Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Ubiquitus
Nov 20, 2011

Sometimes it’s just about getting used to taking falls. If you’re safe at a height that feels scary, try to take a fall on something easy. The more you do it (hopefully) the less scary it gets

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Slimy Hog
Apr 22, 2008

Ubiquitus posted:

Sometimes it’s just about getting used to taking falls. If you’re safe at a height that feels scary, try to take a fall on something easy. The more you do it (hopefully) the less scary it gets

Yeah, I really need to do this...

asur
Dec 28, 2012
Maybe I'm over exaggerating the danger, but falling outdoor bouldering seems like injury roulette unless the landing area is flat, stacked with pads, and you have a spotter.

jiggerypokery
Feb 1, 2012

...But I could hardly wait six months with a red hot jape like that under me belt.

Pads are Super Effective!

You can do a lot with not many

Sab669
Sep 24, 2009

asur posted:

Maybe I'm over exaggerating the danger, but falling outdoor bouldering seems like injury roulette unless the landing area is flat, stacked with pads, and you have a spotter.

It really really depends on the specific climb / crag. Some have great flat clean landings, otherwise slide down a short hill. And yea some very sketchy top outs can be very unnerving, even if the climb itself was easy.

ploots
Mar 19, 2010
The only horrific injuries I’ve seen were in the gym. Lots of confounding factors, obviously, but once you’ve learned how to fall the gym seems at least as dangerous as outside.

armorer
Aug 6, 2012

I like metal.

Electoral Surgery posted:

The only horrific injuries I’ve seen were in the gym. Lots of confounding factors, obviously, but once you’ve learned how to fall the gym seems at least as dangerous as outside.

Mistakes can happen anywhere, but I think it's a safe blanket statement that climbing outdoors is more dangerous than climbing in a gym. Other than padded floors, gym walls are designed such that you're not going to hit a ledge on the way down, and (roped) routes are typically set in relatively vertical lines such that bad swings are significantly less likely. Ropes are replaced on routine intervals, equipment is checked at least annually, there are a lot more eyes on climbers, and in case of an accident medical assistance is much more readily available.

The worst accidents I've seen have also been in gyms, but I think that's selection bias because there are SO MANY more climbers there on any given night than there are at some particular crag, and because I personally spend many more hours in the gym over the course of a year than I do out on real rock. Finally, the folks that I climb outdoors with are people who have significant climbing experience and are less likely to make a mistake or climb in an unsafe way than new climbers (which gyms have tons of).

ploots
Mar 19, 2010
Yeah roped is a different set of conditions, I was only thinking about bouldering.

Mezzanon
Sep 16, 2003

Pillbug

Sab669 posted:

It really really depends on the specific climb / crag. Some have great flat clean landings, otherwise slide down a short hill. And yea some very sketchy top outs can be very unnerving, even if the climb itself was easy.

(Trying not to doxx myself) the crag I usually climb on has just heinous landings so you need an abundance of pads AND spotters: https://27crags.com/crags/frank-slide

But also, if anyone else climbs in this area, dm me.

Endjinneer
Aug 17, 2005
Fallen Rib
Fondly remembering the days before pads when climbers would lay out a bar towel below the route and wipe their boots on it before setting off.

M. Night Skymall
Mar 22, 2012

Got my first outdoor V7 and took a pretty fun fall trying to repeat it for the send footage. Think it's pretty demonstrative that if you pad well outside, even unexpected falls can be relatively safe. This didn't really hurt at all, even with my lovely trying to break my elbow fall technique.
https://i.imgur.com/JguL5ie.mp4

spwrozek
Sep 4, 2006

Sail when it's windy

The best part is your buddy giving you a hand after you smack the ground and just miss the tree with your head.

armorer
Aug 6, 2012

I like metal.

M. Night Skymall posted:

Got my first outdoor V7 and took a pretty fun fall trying to repeat it for the send footage. Think it's pretty demonstrative that if you pad well outside, even unexpected falls can be relatively safe. This didn't really hurt at all, even with my lovely trying to break my elbow fall technique.
https://i.imgur.com/JguL5ie.mp4

<hownottofall.gif>


But seriously, good work on the v7 and glad you're okay.

M. Night Skymall
Mar 22, 2012

armorer posted:

<hownottofall.gif>


But seriously, good work on the v7 and glad you're okay.

Thanks, I think it's all the gym climbing. I used to be a lot more careful about my arms, guess I'll have to consciously practice it again before I actually break something.

Sab669
Sep 24, 2009

Years of snowboarding has basically taught me to just bring my arms to my head/face and curl up like a ball lol.

spwrozek
Sep 4, 2006

Sail when it's windy

Sab669 posted:

Years of snowboarding has basically taught me to just bring my arms to my head/face and curl up like a ball lol.

Literally how I taught people how to fall when I was a snowboard instructor.

KingColliwog
May 15, 2003

Let's go droogs

M. Night Skymall posted:

Got my first outdoor V7 and took a pretty fun fall trying to repeat it for the send footage. Think it's pretty demonstrative that if you pad well outside, even unexpected falls can be relatively safe. This didn't really hurt at all, even with my lovely trying to break my elbow fall technique.
https://i.imgur.com/JguL5ie.mp4

I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worst about falling outdoors hahahaha. You did have quite a lot of pads though which is nice. I usually climb with only 2 real pads and an extra thin one and it's probably why it feels so precarious. Thankfully 15 years of judo means I usually have pretty awesome falling skills that happen on their own, but you can still gently caress up and get injured. It really gets down to amount of pads and quality spotters. The only time I ever really felt truly 100% good falling on an outdoor boulder was when there was like 3 guys spotting me and like 5 pads.

KingColliwog fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Jan 24, 2022

asur
Dec 28, 2012
I should probably ask in the snowboarding thread, but what is the best way to train that? I have no issue not spreading my arms out and/or landing on my wrists when failing bouldering, but I cant do it when I fall when snowboarding. I think the main difference is that I have some warning when falling bouldering and very little or none when falling snowboarding.

asur fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Jan 24, 2022

Sab669
Sep 24, 2009

I'm not sure about that. Spend hours jumping onto your bed with your snowboard strapped to your legs and work on what you do with your hands :hmmyes:


I do think outdoors can be made to be almost as "safe feeling" as indoors, but some boulders are inherently going to be more sketchy than others:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcOtx_ZUrZw

Here's a boulder at my "local" crag where it's just a long rear end hill. The problem that dude was attempting goes up and to the right, but obviously to the left is downhill so it's just a very awkward thing. Then at the base of the hill is a really long traverse that works its way up the whole thing. Clearly we had like a dozen pads and some thin little blubber pad (as we call it? Dunno if it has a real name) but that one tends to just slip n slide right over the rest.

In the scheme of things even that isn't bad, yes it's an incline but it's largely even the whole way down and no precariously placed rocks. But it's one of the sketchier ones I have on video so nyah.

armorer
Aug 6, 2012

I like metal.

asur posted:

I should probably ask in the snowboarding thread, but what is the best way to train that? I have no issue not spreading my arms out and/or landing on my wrists when failing bouldering, but I cant do it when I fall when snowboarding. I think the main difference is that I have some warning when falling bouldering and very little or none when falling snowboarding.

Something I've started hearing recently regarding snowboarding falls is to keep your hands in fists. It's still not going to help as much as a "tuck and roll" instinct, but if you hit the ground with the fleshy part of a clenched fist it's less likely to do as much damage as hitting it with the heel of your palm.

jiggerypokery
Feb 1, 2012

...But I could hardly wait six months with a red hot jape like that under me belt.

I tried that while climbing but curling up in a ball and making fleshy fists turned out not the be the beta

Sab669
Sep 24, 2009

Then you just haven't found the right offwidth crack

armorer
Aug 6, 2012

I like metal.

Sab669 posted:

Then you just haven't found the right offwidth crack

There is no right offwidth, only varying degrees of wrong.

Slow News Day
Jul 4, 2007

I fell and managed to twist my ankle yesterday at the gym. Heard the joints pop, and then I just sat there thinking "please don't be serious please don't be serious..."

After like two minutes and no increasing pain, I finally rolled up my pant sleeve and took a look and there was no swelling. Had full range of motion with minimal pain too, and was able to put weight on it and everything. So I think I got really lucky. Ended up doing hangboarding the rest of the session before heading home.

Scared the hell out of me though.

Aramoro
Jun 1, 2012




So I fell off my mountain bike last year and hosed up my hand and wrist a bit. When I competed at Judo I used to use a Powerball a lot for wrist and forearm strength and I was thinking about getting one to help rehab my wrist. Does anyone else use them and if so do you think they're useful for climbing generally or best to stick to sport specific like a hangboard?

M. Night Skymall
Mar 22, 2012

Aramoro posted:

So I fell off my mountain bike last year and hosed up my hand and wrist a bit. When I competed at Judo I used to use a Powerball a lot for wrist and forearm strength and I was thinking about getting one to help rehab my wrist. Does anyone else use them and if so do you think they're useful for climbing generally or best to stick to sport specific like a hangboard?

I haven't used one, or heard of anyone who does, but generally stuff like that doesn't do anything for climbing strength, it's pretty specific.

jiggerypokery
Feb 1, 2012

...But I could hardly wait six months with a red hot jape like that under me belt.

Wrist strength is sloper strength but most people do wrist curls with dumbells if anything at all, but that is normally aimed at forearm hypertrophy.

Honestly it's effectiveness is questionable.

Wistful of Dollars
Aug 25, 2009

Climbing sages, my wife is looking for her first climbing harness for indoor climbing. Any recommendations for something for a beginner?

Also shoe/shoe brands

Sab669
Sep 24, 2009

Really just whatever is in your price range at the gym will be fine, unless you see yourself doing a lot of outdoor climbing.

Shoes - same really. They'll carry all reputable brands, whatever fits good without being painful. I'm a big fan of velcro as it's easy to take off when your feet start hurting.

KingColliwog
May 15, 2003

Let's go droogs

Wistful of Dollars posted:

Climbing sages, my wife is looking for her first climbing harness for indoor climbing. Any recommendations for something for a beginner?

Also shoe/shoe brands

She should get a very basic harness that doesn't feel uncomfortable when you try it. In a few years she might want something more comfortable or more specific, but the usual BD kit with a chalk bag, a carabiner, an ATC and a harness is a great value option when you start.

Shoes she will need to try a lot of them. She should get something basic (as in flat, not super aggressive) and not super tight. Just something that is snug yet comfortable enough that she doesn't feel like she has to take them off after every try. Brand is absolutely not important, it just depends on the shape of her foot. She really needs to try quite a few to know what will be ok for her. Even the decathlon brand will be perfectly fine for her first shoe.

Happiness Commando
Feb 1, 2002
$$ joy at gunpoint $$

I went to the gym yesterday for the second time since COVID started. Wow am I out of climbing shape.

alnilam
Nov 10, 2009

Yeah at entry level, hell even at advanced level for many use cases, any harness you find reasonably comfortable will do. Don't overthink the harness, but do try a couple on in a place that will let you sit test them, if possible.

Sab669
Sep 24, 2009

What is a "sit test"?


I had my first session in a little over 2 weeks, today, taking it very light after some extra finger pain and 2 weeks of PT. My skin is so sore today, can't imagine only twice in ~2 years, at this point

Baronash
Feb 29, 2012

So what do you want to be called?

Sab669 posted:

What is a "sit test"?

I would imagine a location that'll let you hang in the harness for a while, either on their wall or some apparatus in a store. I can't say I've ever seen the latter, but I would guess that any climbing gym with a retail side would let you get on the wall with it for a couple minutes.

spwrozek
Sep 4, 2006

Sail when it's windy

Baronash posted:

I would imagine a location that'll let you hang in the harness for a while, either on their wall or some apparatus in a store. I can't say I've ever seen the latter, but I would guess that any climbing gym with a retail side would let you get on the wall with it for a couple minutes.

Every climbing shop or REI I have been in has a rope hanging to do the sit test.

Sab669
Sep 24, 2009

Baronash posted:

I would imagine a location that'll let you hang in the harness for a while, either on their wall or some apparatus in a store. I can't say I've ever seen the latter, but I would guess that any climbing gym with a retail side would let you get on the wall with it for a couple minutes.

Ah, makes sense. Yea I know my gym lets you try out harnesses & shoes on the wall before deciding. Never heard it called that

bltzn
Oct 26, 2020

For the record I do not have a foot fetish.
Does anyone have recommendations for a shoe with a less aggressive heel? I have a pair of Tarantulas and there's just too much space in the heel. Is there even such a thing as a less aggressively heeled shoe, or should I just get some kind of heel inserts?

BlancoNino
Apr 26, 2010
I really enjoy my lace up Miuras, I was able to size down from US 10 street shoe to US 8 with little discomfort. They look aggressive to start but I have found that they flatten out quite a bit, and a loose heel has never been a problem for me.

jiggerypokery
Feb 1, 2012

...But I could hardly wait six months with a red hot jape like that under me belt.

Muira lace ups are the best shoe in the world for slab/vert in my humble opinion. They fit me extremely well at least

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

alnilam
Nov 10, 2009

Love my miura velcros, I just can't bring myself to spend $150-200 to try a different shoe when they work so well for me.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply