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Question - when did you all start training on hangboards? (If at all?) I'm about 3 months into climbing now and am completely addicted to it, going to my local gym 3+ times a week, or as often as my hands can hold up. I've got to a point where I'm at a physical roadblock - I just can't do crimping problems, and all the unfinished problems and routes require them. Is 3 months enough time for me not to gently caress up my fingers? I've heard it's bad to do finger training as a beginner, but it's hard to see any way around it for me now. I plan on open-handed and half-crimps to build up my finger strength first, but if the consensus is "it's a bad idea," what are my alternatives?
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Dec 30, 2013 21:19
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Thanks for the advice. The problem I'm having is that I've never actually done any kind of crimpy holds before, and I can't even get on one to start. For example, a V3 with a low crimp grip start - just to get on I need to somehow hold a really freakin thin edge. I really understand how important footwork is, especially since my goal is ultimately sport/lead climbing and I want to be as economic with my climbing as possible. It's just that in my current schedule of bouldering, I want to see if I can get to a point where I can even attempt crimpy holds. I just got a tip from another friend to just do easy climbs, but only using the top two digits of my fingers for all the holds. Going to try this out tonight, might not need the hangboard after all.
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Dec 31, 2013 00:36
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Papercut posted:This is still usually an example of a footwork problem. I see beginners all the time on starts like this with their hips square to the wall, locked off with hands and feet directly in front of them. Usually they should be in something closer to a ninja pose (one leg bent under your body with a straight leg braced way out to the side). Haha I know what you're talking about, most of the sit starts or low starts barely have any footholds, it's all edging/smearing the wall like hell. I'll try to take a pic of it today if I remember. I can actually do the other V3s that don't involve crimps. Blargh. Reformed Tomboy posted:Ask your gym to put up a crimp ladder - V1, all crimps, straight up a wall. It helps beginners learn how to grab crimps without also having to focus on other stuff as when working on a real problem. My gym had one up for like 4 weeks, and every time I'd just work it until my arms gave out. I was really sad when they took it down... I should see if they'll do it again. This is a fantastic idea, thanks! Definitely going to ask, the staff/setters at the gym are all pretty cool people.
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Dec 31, 2013 01:43
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So I haven't really climbed outside my gym since I started, and assumed the grade differences wouldn't be very big between gyms. A few friends dropped by once and mentioned how much more difficult the bouldering grades were at my gym, but I didn't think much of it. Last week I visited LA Boulders and was able to climb up to V5... while I'm a solid V2 at my gym. The disparity was big enough that I'm a bit confused now, either LA Boulders is softballing or Sender One (my gym) is grading exceptionally harder. Is there anyone that goes to either of these gyms that can give me an idea? I don't really care about the numbers, but it's hard to talk with people now when I'm getting advice, and they mention I should be a so and so grade before this and that, like the post above.
tynam fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Feb 21, 2014 |
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Feb 21, 2014 21:58
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I'm a solid V2, starting to put away more and more V3's though but not consistently enough yet. Been climbing for around 6 months now, 3 times a week. I finally have confidence on crimpy edges, which was my major roadblock getting higher up the grades. To improve I just climbed the hell out of crimpy problems, which culminated in flashing a crimpy V3 last week, so I'm hopefully busting through this mini-plateau. I picked up a hangboard at around my third month when I got stuck, and did static hangs off my fingers (while having a footrest, still can't do it completely unaided) as well which probably helped too. I actually had a follow up question - how long have you guys been climbing until you got injured? The kind of injury that puts you out of climbing for 1+ months (tendon injuries/sprains or whatever). I've only had a mild ankle sprain so far but nothing serious enough to keep me from climbing. Judging by all the injury posts though, I'm guessing it might just be a matter of time before I'm due.
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Mar 12, 2014 20:22
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Mausi posted:Can be both or either - I usually boulder at one wall where I climb an average of V2, depending on the techniques required. I've spent the last month climbing at another wall where I think the route setting is not only harder but tends to be much more varied and technical, and I regularly fall off V2s. It still surprises me sometimes how much stronger I get without really noticing it. A problem/route a couple weeks ago that I couldn't do is suddenly much easier now, without really working out any more than my normal climbing routine. On an unrelated note - got my lead cert!  Sent my first 5.10c on lead on the glorious ice cream cone, which felt drat good. Now I just have to hope they add more 10s to that wall, or break into 11s somehow.
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Apr 15, 2014 17:30
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Nevvy Z posted:Oh right shoes. I can't buy those online. But my friends climb this rockwall barefoot without a problem so for now I was gonna not. Do you have pictures of the rockwall by any chance? I'm genuinely curious to see what people are able to climb barefoot.
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Apr 22, 2014 00:24
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4R7 THi3F posted:What's the process of learning how to boulder on holds that don't have any grooves to sink your fingers into? Is it like mostly finger/grip strength, or is it a clever way of using tension and pushing yourself up? I tried to climb some V2's and couldn't even start them because they have harder holds :/ Sounds like slopers? You'd want to keep your entire hand/palm on the hold to garner as much surface area and friction as possible. Also, try to keep your arms straight and stay right under the sloper until you're ready to move up to conserve energy. If you're talking about edges or crimps, it really is just finger strength. You can lessen the impact with good footwork, but you'll eventually need to strengthen up your finger endurance to hold on to those small holds long enough to climb up them.
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May 4, 2014 09:54
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Did my first V3 roof problem last Saturday, and another V3 today. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it now - it's so different from "normal" climbing that it feels like I'm starting all over. I've been focusing on centering my weight underneath the holds so I don't swing so much when I go for the next hold... which was the biggest epiphany for me. Are there any other pointers/tips you guys have for roof problems?
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May 13, 2014 04:47
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Disco Pope posted:Are there any resources you guys could recommend to refresh myself on the fundamentals of climbing? I passed a learn to climb course a while back, and have been bouldering a few times since and was delighted that I finally found something physical that I get a kick out of, but I found myself in the embarrassing situation of being refused entry to a different facility that had a shared bouldering/climbing wall because I'd either forgotten everything or wasn't confident on the basics. I respect the need for them to do that, but it was kind of disheartening. I'm guessing you forgot how to tie in and belay properly for toprope, since I can't imagine a situation where you'd be straight up refused entry to bouldering. You should definitely take courses again since online resources won't give you the muscle memory (or confidence) you'll need to pass belay checks and tests - let alone belay safely for someone else. If money is an issue, just find someone who knows how to toprope belay and ask for instructions - it's ridiculously simple and takes 1 hour at most to drill it into your memory.
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May 15, 2014 00:12
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Had my first finger "injury" (index finger a4 pulley area) last week. Hurt only in that very specific area, and only when applying pressure to it. With lots of massaging and a couple rest days it went away cleanly, but I was making GBS threads myself for a bit. At this stage I can't even imagine not climbing for a week straight. Has anyone here been deep water soloing before? Any tips/tricks? In terms of climbing, I've been focusing hard on roof climbing and steep inverts/endurance, which hopefully transfers over well. I'm still clueless on shoe/chalk management with that much water around though.
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May 30, 2014 20:10
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FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:I suppose I could have been more specific about my goals. I definitely want to get better at rock climbing, and maybe even just supplement it with lifting. If I could at least do some bouldering 2-3 times a week instead of lifting, I would be down but I didn't know how much your muscles/fingers can handle once you develop the specific strength to get going (holy Jesus if my forearms aren't shot for a few days after right now.) Once you keep climbing and get used to it, you can definitely boulder 2-3 times a week. Right now I'm averaging around 4-5 days a week of climbing, mixed between roped and bouldering. Sometimes I'll feel wasted, but IMO it's useful to climb when you're not at your peak condition just to keep pushing yourself. Injury is always in the back of my mind though so I back off when my body tells me to, but so far my body's been holding up fine. Funnily enough the only real injury so far has been a 5" fall on a boulder problem. Completely unexpected slip off a slab, right onto my ankle. Ouch. Took a couple months to fully heal, probably would've been faster if I rested it completely but gently caress that. Been climbing nearly a year now and it's fun to see the progress I've made. My weight barely changed (lost 5 lbs) but I definitely feel leaner and stronger. Bouldering V4 and leading 5.10c/d, toproping 5.11c at the moment. Steadily on track to send a 5.12a by the end of the year, along with V5.
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Aug 27, 2014 22:01
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88h88 posted:I've noticed that people who tend to use ropes struggle a bit bouldering and I've no idea why. There has to be a decent reason somewhere. Roped climbing teaches you to be as efficient with your moves and as static as possible. Bouldering is pretty much the opposite, since you're usually fighting just to stay on the boulder. When I boulder, I always feel like I'm using 100% of everything I have, whereas when I'm roped in, I'm usually at 50~75% until I hit a rough stretch/crux. So a primarily roped climber's tendency would be to try to conserve energy on a boulder problem and not fully commit everything from the onset, making subsequent hard moves feel even harder. On the flip side, a boulderer would burn through their energy much faster on a roped climb and usually pump out far quicker than a roped climber. Amusing anecdote - I know a few really strong boulderers at my gym who are around the V7/V8 range. I actually got to see them roped climb the other day randomly, and they were struggling up 5.10c/d's on top rope.
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Aug 28, 2014 16:09
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So I re-signed my yearly waiver at my climbing gym yesterday and thought it'd be interesting to post my progress through a full year. I started off incredibly out of shape. The most exercise I'd do is cycling once a week or so. No weights or anything, so my upper body was weak as hell. First trip to the climbing gym, climbed a 30' 5.8 and was completely pumped. Couldn't climb anything else that day. Climbing around twice a week. First V2 and first 5.10a around 2 months in. I still remember the climbs. Nonstop bouldering for a month, jumped from 5.9 to 5.10b/c. Climbing increased to three times a week. Picked up lead cert at around 6 months in, led my first 5.10c a month later. Got stuck on overhangs, worked on it for a month, then sent a 10c/d back to back on an overhanging section. Fast forward to now since everything between is becoming hazy. Climbing roughly 5 days a week, mixed between roped and bouldering. For bouldering I'm flashing V3, working V4s, projecting V5's. For roped I'm toproping 5.11c, leading 11a. Just wanted to say thanks for the tips and advice from this thread. Hopefully this time next year I'll be crushing V6 and sending 12's on lead.
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Sep 25, 2014 21:29
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Planning on going outdoors starting next month. Been outdoor bouldering just once - it was fun but we couldn't do much due to the difficulty. Should be better now that my group is a bit more experienced.
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Sep 26, 2014 00:26
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hostile apostle posted:So I've been climbing, mostly boldering, about once a week for almost two months now at PG SF. Took down my first V3 today. However, I am absolutely terrible at anything with overhang. I can pretty much do any V2 without overhang, but any of the ones where you get horizontal at all, I can't even start them. Get really familiar with flagging, backstepping, heel hooks and knee drops, and try to apply them as much as possible. Unless you're hanging off jugs, you want to keep your body as close against the wall as possible to keep as much weight on your feet as possible. Combine the technique with simply building more grip endurance. Your grip is holding you close to the wall as your feet is doing most of the work, and if your grip fails then nothing else will save you. Either climbing more or light hangboard exercises should help.
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Oct 6, 2014 19:33
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Good Dog posted:Just had my first day of a one week trial pass at Sender One in Santa Ana, man what a beautiful place. The walls are so much taller than I'm used to at school, but that's okay. Was able to do a few 5.9s, haven't tried anything above them. Sup Sender One buddy. If you ever need a belay partner or someone to spray beta at you let me know. petrol blue posted:Big toes sore as hell the day after climbing - hurts to bend them. Is that just because I'm new to this and not used to putting so much weight on them, or a sign of a 'real' problem? Big toes hurting may be a sign that your shoes are a little too tight? Sore feet is typical in general for new climbers. If you feel like you're putting too much weight on your toes, practice focusing on other techniques like the outside edge and flag a lot more.
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Mar 31, 2015 19:10
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Shamans have worked well for me, maybe not as aggressive but comfortable as hell. I sized them tight and I can wear them for an entire session (2-3 hours) without any real discomfort. I like them enough that I've resoled it twice and will probably pick up another pair as a backup.
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Apr 28, 2015 16:53
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If the shoes hurt after a few minutes, you're definitely sizing them too small. Try a size or two higher - you really should be able to wear beginner shoes all day. If you get to a point where you feel its too loose, you can always wear socks to make them a tighter fit.
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Apr 29, 2015 20:39
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armorer posted:I have seen some of the scariest belaying I've ever seen recently in my gym. The other day a guy was top-rope belaying with the (seriously inferior, do not do this) method where you take the slack up vertically next to the climber's strand, grab both strands with your non-brake hand, and slide the brake hand back down to the atc. (If you don't already know, this method is inferior because the entire time you are taking up slack the rope is not in a brake position.) Anyway - the real issue in this case was that this guy was grabbing the brake strand with the PINKY of his non brake hand, and then completely removing his brake hand from the rope and reaching back down to the atc before grabbing the brake strand again. I've got a story that still gives me chills and makes me pretty angry. I was belaying so I wasn't paying much attention to much beyond my climber, but I heard some strange commotion to my right. When I looked over, I see a climber on toprope at the top of the wall (50') and the belayer with about 15+' of slack laid out and a confused look on his face. The climber at the top was screaming for the belayer to take in slack and the belayer looked completely confused. I yelled at him to pull in the rope but he, amazingly, gave out EVEN MORE SLACK. When I yelled again to stop giving out slack he COMPLETELY LETS GO OF THE ROPES. At this point I wanted to jump in directly but my climber was still up there and I was on belay, so I started yelling at some of the bystanders to jump in to help. Unfortunately the people nearby were all new climbers (temporary belay cards on their harnesses), but I was able to communicate to them to help the guy pull in slack and keep a hand on the brake strand. The climber eventually got lowered safely and furious screaming ensued. Never saw them at the gym again, hopefully the belayer didn't kill anyone since then.
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May 1, 2015 19:58
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Finally got to climb out at JTree this past weekend, and goddamn it felt like I'm learning to climb all over again. Was able to get a bunch of V1's and a few roped routes before my body shut down. I can finally understand why people like crack climbing so much - when there's no other features on a wall except a long crack, jamming a hand and foot in feels so secure it's amazing. It was a 95' route and I didn't even notice I was done until I got to the anchor - too much fun.
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May 18, 2015 22:16
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Gearcoop is having a pretty massive "Member Appreciation" sale going on right now through 7/27. I picked up a new pair of shamans, addicts and 10 positron quickdraws for 220 bucks. Insane deals! Probably will also pick up some bd neutrinos at 3.50 a pop too.
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Jul 20, 2015 22:22
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Quick shoe review: they were sold out of Pythons at all local stores, then I found out they were discontinued. I asked a dude at Gear Coop for something similar and he recommended me the Tenaya Iati. I didn't expect to spend so much but it was just so goddamn comfortable for how aggressive it was that I ended up getting it anyway. Previous shoes: Shamans, Addicts, Anasazi, Tarantulace. The Iati is blowing them all out of the water right now.
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Jun 16, 2016 23:11
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