18
votes
Why don't climbing professional use all their fingers on small holds?
Every time a climber finds a way to place more fingers on a hold, he/she will. If he/she is not using all fingers, it's because:
They're training their fingers to get stronger,
It's impossible to ...
- 3,394
15
votes
Accepted
Does "Sport Climbing" refer to bolted climbing outdoors only or both indoors and outdoors
You (arguably) are right. I would even approach it the other way around: Should there be another description for outdoor lead climbing on bolted routes.
"Proof": Climbing on artificial holds has ...
- 21.8k
12
votes
Accepted
How do UIAA falls add up over time?/When to replace a rope
I am sure there is no simple formula to add everything up as the load of a high factor fall is not increasing linearly. There have been experiments conducted by Pit Schubert in which he tested a rope ...
- 7,850
11
votes
Accepted
How do I know when to retire a climbing harness?
When it's beyond the lifetime recommended by the manufacturer.
When you see abrasion or damage that is more than superficial on any of the load-bearing components. This means you have to inspect your ...
- 5,143
11
votes
Why don't climbing professional use all their fingers on small holds?
I think it is easiest to understand if you think about a small pocket where you can fit a single finger in deeply and securely or jam two fingers in poorly. While it is always nice to distribute the ...
- 10.7k
11
votes
Accepted
Jelly Knees while climbing
Most likely this is not a problem of physical power or endurance. A moderately active person should have sufficiently trained legs for climbing. This is especially true for the beginner end of the ...
- 7,850
10
votes
Accepted
What kind of ropes are used for very long sport routes (like Chilam Balam)?
I don't know what makes you think climbing ropes are limited at 80m. They are produced in one very long strand and then cut to the sizes you find in the store. I agree 80m is the max for what is ...
- 21.8k
10
votes
How is an attempt defined in sport climbing?
If you start a route, fall, lower down a bit, and then climb to the top, most people would not say that you have sent the route. See What is the term for completing a climbing route uncleanly?. Most ...
- 10.7k
10
votes
What counts as on- or off-route while outdoor climbing?
This is a well-known problem, escpecially on sport routes that have been bolted on rappel and have a bolt placed every like 2m in a straight line. The only real solution is to ask someone involved in ...
- 7,850
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
Has any late-starting climber (36 years old) ever accomplished anything noteworthy?
I've been thinking if it is possible to achieve anything (worthy of mention) for someone who started at [36]
Lee Sheftel started climbing at 33, climbed 5.14a at 59 and 5.13b at 68
Margarita Martinez ...
- 959
8
votes
Accepted
What safety concerns are there about automatic belay machines?
Regarding your own safety:
Attachment: Do actually use and clip into the auto-belay system. It sounds ridiculous, but according to @Guran did happen, and it's not that hard to imagine. In many gyms ...
- 21.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to use a nylon climbing runner/webbing that has a small fray?
Retire that sling. Use it for some handicraft work at home or similar.
Firstly: If in doubt about a piece of gear, don't entrust your live to it.
Doing a more detailed analysis without seeing it in ...
- 21.8k
8
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 ...
- 21.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Rock climbing grading theory
The theory is that (sport) grades should reflect the technical skill, strength and stamina required to redpoint the route.
Therefore the definition of, say a 8a route is that "a climber that ...
- 2,002
8
votes
Accepted
Lead climb weight ratios
A 2/3 weight ratio is definitely at the absolut top of what is routinely manageable for lead climbing, and I would not recommend that for novices.
Additional weights are an option, but 10 pounds will ...
- 5,143
8
votes
Accepted
Best uses for a twist-lock carabiner
Nobody ever complained of having too many carabiners; you did not waste your money no matter what you do with it right now. Clip it to a stopper knot on the end of your reserve/back-up rope, or use it ...
- 654
7
votes
Avoiding a "ding-dong" when lead belaying in the gym?
There are devices exactly for this scenario.
For example Edeldrid has the "Ohm Assisted Braking Device" in their product range:
https://www.rei.com/product/117728/edelrid-ohm-assisted-braking-device
...
- 71
7
votes
What's the easiest way of improving my strength without a large investment of time?
What you really want to do is "repeatedly" train in Bodyweight / Calisthenics/ Gymnastics/ Acrobatic oriented muscle chain & neural pathways, across varied planes & directions of motion; ...
- 368
7
votes
Rock climbing grading theory
There are many aspects to a climbing route's difficulty, so it is fundamentally questionable to lump it all into one number, and is really only accepted because most climbers don't have a huge ...
- 5,143
7
votes
Does "Sport Climbing" refer to bolted climbing outdoors only or both indoors and outdoors
It is more about style than routes.
The term "Sport climbing" generally (traditionally) refers to climbing (routes longer than boulder problems) in such a way that the climber only have to focus on ...
- 2,002
7
votes
What's the easiest way of improving my strength without a large investment of time?
This depends on the person of course, but yes, any type of extra exercise which is sufficiently long would be beneficial. And 20min of fingerboard might just do the trick. Especially with climbing ...
- 881
7
votes
Accepted
How do I know the local ettiquete on lowering vs. rappeling?
As you should have seen in the answer there, you can first check the guidebook(s) to see if they mention anything.
Another resource is The Mountain Project where you may get an answer, either by ...
- 2,599
6
votes
Accepted
When, how and by whom was sport climbing invented?
As far as I know, the "change of paradigm" that led to the birth of sport climbing happened between the 70s and the 80s, and it happened separately in Europe and in the United States.
From ...
- 907
6
votes
Lead climb weight ratios
While having a belayer that is much lighter than the climber is clearly not ideal, especially on lead, it isn't insurmountable.
A famous climbing couple from days of yore was comprised of Lynn Hill ...
- 9,648
6
votes
Influence of little finger length on climbing performance
I did not look whether such a study exist, but I want to reason why it's futile to conduct such a study.
Rock climbing performance depends way less on finger strength than most people assume (...
- 61
6
votes
Accepted
Why is it considered good practice to not remain attached to just a Personal Anchor System?
In general, redundancy is key. Second, it is critical to retain the rope at the top of the climb. If the rope falls with the climber anchored to the top, you're going to be in for one heck of a time....
- 2,599
5
votes
What kind of ropes are used for very long sport routes (like Chilam Balam)?
As discussed in other answers, the easiest option would be to just have a custom rope and then everything works as you would expect. In a similar pro-climber vein, don't discount using rigging from ...
- 4,242
5
votes
Accepted
How to attach climbing holds / rungs to a tree trunk without harming the tree
You can bolt the holds onto a (strong) wooden plank and use a ratchet lashing strap to attach the plank to the tree. Better yet: use two. One at the top of the plank and one at the bottom.
You will ...
- 166
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