61
votes
Why is it bad to use your whole foot in rock climbing
It's a matter of practice, but also a matter of feel: When stepping with the front of your foot you have a smaller contact area, so the pressure is higher than using the whole foot. This increases ...
- 3,379
36
votes
Why is it bad to use your whole foot in rock climbing
Apart from the reasons already stated, namely getting used to doing it that way as it will help you on smaller footholds, there's also maneuverability: If you step with the entire foot, it is really ...
- 21.7k
21
votes
Accepted
How to "spot" someone who is bouldering?
Basically, "spotting" someone means making sure that they safely land on the pad with their feet first to prevent injuries in case of a fall.
This means several distinct tasks:
Moving a falling ...
- 4,447
18
votes
How to "spot" someone who is bouldering?
The job of a spotter is to prevent the climber from landing on their head and (if possible) ensure they land on their feet and on the crashpad. This may involve moving the crashpad (which should ...
- 5,153
17
votes
Accepted
How do I get my fingers and toes warm before rock climbing at cold temperatures?
Before the climb
As @ShemSeger suggests, most of the work is to be done before the climb itself. You need to stay warm belaying your partner and waiting to climb yourself - if your hands and feet ...
- 890
17
votes
Techniques for handling pumped arms?
Answer:
What should I do before climbing to increase the amount of time I can
climb before my forearms start hurting?
There are plenty of opinions on what to do before climbing, stretching is ...
- 426
15
votes
Accepted
Safety precautions for a spotter for his/her own safety
This is not a complete list per se.
If bouldering outdoors, particularly with an overhang, wear a helmet. This isn't to protect you from a fall, it's to protect your head for if rocks get knocked ...
- 8,710
15
votes
Techniques for handling pumped arms?
Avoiding Pump:
Warm up, warm up, warm up. To avoid serious arm pump you need to do at least 15 minutes of EASY climbing. That's 15 minutes of you doing what you feel is exceptionally easy, even if ...
- 53.5k
14
votes
Accepted
How to progress in rock climbing after grades v4 / 5.11+?
Before embarking on specifics, a word of advice: learn to love plateaus. When beginning climbing, we make drastic improvements seemingly every time we go out. As we improve, gains become more and more ...
- 4,179
14
votes
Accepted
Are there any concrete techniques for down climbing?
Little excursion up front: If you have problems with joints or back when jumping down, do not ignore that. Either you already have a significant problem with those areas, in which case you should ...
- 21.7k
14
votes
Accepted
How are different terrains, defined by their angle, called in climbing?
Your descriptions of the first three angles are pretty spot on. Routes less than 90 degrees would usually be described as a slab.
Climbing shoes are usually described as being good for a particular ...
- 2,433
13
votes
Bouldering beside the freeway
Climbing next to a road is, in general, not a pleasant experience. Any roadside rock face is artificially shaped by the excavation that created it. The rock can be more likely to crumble under you as ...
12
votes
Bouldering, improving and getting up grades
Fall More.
If you're not falling a lot, then you're not pushing yourself enough, ergo you won't see much improvement.
Grasping a basic understanding of proper climbing technique is what enables most ...
- 53.5k
12
votes
Accepted
How do you get better at static climbing?
I'm a very static climber, but back in the day I was one of those climbing cave rats who campused and dyno'd his way through as much of a problem as he could. The key to becoming a more static climber,...
- 53.5k
12
votes
Why is it bad to use your whole foot in rock climbing
Using your whole foot while rock climbing is a poor practice in most cases as it restricts your footwork and limits your movement options. When stepping with the front of the shoe you are able to ...
- 750
11
votes
Accepted
What to look for in climbing shoes?
Even though you say cost is not a primary factor, I still think it's good to be aware of this point when buying your first climbing shoes when mainly used in gyms (I wasn't aware at the time :) ):
...
- 21.7k
10
votes
How do I get my fingers and toes warm before rock climbing at cold temperatures?
Warm Your Core!
One thing all climbers have in common, is a big poofy down jacket. Your fingers are only going to be as warm as your core is, so keep your core warm, and that nice warm blood will ...
- 53.5k
10
votes
How do you grade a bouldering problem?
Short answer: Climb lots of other routes in many different areas and have lots of other people climb your routes.
Let me get into why you opened a can of worms with your question:
Ratings for routes ...
- 7,491
9
votes
How do I prevent myself from getting pumped when climbing?
Ah the Endurance problem.
Well this can either boil down to Power Endurance or just normal Endurance.
Power Endurance is where you can retain a high level of power through a pump. This exceeds your ...
9
votes
What are the advantages of being short when climbing?
As other people already have mentioned here. In general, it is a disadvantage to be tall. If you look at height-performance profiles in rock climbing, they are generally downward-sloping (meaning the ...
- 401
9
votes
Climbing barefoot/in toe-shoes?
I'll chime in from a fairly unique position with anecdotal evidence only.
I feel like most of the advice you'll get is from experts that talk down to you condescendingly if you even mention the b-...
9
votes
Origin of the "bell curve" for rock climbing route setting
This piece of advice is commonly given to new routesetters, and should generally be taken as a reminder of best practices rather than scientific dogma. For example,
Most climbers don't onsight 5.13 ...
- 4,179
9
votes
Accepted
What is the minimum grade of the routes set in the IFSC world cups?
Regarding Grading
That's a very common question for people new to competition climbing. Route setting for competition is in general quite different than for "regular" gym routes. Route setters at ...
- 21.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Where can I find videos of rock climbing competitions?
You can find the official Youtube channel of the IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) here. They cover all the official events.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2MGuhIaOP6YLpUx106kTQw
- 379
8
votes
How do you get better at static climbing?
This is more likely than not, related to two things:
Your balance
Your core strength
Those two things are related. I can't find the reference but Sonnie Trotter once said:
Climbing is three ...
- 675
8
votes
What are the advantages of being short when climbing?
Okay, I'm 5'4" and female. I have small hands and feet, and am very flexible. For my fellow short people, the best advice I got is from this very helpful website from Tiffany:
Tiffany's Climbing Tips ...
- 81
8
votes
Accepted
Bouldering beside the freeway
This answer is specific to the US interstate highway system The vast majority of this system is closed to pedestrian (and bicycle) traffic. These are dangerous roads to be on; on average 600+ ...
- 30.3k
8
votes
How do I prevent myself from getting pumped when climbing?
Having your muscles "pumped" is not a problem in itself. If you have problems with movement because of it, it is most likely down to muscle type, muscle mass, and cardiovascular effectiveness.
...
- 24.9k
8
votes
Accepted
Correct breathing while bouldering
In various sports and even day-to-day life, breathing techniques make a difference in performance. Generally, you want to breathe deeply, steadily, and with your breathing muscles relaxed. Deep, ...
- 3,939
8
votes
Accepted
What kind of technique is required for bouldering outdoors?
There is no generic answer to your question - it all depends on the kind of boulders you'll encounter on your destination. For example, if you have overhanging jug problems, the technique required is ...
- 4,447
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