The Climbing Thread
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At The Hangar again? I probably saw you down there.. Tuesday and Thursday evenings I'm either at AW or TCH.
At The Hangar again? I probably saw you down there.. Tuesday and Thursday evenings I'm either at AW or TCH.
Yeah, was only there for an hour till 5:30. Got a lovely DOMS feeling. Looking forward to the matchworks hanger opening
So... Tonight I'm going to Northwest face in Warrington for some roped climbing this time.
I realised bouldering last time that I'm much more comfortable with the height than I was when I first started. I'm hoping some exposure to the bigger heights whilst top roping will sort me out!
I realised bouldering last time that I'm much more comfortable with the height than I was when I first started. I'm hoping some exposure to the bigger heights whilst top roping will sort me out!
Good stuff
I've joined a mountaineering club this month ready to get outdoors when the weather improves. Also had a bit of a breakthrough, went to meet the MC in Derby, so spent an evening climbing with some people who climb a grade or two above me.
I realised I haven't plateaued as much as I though, I just haven't been trying hard enough! I put in some burns on V6/7A routes, managed a couple. Confirmed this by going back to my regular gym in the week and completing half the ~V6 circuit that I couldn't make a dent in before...
Glad I finally cracked that 7A barrier
Just have to pull like a madman and push through your toes like your life depends on it, and the routes go down....Have started bouldering at The Weedon Project this year. Only been 4 times so far, but am finding excellant fun and everyone there is very friendly.
Only managing the V0, V0+ and some of the V1 problems so far. But am loving the challenging overhang problems though.
Bit the bullet and bought myself some climbing shoes (La Sportiva Katana), and some climbing chalk (Unicorn Dust).
Only managing the V0, V0+ and some of the V1 problems so far. But am loving the challenging overhang problems though.
Bit the bullet and bought myself some climbing shoes (La Sportiva Katana), and some climbing chalk (Unicorn Dust).
from media this week - not sure if there are multiple verions of the new Leo Houlding spectre film ? - some pay per view - others free.->
https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/leo-houlding-climber-profile
caught this too (did they use drones) : Mirror Wall
https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/leo-houlding-climber-profile
caught this too (did they use drones) : Mirror Wall
I went to see him do a talk about the Spectre Expedition last year, was really interesting. He's just got back from climbing a tepui somewhere as well.
The Asgard Project is worth a watch too.
Always had an interest in trying climbing but never got around to having a go. Took my daughter last weekend to a session and again this morning. This morning session was super quiet 3 children so the guy asked me if I wanted a go (was only a 6M high auto belay wall) I wasn't dressed for the occasion, jeans and skate shoes but i had so much fun.
I managed to do a timed run in 6.1 seconds which the instructor was impressed with, he was even more impressed when I told him that was my first time ever!
Have the bug now though, am signing up for a parent belay course so I can take my 2 girls when I please but also want to get into it myself.
In terms of equipment what's the basic stuff I can get away with? Presumably shoes is quite important?
What else would be considered as basic stuff needed?
I managed to do a timed run in 6.1 seconds which the instructor was impressed with, he was even more impressed when I told him that was my first time ever!
Have the bug now though, am signing up for a parent belay course so I can take my 2 girls when I please but also want to get into it myself.
In terms of equipment what's the basic stuff I can get away with? Presumably shoes is quite important?
What else would be considered as basic stuff needed?
If you're bouldering, shoes and chalk is all you need. Maybe some brushes at some point. If you're lead climbing, you'll need a belay plate, krab, harness and rope as well. If it's just for indoor use, you can grab shorter lengths of rope around 10mm for a reasonable price. Doesn't need to be anything fancy with dry treatment etc as it'll just get hammered. It's only really when you start climbing outdoors that the gear cost ramps up!
Most places will rent equipment too so you can work out if you enjoy it without having to spend out right away. Rental shoes are awful though, usually hard rubber with no grip that don't inspire confidence in footwork.
Just indoor climbing I'd be doing.
Will start with the shoes and chalk bag as they are transferable between climbing and bouldering.
The course I'll be doing is top rope climbing rather than lead climbing.
any recommendations for some decent but maybe more budget friendly shoes?
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Your best bet is to try a load on and figure out which brands fit your feet. My feet fit Evolv shoes perfectly for example, but 5.10s are cripplingly painful. Some walls sell shoes and have demo pairs so you can try before you buy, failing that it's really worth getting to a shop that has a decent selection.
Just get whatever cheap shoes are comfortable for your first pair, make sure you try em on. Places like Go Outdoors have a reasonable enough selection to start with.
Different brands do have different fits. Evolvs are a good for wider feet, my all day/gym shoe is the Evolv nighthawk atm.
cheers chaps,
going to book into the course over the next month or so and sort out the relevant course so i can access whenever i like myself too.
thankfully they open til 10pm every night with last entry being 9pm so it will fit in with putting kids to bed etc.
am i right in thinking the difference between lead climbing and bouldering is the size of the wall? and lead climbing you clip yourself in on the way up.
as far as bouldering progression goes, do you just move onto the harder routes when you feel like it?
Bouldering is no ropes, you just climb lower walls that are safe to fall off at any part.
Top-roping is when you start with the rope running up and down the anchor at the top. It's easier to start with as you don't need to worry about clipping and you can't really fall as long as your belayer is taking up slack.
Lead climbing is when you start at the bottom with the rope coiled up next to you, and you clip in as you climb. You can fall a fair way before the rope catches you on lead, depending on how far above the last clip you are.
Bouldering progression? Yeah just climb as hard routes as you can manage, no harm in trying things that are way above your level!
I went to my local place rather than the session I signed up for a bit further away. Luckily I cancelled that as the road on route was closed Sunday due to flooding.
I
was fun. I mainly stood and helped my daughter up the walls but could do V1's when I tried. Didn't try anything above that.
They've reset the walls this week so will try and go this weekend.
I found it all very confusing as to where I needed to finish. So many colours on the walls, I was expecting things like the YouTube videos I'd seen where there was only a couple of colours on the walls.
What's the etiquette regarding shoes? Someone was just covering the front desk when I went so gave us shoes for free. My daughter found it better to just wear socks though. No one said anything but didn't know if that's frowned upon?
I
was fun. I mainly stood and helped my daughter up the walls but could do V1's when I tried. Didn't try anything above that.
They've reset the walls this week so will try and go this weekend.
I found it all very confusing as to where I needed to finish. So many colours on the walls, I was expecting things like the YouTube videos I'd seen where there was only a couple of colours on the walls.
What's the etiquette regarding shoes? Someone was just covering the front desk when I went so gave us shoes for free. My daughter found it better to just wear socks though. No one said anything but didn't know if that's frowned upon?
The trouble with a lot of walls is limited space so they have to cram all the grades in the space they have. You generally stick to one colour and finish on the very top hold and the different colours usually correspond to a certain grade. Climbing shoes are definitely better than wearing socks though so it's worth persevering, she might get away with it on the easier grades as they're pretty much jug ladders but anything above that would be harder.