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Can anyone recommend a good place for bouldering in/near London? I`m off for a couple of days next week with a friend and we wanted to get some bouldering done while there. Also a good place to rent some gear i.e. crash pads. I didn`t see any mention of it the last couple of pages so thought I`d ask.
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Jul 12, 2013 17:41
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Does anyone have any good strength exercises to recommend? I've been climbing indoors for about 6 months and I'm looking to improve my core especially. I climb two or three times a week, mostly bouldering and I'd like to complement that with some strength exercises. Lately I've been finding that aside from learning a couple of neat techniques my core is probably what needs most work. I've been reading a bit around the net, and it seems most people don't recommend heavy strength exercises as you risk becoming too large, or heavy rather. I think my arms and legs have a pretty good progression, and I know for a fact that ever since I started using straight arms my back and shoulders have been getting a pretty decent workout.
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Oct 8, 2013 06:08
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Personally, I love slabs. Routes where it's all about footwoork is definitely my jam. That said, they are scary as heck especially if they involve a bit of traversing as well. Bonus pictures from a climb earlier this year. This is a fairly easy 5.7, but it's a super nice continous crack system that runs for about 200 meters. The climbing is also really nice and sustained. https://imgur.com/gallery/v1BjmqM https://imgur.com/gallery/Hlrb0SE E: phone posting can't embed??
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Jun 12, 2019 07:22
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Does anyone have some links or know of any resources for getting into mountaineering/alpine climbing? I've just finished reading Touching the Void and for some insane reason it made me MORE curious and eager to try it out. I'm a fairly proficient climber to begin with (about 5.11 sport, 5.10 trad) and are used to winter camping, week-long treks/hiking and outdoor life in general. Equipment recommendations and general advice is appreciated but any kind of advice would be nice.
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Jan 9, 2020 22:53
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remote control carnivore posted:If you live somewhere with a mountain club, find and join them. I’m active in my local Colorado Mountain Club chapter. Find and befriend your local crusty old fart. I would say this is more key than finding a club; if you’re already climbing and winter camping you’re probably above proficiency compared to most of your classmates in a class situation. (I’ve found that many CMC “climbers” are mostly summit-obsessed and risk-averse to a fault, whereas I am more interested in climbing interesting routes with high summit failure rates.) They see climbing as a way to the summit, I see mountains as having the best climbing. Figure out where your priorities lie and choose partners accordingly. Thanks! All of this is reallysolid advice. I don't know any old farts but I do know a guy who's a certified mountain guide that I could probably ask. There are no mountain clubs where I live and the only classes available are month-long courses that cover everything from beginner to proficient. It also includes lot's of skiing and stuff that I'm not interested in taking a course in. My main motivaton for getting into this is to be able to do climbing or climbing related activities all year round. I live in northern Scandinavia and it sucks having to just climb in the gym 6 months of the year.
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Jan 11, 2020 17:20
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Endjinneer posted:Don't be put off if your guide friend is a bit reticent- you'll be asking him to do his job for free. Yeah, I live in Lofoten so I've got that covered.  And as far as the skiing goes, I do that as well but don't feel the need to do an expensive and time consuming course. I've always been put off by ice climbing but maybe I should give it a try finally. Good tips on those clubs and the aforementioned insurance. I don't think my regular insurance covers me in the event of a climbing accident.
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Jan 11, 2020 22:53
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Sigmund Fraud posted:That's awesome! It's one of my dream summer climbing vacays. I think it's gonna be Bohuslän for a month of single pitch trad this summer though. Bohuslän is also great! Much harder I think and just loads of single pitch trad compared to Lofotens' multi pitch heaven. I think it took me a good two years in Lofoten before I started being comfortable with falling on trad lead just because it didn't in any way seem like a good idea when you're 70m up the wall.... Bohuslän definitely cured me of that armorer posted:Ice climbing is awesome, but worthy of a good deal of care beyond what you probably already give for trad. Definitely try it out if it's an option in your geography. Yeah, the main obstacle with ice climbing for me is the fact that the very thing you're climbing on might just fall down because you're climbing on it. I guess it's true for rock climbing as well but it just seems that much more precarious with ice.
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Jan 12, 2020 10:19
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Sigmund Fraud posted:So what are your thoughts for a good backpack for non-alpine multipitching? Goal is one for a party pf two or soloing. I use a Black Diamond 30L that doubles as my back country skiing backpack. I can't remember the name but it's fairly new and quite narrow. To my mind it's slightly too tall when climbing with a helmet. Apparently it's a very scandinavian thing to climb with "big" backpacks on multipitch. If it's less than 6 pitches I usually don't bring it up the wall, but sometimes it's necessary if the walk-off is long. Under 6 pitches I usually bring some water on the harness, for longer it's water, food, shoes for the walk off and clothes depending on the weather. beat9 fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Jan 17, 2020 |
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Jan 17, 2020 18:13
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Sigmund Fraud posted:I'm at the halfway mark of a climbing week here in Bohuslän in south Sweden. Feels great to jam my way up moderate, well protected cracks. Kept picking the wrong size cams and nuts the first day (sure sign that I'm a bit rusty!). Ticking a bunch of the classic grade N7 (5.11 range) climbs. Gonna try to psych myself up to do something hardish tomorrow and take a few gear falls. Bohus is great! No other place like it for short and hard cracks. Would love to go back once the bordet opens up again. For now though, the season is still strong in Lofoten. Finished last years' 6c project and working on this years' 7a. Good times!
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Jul 27, 2020 00:05
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Sigmund Fraud posted:Nice! I'll try to go next year, but the weather is kinda a gamble there, no? Did ya drive up, fly, take the train or bus? No I live here, but yeah the multipitches are good also. Weather can be unpredictable but this year has been pretty good, less rain than last year.
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Jul 27, 2020 10:56
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Sigmund Fraud posted:That is quite the place to live! Ever been cross the border to Abisko NP? I'll be going there for a weeklong hike in a couple of weeks with my gf. Hope that the mosquetos are gone by then! I did a hike there some years ago in the fall, from Katteratt on the Norwegian side to Abisko on the Swedish side. It's incredibly beautiful and great hiking country, not to mention the fact that all the Swedish cabins sell beer, which is greatly appreciated after a days hike! Shouldn't be too mosquito-y end of august but you never know... beat9 fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Jul 28, 2020 |
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Jul 28, 2020 18:10
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My goals for this year is to get good enough to climb around 7a consistently, both sport and trad. Not so much to be able to say I'm "that good" but more because there's so many cool routes around at that level. It's probably doable if I can keep up the frequency of climbing and as long as corona doesn't go nuts again. Fingers crossed! Oh yeah, and I also want to go camping more, especially in the winter.
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Jan 4, 2021 23:32
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Endjinneer posted:Just climb slabs. More slabs. Slabs all the time. Slabs forever. Yeah, definitely this. My footwork improved a lot when I had some shoulder issues and only climbed slabs for half a season. I was way more confident and sure of my self afterwards and less afraid as well. Slabs are the best.
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Mar 4, 2021 10:01
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Outdoor season's finally in full effect here and I've been working on last years project, a 5.11c-ish (Norwegian grade 7). It's quite short, quite hard for the grade apparently but really fun and a great line. Last summer I managed the whole thing with one rest and today I had this attempt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOByS0bdAiU It doesn't feel that far away and I'm so stoked to see the progress. I've pre-placed my gear but I think it should be doable by the end of the summer. Anyway, it felt super good today and I can't wait to get back on!
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May 31, 2021 21:24
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spwrozek posted:That looked heart breaking... great job! Yeah, the gear was placed by my girlfriend who has slightly worse lead psyche than me I would've just put a quick draw there and probably skipped the red cam in the horizontal pluss maybe every other on the upper part. I'll definitely try it without the pre-placed gear yeah, that's my main goal. Top out is part of the route as well. And as for short routes, I love them. I like multi-pitch as well but for hard projects it's much more convenient with shorter ones. I don't want to have to climb three 5.10's before I get to my project pitch...
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Jun 1, 2021 17:29
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MockingQuantum posted:This is going to be the struggle for me, just because I tend to feel like I need to do things the "right" way and will usually dive into research and YT videos in a spree to learn a thing before I have any clue what I'm actually doing. I've mostly managed to not do that with climbing so far, and diving in and doing it has been good, because I pretty quickly realized I wouldn't even know what technique questions to ask without a lot more experience on the wall. I have a friend who does the same. I suspect he might be on the spectrum slightly (no slight towards you ) because he will constantly try to read up on who to do something or in other weird ways find the best way to do something other than you know, just trying it out.The thing I love most about climbing is the constant challenge to your mind as well as the body, at ALL levels. When you're faced with a problem that's new there's always a process of trying and failing and also using what you know about technique and body control to figure out how to solve it. It is incredibly satisfying and gives a ton of confidence and a feeling of learning and mastering when you do solve something. There's a reason people always say "just climb" when beginners ask how to get better, because you're constantly building your own repertoire of moves and solutions to different types of holds and problems, and your climbing style will always differ from somebody elses.
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Jul 10, 2021 08:29
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Re: shoe chat, I've found that comfortable shoes will keep me in the gym for longer and I enjoy it more. My advice is to get something that fits well but doesn't hurt your feet while climbing. Like others have said, the shoes will not matter untill you get to a pretty high level and are climbing crazy overhangs with razor edge crimps or whatever.
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Jul 10, 2021 08:31
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Yeah, seconding drinking water and the fact that you body adjusts to being hungry. I'm also trying to drop a little weight in my effort to push my grade a little and had a couple of weeks during spring where I cut back on the caloric intake. After being hungry for a couple of days I just get used to it. It's not dangerous to feel hungry, more of a mental thing perhaps. Only thing to watch out for is to eat enough the days you climb hard I guess. In related climbing news I finished my norwegian grade 7(5.11c-ish), had two amazing climbs on the nearest "big wall" (about 12 pitches) and in general felt pretty good on all my other projects even though I didn't finish them. Most of the summer rained away but all in all a good outdoor season so far!
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Aug 19, 2021 11:07
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Here's a couple of photos, mostly from the 12 pitch route. Last couple of pics are from a superb fingercrack about 30 mins from my house. https://i.imgur.com/2OOD6AU.jpg https://i.imgur.com/YFjfeVv.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ArErWOx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/uKbygIv.jpg https://i.imgur.com/OoVIyla.jpg https://i.imgur.com/1UlpSYk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/j6iSwKo.jpg https://i.imgur.com/EHlsQts.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wJEQc9R.jpg Edit: uh, how do you embed again? beat9 fucked around with this message at 11:49 on Aug 19, 2021 |
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Aug 19, 2021 11:45
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Yeah that 12-pitch route is a doozy. First time we took 14.5 hours car to car, 12 hours on the wall. This last time we got it down to about 10 hours door to door. But you do need a whole day for it. There's an even longer one literaly behind my house that I've been eyeing up lately but it's much harder and would probably require spending the night on the wall depending on how good/fast you are. Often the walk down is also a couple of hours at least. When your kids get older you can just bring them along!
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Aug 19, 2021 16:30
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Nowadays I set a timer when I'm bouldering or auto-belaying so I don't pump out to soon. Usually 3-5 mins after either a couple of easy routes or after a problem I'm working on. It seems to me I get a much more thorough climbing session this way. It also helps a lot with the amount of bouldering I can do because I've only rope-climber for more than a year.
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Oct 22, 2021 08:27
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Is there a slab wall at your gym? I love doing no-hands on slabs. Great for your foot work as well.
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Nov 8, 2021 20:11
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Sigmund Fraud posted:I'm going to Costa Blanca at the end of the week for about 10 days. Anyone been there and have experience of the area? We're gonna be staying not too far from the crag Sella so the plan is to climb there a bunch. Other than that we're psyched to climb on Peñón de Ifach. I'm unsure whether I should bother bringing the trad rack. And how much of it. I was there around three years ago with my girlfriend. We climbed at Sella, Penon de Ifach and a bunch of other places that I can't remember. Only did sport though. I remember Sella having super smooth and polished rock and Penon having some really old and sketchy bolts and everywhere the bolts were really far apart. Like you'd climb 15m on maybe three or four bolt, then you were expected to do a traverse for maybe 5m sideways and 3 up, coming really close to groundfall potential. Did cure me somewhat of taking falls though. Had a really good time though, rented a car at the airport and an airbnb flat in Villa Joyosa from some norwegian lady that was really nice and not to expensive. I'd say bring some cams and nuts, they'll be good to have in case the bolts are spaced out.
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Nov 16, 2021 14:12
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In my own experience a little bit of core and yoga or stretching exercises is what gives me most in return. I don't think I've ever done more than that, except climb. For reference, I climb regularly around 7a/5.11-12. Whenever I've had good progress is whenever I've climbed a lot, like 4-5 times a week. Also, if you wanna progress, climb harder. Try stuff that's one or two grades above what you can flash or onsight.
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Nov 25, 2021 08:43
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I mean, it all depends on the level you're at and your own ambitions but I'm fairly convinced that if you're an "everyday" climber you don't need much else than just climbing. It could also be that I often encounter this question from people that are looking for some miracle-method or some kind of short cut. In my opinion it will help you become fitter but not necessarily help with the climbing. That's the way I percieve it anyway. I just think if you want to get better at something then do that instead of finding some roundabout and convoluted "trick". beat9 fucked around with this message at 13:13 on Nov 25, 2021 |
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Nov 25, 2021 12:59
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I only just started using a Beastmaster for finger strength and I climb around 6c/7a (5.11-12 I think in us grade). Don't know how that translates to v-grade. I I would say that it really helps, in my experience. Also I agree with everything else that's been said 😄
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Nov 26, 2021 11:43
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Aramoro posted:Anyone know a decent bouldering gym in Berlin? Been a couple of years now but I used to go to a nice and cheap (for the time) place called Der Kegel. It's close to the Warschauer Str. subway stop. They have a fairly large indoor section and a nice little outdoor section as well. Always a chill and friendly place. Aaaaaand I used saw that I'm two weeks late with this reply  Did you find a place to boulder?
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Oct 21, 2022 09:09
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knox_harrington posted:Sorry yeah I was not very specific, I'm doing AD and I guess soon D routes in the Alps at 4000m+. I have La Sportivas Nepals which as you say are too much boot. Just wondering if there are particular boots like those Charmozes that people recommend. Holy poo poo, what a place! What kind of gear would you need for this kind of climb? I've been strangely intrigued by alpine/technical climbing ever since I read Touching the Void some years back but don't have it in me to expand beyond a sizeable trad rack/equipment.
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Jul 28, 2023 23:50
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Wow! That is so detailed! And if I understand it correctly it's fairly easy and with markings to indicate the correct route? I do like the route-finding aspect of long trad routes but I'd be nervous to take a wrong turn if I'm 3000m up in the mountain. Highest peak where I live is about 1000m and you can usually hike that in around 12h. How long did it take to climb this?
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Jul 30, 2023 10:08
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One of my first times climbing multipitch trad. The route started with a scramble up a gully, about 50m, then a traverse into the cliff face proper. My partner did the traverse and I was supposed to the second pitch. When I started up I realised we didn't have big enough cams and the only placement I had was under a precarious flake. A second team of friends followed up and we decided on an emergency abseil. Found a good spike and set up probably 4 slings with screw gate biners and two cams for backup just in case. It was probably way overdone but we were inexperienced and nervous as hell. When I went to clean our anchor before the abseil I also noticed to it was absolutely terrible, one piece was completely loose, one placed between some loose rock and the last one barely hanging on. Then I also remembered my partner jumping up an down with exitement when I first climbed up to the anchor, tugging and pulling on the whole setup.... I don't think we climbed again after that.
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Aug 16, 2023 07:28
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I mean, yeah sure if you do it at every clip on every route you're climbing but once in a while if you're stressed out, in an awkward position or the fall might be bad then go ahead. It's not a send of course but for me, I don't care. After I started trad climbing I became much less preoccupied with the "rules" of climbing. I'll pull on cams, use them as aid gear or whatever as long as I get up and I'm out and having a good time. In the end, for me it's all about getting out there and spending time on nice and interesting rock.
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Sep 1, 2023 08:42
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