Does anybody here do rockclimbing?

dieck

Adventurer
melotaco said:
I want to get into rock climbing :REAdvRockClimber: , but have no clue where to start. Should I start at a indoor gym? What kind of equipment will I need?


I've done a little but I'm going to have to get a lot more proficient. The best way is usually to find some local guys that already have a passion for it and tag along with them. Most indoor gyms give lessons (the good ones require it before they let you rent gear, which is a sure sign you are new to it)
 

Icewalker

Adventurer
Suppose I should subscribe - done a little but I'm more of a ham and egger. Gym seems to be no probs - but I haven't climed a rock in anger for a good few years now :( maybe after I can get this cold weather stuff out of my system ;)
 

Hltoppr

El Gringo Spectacular!
Indoor gyms are an excellent way to get started. Many have beginner classes and packages for the top roping sport climber.

You'll meet people at the gym who will be happy to show you the local routes once you move outside.

And add one very, very, friggin' VERY important piece of gear....A climb helmet. Just get it and wear it. Very often a helmet is the difference between a rescue and a recovery for us SAR folks when things go wrong! :bigbossHL:

-H-
 

melotaco

Observer
Hey guys thanks for the replies. I'm sorry I have not been on here much becuase of the holidays. I will sign up for a class soon as they recommended it to get comfortable with climbing and also to ask questions if I had any. A helmet is something I did not think about but will have to keep it in mind.
 

melotaco

Observer
upcruiser said:
I've wanted to get into climbing since I was a kid but it wasn't untill a couple of years ago I really started doing it. We have some great local climbing here plus in the complex that my office is located is a great indoor wall. I haven't really enjoyed it much indoors personally and just do it outdoors when the weather is nice here in the spring, summer, and fall or when I'm travelling. For the most part I just boulder as it is simple, just my chalk bag and my shoes and I'm good to go. I've summitted alot of peaks over the years, nothing very technical, mostly hiking with some scrambling here and there in the summer months along with some minor alpine stuff, mostly with skis for the purpose of getting some turns in off piste. I read alot of books on alpineering and ice climbing, just haven't done much technical stuff.

I think all aspects of it are great and make for a lifelong adventure. I'm looking forward to meeting up with some of you guys/gals in the future and learning even more.

Hey just wondering if you have any recommendations on alpineering expedition/adventure books?
 

cinemakatie

New member
melotaco said:
Hey just wondering if you have any recommendations on alpineering expedition/adventure books?

Since you live In Oregon, check this book out: Selected Climbs in the Cascades by Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield. I read about it in a magazine that I get that was reviewing adventure books. The magazine gave it a great review, and I actually saw it at Barnes and Noble and couple of weeks ago. I've been to the gym a couple of times, and am looking foreword to climbing on some real rocks this spring!

My grandparents have a house in the Kentucky Mountains, and I've spent some time exploring Daniel Boone National Forest. There is some awesome rock climbing there, I was surprised, you wouldn't expect to find rock climbing like that in the south! We checked out Red River Gorge and saw climbers everywhere! I'm hoping to spend time there this summer, but if anyone climbs in the Ohio/KY region go check it out!

Katie
 

melotaco

Observer
cinemakatie said:
Since you live In Oregon, check this book out: Selected Climbs in the Cascades by Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfield. I read about it in a magazine that I get that was reviewing adventure books. The magazine gave it a great review, and I actually saw it at Barnes and Noble and couple of weeks ago. I've been to the gym a couple of times, and am looking foreword to climbing on some real rocks this spring!

My grandparents have a house in the Kentucky Mountains, and I've spent some time exploring Daniel Boone National Forest. There is some awesome rock climbing there, I was surprised, you wouldn't expect to find rock climbing like that in the south! We checked out Red River Gorge and saw climbers everywhere! I'm hoping to spend time there this summer, but if anyone climbs in the Ohio/KY region go check it out!

Katie

Hey thanks for the suggestion I will be going to Powells tomorrow to check it out.
 

JPFreek1

Explorer
I would say that I enjoy rock climbing more than any other outdoor activity. Not only does it provide excellent physical challenge, it also requires focus and that is what makes it so enjoyable for me. When I climb, I can let go of everything external (whether it's work, etc) and use skill and strategy that is unrivaled. Also, I've always been afraid of heights but when I climb, it's different. I probably feel more comfortable 100-200 feet up on a multi-pitch climb than I ever do when I stand on the edge of a balcony. It's weird but overall, climbing is a 'high' that I am passionate about.
 

Azrocks

Adventurer
I have a little different take on how to learn the "ropes" so to speak. :D I started climbing by going out with an ex military guy who was absolutaly insane about safety. I really got into climbing for about five years. I started going to the gym to get stronger.

Some of the most dangerous things I saw was guys that started in the gym and then made the jump to the outdoors. It's a different world. Kind of like web wheeling vs. real wheeling. :D My suggestion for anybody looking to get into the sport is to go to your local REI, climbing gear supply shop, and try to hook up with some guys that climb outdoors. Most (not all) are more than willing to teach a new person. You will learn the important stuff like how to set your anchors, read a wall, knots, etc.

You really haven't lived until you lead a multi-pitch climb in perfect weather. There's nothing like it.

The gym has it's place. I was asked to do competitions but never did. I judged a lot of them in Tempe but never participated myself. It would have tainted it for me.

The nice thing about climbing is it can be age, gender, and ability independant. There's something for everybody.
 

grahamfitter

Expedition Leader
Azrocks said:
I have a little different take on how to learn the "ropes" so to speak. :D I started climbing by going out with an ex military guy who was absolutaly insane about safety. I really got into climbing for about five years. I started going to the gym to get stronger.

Some of the most dangerous things I saw was guys that started in the gym and then made the jump to the outdoors. It's a different world. Kind of like web wheeling vs. real wheeling. :D My suggestion for anybody looking to get into the sport is to go to your local REI, climbing gear supply shop, and try to hook up with some guys that climb outdoors. Most (not all) are more than willing to teach a new person. You will learn the important stuff like how to set your anchors, read a wall, knots, etc.

You really haven't lived until you lead a multi-pitch climb in perfect weather. There's nothing like it.

The gym has it's place. I was asked to do competitions but never did. I judged a lot of them in Tempe but never participated myself. It would have tainted it for me.

The nice thing about climbing is it can be age, gender, and ability independant. There's something for everybody.

The hardest part about learning to climb is learning who to trust. I've seen so many people do so many scary things over the years that I seriously recommend that anybody who wants to learn to climb should pay for instruction from a professional guiding service. That way you know you are learning safe techniques and you are also in good hands.

If you do learn from friends, you can learn a lot about how competent they are by paying close attention to what they do. How do they instruct you? Do they explain everything they're telling you to do and everything they're doing themselves? Do they treat the rope really carefully? Do they check each others gear? Do they communicate with each other and you clearly? Is all their gear new and shiny, suggesting it hasn't seen much use? Are knots cleanly tied so they look like a work of art rather than a piece of spaghetti? If they're lending you gear (like a harness) do they say how old it is and who's been using it?

Also, and this is just my rather eccentric opinion, anybody who doesn't have some old school gear is of questionable character, regardless of how safely they climb. So ask to see what a tri-cam or hex looks like. ;)

Cheers,
Graham
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
I started climbing in 1991 when I lived in Colorado. By 1998 I was doing 2 and 3 day big wall climbs sleeping on portaledges and hauling big gear in places like Zion and Yosemite. I'm also a pretty solid ice climber and alpinist. I'm a certified American Mountain Guide Association guide/instructor, so I've been around a ton of newbies and old sage rope dawgs. My advice is to not just have some buddy teach you to climb unless they really...REALLY know what they're doing. I was lucky enough to have 3 guys who were AMGA guides teach me everything from where to place my feet to how to get climbing permits in the Alps.

There's two facets to climbing. One: Moving over stone. Two: Gear management and risk assessment. You can learn to move over stone in a gym or by bouldering. The gym is a safe environment to learn about belaying skills, basic knots, rope handling etc. Once you feel solid there, you can move to a top rope environment where you only build one anchor. This is were many, many people peak and do no more, which is fine. The next progression is to sport climbing where you clip bolts in the rock. Here again, many stop here. Next you can learn to "Trad" climb, which is to say you place your own protective gear (cams, nuts, hexes) in the rock. This is where it gets cool. Beyond that, you can look into Aid or Big Wall climbing where you might tackle walls in excess of 2,000ft over the course of a couple days. Then you can fold in ice, mixed routes.....big mountiains....sky is the limit. You will also never, ever, ever stop learning with regard to gear management.

Being a certified guide, I've climbed with hundreds of people. I'd wager that less than 20 made me feel like they knew what the heck they were doing. Climbing is full of bad habits and hordes of people that have a "pretty good" idea of what they're doing. Why there aren't more deaths in the sport is a real baffler to me. I followed my climbing parter on at least 200 pitches over the course of 2 years before he finally gave me the lead. Patience grasshopper. The last person I "taught" to climb was a 6 month project. You don't just show someone how to climb one weekend. You make a deal, set a goal and every crag day is a school day. The way I look at it, if I do a shoddy job of instructing someone, that in turn could invite the death or injury of that person plus the poor sucker on the other end of their rope.

A good place to start is the classic book: Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills by the Mountaineers. That is the hands down bible of all things climbing. Buy it. Read it. Read it one more time before you step into a harness. Next, take some classes. Lastly, go with someone you trust and not just with anyone headed out to the crags. Climbing used to have a real student/teacher aspect to it which got lost in the mid 90s. Now guys hit REI and the local crag in the same month.

Climbing is a fantastic sport. It can also be extremely dangerous. I became an AMGA guide in large part so I wouldn't kill the guys I was with. Later it was so I wouldn't kill the guys who paid to follow me. I've lost 2 friends to climbing and one more that probably won't ever walk "normally" ever again. I actually don't climb anymore for that reason. In fact, I doubt I'll ever tie in to a rope in my near future.

The best advice every given to me was by Pete Takeda (look that name up) when he and I climbed together in Colorado. He said, "If at a certain point you begin to wonder if you're in over you're head, chances are you have been in over your head for quite some time." He also said, "You'll do well to always push your physical limits and never, ever to tempt the limits of humility and good judgement."
 
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