Questions tagged [climbing]
Questions relating to climbing can include any activity that requires the use of your hands and feet to move vertically up an object, obstruction or terrain. This varies from trees to boulders to cliff faces and everything in-between.
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How do you decide on a climbing grade?
Rock climbing and bouldering tours are classified e.g.
Sierra from 5.2 to 5.15c or
Fontainbleau 2 to 8c+.
As you advance in your climbing experience you achieve higher
grades and learn new movements,...
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Ideal and Minimal Rope Diameter for Lead Climbing
I'm thinking of a single rope that it's safe to take long lead falls, but also light to carry around. I weight 75 kg and I might climb with heavier partners (80-90 kg)
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What does it mean to cross load a carabiner?
What does it mean to cross load a carabiner?
I know it's bad, and not to do it, but I don't really know what exactly it is.
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Things to keep away from climbing ropes
There are some no brainers like don't throw your climbing rope next to car batteries in the back of your car. The effect of bug sprays containing Deet seem to be controversial. I have also heard a ...
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What hand and finger exercises help with climbing?
It's been a while since I went rock climbing but I'd like to get back into it. What are some hand exercises that will help with climbing?
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Climbing rope is rated to X UIAA falls. What is a UIAA fall?
When looking at buying climbing ropes, they are rated to a number of "UIAA falls".
What does that mean?
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How should I check climbing equipment to tell whether it is still safe to use?
I have, unfortunately, not had the opportunity to go climbing (and thus use my climbing equipment) for a couple years. I know that such equipment, especially the rope and webbing, can degrade over ...
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Please Explain Rock Climbing Grades
I have seen various grades for different climbs such as
5.14b,
8b+,
8b - 150m
It seems there are different parts to the grade, e.g. the last one is it 8b for 150 metres?
Do these grades only ...
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Rating unorthodox climbs
This question is sprouted from Brick Wall Rating
I occasionally climb in places where it seems unorthodox, such as a brick wall. I've found that even with the plethora of hand holds that buildings ...
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How to overcome the fear of falling in lead climbing
I used to really enjoy climbing (almost all indoors). I was bouldering around V2-3 and leading at 5+. The mismatch was all down to fear of falling - I would repeatedly bail or fall from routes that ...
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How should I vet belayers? What should I look for?
The other night I went to the climbing gym, intending to look for a climbing partner once I got there. (My usual gym climbing partner isn't available to climb as often as I want to.) The gym provides ...
user2169
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How do climbers retrieve anchored rope?
The following is a scene I have always been perplexed about. I’ve seen it many times. A mountain climber has no one above him as he descends and is trailing rope behind him that he is using to ...
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Can you use a rope that has been in storage for a few years?
A guy I'm talking to about buying some rock climbing gear is getting rid of his stuff cause he hasn't used it in five to eight years. He said it wasn't used a lot, maybe 5 to 6 times, and he said no ...
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Should a carabiner ever be clipped to the tie-in loops and should anything other than a carabiner ever attach to the belay loop?
I'm a beginning climber and am trying to resolve conflicting instruction related to tying into my harness.
During a recent outing a friend (an experienced climber, but not an instructor) was showing ...
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What do the climbing terms "Redpoint", "Pinkpoint", "Flash" and "Onsight" mean?
In climbing what do the terms Redpoint, Pinkpoint, Flash and Onsight mean?
Where does it come from?
user2766
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How do I set a top rope anchor?
When rock-climbing, I need to set up a top-rope anchor so if I fall, it will minimize chance of injury.
So, how would I safely set one up?
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Training to prepare for oxygen deficiency in the high mountains
I would like to prepare myself for the climb in the high mountains (for now by "high mountains" I mean elevation 4000 m and more, but eventually eight-thousanders).
What can I do to improve my ...
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How do I get cam slings replaced?
I bought my first set of cams and I've been curious about what happens when the slings start to wear out. Are they user-replaceable? The ones I purchased seem to be very un-user-replaceable:
How do I ...
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How to take care of climbing hands?
Being a climber one aim is to toughen up your hands (related: How to toughen up hands?). Building up callused skin is important but how do you keep it? Having dry hands especially from the climbing ...
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How should I choose between setting up a Cordelette or an Equalette climbing anchor?
I was going through anchoring techniques and I came across this well-received question:
Anchor without cordelette?
How should one decide when to go for a Cordelette or an Equalette?
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What is an equalette anchor?
When setting up belay there are many ways to connect the anchors. One way is called equalette and is supposed to adapt to a certain extent to the direction of pull.
How is such an equalette ...
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How to tie an EBSB bowline?
According to the most comprehensive reference ever written on bowlines, the EBSB bowline (which is a variation of another variation, called the EBDB bowline, together with a sort of Yosemite finish) ...
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Is dyneema rope without a sheath safe for climbing?
I recently was given some old Chouinard hexes my uncle used back in the 70s. They look great, and I see no reason why I can't re-sling them and use them as perfectly safe protection.
I've found some ...
user6042
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How to tie a figure eight on a bight?
One of the more common knots in climbing is the figure eight on a bight (being tied on a bight means that it is tied without using the ends.
How exactly would one tie this knot?
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If the Dawn Wall had been climbed before, why was the 2015 attempt so difficult?
There's a lot of talk in the media about Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell's free ascent of the dawn wall of El Capitan.
This wall has been climbed before, but this is the first time it's been free ...
user2766
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Which knot for climbing: figure eight, yosemite bowline, bowline on a bight?
This is a topic often discussed online, but all I could find so far was people sharing their opinions (including numbers) on what tie-in knot is the best. Here's what I've found out from different ...
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What's the difference between Sport Climbing and Traditional Climbing?
What is the difference between Sport Climbing and Traditional (Trad) Climbing? Is it just that Sport Climbing uses bolts?
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What are the measurable prerequisites of strength and/or flexiblity for starting to climb in a climbing gym?
If I were a couple of decades younger, I would seriously consider trying climbing in a climbing gym, but I doubt I have enough flexibility, and I would feel horribly out of place. The thing that ...
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How to safely mark a rope
I was reading this question and the first thing that popped into my head is what do you use to mark the middle of the rope?
I was taught not to use any kind of marker on the rope (because there's no ...
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What are creative uses for retired carabiners?
I seem to have accumulated a good number of carabiners that, while probably still safe, I won't climb on anymore. They might be worn, of questionable origin, or just plain made obsolete by an upgrade.
...
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Why are indoor climbing grades easier?
This is possibly a little of a generalisation but, why are indoor grades easier than outdoor grades?
Having climbed at many many indoor walls (all over the uk) and done multiple outdoor climbs (...
user2766
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What can I do with a retired rope and harness?
I've recently retired a rope (dynamic) and a harness. They're both in very good shape, but just over 8 years old. Common sense dictates I throw them away, but I wonder if there are other uses I can ...
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Climbing with a much lighter partner?
Both my fiancee and myself bought some climbing gear recently and we're planning our first trip to an indoor rock gym this weekend. We decided to practice our knots and belay technique before we went ...
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Methods for taping hands, wrists, and fingers for climbing?
I've been climbing off and on since I was a teenager, but one thing I've never done much of is taping my hands. As I gained more experience, it's value is now apparent.
What are some good techniques ...
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How to walk as a roped party on a glacier?
If you want to walk on a glacier you usually do this roped together as a team.
How to walk as a roped party on a glacier?
What I have to pay attention to when knotting the rope?
Related question: ...
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How do I tie a slackline with only carabiners and webbing?
Commercial slackline solutions seem bulky, heavy, overpriced, and a little too industrial for my liking. I have 6 carabiners and 50m of tubular webbing. What knots do you recommend for building, ...
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How high to climb before clipping on a sport climb?
The guy who taught me to lead sport in the gym suggested that when I'm going for a clip, I position my body so that the clip is somewhere between my hips and my chest. He claimed it was a bad thing ...
user2169
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Reference request: books on self-rescue while climbing
Can people recommend books or online resources on self-rescue for roped climbing? As a beginning trad leader, I think I should have a basic understanding of topics like how to escape a belay and how ...
user2169
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What is the correct way to attach an autoblock to your harness for rappelling?
When rappelling and using an autoblock consisting of a french prusik knot it seems there may be some options on how and where to attach the autoblock to my harness.
Is there a correct placement on ...
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Can a Finger Pulley injury be predicted / anticipated?
I resumed climbing a couple of months back after a gap of a couple of years.
After spending a month of quality time at the wall regularly in order to get back in touch, I have started to try different ...
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What to do at the top of a sport climb
I dabble a little at leading trad, but have never led a sport route.
If I do a sport lead, I want to make sure I don't make some stupid mistake when I get to the top. For example, I don't want to ...
user2169
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What does it mean to free a climbing route?
Sometimes I read articles about climbers having freed a route. For example: "Lynn Hill freed the Nose". What does this exactly mean in terms of how they climbed it?
Specifically:
Are they not ...
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Quickest / most efficient way to ascend a hanging rope with rock climbing gear?
Recently I saw an arborist climbing up a single rope with an unbelievable speed, as if it was just a ladder.
Of course he was using all kinds of specialized gear including foot/chest ascenders and I ...
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Is it ever necessary to double up locking carabiners?
I see people doing this a lot:
My question is: Why?
When is it necessary to double up locking carabiners? Ever? Doubling up non-locking carabiners with opposite and opposing gates was, and still is ...
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How to safely train for and grip pockets?
I was spurred to post this after reading Which fingers to use in a 2 finger pocket when rock climbing?
Last year I injured myself training on a shallow three finger pocket with an open hand grip and ...
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What are known failure modes of the auto-braking mechanism of Grigris?
Disclaimer first: The brake-hand principle (always hold the braking strand of the rope) always applies to assisted braking belay devices, including the Grigri. This question is in no way targeted at ...
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Why are twist-lock carabiners considered dangerous for some applications?
There are different types of locking carabiners. A screw-gate carabiner requires multiple rotations of the screw in order to lock it. A twist-lock carabiner locks automatically whenever you close it.
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How use a nylon cordelette as an adjustable tether for rock climbing?
Sometimes when clipping in people who are rappelling, or setting up anchors in some places from above or showing people how to get onto a fixed line, I need an adjustable tether.
I often carry a ...
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How to abseil without a descender device? [duplicate]
Lets assume I am abseiling multiple pitches with some tuber device and at some point at a belay I dropped the device. How do I improvise something that does the braking while descending? I still have ...
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How far would you need to fall for it to be fatal?
A little grim this but I was discussing free soloing with a non-climber in work and I said
"Well once you get over a certain height you're not going to survive a
fall anyway so anything over this ...
user2766