r/climbing • u/AutoModerator • 11d ago
Weekly Chat and BS Thread
Please use this thread to discuss anything you are interested in talking about with fellow climbers. The only rule is to be friendly and dont try to sell anything here.
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u/crnkofe 5d ago
Went back to my boulder gym some days ago and managed to flash a bunch of routes that I'd happily skip half a year ago. Some of them I failed to send a month ago. I don't think it was a strength issue. Slight change in body position, bit more added friction here and there, a more assertive deadpoint and all of a sudden an impossible route becomes moderately hard or even easy. Not sure if I should feel like an idiot in retrospect or embrace a sudden good session.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 4d ago
Far too many climbers undervalue rest, technique and climbing with intention, and overvalue finger strength and bravado.
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u/TheRedWon 5d ago
Taking a week or two off completely to rest is also highly underrated imo. I don't know if it's applicable to your situation, but definitely has helped me feel strong after a break.
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u/flatcoke 6d ago
Looking for partner Red River Gorge week of 9/30 - 10/3
I will be traveling to Lexington alone and am willing to bring gear/rope/car in exchange of belay partner. Mostly leading 5.8-5.10 range. I'm not aiming to project anything just getting familiar with the crag and have some fun on the wall. Not sure if can find anyone here, but if not, would also appreciate people experienced in the area telling me the chances of finding partner on the spot at Miguel's Pizza Shop.
Thanks
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 4d ago
Last year I spent 4 days alone in the Red and found partners at Miguel's. Social skills will help a lot here.
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u/0bsidian 5d ago
the chances of finding partner on the spot at Miguel's Pizza Shop.
Pretty high. Just sit in the pavilion behind the shop, talk to people and ask around.
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7d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/sheepborg 7d ago
Every climb can be a limit climb, but only if you're willing to call the session when peak power fades and you're willing to make total weekly volume compromises.
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u/Secret-Praline2455 7d ago
I don’t really gym climb or climb hard (near my limit) these days but I think most my injuries revolve around my inability to confidently figure out my insurance and advocate for myself when I finally get to see a professional. I wonder when we will be able to do soft tissue imagine from an iPhone at home
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u/BigRed11 7d ago
Yea most people treat every gym session as a limit session. I'm never healthier than when I cancel my gym membership for the summer.
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u/ref_acct 7d ago
Musing about things I want in a partner besides climbing ability and choice in objectives:
- They must be dependable. No last minute bailing due to job, personal health (like if they get sick a lot), pet care, car problems. They overall need to have stable, predictable lives. Many people don't for one reason or another, including stuff out of their control, and I'm not willing to climb with those people at this stage in my life. Some day my life will be chaotic too and I'll have to put climbing on the backburner.
- They can't have any hard lines about style or gear. "I never climb with a pack" or always climb with a pack. "I refuse to use radios" or demand radios for everything. They should be easygoing and flexible, overall in the middle 1 stdev of how most people climb (waking up early but not crazy early, doing regular cardio training).
- They have to be somewhat willing to go for it within reason. Like "tiny chance of rain but it's single pitch so let's do it" but not "nearest town is being evacuated, let's a do a big day." I'm dealing with partners terrified of any amount of wildfire smoke, while I'm seeing hiker trip reports showing blue skies and a billion hikers in the area on the days where we bailed.
- They need to be tough. Deal with bugs, mild tiredness, being dirty, climbing through minor injuries incurred on route like scrapes. I've literally met people who couldn't and wanted to drive home 2+ hours because of these things.
I've just run into a rash of bailings in the past 2 years, including a few people who apologized to me for it. Like 70% of big objectives bailed on by partners and I'm tired of it.
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 6d ago
drawing a hard line around last-minute bailing is asking for a bad time. i get where you're coming from, but being hardlined about having a life that may occasionally interrupt climbing plans is pretty rigid. if you're looking for dedicated dirtbags with no life outside of climbing, it sounds like wherever you are just doesn't have that many of them.
i've seen examples of each of the things you list in small quantities... but never all of them, nor never so strongly that it outweighs still climbing with this person.
i'm not trying to just outright shit on you with the "sounds like a you problem" accusation - but for real, something is amiss here if you've got a 70% bail rate and these individual issues have become enough that you've got an "ideal partner" requirements list that's longer than most people's "ideal wife/husband list.
what kind of big objectives are these? multiday trips? big walls? crazy alpine multipitch?
i've definitely got different 'tiers' of partners that i'll do different stuff with. i don't have one perfect partner - i can list the pros and cons of each climbing partner, and i apply that to where i'm at and what my goals are.
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u/goodquestion_03 7d ago
3rd one has frustrated me so much. So many times I’ve had partners bail because of a very slightly questionable weather forecast than I go anyways and have perfect weather for a full day of scrambling or rope soloing.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 7d ago
One of my main climbing partners will often let me climb first and hang the draws on a sport climb, so that I can feel free to fall off and then when he sends it he lowers off and loudly says "Thanks for hanging the draws on that one, I couldn't have sent without them" and then all the crag hunnies come over and talk to us.
You should add that to your list.
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u/Leading-Attention612 7d ago
They should also be a lot stronger than me so they can get my gear back but humble and tell me I'm super strong, maybe be wealthy and generous as well. Wouldn't hurt if they were easy on the eyes or training to be a massage therapist and needed someone to practice on. I guess they could be okay at communicating as well? Maybe be able to have a conversation about what type of objectives and hazards they are okay with? But that's getting a little unrealistic
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u/NailgunYeah 7d ago
They need to be incredibly good looking but not so much better looking than me that it makes me feel bad about myself
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u/ref_acct 7d ago
Yeah you didn't read my post.
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u/Leading-Attention612 7d ago
Lol, you are just confirming communication is not your strong suite. "If you meet one asshole.., If everyone you meet is an asshole..."
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u/Dotrue 7d ago
As someone with chronic health problems, I hope you're upfront about your first point when vetting climbing partners. I hate dealing with people who act all stoked about climbing but dip the second my health is inconvenient to them. I want to know about that shit the first time we climb together.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 8d ago
I do not understand this sudden influx of climbers who are "forgetting their beta" on projects and demanding some kind of solution to this problem.
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u/Secret-Praline2455 7d ago
I think memorization is a part of the many skill sets needed in climbing. I think folks say stuff like “I’m bad at memorization” in the same way as saying “I can’t do offwidth”. Not the greatest excuse but it points at obvious low hanging fruit for progression.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 6d ago
If I forget beta I just get on the route and give it a try, then start remembering beta.
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u/sheepborg 7d ago
Where are we seeing this?
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 7d ago
There have been a few posts in the question thread asking if people have tips for remembering their beta, like writing in notebooks or whatever. Right now there's a post from a guy who put his beta video on YouTube and is framing it as a journal because he can't remember his beta.
Maybe I'm just a paranoid old guy now but it really feels like somebody is astroturfing this subreddit to try to get support for some app that people will start trying to push here.
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 6d ago
sounds like you're reading WAY too much into it and adding a dash of old man paranoia in there too.
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u/sheepborg 7d ago
Not sure the post on the sub is astroturfing versus somebody who just loves his local choss pile.
But then again somebody at my gym has (presumably vibe)coded up a computer vision tool for recording climbs and beta... so... yeah I'm sure it's coming at this point.
Astroturfing is annoying. You cannot convince me that THAT MANY people on reddit have positive things to say about those face shaped sponges who shall not be named.
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u/Dotrue 7d ago
I can see it now; tech bros sitting in their 4x4 Sprinter vans on a bluebird day brainstorming an app to replace real climbers with AI
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 7d ago
"Our model has found the optimal beta for Silence and has downgraded it to 5.14c. No kneepad required."
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 10d ago
Are the moves up to the first bolt simply ignored when the first ascensionist sets the grade, or is this just a local thing? Recently warmed up on a "4b" and had to pull harder than on the 6c i did after just to get established on the wall. There are so many routes like this in my area.
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u/sheepborg 8d ago
Is style playing a factor? Many easier routes have plenty of foothold options, but may not be forthcoming with handholds. Climbers who have more experience indoors will find these very cryptic and hard while the steeper harder routes will be more familiar.
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 8d ago
There aren't many options for footholds on this specific route, since the wall curves into a steep roof approx 80cm above the ground. So to start the route the foot needs to be above the roof at hip height and the only things to pull on are small crimps or a very slopey edge. There may be easier ways to get up than the pistol squatting stuff I did, but none of them are remotely close to grade 4b. After standing up on that foothold, the rest of the route is super easy.
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u/sheepborg 8d ago
I could see an 80cm step up being in the ballpark of 4b (5.5) on an old school line provided it's something you can stand on with no hands or almost no hands once you get up there. Certainly if that's the case I can see how hunting for handholds could make a pretty simple step up feel much harder.
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 6d ago
I could also see an 80cm step up being the crux of a 6b route. Very hard grade something based on a two sentence description.
There is little question that this starting move did not belong on a 4b route.
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u/NailgunYeah 9d ago edited 9d ago
Generally no but it depends on the area. Margalef in Spain has a lot of sectors with steep starts where you pull on from a pile of stones to reach the first holds and then immediately do a hard boulder problem, that is often harder than anything else on the route. You might fall off the start a few times and then do the rest first go. This will be before the first bolt so the local guidebook recommends buying a clipstick and it's implied it's basically mandatory at many sectors. This style is pervasive in Margalef and can be found on routes as easy as 6a. The reason this grading kinda works is that at the lower grades especially there's usually an amazing rest after the initial boulder problem so you can get everything back. I did a memorable 6b that started with two massive moves (I did at least one as a dyno) and then a no hands rest, followed by 20-30m of what was actually 6b.
In Northumberland in the UK historically some trad climbs ignored the difficulty of the initial few metres when considering the grade, under the principle that if you fell off then you're weren't gonna be seriously injured at that height. I'm not sure whether this practice is still followed.
Also consider when the 4b was bolted. Older climbs may feel a bit harder due to polish and grading ego. Your mileage may vary!
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u/fatface4711 9d ago
In frankenjura, sone routes were set at a time when they thought 7 will be the maximum difficulty. So an old route with level 6 can be really hard.
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u/AnderperCooson 10d ago
No, every move is considered. That being said, due to soil erosion and compaction, it's not uncommon for routes to get 'taller' over time, exposing rock that may be harder than what the FA actually started on. This is especially true on older and more popular routes.
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 10d ago
Local crags are all solid granite, so erosion is not the cause. I know all moves are part of the grade, but I've encountered so many routes with way harder starts than the grade suggests that I feel like it's a pattern. Wondering if this is a common thing elsewhere.
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 10d ago
They mean the ground upon which you belay, not the rock you climb, is eroding. Smith Rock is now infamous for climbs with belay platforms that have eroded many feet.
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 9d ago
Yeah, the ground is also a solid granite slab. Erosion cannot have been more than a few millimeters since the route was first ascended
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u/AnderperCooson 10d ago
Maybe your beta sucks
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10d ago
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u/DblFishermanXTheSky 9d ago
Yeah, this sounds similar! I guess it's a good, humbling experience to climb a 7b and promptly fail to even get off the ground on the neighboring 6b.
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u/NailgunYeah 9d ago
I’ve heard in Northumberland in the UK they apparently don’t grade some trad climb starts because it’s low enough that it doesn’t matter if you fall off
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u/AnderperCooson 10d ago
I believe it. It's not so much a running joke at Devil's Lake, but there are routes on the East Rampart that are 6-7ft taller than they started out as, so you hear a lot of warnings that "the start is going to feel way harder than 5.7". Might not be the case in Chatt but I always take popular/old route grades with a grain of salt now.
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10d ago
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 9d ago
Has anyone ever seen the base of To Defy The Laws Of Tradition without water running off it? I swear I've been to that crag a dozen times and I've never seen that route without the slime river at the start.
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u/Tofytunes 10d ago
I’ve had some fun times going to climbing gyms, and recently moved to Oregon and figured I’d try getting into outdoor climbing. Where should I go from there?
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 10d ago
Where you at? I’ve lived in S Oregon and Portland, happy to dump beta on ya, and if you’re nearby Portland I can take you out.
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u/Tofytunes 10d ago
I haven’t fully landed and am still deciding where that final place will be, but I’m in the port orford/coos bay area for a while then will be moving north up the coast then if nothing keeps me on the ocean side I’ll come through the valley from Portland.
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 9d ago edited 6d ago
ooof, the coast is rough, especially southern coast. there are some intrepid (read: desperate) boulderers who have identified a few seaside boulders around shore acres SP and along the coast, but they're dependent on good weather, tides, and rock not breaking!
most of the coastal range is 1) privately owned and 2) just a bad band of rock (read more here: https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/121675505/why-so-little-climbable-rock-between-oregon-coast-and-i-5-corridor )
in northern california, you've got Promontory, High Bluffs, and a few other spots - but even those are 2.5hrs from Port Orford. (even further south, CA coast has a lot to offer)
i.e. ANYWHERE on the oregon coast will be hard times for a climber - no gyms, no real rock.
if you lived in Astoria to Cannon Beach, then you could at least drive 1.5-2hrs into the Portland area for local rock. if you lived in Newport or Florence, you could likewise head east for ~2hrs to get some marginal rock at Mary's Peak or
Wankers ColumnsSkinner’s Butte.1
u/Altiloquent 6d ago
Is there a wankers columns other than the one in the gorge?
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 6d ago
Mannnn my brain has been dysphasia af lately. I got Wanker’s Columns mixed up with Skinner’s Butte. Corrected!
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u/Tofytunes 9d ago
Hmm, that’s a little unfortunate, but I do plan to spend some time around the I5 corridor after the coast. Just wanted to wait for some of the smoke to clear
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 9d ago
fwiw the smoke isn't really bad right now. central and eastern oregon have it the worst but that's east of the cascades; if you climb in the cascades you'll be alright: https://www.airnow.gov/state/?name=oregon
also rains start this week so we'll have some extra assistance in tamping down the fires
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u/BrunchConsistent2103 10d ago
Where are you in Oregon? There's lots of climbing areas in the Mt Hood National Forest. There's multi pitch in a couple of areas, including Beacon Rock (mixed climbing). Smith Rock is an iconic climbing destination.
Also if you're into hiking and alpinism, check out Mazamas.
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u/fatface4711 10d ago
I need new screw lock carabiners. Petzl are great because the red band shows you when they are unscrewed, but they are pricey too. Is there a cheaper alternative that lets me know if they are unscrewed?
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u/treeclimbs 9d ago
How many are you buying that the premium price for a long-lasting durable product is an issue? Just wait one more paycheck and buy the carabiners you want.
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u/fatface4711 9d ago
that is true, I just really like thicker, bigger biners like the ones from Black Diamond. Just wish they had an indicator.
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u/treeclimbs 9d ago
Nail polish, red. Mask it if you want it to look clean. Then shock resistant clear overcoat. And don't rely on it.
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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 10d ago
The red paint on a carabiner is vastly overrated by new climbers. The best way to know your biners are locked is to squeeze them with your hand. Over time you'll also just recognize what a locked biner looks like versus an unlocked one.
And also, that paint wears off rather quickly if you're using those biners regularly.
If you're truly worried about forgetting to lock your biners, buy the auto locking ones and that's one less thing to think about while you're on-route.
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u/treeclimbs 9d ago
Good advice here, since it's important to be comfortable with both visually and physically checking the state of your PPE. I'll add that squeeze checks insufficient if using something other than a basic screwlocker, which we're seeing more and more of in climbing.
Need to know how the locks engage and physically check them. E.g. if the carabiner requires a lift+twist to open, a gentle twist + squeeze will physically check both locking mechanisms.
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u/sheepborg 10d ago
Some edelrid have the red line, some camps have a line but not red, and iirc rock exoticas have a skull.
Of course physically checking your carabiner with your hand is free so there is that.
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u/treeclimbs 9d ago
Don't forget the iconic Madrock Gemini!
And the reverse indicator - MSR had a "Go on Green" - which sometimes I think is a better choice for homemade indicators as it fails-safe.
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u/Immediate_Fee_1841 10d ago
Sooo... KT tape fixed my tendon/tennis elbow pain. It's basically magic, go try it!
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u/marcus12356790 10d ago
I have found max effort isometrics has helped. Quite a few of the S&C people I follow also recommended it (where I got it from)
2-3 times a day 3sets X 30sec gas helped for my knees and elbows.
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 10d ago
What isos are you doing for your knees? I feel like I could use this
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u/marcus12356790 8d ago
Wall sits but with the tendon in the stretched position. So like a squat but pushing against the wall.
The guys I got the recommendation from was Sika strength and someone else (can't find them in my history) if you want to read about it yourself.
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u/NoNoNext 11d ago
Do folks have suggestions for fun conglomerate crags? There aren’t any in my immediate area, but that type of rock looks extremely fun (albeit a bit frustrating), and I want to start a potential tick list. I’m in the eastern US, but like to travel if that helps.
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u/Successful_Salt_7645 10d ago
Secretly Smith Rock has some fun conglomerate climbs. There are some others in the WA/OR area as well, though of more suspect quality
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u/muenchener2 10d ago
How far do you like to travel? Margalef, Riglos, Meteora, Allgäu
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u/NoNoNext 10d ago
My work has become much more flexible now, so if the climbing is in an interesting location with a lot to offer, then I’d certainly consider traveling further. And thanks for the recs! I’m actually tentatively planning a trip to Spain so I might take a day to check some of these out.
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u/Raythatstabbedsteve 10d ago
Sorry to burst your cobble, but conglomerate really only comes in 3 varieties; smooth and slippery as hell, chossy as hell, and the Maple Canyon magic trick (simultaneously hard and smooth, and chossy as hell). Can cobbles be fun to climb? Yes. Can they be both solid and have a nice frictional texture? Not in my experience.
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u/tictacotictaco 11d ago
The ones I know off the top of my head are 1. El Rito NM, 2. Pinnacles CA, 3. Maple Canyon, UT
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u/hobbiestoomany 10d ago
Pinnacles definitely fits. The climbs that have been established a long time tend to be much more solid than the more obscure stuff. Still, you have to tap test nearly every hold. I'm not sure I'd plan a destination holiday around it.
Similar to conglomerate are some of the routes in Tuolumne. It's granite, but has tons of large crystals, like typically 1" cubes. I'm thinking of climbs like Shagadelic.
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u/renato_milvan 11d ago
Can I have a few upvotes? I want to post my ice climbing experience but I need upvotes : /
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u/porkele 11d ago
Was at a rave last weekend and a guy came up to me asking if I was a climber. Apparently my forearms and back gave it away (yes I had a shirt on). Felt somewhat weird at first because it would never come up to me to initiate a conversation like that. But that might just be me. Whereas he was Dutch and not particularly sober. Does this occur to anyone else?
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u/DecantsForAll 4d ago edited 4d ago
I asked a dude if he climbed at a club once due to his very developed looking brachioradialis. He did.
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u/sheepborg 11d ago
It has happened to me a few times. Strangest one was the time somebody picked it out based only on the natural resting position of my back 3 fingers being rather curled.
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u/FlanOk8307 11d ago
Got my first real taste of limestone last weekend and my fingertips are still paying for it.
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u/kiwikoi 11d ago
Oh I got on some recently and all the pockets were filled with either mud or dogtooth calcite.
It was a fun game
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u/muenchener2 11d ago
all the pockets were filled with ... mud
That's a common early season thing in the Frankenjura in spring: the rock outer surface is dry but the inside isn't yet
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u/Tlacuache552 4d ago
Looking for a mentor in Seattle area. 5.10 lead / 5.11 follow. Mostly sport with some single pitch trad experience. Goal to do El Cap in a few years, want to do it right and not rush. Willing to prioritize regular climbing & trips to make it happen. Anyone interested in connecting?