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Another other Chicagoland climbers here, advice about Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville? Seems like a pretty big place, lots of options. $700 total for my g/f and me for a year right now. Figured if we go 2x a week it'd be about $3.50 each, which seems like a good deal. Just wondering if they change routes out, upkeep the place well, etc.
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Dec 19, 2012 15:55
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 17:36 |
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Just hit Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville IL on Saturday for the first time. My second climbing place ever, after Upper Limits in Bloomington. UL was a bunch of 65' soybean silos converted to climbing, so it was almost all flat concrete walls with holds strategically placed, and each route had its own space (so no tape anywhere). VE was the is-fake-but-looks-real rock stuff with some holds bolted in, and every route had tape on it (with some routes converging/crossing over). It was pretty hard to focus on a single color. Is that a skill that grows with time? Seemed to make climbing a lot hrader. I enjoyed climbing on the real/fake rocks. Using naturals was something completely new, and added a fair amount of atmosphere to the whole thing. Forced me to think well outside the box of "what hold do I use next" more toward "what ARE the holds near me? What can I use as a hold?" So that was fun. And, of course, my forearms are shot to poo poo. Good times.
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Dec 31, 2012 18:32
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Niyqor posted:You get better at it. I usually climb at a smaller gym in Chicago (LVAC) where each rope has 6-12 routes that use that rope. This leads to a lot of shared holds and lots of tap all over the place. I went again yesterday and did better. The one odd thing is still on overhangs when I have NO idea where my feet are going, whether the footholds I use are legal or not. I suppose more communication with my belayer is required. Positive note: callouses are reforming! Yay!
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Jan 1, 2013 17:41
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Lately I've been climbing again. During climbing everything seems fine, but the past weekend after a long session the big toe on my right foot got to the point where walking hurt sometimes and running was almost not an option. It mostly feels pain when I stress it (eg standing tip-toes, jumping, trying to quickly change directions), as it doesn't hurt when I simply run it through a full range of motions. Is this a common climbing injury? I'm wondering if it's an injured ligament in the big toe or something like that, maybe from last summer when I'd climb a LOT (maybe I over-stressed it during a climb sometime, or if my shoes are too tight on the toe).
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Jan 14, 2013 21:19
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The gym I'm using has typical holds, plus the molded rock with holds, and then a bare bones wall with no holds at all, just simulated rock. I've found I've been tearing up my hands a LOT more using the non-holds rock, especially parts of my thumbs. Lots faster in the callous-building department. More fun too, actually following the cracks is a lot of fun I'd never experienced back at holds-only Upper Limits. Hoping this'll help somewhat when I hit nature this summer.
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Jan 31, 2013 17:08
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12 year old pair of AB&F khakis. Long, loose, and very tough. Paint splotches, getting white with chalk dust, and my cat's taken to sleeping in them when I leave them out so there's plenty of cat hair. they're my favorites. (I seriously need to get some pranas)
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Feb 14, 2013 18:47
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Large Hardon Collider posted:I just started climbing in Chicago. I saw a few mentions of vertical endeavors in this thread, and I'd like to make it out there soon. So far, I've only been to hidden peak, by the Chicago blue line stop. It's a cool little bouldering gym with locals that I see every time I go. Any goons climb there? If you like sport-climbing though there's about 20 auto-belays, 20 top-ropes, and about 10 lead routes.
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Mar 19, 2013 16:56
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modig posted:I think I got confused about which Petzl harness I have because I forgot the name, and the Hirundos has nearly identical colors to mine. I actually have a Petzl Sama (http://www.backcountry.com/petzl-sama-harness-mens-ptz0190). It has 4 gear loops, and otherwise looks just like the other one. Maybe it's a bit heavier? Not sure. I think Petzl's harnesses aren't super differentiated. I love my Petzl Sama. Easy to get on. Fits well. Good support. Loops for hanging anything. Auto-double-back. Center loop makes belaying a cinch. Not crazy expensive (~$60). I finally chimneyed last night up about 10 feet at the local gym. First time ever! I've been too heavy/weak/tall to do it before (6'4", 200 lbs), with my largest problem being that I couldn't use my arms to shore up strength for the multiple tiny little steps up I take (since I can't bend my knees for poo poo being too tall). Felt pretty cool. Hope to go up the full 35' next time maybe. Tiring, but awesome. I'm about ready to sign up for a personalized class, because I think I'm plateauing in terms of skill. My strength's still improving, and my balance/technique is light years better than it was 3 months ago even, but I'm stuck being able to do most 5.9s and very few 5.10s at the gym (which I find grades harder than my last gym). It's $50 for an hour of instruction for g/f and I together. Sound like a good deal, or should I instead read and keep practicing on my own?
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Apr 2, 2013 16:52
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How do you climb cracks without swearing to god that your wrists will just SNAP and your radius will soon be sticking out of your arm flesh if you miss a move? I get terrified of losing my balance and breaking my arm/hand/wrist/ankle/whatever if I have it jammed in a crack
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Apr 3, 2013 18:03
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Finally took a class with the g/f after basically plateauing around 5.10. Could do up through 5.9 pretty easy, but only about 1/3 of all 5.10s were doable for me. The class focused on the basics of efficiency (lock your elbows, don't chicken wing, turn hip in toward the hand you're reaching with, etc). I'd already been pretty good at that stuff, so the stuff I really focused on was odd-positioning-balance. Drop-knees, keeping knees bent to stay low, and locking into holds...that stuff's still pretty hard for me. Is a drop-knee supposed to make you feel like you're about to have some joint shatter?
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Apr 29, 2013 16:51
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Baldbeard posted:Definitely not. Drop knees seem counter-intuitive when you first start using them, but they are actually really comfortable when done correctly and make it easier to get where you want to go. Typically each week I climb 3 times, and 1 time it's just the easier autobelays, running through them fast to get endurance. 1 time it's going to the harder top-ropes to build technique. Then the last time it's either autobelays or top-ropes depending on what I want to work on. Right now I'm still working to develop strength, particularly upper-body. Is intentionally NOT locking off a good way to help get tired/build muscle? Like, when I do those quicker autobelay routes, should I maybe do them wrong technique-wise on purpose since that'd require more muscle use to make up for the poor technique?
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Apr 29, 2013 21:18
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Baldbeard posted:Always focus on technique over everything else. Not locking off on purpose would definitely increase your strength, same as any other isometric exercise, like freezing in a pullup half way up or whatever. But your time will always be better spent focusing on proper technique, most any strength you need to climb will happen as you climb. The only time I'd personally recommend specific training would be intense core exercises. I still recognize how important technique is compared to strength when climbing, it's just me trying to find a shortcut to a 'better workout' vs 'better climbing'.
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Apr 29, 2013 22:39
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Baldbeard posted:I see what you mean. If you boulder hard and eat accordingly you will definitely gain a lot of muscle either way. Technique is something that everyone always has to work on to progress though, so choosing to focus on strength over technique won't ever allow you to climb harder stuff as quickly as making technique your main focus. It was academic anyway. Since the autobelays were full (I swear every night I go there's a boy scout troupe party or some poo poo...) g/f and I did some top-ropes. Cleaned a 5.10a, which is usually just past where I plateaued. Almost did another, but it was my last climb of the night and I just didn't have the strength left to pass the crux. Still, I feel the class I took really hammered home some good technique that I was otherwise spitballing. I really hope to complete a 5.10b/c at some point soon.
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Apr 30, 2013 15:46
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Year of the Monkey posted:Just read about this. Very sad news. A grim reminder on how important it is to remember to check your gear before you get on the rock.
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Jul 8, 2013 03:57
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modig posted:One of the many ways we tried and failed on that problem. good christ. That's as flat as a kitchen counter-top. How the hell are you supposed to do that short of suction cups on your hands?
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Jul 8, 2013 18:32
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Apologies if this question is stupid, but is the (apparently) greater risk of injury in bouldering worth taking vs sport/trad climbing? I mean, I guess this bundles a few assumptions and a few more questions into it too (ARE injuries more common during bouldering? What kind? Is it an experience issue or is it equally likely that anyone bouldering risks injury?), but it just seems anecdotally from reading this thread that bouldering carries a higher risk. I've tried bouldering a few times, and I guess due to inexperience and lack of dynamic strength I couldn't do a whole hell of a lot beyond the easiest stuff. But it didn't seem crazy different from the sport climbing I do, especially for routes that have nasty overhangs. So I guess I'm just curious as to why people would opt to boulder over trad/sport climb given the (again, assumed) greater risk of injury.
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Jul 18, 2013 16:13
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Ravenfood posted:So I've been bouldering on and off for the past year, and can intermittently get most of the v2 routes down. I'm out of undergrad, again, and have time to actually climb regularly, so I'm looking to get into some climbing shoes. I think the gym uses Evolv Defy's, which I've generally liked but aren't the most comfortable. Has anyone tried the La Sportiva Tarantulace? They were damned comfortable, but the store I was at didn't really have a wall to try them out on. Specifically, I'm looking at how much I need to buy smaller. I wear a 10 street shoe, the 9 Tarantulace was comfortable if a tiny bit small, which I like in my shoe, but I wanted to know how much they stretch and how quickly they wear out. Anyone used these? Don't get TOO small though, or else it'll just hurt you. g/f had flat out painful shoes she got replaced with a half-size larger and was happier for it. The more worn out part of my shoes has been the toe. I kick a lot into a wall, and after a year there's a couple small holes in the rubber in the lower toe.
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Aug 7, 2013 00:18
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Ravenfood posted:Cool, so they didn't stretch too much after you bought them? That was really my only concern, since I don't really have the cash and I figure that after they stretch after use I can't very well return them. Maybe a LITTLE bit? I got them very snug, and they still fit pretty nicely. No looseness. Like I said, the only negative point is the toe rubber giving out. Otherwise, great entry shoe. I'm just starting to get to the point where I notice they aren't quite aggressive enough to tackle the really tiny holds well, but that's not a thing you should worry about if you don't have any shoes yet. I might get another more aggressive pair soon and leave these as comfy basic shoes.
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Aug 7, 2013 02:58
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 17:36 |
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ante posted:Apparently this is A Thing in the Netherlands    I was a pilot, and have no real fear of heights. I've climbed 120' buildings before, but man. That looks nuts. Plain nuts.
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Aug 16, 2013 18:59
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