Hot answers tagged climbing
14
I am not sure about the being able to feel more, but the most important reason I don't use socks is to avoid the rock boot sliding on my foot.
If you are on a marginal grip using just the edge of your sole, you don't want the boot to move at all.
This is also one of the reasons that rock boots for more experienced climbers are much more rigid than those ...
11
The following references from a few major rope manufacturers cover rope care thoroughly. Please see the bottom of this answer for a summary.
From Bluewater Ropes:
Avoid stepping on your rope. Beside the potential of cutting, stepping on a rope will grind dirt into the core and increase the possibility of internal abrasion.
Protect your rope from ...
9
You have a few options:
Don't worry about the lease and accept the fact that you may lose your security deposit. You can take the board down before you move out, spackle over the holes, and hope the landlord doesn't notice. I live in the US, and that seems to be the preferred option here. Everyone I know who has a hangboard has done this, and they seem ...
9
I am a decent climber and a better scientist, and I strongly suspect there is no scientific answer to your question.
I have been on long climbs where I had to carry a pack. The most important factor in how much weight I (or my partner) carry was not my height, weight, or gender, it was my strength.
This is very similar to backpacking. Your strength, ...
8
I've been bouldering outdoors for a couple years now and let me ask you this question in return:
Why wear socks in your climbing shoes?
What is the possible benefit to wearing socks? Try it.
Your shoes will still stink, I guarantee. Your feet run the risk of slipping around in your climbing shoes. And if you buy tight, aggressive shoes, the fit will go all ...
8
On your descent, assuming you don't have an overhang, you simply place your heels against the wall, feet about shoulder width apart and lean back until your legs are horizontal, holding the rope above the knot and walk or bounce gently as your belaying partner lowers you.
The only things that will cause a swing are-
climbing a pitch adjacent to the one ...
8
Question: Should I girth hitch my main belay loop
Answer: No! You shouldn't girth-hitch a sling to your belay loop. The belay loop should only ever be in contact with a carabiner, as the trained instructor told you. As the instructor told you, girth hitching to the main belay loop will cause it extra wear, and make it wear out faster.
You can girth ...
7
Plainly speaking, it makes sense to keep your rope away from any chemicals at all - battery acid, grease, oil, bleach, etc. Same goes for any objects that might harm it, chemically (car batteries) or physically (anything sharp or jagged that may dig in.) Take care of it, keep it dry, well coiled and well away from anything that might harm it.
Yes, it may be ...
7
Like with most climbing related questions, I personally find it hard to give a definitive rule that applies to all circumstances. There are a couple of safety factors to consider, as well as the perception of the climber. Don't venture out on your own if any of the following doesn't seem intuitive to you.
Keep in mind the following:
Rope stretch: Rope ...
6
I know that on the east coast, a couple of the park services have been pushing the climbing community to install bolt anchors as a replacement for nests of old slings around trees. This is in part because slinging anchors around trees can damage the bark, and sometimes eventually kill the tree. This shift from webbing anchors around trees to bolted rappel ...
6
Perhaps manufacturers advise on how much strain their ropes could take before retirement?
Yup, they do. The rating is given in terms of UIAA falls, which are pretty "major" falls. A UIAA fall is one with a fall factor of 1.77 and the weight is 80kg - or typically a pretty big fall with a pretty big guy.
This related question may also provide some ...
6
Failure by cutting is a primary concern.
In terms of safety (rather than e.g. rope life) laboratory (UIAA) fall testing may not be the most important concern. Even a new, thick rope can be cut in a single fall across a sharp edge. This also applies to so-called "edge resistant" (defunct UIAA 108 standard) ropes. See this Yellow Spur fatality report.
...
6
I don't know this particular brand, but there are two basic things I'd want to check:
Has the product been certified by the UIAA? You can look here to see. It looks like several Skylotec products have a UIAA certification.
For a harness, will the gear shop let you try a harness on, and hang in it (in the store) before you buy it? I'd want to know how ...
6
Safe? Yes. As in your life usually doesn't depend on them. Safe, as in a safe buy? Also yes.
When looking at used climbing shoes it really helps if you take someone along who knows what to look for and/or knows the shoes themselves. If you know what they look like new then you know what they should look like.
Specifically, check the seams and make sure ...
6
The best ways I found to improve foot work are the following:
Climb routes which are less than vertical (slabs are great)
I know this sounds obvious, but seriously, just climb slabs and low angle for a few weeks (or months). Focus on your feet, don't use your hands if possible.
Practice stepping up only, don't pull on holds
Play a game with your ...
6
I am only familiar with a couple but I wouldn't be surprised if there are many more for certain injuries or specific applications (e.g. ankle taping for off-widths).
Crack climbing
For crack climbing "tape gloves" are very helpful in keeping the thin skin on the backs of your hands and knuckles from getting torn up. There are several slightly different ...
6
A fingerboard, hangboard, and training board all refer to the same thing: a device used to train for climbing that mounts on a wall or other vertical surface to improve strength and endurance.
What is a Fingerboard?
A fingerboard is made from either wood or resin, and can be as small
or as big as you like. Ideally it should fit above your door ...
5
There are several factors you should considering when judging the severity of a fall.
The most important is the fall factor. That's the distance of the fall (where the climbers started minus where they ended up) divided by the amount of rope between the climber and belayer. In most climbing situations, fall factors are relatively small. A fall factor of ...
5
Building Grip Strength
Your best chances to improve your fingertip strength is performing excercises specific to those ligaments at or near body weight.
Balls, rings, and grip springs are good for warming up, but not increasing strength.
But you need to be careful if you are just starting out because you can easily injure yourself by overtraining.
Please ...
5
What Rory Alsop posted is great info that is "internet safe" and a great rule of thumb. Many companies, however, will rate their ropes down to 9mm as single rope safe. In areas where rope protectors are often used, climbers safely go down to 8mm.
I regularly climb with a Mammut Infinity 9.5mm. Compare that to Petzl Xion 10.1mm
Mammut ...
5
By coincendince, I asked the same question to a guide last weekend. His response was this:
There is going to be some reduction in the strength of the webbing from the girth hitch. Especially thinner materials like dynemma. Its going to be minor, but still there.
Its possible to carry a small number of slings (2 or 3) over your shoulder, with 1 carabiner ...
4
I lived in Yosemite for over a year and saw TONS of tree belay stations. Most of them were there to stay with a number of slings and belay rings attached "for good". Yosemite had a number of bolts getting chopped by other climbers for using power drills rather than hand drills, so the ethics as far as acceptance in using trees was not a problem, or I would ...
4
I think if you're seeing damage your concern is valid. I do recall reading that soil compaction is the bigger problem and different rigging won't help that.
You could use a "friction saver" as shown in the following video, saving both the tree and your rope from wear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8lXy1hn1UU
4
The knot reduced the runner rating in half, but since there are two
strands , its back to the UIAA standard of 22KN ...
The 22kN rating is for the loop strength of the sling, not the single-strand strength. Therefore any reduction in strength caused by a knot puts the strength below the 22kN standard. Stated strength for a girth hitch varies from ...
4
My philosophy has always been that if I'm going to trust my life to it, I don't want any doubts in my mind. I'm sure they make decent equipment, and as DavidR pointed out their harnesses are certified by the UIAA.
That said, personally I would rather stick with a well-known company that has a proven track record than to save a few bucks.
4
You shouldn't buy used safety equipment (ropes, harnesses, carabiners, etc) because you don't know if the previous owner handled them properly (maybe they splashed bleach on the rope?). But shoes aren't really considered "safety related" - if the shoes did fail in a climb, it would be no different than having your foot pop off because of bad footwork. ...
4
Every layer between your feet and the ground (or hill or whatever you are climbing) adds some distance resulting in:
- less balance
- less 'feel' with the type of material you are climbing
- you feel ditches/gaps/small stones better (depends on how thick your shoes are)
Also you might be able to have smaller (less wide) shoes making it easier to place a ...
4
I am not (yet) a slackliner, but I have been impressed with the methodology of testing and development of Adam Burtle of NWslackline.org. His site has a number of videos that demonstrate different anchoring and tensioning systems. He also does line tension measurements and break testing on different setups and materials.
When you watch his videos make ...
4
Top-roping or lead-climbing? I haven't seen this happen in top-roping except when using the wrong rope - that is, for the rope next to the route i'm climbing. When you top out you should be near the pulley. If you're way off to the side, then, yeah, you should expect some swinging. If you're 5 feet from the pulley, you should expect to swing 5 feet each ...
3
The problem is you can't test that something is safe with your bare eye (e.g. you can't apply 2.2kN to the carabiner in the store, organize a fall, etc..). So you have 2 things to rely on:
Certificates (UIAA, CE and/or specific to your country)
Other people's experience
The second option is not so useful with small, not so widespread brands (and the ...
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