The Climbing Thread

joelk2 said:
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.
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Be thankful you're not at one of the weird north american gyms where the holds are all different colours but with different strips of paper attached to em, they're a nightmare. Just take a second before you start to read the route and try and remember where it goes.

joelk2 said:
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?
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Socks probably ok, although anything but the most easy routes will be tough. No barefoot though, that's gross and you'll get told off :P
 
The big downside to the coloured holds system is that you tend to get sets of holds so that all of the route uses a similar type of hold. Its nice to get a route that has crimps, slopers, pinches etc.

The other issue is that you tend to end up with the same moves on the same holds once you have been climbing at a wall for too long. If you look at Japanese walls they tend to have large sections that are just full to the brim with various holds and routes are set up them. Its a bit more daunting for a beginner but is ultimately more useful as a training tool.
 
The random holds of all shapes and colours, with tape of some shape is the old school way. My local has a couple walls still like this but it's more for the higher level lot to have fun with. I do find there's no way I can push the same way on random routes; spend more time trying to find the next hold. Depending on what's setup there are specific layouts of holds that have apps that people can post routes for. The MoonBoard is the common one from what I understand these days.

So far I've not had any issues with coloured sets being repetitive but there tends to be at least two sets with overlapping grades and they're changed regularly. But saying that, there are sets that I much prefer and are a better fit for me.

The problem I'm having is a fear of falling / heights and it's becoming a real problem for finishing some routes. There's a couple I just can't do one of the moves on. It's getting better then more I climb and hang out up high but it's very much still there.
 
My current local place swaps the grades of the colours occasionally to mix up the sets, so you're not stuck with the same holds at your grade.

If my house purchase goes through though I'll be switching to the Climbing Unit in Derby though as it's a lot closer. Pretty decent gym there though, and closer to the peaks! Desperate to get outdoors again but just don't have the time atm.
 
joelk2 said:
Are the shoes in gooutdoors ok?

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15904166/evolv-men-s-nighthawk-climbing-shoe-15904166

These ones seem to look ok. Is there anything specific to look for etc?
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Your best bet is to go and try a load on. Climbing shoes are a very personal thing as all the brands and models are shaped differently. All of my shoes are Evolvs as they seem to fit me perfectly however I've got friends that have tried them and found them painful or badly fitting.

fez said:
The other issue is that you tend to end up with the same moves on the same holds once you have been climbing at a wall for too long.
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That's the problem with the place I go to. I've been going for so long now that I know pretty much all the holds for each colour off by heart!

mid_gen said:
Desperate to get outdoors again but just don't have the time atm.
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I've not managed to get outdoors since the start of January. :( Every weekend recently has been too wet for trad or bouldering and not cold enough for winter climbing! Scotland is looking a bit more promising at the moment though so hopefully I can at least get some winter routes done this season.
 
Street said:
That's the problem with the place I go to. I've been going for so long now that I know pretty much all the holds for each colour off by heart!
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Yeah, they never change the grade that a certain colour sits in, the holds in some sets are really badly suited to the grade they are setting at and most of the holds are coming up to 4 years old and are generally quite *******. Luckily some other walls have opened up recently within a reasonable distance so I can go there for better routesetting, holds and angles of wall. Just a shame thats 35 minutes drive away vs 5 minutes walk to my local wall.
 
Got some shoes, read about shoes quite a bit and most places seem to recommend sizing down slightly. I'm a UK 8 normally. Tried a UK 8 in 3 pairs and they were all way to tight and felt way too small. Ended up with an 8.5 in the shoe I linked too. Reviews seem to suggest it's a good beginner shoe. Even sizing up by half it still feels stupidly tight. After 3 hours today my toes felt squashed and uncomfortable. They supposedly loosen up the more they are worn though so hopefully they'll loosen up to be more comfortable.

Did both auto belay and normal top roping today. Was such good fun. Could manage 6b routes when being belated but nothing more than a V1 on bouldering. Its a whole different ball game. Hands a pretty sore now.
 
joelk2 said:
Got some shoes, read about shoes quite a bit and most places seem to recommend sizing down slightly. I'm a UK 8 normally. Tried a UK 8 in 3 pairs and they were all way to tight and felt way too small. Ended up with an 8.5 in the shoe I linked too. Reviews seem to suggest it's a good beginner shoe. Even sizing up by half it still feels stupidly tight. After 3 hours today my toes felt squashed and uncomfortable. They supposedly loosen up the more they are worn though so hopefully they'll loosen up to be more comfortable.

Did both auto belay and normal top roping today. Was such good fun. Could manage 6b routes when being belated but nothing more than a V1 on bouldering. Its a whole different ball game. Hands a pretty sore now.
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As long as the shoes are reasonably comfortable you will be fine with them for your first pair. Most people end up downsizing at least a size, perhaps more from their street shoe size but sometimes people are doing this because they are trying to make a shoe fit them that doesn't suit their foot shape.
 
fez said:
As long as the shoes are reasonably comfortable you will be fine with them for your first pair. Most people end up downsizing at least a size, perhaps more from their street shoe size but sometimes people are doing this because they are trying to make a shoe fit them that doesn't suit their foot shape.
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Theyll do for now. I had the choice of 3 pairs and from looking around there's no where reasonably close to find other shoes that i can try on. sized up for some added comfort. I've read they stretch and soften up so hopefully that will help.
 
joelk2 said:
Theyll do for now. I had the choice of 3 pairs and from looking around there's no where reasonably close to find other shoes that i can try on. sized up for some added comfort. I've read they stretch and soften up so hopefully that will help.
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They stretch a little but the main thing they do is conform to your foot shape after a while which makes them feel bigger.
 
fez said:
Most people end up downsizing at least a size, perhaps more from their street shoe size but sometimes people are doing this because they are trying to make a shoe fit them that doesn't suit their foot shape.
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I never get the obsession some people seem to have with having cripplingly tight shoes and downsizing so much they hurt. I climb with people that can't keep their shoes on for more than 10 minutes and we climb at the same grades.
 
Street said:
I never get the obsession some people seem to have with having cripplingly tight shoes and downsizing so much they hurt. I climb with people that can't keep their shoes on for more than 10 minutes and we climb at the same grades.
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Amen. No need for aggressive tight shoes for 99% of routes. You'll climb better and harder if your feet don't hurt.

I have some tight aggressive shoes but I only put them on when I really really want to beat a route with some ridiculous tiny footchips...then the comfy shoes go back on straight after.
 
Street said:
I never get the obsession some people seem to have with having cripplingly tight shoes and downsizing so much they hurt. I climb with people that can't keep their shoes on for more than 10 minutes and we climb at the same grades.
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I think its just something that has become part of the culture of climbing over the years. When I started you were told to go as tight as possible which I guess isn't so bad until you start to do more slab and modern comp style that requires a lot of smearing. A well fitted pair of shoes will always be better for 95% of things than a pair of super tight but poorly suited boots.

Pro tips kids, set an alert on ebay for the shoes you like and keep an eye out. I have bought 4 pairs of shoes this way for an average of £50 per pair from people who go too small with their shoes and end up having to sell them in brand new condition after a few sessions of use.
 
fez said:
Pro tips kids, set an alert on ebay for the shoes you like and keep an eye out. I have bought 4 pairs of shoes this way for an average of £50 per pair from people who go too small with their shoes and end up having to sell them in brand new condition after a few sessions of use.
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I've got a few pairs doing it this way in the past. Nearly new for half the price! :)
 
Was doing some V2's today which I'm happy with. Got one I spent a long time on, which was a little annoying. Could do the whole run except getting to the final hold. Its out of my reach (5ft 6)so requires a little jump and I really don't trust my footing.
 
seth1969 said:
Is there a thread for winter climbing/mountaineering or is just in here?

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That's more winter climbing than I've managed this year! Winter has been non existent in Wales this season and the weekends I've had set aside for Scotland the conditions weren't worth the drive up. I was planning a trip up a few weeks back and then all this kicked off. I've even scrapped my trip up to Orkney in June for the Old Man of Hoy. :( At least I managed a few trad sessions out in the Peak before lock down.
 
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