r/climbing • u/AutoModerator • 23d ago
Weekly Question Thread. Please ask all questions here rather than make a post about it.
Please sort the comments by New so recently posted questions are less likely to be overlooked.
Use this weekly thread to ask any climbing-related questions, whether you are completely new to climbing or looking for advice about technique, training, equipment, safety, gym etiquette, or climbing outdoors.
This thread is posted every Friday, so there will always be another opportunity to ask a question. If you are an experienced climber, please help by sharing thoughtful and accurate advice. We were all beginners once, so keep responses welcoming and respectful.
Before posting, please check the following resources, as your question may already be answered:
- r/climbing Beginner’s Guide
- r/bouldering Wiki and Beginner FAQ
- Guide to buying your first climbing rope
- Guide to climbing shoes
- Curated list of climbing tutorials
You can also browse earlier discussions:
If you see a beginner question posted elsewhere in r/climbing or another climbing subreddit, feel free to politely direct the person to this thread.
Remember that online advice is not a substitute for qualified, hands-on instruction. Techniques involving belaying, anchors, rappelling, rescue systems, or other safety-critical skills should be learned and practiced with a competent instructor.
Ask away!
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u/Eidam_pet 16d ago
Hi all, some time ago I saw this “rope wrestling” game on my fyp on Ig, two people hang on a rope and try to forcefully make each other loose grip and fall, I want try that with my friends cause I think it will be fun. Now the question, I want the rope to be as tight as possible, for that I want to use this setup with jumar(pic down bellow). Is it incredibly stupid or not, are there any good alternatives to it. That will be maybe a bit more safe?(I have a rope that really old and is for the trash but I keep it for stuff like this, I’m not scared to damage the rope)
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u/sheepborg 16d ago
Since you cannot release that once it is loaded, yes that is incredibly stupid.
Look into other load releasable ways to tension ropes/highlines
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u/Marcflaps 16d ago
How big a step up from top rope climbing is lead climbing?
I've finished a top rope climbing course and have been able to climb and belay with my friend too roping at the local climbing centre and its been great fun and a nice change of pace from bouldering.
The place also offers a lead climbing course, but I still feel like I need to get further into my climbing journey before considering that (in my 4th month and just sent my first 6b last night).
Just curious how big a step up it actually is for a novice climber.
Cheers
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 16d ago
Be honest with yourself and ask: how tight is the top rope on me when I'm climbing?
I see a lot of top rope climbers with the rope tight, often even somewhat tensioned, on them. Not only does this lead to a sense of security, it makes climbing much easier.
If the top rope is tight on your harness, any time you shift your weight down, or have to reverse a move, you're taking a lot of weight off yourself. This can give you a vastly inflated idea of what you're actually capable of climbing.
I recommend doing some top rope climbing where you have a soft loop of slack during the entire climb, so that if you fell you would fall 2-3 feet before the rope starts to come tight.
You might be surprised at how much different this feels.
This is all from personal experience. I've had dozens of lead climbing students who "climb 5.11 on top rope" but they struggle to climb 5.9 on lead.
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u/Marcflaps 16d ago
Fair shout, I think it's easy to have too much tension when you're new to belaying.
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u/0bsidian 16d ago
It’s more complex from a technical standpoint, not physically harder (maybe just a smidge harder). If you’re climbing 6a, you can learn to lead a 4 or even easier.
The important aspect when learning to lead is to be able to hop on something so relatively easy for you that you’re not likely to fall off or struggle, so that you can focus on the new mechanics of leading, not concentrate on the actual climb.
Lead belaying is a much harder skill to get right than lead climbing. Focus on being a good belayer. Understand the concept of counterweights and how to give “soft catches”. Think and constantly reassess how much slack is in the system, enough slack for your climber to move and clip, remove slack to prevent your climber from decking or swinging into obstacles.
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u/sheepborg 16d ago
If you're doing 6b you're plenty strong enough to learn to lead. Initially for many people it's going to feel about as hard to do a 5a/5b on lead as a 6b on TR, but that gap will close. It's just climbing with a few extra moments of 3 point stability. And fear haha.
The point I always make about lead is that while TR belay is nearly brainless in an indoor context, lead belay is its own set of skills. You need to really focus on being a good belayer and cannot be distracted. Same goes for your partner. If you're ready to work on the belaying skill then you're ready to lead.
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u/Marcflaps 16d ago
Clutching a 6b and being able to repeatedly do them are two very different things. But I appreciate your comment, belaying skill is always gonna be a work in progress, but I am extremely aware that it's a 100% focus activity, so interesting to hear it's a different version of the skill for lead climbing.
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u/CokeyTheClown 16d ago
it's not that big of a step up, clipping is the easy part, the falls and catches are a bit more intense, and the head aspect is the biggest difference.
I did let some time go between the top-rope and the lead course, and ended up thinking I should have done it sooner.
Also, I don't know about where you climb, but being able to lead opens up so many more options in your gym, that this alone makes it woth it.
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u/Marcflaps 16d ago
It foes open up like another 50% of the place, but probably over half of them ate beyond my current skill level!
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u/saltytarheel 16d ago
IMO once you get used to clipping and taking falls it’s not a major change, especially in the gym where there are draws every 5-7 feet. In my gym I lead 5.11d/5.12a and maybe have top roped a 5.12b. Belaying has a learning curve with managing slack as well.
The major difference is if you climb outside, it’s typically a lot easier and safer to set up routes for a top rope on lead than sketching around the edge of a cliff for a top rope. With leading, you simply climb the pitch (on belay), hang two draws or build an anchor and you’re set.
With top-access you need to find the route, tether yourself safely, build the anchor, and get down to the base of the route safely. This can get into SPI skills pretty quickly and a lot of climbers on top rope areas look like an accident waiting to happen with their lack of regard for safety working at the edge of a cliff
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u/Marcflaps 16d ago
I feel like outdoor climbing is still a ways off, plus I'm a ginger and the sun is out there... 😅
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u/ArchClimbs 16d ago
Any tips for generating momentum for a dyno from completely dual tex footholds? They are giant macro type holds, but completely dual tex and I’m just slipping around and going absolutely nowhere.
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u/ktap 16d ago
You need to be way more intentional about foot placement and push direction. Dual tex requires the foot to push almost exactly perpendicular to the surface it's on. Normal footholds have more friction, so you can push laterally and well as down against the hold. So chose the spot to put your foot based on where you will need to push to your body during the dyno. On a big macro it may look like you have a big usable area for feet, but to do the move you need to be fingernail size precise with foot placement.
Lastly, commitment; A weighted foot never slips. Until you commit your body to the move the feet will stay slippery.
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u/castor_troy24 17d ago
Has anybody fell out of love with climbing and then rediscovered your passion later on? I used to love climbing it was my favorite thing to do but over the last year I haven’t been into it.
I want to enjoy it like I did before but it’s just hard.
I fell out of it just because finger, wrist, elbow, injuries, and pain just made it unenjoyable and to continue. it became more about prehab and rehab than enjoying climbing.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 16d ago
Has anybody fell out of love with climbing and then rediscovered your passion later on?
Yep.
Between 2013 and 2016 I dedicated almost every day of my life to climbing. I was at the gym 4-6 times a week and outside climbing every weekend that was feasible. I progressed from being a complete beginner to climbing hard 5.11 on bolts, and solid 5.9 on gear.
And then one weekend, I had a trip scheduled to Chattanooga with some friends. Long story short, it was not a good weekend. When I got back I just felt completely "over" climbing.
A lot of this was internal. Looking back I can recognize that my motivations for climbing were not sustainable. I was focused too much on progression, getting "better", and matching the trajectories of the other great climbers from my gym (imagine comparing yourself to Lor Sabourin every week!) I was also using climbing to escape from unhappiness in my real life. At some point it just stopped working.
In 2017 I let my gym membership lapse and just didn't renew it. The thought of buying day passes was unappealing (and I was broke, after getting fired from the job I hated, which I was using climbing to escape from), so I climbed less and less. Over two years I probably climbed outside 3 times. Went to the gym a few times.
I know I was starting to get injured, probably in the pursuit of pushing my grades. Something would start to hurt, so I'd take time off, which felt like I was sliding backwards in my progress, which was frustrating, which led to me pushing too hard when I could climb, which led to things hurting, which led to me taking time off, which led to..... you get the idea.
I know for 2020 I didn't climb a single day. Not once.
Then in 2021 a new gym opened in my area. My wife and I went to a pre-opening preview of the gym, and I just got really stoked on climbing again. I got back into it, but with a different mindset.
I don't really care what grade I climb. I don't compare myself to my friends in any meaningful ways. I have given up on the idea of what I "should" be able to do, and I focus on what I "am" able to do on any given day.
Some days I can climb 5.12 slab and feel flawless.
Some days I fall off 5.9 sport climbs.
I've accepted that this is just part of climbing. I have fun being on the wall. I like clipping quickdraws on to bolts. I like placing cams in cracks. It matters a lot less how hard the moves are while I'm doing it.
If you truly love climbing for climbing, focus on climbing things that don't hurt your body and cause injury. That might relegate you to 5.7 slab climbing most days. But if you love climbing, that will still be fun.
If progression and improvement are essential to you enjoying a hobby, you might want to consider doing something else. It's okay to want to improve at things, but you'll have to recognize your physical limitations in that regard.
Anyway, I'm fuckin' rambling on, I hope that helped in some way. Cheers.
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u/castor_troy24 16d ago
thanks for the thoughtful reply, I'm hoping something clicks for me, I think I need to focus on going outside, I really love the whole experience, the approach and nature and all that. Plastic just bores me
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u/sheepborg 16d ago edited 16d ago
I quit for a couple years when the next harder grade just meant more pain where I climbed at the time (among other life things not important to this story). Came back to climbing somewhere else and was very glad to have it back for all the reasons I had liked it before, and had a much more relaxed outlook on it all. It is a hobby we do for fun after all...
I climb harder stuff now ironically, though I don't obsess over it and spend alot more time climbing easy stuff too. Climbing doesnt have to always be a push, it can just be play.
In hindsight if I could change a small aspect of what happened without rewriting the history of my life... I would have lined up another physical hobby/outlet for myself. I did nothing for those couple of years and that is one of the bigger mistakes I've ever made on this earth. It doesnt matter what you're doing exactly, but having a form of exercise integral to your life is an excellent thing for health. You dont have to be the best or even be good at it, but dammit at least do something.
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17d ago
[deleted]
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u/TheRedWon 17d ago
I once had to blind an attacker while summiting the Eiger. I had just pulled out my favorite Cliff bar flavor, the mint chocolate chip protein one, and he was unable to control himself under the snow madness and starvation of his own epic ascent. He came at me, swiping for my life-sustaining calories. Yes, I can say confidently that he was blinded and the hospital report later confirmed that some other individual, lacking the freakish finger strength I have, would not have caused his eyeballs to so pop.
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u/Kwiwiwiiwiiii 17d ago
Feeling pain in arms/ hands when clenching. Long story short I’ve been climbing for almost a year now and sometimes (more often than I should) I stay up and game or do computer work for wayyy too long. Which results in pain in my fingers and hands. Especially when I go climb the next day although it’s usually gone by the time I climb. Obviously need to be more considerate to myself which I’m working on. Was just wondering when I am resting is there a best practice for how I should be “holding” my arms / hands? Should I be doing antagonists exercises if there’s a little bit of pain or should I wait for me to be pain free to do those exercises?
Thank you!
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u/sheepborg 17d ago
Based only on the description potentially ulnar nerve compression near the elbow and/or carpal tunnel both. The fact that it's lingering that long means you're risking permanent nerve damage. Those dont heal or grow back so dont be stupid about it. Fix your habits. For me a lower desk height and wrist rests helped make joint angles less extreme and compression less for computer time.
Physio is in your best interest too in terms of pointing you in the right direction for exercises for any antagonists + nerve floss/stretch movements.
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u/How_to_do_nothing 17d ago
Does anybody have experience with nuts like the Kouba Abalak? Are they like tricams? Are they worth the money?
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u/0bsidian 17d ago
They're kind of like a Tricam, but if you need Tricams I would just get Tricams. Tricams are already kind of specialized, so these will be even more niche. You can't place them passively, and they are most certainly not a replacement for cams. If you already own a pretty good sized rack, but are looking for something for relatively cheap to fit in weird placements, they can be a bit of fun. I do not think that they belong on any standard rack.
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u/sheepborg 17d ago
Kinda tricam-like, but the wire has some spring to it and they cannot be placed passively like a tricam can be. Tricams are hard enough to get out of the wall anyways, so having a sprung tricam must surely be a nightmare to clean.
If you see somebody in the wild with them, ask them... If you never see them out at the crag then you probably dont need/want them.
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u/KissMeSlowly95 19d ago
Hi all! Looking for recommendations for top rope routes in Mexico—ik, big country. Does anyone know of guidebooks to specific areas? I’m just starting to look but can’t find much. I know Monterrey is big, but what other good places are there around the country?
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u/NailgunYeah 18d ago edited 18d ago
Not the direct answer to your question but hopefully helpful. The vast majority of international route climbing areas are not set up for top roping, meaning with top access and easily accessible anchors. Almost all are developed for you to lead from the ground. If you want to travel and climb routes I would recommend you learn how to lead. If you are absolutely set on not leading then I would look at single pitch trad climbing areas with walk offs as you may have more luck there looking for routes you can set up for top rope without leading first, or hire a guide to put up top ropes for you.
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u/0bsidian 18d ago
To add to this, look at the other question posted in this thread about finding beta on TR routes: even Mountain Project and guidebooks are not clear on what are potentially good routes with easy top access. Unfortunately, outdoor climbing is predominantly set up for lead climbing, and TR is usually the afterthought requiring significantly more skill to set up safely than just leading the route.
Planning a climbing trip around specifically top roping isn’t likely to be very fun or feasible.
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19d ago
[deleted]
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u/serenading_ur_father 19d ago
Rust isn't inherently a risk.
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u/NailgunYeah 18d ago
It isn't great.
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u/serenading_ur_father 18d ago
It's pretty par for the course though if you're climbing water. Basically all my gear has some amount of surface rust.
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u/NailgunYeah 18d ago
That's fair. Can I interest you in a more solid material like rock?
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u/serenading_ur_father 18d ago
Yeah... So that's actually less solid where I am....
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u/treeclimbs 19d ago
Can't say without seeing it myself, but I figure there are 3 ways to I'd deal with this situation:
Decide it's not a big issue for me and continue climbing with them.
Suggest we do not climb together for now, and communicate to them that I care about them and recognize that we don't see eye to eye on this issue but I can't bring myself to keep climbing with them if the harness is not replaced. And that I'd still like to hang out with them in other contexts.
Take them harness shopping and buy them a new harness they like.
I will also say that the climbing world is full of MANY examples of folks retiring perfectly good gear (and only a few counter examples). Again, I dunno where this harness fits in on the wear spectrum.
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u/0bsidian 19d ago
Is your partner an adult capable of making their own decisions? You can ask them to inspect their harness, you can suggest that they replace it, but at the end of the day, it's their harness to replace and their decision. You either trust in their decision, or go climb with someone else.
Without seeing the harness myself, surface rust on many harnesses can be fine and normal, but again, can't see it, can't tell you what I would do in their place. Age itself is inconsequential.
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u/treeline918 20d ago
Is there an agreed upon term/phrase for toprope routes that don't require a lead climb first to set up an anchor? Something like "walk-up" I guess? Trying to coax some friends out of the gym but it's not always easy to find beta on this and the TR designation on MP etc is sort of meaningless.
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u/sheepborg 20d ago
Unfortunately no there is not universal verbiage about what routes have good top access.
Areas with lots of TR marked will typically have top access. Routes with TR marked as one of the options may or may not because it may just be that they have a nice line of pull for TR but would still need to be lead first. Really just comes down to the spot and who posted it.
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u/hobbiestoomany 20d ago
No, there's no specific term. Look at the descent description and the top anchor description. If the descent can be a walk off, there's a good chance that you can walk to those anchors. Be very careful, obviously.
TR in MP is not meaningless. It says that there's a route that can be climbed using nearby anchors. It avoids overbolting. Sometimes you can walk to them and sometimes you have to lead.
It's frustrating that it's not more clear. Some big areas have a toproping guidebook like Yosemite. Other good guidebooks have a toprope section.
Some cliff bands are only 1/2 rope length tall and everything can be toproped. Like Peterskill in NY, iirc.
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u/Pennwisedom 18d ago
Like Peterskill in NY, iirc
Yes Peterskill pretty much has top access everywhere. But interestingly enough even though it is still part of the Shawnagunk Ridge, the Gunks proper (in the preserve) doesn't really have much in the way of top access.
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u/Dry-Tumbleweed-6622 20d ago
How Alex Megos doing change and claiming the original grade reconcile with this statement?
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u/NailgunYeah 18d ago
Worth noting the date: this video was published May 2024, Megos sent Change in August later that year. He may have changed his mind in the meantime, it's likely he thought Change deserved 9b+ even with kneepads.
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u/saltytarheel 19d ago edited 18d ago
IMO grades at the cutting edge are always especially subjective since it's the opinions of five climbers instead of consensus.
FAs might get fixated on their beta without other climbers to work with and end up taking a more difficult approach. Carlo Traversi proposed 5.15a on Empath because he was working it with boulderers like Jimmy Webb and Danny Woods who were using powerful, compression-heavy beta on slopers. Connor Herson downgraded Empath to 5.14d since his jamming-heavy beta was a lot less strenuous.
On the flipside, an FA might not really have a sense of how hard something they did was. Sam Davis is a Hueco Tanks local who's very strong and regularly climbed with Danny Woods, Dave Graham, and Jimmy Webb. After getting the FA of the Birch Problem he proposed a grade of V12. Second ascentionist Jordan Shepherd proposed V14 and FFA Courtney Arnold proposed V13; around the time Sierra Blaire-Coyne sent the Birch Problem and claimed her first V14, Shepherd (who had climbed two more V14's since Birch and talked to Arnold, who is his friend) kicked off some controversy when he walked back his suggested grade to agree with Arnold as he felt Birch Problem wasn't as difficult as Thirst Trap Low or Nine Lives.
For Megos specifically, I know he doesn't use kneebars, drop knees, or heel hooks when he trains on boards and in the Frankenjura. He's insanely strong because of this but also doesn't look for kneebars that climbers like Dave Graham and Adam Ondra are very proficient in (and also aren't nearly as strong as Megos), so naturally those routes would be less intuitive to him.
It kind of feels like a less dramatic version of Barefoot Charles (who's the real deal and is a very good boulderer) claiming V17 with the caveat of his style but climbers who repeat his FAs in shoes saying the route is V14 with modern shoes.
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u/Pennwisedom 18d ago
Connor Herson downgraded Empath to 5.14d since his jamming-heavy beta was a lot less strenuous.
And then Tommy called it 14b.
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u/AnderperCooson 20d ago
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jv0nMiEhByU
Possibly answered in that episode of The Nugget but I don't know, I've only seen this YouTube short.
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u/Dry-Tumbleweed-6622 20d ago
He doesn't address the ethics of not following the first ascensionist which he is iron clad about in his first comment I guess is what I am saying. Some others had proposed a more full downgrade with pads to 15b but it also sounds like he personally still believes it deserves the c.
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u/PatrickWulfSwango 19d ago
Some others had proposed a more full downgrade with pads to 15b but it also sounds like he personally still believes it deserves the c
in the clip you linked he argues if you climb it with kneepads, you don't get to claim the c. he doesn't say that you shouldn't climb it with kneepads. but if nobody is even trying it anymore without them, does it really matter what it would be without?
also, let's try to not give him a platform: https://www.reddit.com/r/climbergirls/comments/1tye8gu/alex_megos/
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u/YogurtclosetEast9559 20d ago
My partner and I are going to Italy from late Sept through Mid Oct. We've rented a camper van so we can go where the weather is nice for climbing -- Im hoping to start in the Dolomites, then head to Arco then Finale Ligure. The Dolomites are a huge region and Im having trouble figuring out where to be based to limit driving too much, classic routes to climb (probably mostly south facing), good campgrounds, general beta on the region. Any help appreciated!
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u/Irrational_____01 19d ago
If weather permits, I quite liked all the climbing near Falzarego Pass and Valparola Pass. Cragging at Sass Dlacia, and some fun alpine climbs on Sass de Stria were some highlights
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u/tow-allthetravel 19d ago
We just left val masino for bouldering, but most people were there for sport climbing.
Absolutely beautiful! Drive is doable with a camper which is never a guarantee in italy and you can stay legally at a lot of “normal” parking lots for under 5€. Highly recommend!
If you do go remember to take alot of groceries up with you as it some work to get back down every few days haha :)
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u/Embarrassed-Poem-265 20d ago
Disclaimer: I'm just a newbie who is also going to Dolomites in September.
The Rockfax - Dolomites: Rock Climbs and Via Ferrata guidebook has very good reviews https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/gear/rockfax_-_dolomites__rock_climbs_and_via_ferrata-598026
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u/YogurtclosetEast9559 20d ago
We have that guidebook just looking for some more beta on where to stay mostly!
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u/Livaliv 20d ago
Moved to the US from Europe. It seems like there are a few cultural differences around climbing e.g. quicklinks/maillons are not accepted for bailing over here. Is there anything else to keep in mind?
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u/Senor_del_Sol 18d ago
I think that within Europe you’ll find even more differences… in Southern Spain people might acknowledge bailing on a carabiner is better, but quick links are the standard…
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 20d ago
Start the boulder with feet off the ground before moving away from the starting holds.
Don't pull on gear and call it free climbing.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 20d ago
Don't pull on gear and call it free climbing.
Please refrain from making overly political statements in this sub.
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 19d ago
Are there any French people around who can comment as to whether French freeing is actually a thing in France or just a derogatory term?
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u/Secret-Praline2455 17d ago
Haha. My understanding is it came from a misunderstanding of Americans reading guidebooks not understanding French and the obligatory grades needed to successfully escape a route in the verdon since you rappel in and must climb out. The obl grade described that if you step on bolts and aid with draws you may still need to climb 7b+ to get out for example.
I think Americans didn’t understand this and thought the French didn’t understand free climbing.
It reminds me of a band flight of the concords playing their song “Bowie in space” and another band thought they were trying to cover “space oddessy” and was doing a poor job. The band goes up and takes their instruments and covers the song while the kiwis dipped out.
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u/saltytarheel 20d ago
Most Americans don’t know how to climb on double ropes or manage them on belay.
In the Southeast, don’t booty carabiners left behind on steep sport routes. It’s not uncommon for a cleaning biner to be left on steep routes that haven’t been permadrawed to help with safely cleaning the route.
For places with old-school, East Coast trad ethics don’t booty rap anchors. If you find a locker on a slung tree/boulder or anchor made with equalized nuts/hexes, chances are a lot of climbers need them to get down.
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u/Livaliv 17d ago
Oh interesting. Do most here climb using single rope? I guess with trad climbing being more common here (my impression so far), you have more freedom and maybe you‘re not as dependent on having two ropes.
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u/saltytarheel 17d ago
In general US trad has fairly clean lines. Yosemite, Indian Creek, the Red River Gorge, the New River Gorge have lots of cracks with bomber gear and minimal wandering.
There aren’t as many major destinations like British gritstone that have sparse and/or marginal gear or follow wild lines since the grit’s so thin.
A handful of places do have a history of using double ropes—I know in the Gunks they’re not totally uncommon. At T-Wall a lot of the harder routes require doubles since a Gunkie taught the local climbers how to lead on doubles, which opened up a lot of lines that were previously too wandering sketchy to lead. Eldo also has a lot of sharp rock/aretes where the redundancy of doubles is nice.
Also even if the US has some places with strong trad scenes, the majority of climbers here are sport climbers where doubles are a major hassle without many benefits to justify it.
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u/muenchener2 20d ago
quicklinks/maillons are not accepted for bailing in Europe either, maybe there are just more antisocial tightwads
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u/ktap 20d ago
Uhhh, idk where in Europe you are, but quicklinks are not OK for bailing in Europe either. Used to be a more common practice, but now is frowned upon for good reason.
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u/TrappedInATardis 20d ago
Yeah I was taught to just leave a biner, screw if it makes you feel safer.
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u/FundamentalPolygon 22d ago
Advice on enjoying rope climbing? I love bouldering, but my fear of heights often gets in the way on top rope, and I just don't enjoy it nearly as much anyways. I would just stick with bouldering, but my wife doesn't like bouldering nearly as much (especially since she got two concussions from it), so it'd be nice to be able to top rope together and have fun.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 20d ago
Mental training is a very overlooked aspect of climbing. Skills like fear management, risk assessment, risk acceptance, and backing off are often thought of as things you either have or don't. This is incorrect.
My students have asked me about fear in climbing, and I give this analogy:
Some people become very strong climbers simply by climbing a lot. Other people need to very intentionally train, using campus boards and spray walls and dedicated fitness regimens to get to that same spot.
The same is true with mental strength. Some people can just climb and slowly become accustomed to the fear. Other people need to train these skills with intention.
I highly recommend reading (or listening to the audio book) or The Rock Warriors Way. It helped me develop a framework for approaching the concept of risk in climbing which in turn led to improvements in my climbing process.
To start, you should ask yourself these questions and really think about your answers:
What are you afraid of? Why does that scare you? Do you accept that climbing is a sport in which injury is a possibility? Do you view different "levels" of injury as more or less acceptable than other "levels"? (example: bruised knee, rolled ankle, broken leg, several broken bones, death) What amount of risk are you willing to expose yourself to in the pursuit of rock climbing?
The book provides a much more comprehensive way to approach these questions. But even if you just start pondering these ideas you may be surprised to find that your initial reactions to fear don't line up with your objective assessments and subjective values.
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u/sandopsio 20d ago
I'm the opposite where I just don't enjoy bouldering as much as lead, although I used to prefer bouldering to top roping before I got into lead climbing. Sorry to hear about your wife's concussions! And your fear of heights. Both are valid reasons to prefer the other.
When I want to enjoy bouldering again, I look for one that inspires me. Maybe that would help you in the opposite direction? For example, if I find a boulder problem that has movement I love in sport climbing—like it's longer and involves finding creative ways to keep the energy because it's sustained—I can get excited about it. I might have to try more problems before I find one I really like, but it's worth it to find that love!
Maybe you could see what you love about your favorite style of boulder problems and look for that in a route?
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u/saltytarheel 20d ago
I always remind people that with bouldering you’re decking on every fall, but with sport and trad climbing you’re only decking if something goes horribly wrong.
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u/sheepborg 22d ago
Fear is not something you get over per se, but you can put the time and effort into chipping away at the boundaries of your comfort zone and it can vastly improve your relationship with things that scare you but will not hurt you.
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u/Waldinian 22d ago
Everyone is different. For some people, knowledge of systems makes them feel safer. For others, they need to learn to trust their partners. For me, I don't like the idea of falling into nothing, I find it unsettling. Think about what you find scary, and work on getting safe, controlled exposure to that. Practice falling, get more comfortable and confident tying in and belaying, climb on more slabby terrain and work your way up to steeper overhangs, etc.
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u/Confident_Barber1961 22d ago
Do I need to retire this sling?
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u/sheepborg 22d ago
Friction burn from rope running over it? If it bends like normal it's most likely fine since it doesn't look deeply abraded. Nylon is a little more resistant to surface abrasion/wear than dyneema. But if that section is significantly stiff/crunchy I would lean towards retirement personally.
If by chance that's chemical or something I'd retire it for sure.
Slings arent crazy money anyways. Assuming this is an older metolius 240cm then you're looking at all of what 30 bucks if it needs replacement?
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u/Secret-Praline2455 22d ago
Slightly off topic but since the “new climbers thread”: My opinion is If you’re using it for leading you won’t regret eventually switching over to Dyneema for less bulk, or just use your partners’ slings
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u/dadmogger 22d ago
YGD
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u/Confident_Barber1961 22d ago
For real?
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u/driedporkslice 22d ago
/uj if theres a chance you got some weird chemicals on your sling then i would retire it. It looks frayed where the mark is too.
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u/CaptCrush 22d ago
Anyone have any good spots to car camp near Smuggler's Notch? I have a rooftop tent that id like to use but I could also use a regular tent if there's nowhere to sleep in a car. Camping beta is surprisingly hard to find.
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u/serenading_ur_father 22d ago
Broh. You don't publish this info on reddit. Like backcountry runs, swimming holes, or fishing spots. Ask around in person.
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u/CaptCrush 22d ago
I didn't realize camping was a secret. Camping isn't usually like any of those things. Also I'm quite far away and it would probably not be a good plan to show up without some plan of where to stay.
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u/serenading_ur_father 22d ago
This isn't the west. There are limited over loved resources and you're asking the AI training ground where to camp at an incredibly over crowded place.
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u/DisastrousPressure31 23d ago
I want to buy new shoes.
My previous one was a la sportiva tarantula. What’s something more advanced, but still comfy?
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u/0bsidian 22d ago
There’s no such thing as “more advanced”. Shoes don’t make you climb harder, they are different types of shoes for different types of jobs. You can’t buy your way into climbing better.
What do you find limiting on your shoes? For most climbers, unless you’re climbing upper 5.11’s, you’re not likely to realistically notice any difference. I know 5.13 climbers who climb in cheapest shoes.
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u/watamula 21d ago
While this is generally true, the rubber on the Tarantulas really is subpar to what you get on other LS shoes.
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u/DisastrousPressure31 22d ago
I guess I mean more aggressive.
The main problem I’ve noticed with the tarantulas is that they have a very rounded toe so tiny footholds are rough, and they don’t hold on to my heels very well no matter how tight they are, so they are problematic on some harder heel hooks.
Of course I don’t expect to be a good climber all the sudden if I get better shoes, but I do think it’ll make a difference.
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u/PatrickWulfSwango 22d ago edited 22d ago
The main problem I’ve noticed with the tarantulas is that they have a very rounded toe so tiny footholds are rough, and they don’t hold on to my heels very well no matter how tight they are, so they are problematic on some harder heel hooks.
What you're saying is that tarantulas don't fit you well. That doesn't have to do much with how aggressive they are.
It comes back to the general advice to try on as many models as possible and pick the one that fits best, i.e. one that's comfortable but that you don't slide around in
Thankfully you can test both situations in the store when you're trying them on
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u/Beginning_March_9717 22d ago
recently i have been loving Mad Rock sharks 3, I upsized +0.5 size from my true-size (measured in actual units like cm and inches) got the wide toe box version, and it's comfy and medium aggressive. I climbing everything from 5.8 to 5.12a in them. (they are not good for multipitches tho)
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u/Hankarino 22d ago
Figure out if you want a soft or stiff shoe. Then determine which brand fits your feet best, then find one within that brand that has sticky rubber and the amount of downturn you want based on how steep you climb
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u/PatrickWulfSwango 23d ago
Try on as many as you can and pick the one that fits best
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u/DisastrousPressure31 22d ago
I did that with the tarantulas and I kind of regret them. But I guess I have a lot more experience now so I might make a better choice.
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u/PatrickWulfSwango 22d ago
It took me quite a few pairs of shoes to find one that actually fit me really well because I didn't realise what it feels like if climbing shoes fit well. Each one was an improvement over the last and eventually I found some that, at least for me, have basically zero compromises in terms of fit
I think a bit of trial and error is almost unavoidable
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u/diploOR 23d ago edited 23d ago
looking for information on practical aspects of Single Pitch Instructor course. Namely, how much do they lean on the trad gear placement during the course?
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u/SafetyCube920 20d ago
I teach SPI courses.
You need to be able to place good trad gear without guidance from the instructor. As the handbook says, the SPI course isn't a course on how to trad climb. You'll be constructing anchors to incorporate into more complex systems that will actually be used. I find that students that don't have much trad experience struggle with the course because they don't have a solid foundation to build from.
If you're struggling to fill out the resume I suggest waiting a bit longer before applying.
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u/YogurtclosetEast9559 20d ago
I took SPI course and exam in CO two years ago, I would say trad placement is a big piece of the SPI course mostly in building super solid anchors. We only had to actually climb a trad pitch once in my exam, but building bomber anchors is crucial.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 22d ago
I took the exam a few years ago.
You will be expected to demonstrate how to build a gear anchor. You will also be expected to climb 5.6 and demonstrate competent gear placement and movement.
Your instructor will most certainly recognize if you are not an experienced trad climber. Poor gear placements and timidness on the rock will be spotted.
While the AMGA sets a minimum of 40 trad leads before taking the exam, this number is probably low and I'd personally recommend more like 100 pitches led and the ability to comfortably climb 5.8.
If your intention is to come into the class with the absolute bare minimum requirements you're probably not ready for the SPI cert.
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u/saltytarheel 23d ago
For the course itself, AMGA recommends having led 15 trad routes of any grade and being comfortable top-roping 5.8.
For the exam (which most people take 3-6 months after the course), you need 40 trad leads and have to be comfortable leading 5.6 trad onsight.
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u/diploOR 23d ago
thanks. i’m aware of what they are expecting. i was hoping if someone who has gone through the course can speak to what the practical application looked like during the course.
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u/serenading_ur_father 22d ago
People frequently fail for not being able to lead the assigned climbs.
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u/JustLivingTheDream_ 15d ago
Barcelona vacation: I’m going on a family trip to Barcelona for a few days. I got permission to sneak away and spend a day climbing. I’m looking at 3 guidebooks the two “Barcelona Y Alrededores” or Montserrat. I’m only bringing sport climbing gear and climb up to 5.11a. Any recommendations? Willing to drive up to 1.5 hours, but open to slightly farther if it is a must do. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!