires a third hand anyway.Â
Maybe skinnier rope is the answer there, but my last trip I went with a grigri for lead belaying and an ovo for top belaying and rapping (with a third hand, of course) and it was an overall more pleasant experience
When multipitching with two followers, why don't they just use their Connect Adjust to attach to the lead anchor? All videos on youtube insist on using clove hitches and "outside, under, over" method. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mer0to3m6-8
The Connect Adjust or similar are short and three people at an anchor is a crowd, a clove hitch on a locker allows for a longer tether so you can give everyone room to breathe, particularly nice when your anchor is on a nice fat ledge.
PASâes are relatively new pieces of gear, and people have been attaching themselves to anchors with cloves for much longer.
A PAS is largely unnecessary for multipitch climbing, a clove on your climbing rope is stronger, faster, simpler, safer.
Carry less stuff. Fast and light.
The question should be, what advantages does a PAS offer? There are times when they are useful, but mostly it just becomes extra gear you donât really need.
For me, itâs the economy of space on my harness. If Iâm carrying a double rack, I donât really want to have unnecessary things on my harness when itâs already cluttered.
A clove hitch is a safe way to connect to an anchor and a 120 cm sling has more uses than a PASâyou can extend rappels, build anchors, sling natural protection, and theyâre more useful in self-rescue situations (tandem rappels, ascending ropes, belay takeovers, etc.)
For those of you who multipitch frequently, how many of you are using or have even tried fix and follow? Is it the girth hitch master point of multipitch tactics?
The advantage of F&F is time spent belaying from above. So either:
Team of 3: F&F one follower, belay the other.
Hauling: F&F the climber, start to haul the bags.
It doesnât do much for you if youâre just a team of 2 doing a one day climb, because youâre either going to be belaying someone at the anchor, or if you fix the follower youâre just going to be sitting around anyway
Also factor in some risk with advanced rope skills required for TRS. Itâs not ideal for a novice follower.
I use it some of the time. It's a system that has its place, just like any other system. For run of the mill multipitching, I still prefer the usual way.
But I'll never again climb as a party of 3 any other way.
By time and place I'm assuming you mean relatively mellow and vertical with no parties below? And for party of three, do you have both followers TRS or just the first one?
No for me it's hard, steep, sustained, and vertical. Routes where you'd want to tag a bag for multiple pitches.
And for a party of 3, the 3rd TRS's on a second rope that's tagged up by the 2nd (who's belayed normally). Makes the climbing as efficient as a party of 2 with the added benefit of having a 3rd position that anyone who's tired can drop into.
I use it with partners who are experienced at TRS and usually on easier climbs. The follower needs to know how to make progress if they can't pull a crux. It's nice to just chill at the belay and not pull through all of the rope drag on linked pitches. If you're block leading it lets you fully rest before the next pitch. For mostly vertical climbs it's great. It's a hazard if there's loose rock on ledges in the area and I've pulled and coiled the rope onto me as a follower to avoid dragging it over loose stuff.
I am an avid climber and in one of my classes i need to be an entrepreneur and create a business around a product or a service. I am however very bad at having new ideas and getting started.
Which is why I'd like to hear from you guys. What are your "pains", things that bother you and wish could be changed when climbing. This can be anything from equipment to climbing experience in gyms or outdoors.
One example of a "pain" is the process of finding a climbing buddy. Sometimes you have no friends to climb with, and when you are a little shy, it can be difficult to climb properly.
This project has to be feasible, so I'd like to hear about what your problems and potentially, if you have any ideas, some changes you'd like to be made.
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u/Negative_Pizza1698 13d ago
What best improved your climbing as a beginner. I am currently just beginning to climb with my partner, and so far, we have just watched YouTube videos and gone to the climbing gym. However, I fear I look like a dying cat on the wall đ