Questions tagged [rock-climbing]
This tag should be used for all questions about the activity rock climbing, books, gear and accessories used or necessary to do rock climbing. The term Rock Climbing is an activity in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls.
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Which gym workouts are beneficial for improving rock climbing skills?
In addition to rock climbing, I also go to the gym for strength training with free weights and machines. I know some muscle groups are crucial to rock climbing, such as arms, back and core. I also ...
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How to use a static rope as a tether at the anchor of a top rope climb?
I just recently returned from a course where we utilized a static rope to construct a top-rope anchor from a top-accessed ledge: the system was like that described in this answer - the resulting ...
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Compromised Ropes in Retail Stores
Reposting this from a Facebook discussion. It's a picture taken from a retail store where they have attached a pin-tag through the rope to prevent theft; a common practice at this location.
My gut ...
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Origin of the "bell curve" for rock climbing route setting
When learning how to set climbing routes on artificial walls, setters are often told to set route difficulties according to a "bell curve". An example of this is mentioned on this page.
What is ...
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How can I clean my newly acquired (used) climbing shoes in order to avoid athlete's foot?
I've been climbing for a few months and my gym sells old rental shoes at a discounted rate. I bought some as a cheap way to get started. I always wear socks when I climb but I've noticed the majority ...
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How to contain the stench of climbing shoes?
I take public transportation to my work and the climbing gym. This means my climbing gear stays in my office all day with me. My climbing shoes stink and are really offensive to have in my office. ...
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What are the steps in the PBUS method of belaying?
The more common way of belaying is called PBUS which stands for Pull, Under, Brake, Slide.
What is the correct way to do this (including illustrations)?
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How to make rock climbing more challenging without changing to a more difficult route?
Sometimes when setting up rock climbs for people you will have climbers of various abilities and yet not have enough resources to set up enough climbs so that everyone has something that is hard ...
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Climbing before 1950: photography book/database
I am looking for a book or digital database of rock climbing pictures from before 1950.
I tried to search online, but, except for a few pictures, I didn't have much luck. Also, the name of the ...
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Is "Short roping" "Death Roping"?
I had a "discussion" with someone on Facebook recently. It came about over a photo shared in a group I'm a member of (I can't share the photo as it's not my property).
The photo showed two people in ...
user2766
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How do I know if I've made a "first ascent"?
Last night I was walking the dog near area where I climb a lot. Above the quarry where most of the climbing happens there is a really nice natural short crag. Looking at this crag I thought there were ...
user2766
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Are there any concrete techniques for down climbing?
I mostly boulder and I don't like to jump down from the top of the route, because my ankles/knees/back feels weird when landing. However, when I climb down sometimes my arms feel even more tired than ...
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Are my climbing shoes worth repairing?
I'm fairly new to climbing, I've been climbing just over a year.
This is my first pair of shoes. I've worn the soles down, and wondering whether this kind of wear can be repaired or not, or if I ...
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What kind of ropes are used for very long sport routes (like Chilam Balam)?
This is a question that has bugged me for some time. Some very hard sport routes are very, very long. Some examples:
Chilam Balam: 80 m (260 ft) - Video (Adam Ondra)
Jumbo Love: 75 m (250 ft) - Video ...
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Are there particular grades that indoor climbers often struggle with [closed]
Somewhat motivated by How to progress in rock climbing after grades v4 / 5.11+? I am curious if anyone has tried to document if there are particular grades that climbers plateau on and need more time ...
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What kind of technique is required for bouldering outdoors?
I've been bouldering in rock climbing gyms for a while and am able to send V2~V3s. I've never bouldered outdoors before and I wonder what are the differences, and are there any outdoor specific ...
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In rock climbing what does the term "Flash" mean? [duplicate]
If someone "flashes" a climb what does this mean?
user2766
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How to progress in rock climbing after grades v4 / 5.11+?
I am wondering what is the best way to progress from being a consistent V4 and on-sight/redpoint 5.11 climber? I seem to have hit a plateau in my progression and it is super frustrating.
Indoors, I ...
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Grigri+ vs grigri 2
I just got a sample of Petzl's new assisted braking device, the Grigri+. I must admit I look at it with a lot of disdain, mostly because
It's bulkier than the Grigri 2;
It's heavier than the Grigri 2;...
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What are the benefits of learning to climb outdoors rather than indoors?
I would say I'm a fairly experienced hiker, and would love to begin climbing some more challenging mountains, i.e. mountains that require actual climbing, rather than just hiking. I have next to no ...
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How to painlessly remove gunk left by tape gloves?
After using tape gloves for crack climbing, I always have some tape gunk left over on my skin. While it doesn't hurt and goes away a few days of rigorous scrubbing, it doesn't look super great at the ...
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How to "store" excess rope in a running belay?
A recent question made me wonder how a running belay is really done.
Suppose you are climbing an alpine route, maybe of difficulty UIAA 5. You encounter a stretch of 100m of UIAA 1 terrain with no ...
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Should overweight people ever climb?
I used to be a regular climber, and unfortunately I have put on some serious weight over the last 4 years, and I have not been able to climb as much as would have loved to.
While, I am still working ...
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Why is (almost) no one climbing hard routes on Half Dome?
I follow the international rock climbing scene, and we constantly hear of repetitions of hard routes on El Capitan.
On Youtube, it is possible to find many videos of strong climbers from all over ...
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What would be the disadvantage of racking trad gear around the shoulders rather than the harness, if any?
At the moment I have a sport harness which is not ideal for trad climbing. I might buy a trad harness for outdoor climbing only, however I for the moment, I've been focused on Grivel Lynx and have ...
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What is a dish or dish-like hand hold in rock climbing?
I saw mention of a 'dish' hold, and cannot figure out what this means exactly from Google searches. There are many sites selling dish holds like this one, but I don't understand what 'dish' means from ...
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Rock climbing grading theory
How to grade a route when cumulating grades for multiple sections? Is it based on the overall feeling of difficulty or is there some cumulative formula to apply which yields a more or less accurate ...
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How do forest fires affect rock climbing?
The Kenow fire ripped through the Rockies near where I live. Flames were reported to be hundreds of meters high coming off the tops of some trees. Some of those flames licked the crags I most ...
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Searching and reading back issues of Climbing and Rock and Ice
I am looking for an article that was published in either Rock and Ice or Climbing Magazine around 1999. I know the area and route of the article topic as well as the author's name. I may even have a ...
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With what specific techniques are various bouldering grades associated? [duplicate]
Some I've noticed:
V0 – hanging by one's arms; shifting weight for balance; pushing with one's legs
V1 – pinching, edging
V2 – laybacking, pockets, backstepping, flagging
V3 – 'more strength'?
'More ...
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Does "Sport Climbing" refer to bolted climbing outdoors only or both indoors and outdoors
I was having a debate with my friend on the definition of "Sport Climbing". We both agree it means rock climbing with no pre-setup ropes on a bolted route.
I think regardless of whether this route ...
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What is the Origin of the Word "Sendtember" in Rock Climbing?
Does anyone know the origin of the word "Sendtember"? I'm trying to figure out what it means and Google isn't being helpful. I think it has something to do with temperatures in the month of September ...
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Will ibexes react aggressively or flee if approached on a mountain?
On a recent multi-pitch climb, we encountered a strange situation:
The wall was basically divided into three parts: 200m of climbing, a large steep grassy part where you untie from the rope and walk ...
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Is belaying a lead more difficult than a top roped climber
Assessing potential lead climbing partners for competence and safety asserts that a lead climb belay is more complicated and has higher potential for a serious accident over a top rope belay.
Is ...
user5330
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Assessing potential lead climbing partners for competence and safety [duplicate]
I recently started lead climbing in the gym after taking a lead climbing class. So far, I've only led with someone I know from the class who I watched lead belaying a number of times during the class....
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The dangers of simul-rappelling
To simul-rappel, the technique goes as follows:
Prepare to rappel as usual, passing the rope through bomber bolts;
Tie knots on both ends of the rope;
Attach your personal anchoring system (PAS) to ...
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How long does it generally take to stop feeling climber's elbow? [closed]
I've been climbing 1-2 times / week (usually once) for about a month. After each time I climb, I feel joint pain in my elbows. From my understanding, this is likely Tennis Elbow.
Slowly but surely, ...
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Big wall strategies for a three-member team
I'm off this weekend for a three-day big wall with two other friends. I read "Big Walls", by Long and Middendorf, but the book is too old and doesn't really mention strategies for a three-member crew. ...
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What do you do when you're rappelling a halfed rope and you run out of rope on one side?
So this happened the other day; shouldn't have happened if I had been taking my time and paying attention to what I was doing, but it did:
I was cleaning several ropes from the top of a short crag ...
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How can someone fall 3m to the ground while top-roping & how to prevent it?
My boyfriend and I do top rope climbing quite regularly in our indoor climbing centre. On attempting a harder route, he slipped and fell, reaching the ground.
I am trying to understand what went ...
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Selling older gear - is it likely to be safe?
My late husband died 7 years ago & I still have his gear. I'm not comfortable leading (and I've lost half my shoulder tendons anyway), so I won't use it.
I think the ropes, etriers, etc should ...
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How do you tie in to the centre of a rope?
Suppose you're leading a short pitch (20-30m) and you have two followers, or you want to double rope the route, and want to simply half your rope and tie into the centre, pulling the two halves up ...
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Can you clean new bolt holes with water?
When drilling new holes for expansion anchor bolts, you need to clean the dust out of the hole before you hammer in the bolt. People will accomplish this by either using a blow tube or a bellows and a ...
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Can you safely use retired ropes for belaying children?
Climbing ropes are UIAA rated for so many falls of an 80kg weight. After that number of falls–or a specific period of time based on amount of use–you are supposed to retire the rope.
But what if the ...
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Is it ok for my climbing shoes/chalk bag to get wet?
I recently picked up bouldering and bought my first pair of shoes as well as chalk and a bag.
I've only been climbing in the gym for now and handled the equipment like any other gym-sports-equipment: ...
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What is the minimum amount of gear that would allow one to ascend a climbing rope?
If you had a climbing rope anchored above you on either a sheer cliff or a really steep incline, what is the minimum amount of gear that a person would need to ascend the rope without assistance from ...
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Fisherman rescue, what gear is required?
Apologies for the word problem. I'm sure there's a simple solution or two, but I'm trying to work out a real world scenario. We used to indoor top rope belay but that was years ago in boy Scouts so ...
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How to pull someone up in a rescue situation?
This question made me wonder how one should be pulled up in a rescue situation, e.g. when lowering is not an option. This answer explains a Z-pulley when in an alpine/glacier environment.
I'm more ...
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Which option should you use for a multi-pitch climbing anchor after traverse?
I am going to do a climb that has a long lateral traverse
I drew up three options, and Option #2 seems to me to be preferable to the other options.
What do you think the best option is for this ...
user9194
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Have the climbing signals "take" and "safe" every been confused to the point of an accident?
There is a story I have heard about climbers who confused "take" and "safe" and I am wondering if it has actually happened.
The story goes like this,
The climber is out of sight of the belayer and ...
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