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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How to visually identify a rap hanger?
If I'm out on the rock and I come across a pair of hangers, how can I tell the difference between rap hangers (the kind you can directly thread rope through to rappel) and regular hangers (the kind ...
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Toprope webbing anchor with figure 8 knots [duplicate]
I recently made a toprope anchor extending from a tree about 15' over the edge of the cliff using 1" webbing. The webbing was looped around the tree using a figure 8 follow-through, with ...
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What is a "sling belay?"
Rock climbing topos have various standardized symbols, such as xx for a bolt anchor, or a dashed line for face climbing. In keys of symbols, I've sometimes seen SB defined as a "sling belay." What ...
user2169
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Climbing: fear/panic on boulder wall
I am wondering if anyone else has experienced fear/panic that gets in the way of bouldering, and what their tips are for dealing with this. (There is a prior question on fear in lead climbing, but my ...
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How to "spot" someone who is bouldering?
We have discussed a lot and at length about how to climb and other climbing techniques. I haven't come across a single post that talks about Spotting techniques.
What are the duties of a Spotter? ...
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Rock climbing over edge - What can I put under the rope to protect it?
I am working on a very fun problem with an overhung roof that induces serious rope drag (Goat Rock Roof @ Castle Rock if you know it). I am very nervous about training this beta intensive problem ...
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What to do if the second seems stuck and absolutely no communication is possible?
Backstory:
A few months ago, I experienced the following situation: We (two people) were climbing the last pitch of a multi-pitch route. Near the end, there was a cave-like chimney. Basically a ...
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Is clipping directly onto a dyneema sling safe?
I was recently doing a scramble route in North Wales. We needed to get past a large rock spike, though easy climbing, it was quite exposed and not a good place to take a fall. As a safety backup I ...
user2766
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BMC Discount on Climbing Walls
What does the BMC membership discount encompass? Is it just climbing and mountaineering shops or is it other paid for services?
More specifically, would the BMC membership discount apply to the ...
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Is rope-soloing inherently dangerous, and if so, why?
I've never tried rope-soloing and don't have a very detailed idea of how it's done. But reading the 2015 edition of Accidents in North American Mountaineering, I was struck by how many accidents ...
user2169
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Learning Anchors - How is single cordelette loop anchor redundant?
I have climbed for a long time, but I want to switch to cordelette anchors for speed on multipitch. My main concern is in redundancy with the cordelette.
I mentally check the anchor for any problems, ...
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What climbs at Tahquitz were the original definitions of YDS class 5 grades?
From what I understand of the history, Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) grades came about when class 5 in the preexisting system was subdivided into 5.0 through 5.9. This was done by Chuck Wilts, Royal ...
user2169
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What's the easiest to release, though solid, knot "on a bight"?
I am practicing falls with a self belay device indoors and I am tying the rope to the anchors so to fall on a single strand of rope as I would in real life.
I used the figure eight on a bight but I ...
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What are offwidth cracks and what makes them so hard to climb?
There is a notorious kind of crack called offwidths. Several friends of mine stated, that they were pretty devastated at first when they were not able to do 5.8 offwidths in the valley. Later they ...
- 21.7k
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What is the difference between back-stepping versus a layback in rock climbing?
At the gym today, a climber referred to "back-stepping" for a move that I would have referred to as a layback. I said, "I would have called that a layback," and he said, "Yeah, the difference is kind ...
user2169
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Would tied strips of webbing have similar strength to a climbing rope?
i have a bunch of several-feet-length strips of webbing (polypropyrene) and was wondering if tied together, it can maybe be used as a climbing rope?
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What do you hang on 1/4" bolts while rock climbing?
So 1/4" bolts, although not suitable for free climbing protection, are apparently still used for aid climbing to hold body weight, and for alpine rappels.
What I want to know is, what do you use for ...
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Should you occasionally use locking biners on pieces of protection when using alpine draws?
Since I mostly climb trad style, I don't use quickdraws for leading outside of the gym. I use alpine quick draws (two biners joined by dyneema slings) which offer benefits of adjustable length, ...
user6042
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Avoiding a "ding-dong" when lead belaying in the gym?
I sometimes climb in the gym with a partner who outweighs me by about 50%. When he's leading and falls from above his protection, I can get pulled up to the first clip. If he's not very far up, this ...
user2169
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Searching for a sport route in the Briançon area, France
I am searching for a limestone multi-pitch sport route in France, in the Briançon area, that is nicely bolted, up to 5c (French grade) difficult and that has at least 7 pitches.
I am searching online ...
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How can I safely practice trad climbing?
I have climbed indoors and outdoors for several years, both top rope and sport, and I somewhat recently took an outdoor trad climbing class. In the class, we placed protection while on top rope and ...
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Rope between legs while leading on rock, ice
When you're lead climbing, the most common way for the rope to hang naturally, if you don't do anything special, is usually between your legs. Is this OK on rock? On ice? Why or why not?
On rock, the ...
user2169
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When should you remove old pitons?
We were up above the treeline below the final climb to a scarcely visited cave and discovered an old rusty piton with a length of weathered webbing tied to it. It was obviously there as a safety for a ...
- 53.5k
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What is the difference between "dry rope", "non-dry rope" and "dry core rope"?
I've just recently gotten into climbing and so far the ropes have always been provided for me. I'm starting to look at getting my own rope for outside climbing, and am confused by some of the ...
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What is the best rope material to use for climbing protection? [duplicate]
I've been doing some research on what type of cord to use for resligning some hexes, and I found something very surprising here.
Basically, the paper seems to suggest that while the tensile strength ...
user6042
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What sort of rock climbing grade can a goat do?
It is quite well known that goats are into free solo rock climbing. Is there any evidence (even if anecdotal) of the highest grades they are able to climb?
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Belaying two seconds?
I'm planning on doing some Grade III scrambling/low grade multi-pitch climbing this weekend. Normally just me and my girlfriend would do this kind of thing, I'll lead she'd second. But I'm thinking of ...
user2766
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How can you safely set up a climbing anchor from above?
Let's say I'm walking to the top of a really nice cliff.
Take a look at this beauty:
And there are some nice cracks to place some protection in, with the slings/rope coming off the cliff, kinda like ...
user6042
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Bolt Conditions at the New River Gorge
I am getting back into sport climbing and I am planning a trip to the NRG.
I get very nervous about safety issues in regards to climbing, almost to the point where I don't want to start again. One ...
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Are manual double-back buckles on harnesses considered obsolete?
My current harness has these single-piece buckles:
(source: http://www.mountaineeringmethodology.com/harness/)
It might be due for replacement in one or two years, and I really like these buckles, ...
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Why do big wall harnesses have two belay loops?
I've been looking at big wall harnesses and I've been noticing that a lot of them come with two belay loops:
I know that it isn't there as a back up. What's the advantage of having two belay loops ...
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Big Wall Rock Climbing - Harness Off
Do climbers ever remove their harness when they are sleeping on the side of cliffs or for going to the bathroom? I imagine I would want to keep my harness on and be roped into the anchor even if the ...
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What happens to rappel anchors?
When setting up a rappel anchor, using things like webbing, rings, that kind of stuff, what happens to the anchor when you get to the bottom? Assuming you can't hike to the top and grab it, do you ...
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Bouldering vs aid climbing vs free climbing vs free solo climbing
What re the differences between these 4 styles of rock climbing?
Bouldering
Aid Climbing
Free Climbing
Free solo climbing
user2766
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Is there any difference between a harness used for rock climbing vs for mountaineering?
I've recently taken an interest in both rock climbing and mountaineering. Both require a harness, but is there any difference in the harness used for each activity? I understand that the most basic ...
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Is climbing an ambidextrous sport?
We know left-footed football players, we know right-handed and left-handed batmen and bowlers, we know left-handed or right-handed tennis players, and so on..
I know being a right handed guy I could ...
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Guidelines for safe use of ATC Nano? [closed]
The photo below shows my new ATC Nano. Sweet! This is an innovative new belay device that is definitely going to be in my ultralight mountaineering setup from now on. After all, when you're bagging ...
user2169
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Red River Gorge Summer
I'm planning a rock climbing trip this summer and I've been considering the Red River Gorge as a possible stop. I've been there before in the late fall and it was absolutely awesome in terms of sport ...
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Lowering a climber from above using a belay device in autolocking mode
I recently gave a belay from above to a group of five people who were all doing the same single-pitch climb and then being lowered off. (In this case the reason for belaying from above was that the ...
user2169
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What is the term for/manufacturer of belay devices with a clip that holds the ATC onto the carabiner?
I broke my friend's ATC, and am trying to find a replacement, but I don't quite know what to look for.
It was a somewhat unique unit, at least among those I've seen; it was a standard "basket" ATC ...
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How to top belay 2 climbers at the same time on multi-pitch climb?
Senario: I am leading the climb with 2 ropes. I reach at the first pitch. I put myself on the self anchor and built a master point. Now I want to top belay 2 climbers at the same time. They both will ...
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How to calculate the force (kN) generated by a falling climber onto their protection?
What method would I used to calculate the likely force placed on a piece of protection if I were to fall onto it. Using knowledge of my weight, distance between myself and the gear and the amount of ...
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Relative abraision resistance of Dyneema slings vs an average dynamic climbing rope
I recently read this answer about rope thickness, and it mentions a tragic incident where a rope was severed during a lead fall due to the rope being dragged across rock edge whilst under tension.
...
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water knot vs figure 8 follow through vs X for rock climbing anchor - What is easiest to untie?
I've recently been using figure 8 follow through on anchor webbing, and although it takes more time to dress properly and setup than a water knot, it's easier to untie at the end of the day and I feel ...
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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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What are the rules to grade sport climbing single pitch routes?
What do you think is the correct way to grade a single pitch route (about 10 to 30 meters)?
I know climbing grade are affected by subjectivity. However is there a list of objective elements to take ...
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Belay with a broken arm
I follow Andy Kirkpatrick(Hull's second best climber) on instagram. He rencently posted this photo:
with the comment:
Teaching self rescue...(how to belay with a broken arm)
It looks like a ...
user2766
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Dropping gear: Where did the hairline/micro fracture urban legend come from?
In an answer given to this question: Micro-Fractures in Climbing Equipments, it's stated that dropping gear causing micro fractures is a persistent myth, quoting Black Diamond's statement:
Q. Is it ...
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How can I tell if Chinese rock climbing gear is reliable?
Most (if not all) the big rock climbing brands do manufacture their gear in China - carabiners, cams, slings, whatever.
Now, I stumbled on this:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Climbings/...
- 4,595
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Which is better, a single fisherman's knot or a double?
I ask this question based on the fact that tensile strength tests show that putting a double fisherman's knot in kernmantle rope makes it more likely for the rope to snap than a rope tied with a ...
- 53.5k