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
hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009


some random climbing at Ontario's best crag - Lions Head

Welcome to the OFFICIAL and MOD SANCTIONED GBS rock climbing megathread!

What is rock climbing?
Really dumb question with an obvious answer but I'll speak a little on this. Originally it grew out of an extension of alpinism/mountaineering by bougie Victorian Euros. Later there was some overlap with US national park designations for severity of hikes too, where a very severe "hike" could expect to see what we now call rock climbing (like in Yosemite). Basically it's negotiation of rock steep enough that protection is expected. Protection being a rope and the installations into the rock to which you attach your rope, or in the case of bouldering, crash pads. Modern climbing is a full-body workout, a physical puzzle or combination of puzzles that need solving, a now-Olympic sport, and another way to experience the beauty of the outdoors from new and exciting views or alternatively a way to stand around with gym bros and inhale chalk in a huge cavernous building.


look at the fuckin crazy poo poo they used to do with basically no safety gear lol

What kinds of climbing are there?

Bouldering: A form of climbing that originated in Fontainebleau in France (no poo poo), this is focused on short, technical climbs that don't require a rope and harness. This is the easiest kind of climbing to get into and most indoor gyms have some bouldering to do and these days this will probably be the first thing you try. Instead of a rope, you're relying on a big cushy pillow to arrest your falls. Modern competition bouldering is evolving away from its rock climbing origins toward a more gymnastic/parkour-y style that is honestly a lot more entertaining to watch. That's bleeding into modern gyms too and peoples opinions of whether that's good or not is varied. Here's some recent stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xGBwnG7Bz4


pictured: you on your first boulder wall

Top Rope: This is generally the first type of roped climbing that people experience. The rope goes from the climbers harness up to an anchor at the top of the route, and back down to the belay device on the belayers harness. The belayer is your partner who's holding the other end of your rope keeping you from falling. This means that a "fall" isn't really a fall at all, basically you just slump back into your harness. When outdoors, generally a climber leads to an anchor first, builds an anchor and clips the rope in, and then is lowered off for others to top rope the route on. Modern belay devices like the Petzl GriGri make top rope extremely safe, you really have to try to gently caress up as the belayer to drop your climber. Some gyms even use a pulley at the top to add extra resistance to make lowering off very slow and controlled.

A similar experience in the gym is auto-belay, which is like top rope, except you don't need a partner. There is a device at the top of the route that lowers you in a controlled way if you come off the wall. The only disadvantage to this is that you can't hang on the rope and rest and continue the route if you fail.


a gym bro top roping his bro. note the beanie and the climbing bro is likely wearing a patagonia tshirt or north face or something lmfoa

Sport/Lead Climbing: This is where you start with your rope on the ground. The climber has to carry the rope up with them and clip into protection along the way. Because of this, and the fact that you have to use a dynamic rope with more stretch, makes falling on lead a lot more dangerous. The belayer also has to manage the rope in a different way, because they have to let out rope as well as collect slack, and thus they have to be attentive and responsive. When you're outside, all you have is bolts in the rock face, and you have to carry gear with you to clip onto the bolts which you then clip your rope into. This style of climbing is very much focused on pure climbing, with the ideal being a minimization of placing protection, and focusing more on hard climbing. This is the other half of Olympic climbing (the first half being bouldering).


top rope vs lead. also lol at wearing a helmet indoors

Trad Climbing: or Traditional Climbing. This is real frontier poo poo, climbing where there is no existing protection like bolts and anchors. You have to carry (and buy) a whole fuckload of new gear, like cams and nuts, to jam into the rock that allows you to clip into to protect you in the event of a fall. Generally you have to follow some fissure or crack in the rock so that you have somewhere to place protection. Obviously the risk is even higher in this form as you have no drilled bolt to clip into, you're relying on your own skill and judgement to place sound protection.

Aid Climbing: This overlaps with trad, but any form of climbing that doesn't use aid is called "free" climbing, basically everything proceeding this. Free climbing means free from aid, and aid means that you're pulling and stepping on gear you place, rather than using it just to protect you from falls. Aid used to be the default style of climbing in the old days but it's only used now to overcome difficult obstacles. Climber bros will call a lot of things "aid" to mean that you're getting an assist from it as opposed to "true" climbing which is just hands and feet on rock. Like I've heard knee pads called "aid" lol.


ready to spend a fuckin grip of cash on ludicrously priced gear? it's time to trad climb

Multi-pitch/Big Wall: This is big poo poo like climbing El Capitan. Your rope isn't long enough to climb this in one shot, so you have to stop at an anchor, belay your partner up, and then continue on, several times. It'll be either trad or sport, or a blend, sometimes with aid to overcome difficult sections. El Cap is like 30+ pitches, depending on your route. People often sleep on the wall when climbing really big walls. Ever want to poo poo down a huge mountain side and wake up with the sensation of falling except it's real? You want to climb a big wall.


oh you thought trad cost a grip? you need like hella ropes and also bougie rock climber bags and a porta ledge to sleep on and poo poo. plus you're flying to some rock far away if you don't liove there. you're really try hard now

Free Solo: No rope, no protection. If you fall you risk serious injury or death. Many famous climbers have died free soloing. The purest form of climbing.


that climbing movie you watched? that was alex honnold free soloing el cap

Rope Solo/Deep Water Solo/Ice Climbing: Some other specific styles of climbing that I'm not gonna talk about because you have to be a hella climbing nerd to care.


GETTING STARTED ROCK CLIMBING:
You're probably gonna wanna start in your local gym. Wear something comfy that you have a good range of motion in. If you have friends, go with them, if not, go somewhere that has bouldering. Don't be intimidated, climbers are generally social, friendly, and supportive. You'll probably have people you don't know calling out words of support to you while you boulder. You can rent shoes and a harness and you can get the tour of the place and the safety run down from the staff, and then jump on the wall! Start on the easiest grades and work up from there. Don't be discouraged, climbing is a full body workout and especially reliant on upper body and finger strength, so regular climbers will appear to have a skill level impossible to attain at first. You're probably gonna be outclimbed by 9 year olds. Also you're gonna be hella sore in muscles you never use, even if you work out. After a little while you'll have enough base level athleticism to start to advance and find problems (one complete boulder is called a "problem", when you're roped it's called a "route") that you know you can finish but need multiple attempts at. These are called "projects".

If you don't have a partner but want to climb longer routes on a rope, you can try auto-belay. Gyms that have roped climbing generally have a few of these, and they tend to be lower grade levels to be noob friendly. Eventually you'll want to find a regular partner or group (or convince all your friends and family to do it like me) so that you can do top rope at least. If you want to go outside, definitely either take a local course or find an experienced climbing group. Before gyms were popular, being mentored was the only way to learn to climb, because climbing outside obviously has a whole bunch of extra risks and necessary precautions. I like thecrag.com for finding routes, but there are probably guide books written by the local climbers for your home crags too.

I've written way too many words already so I'm going to stop here. Maybe I'll add more later. Like climbers have a whole nother set of lingo that you won't understand at first. Gym memberships are expensive, yeah. Gear can be confusing and varied, esp. when you go outside, etc.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! Climbing is an exhilarating and rewarding hobby, very physically demanding at the upper level and requires good problem solving that is oh so satisfying when you get it right. If you've ever wanted to work out but think lifting a thing and putting it down again is boring (cause it is), you should try rock climbing!

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

lot of words op

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009



anyone know of a certain climbing guy who may be interested in saying "hi" to this goose? tell huim to post itt if possible pls

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Konar posted:

Is this accurate OP? Can I use it to break down and make fun of my coworker who is into climbing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtIyrJCfhk4

lol oh yeah io meant to include this in teh op. it is very accurate

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

B-Rock452 posted:

As a former climbing guide I encourage using this video.

lol word. where did you guide btw


cumpantry posted:

i climb mountain in Zelda

what grade you climb?

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Nooner posted:

do you ever climb big rear end mountains with no ropes or anything so if you slip or anything weird happens you just fall and die?

that doesnt seem like a very fun hobby to me it seems stressful and kinda dumb

no nooner i have no interest in free solo nor does anyone i know. i am also of the opinion that it's dumb but i understand the rationale. climbing with protection howeever is fun and exciting

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Mr. Merdle posted:

Probably one of the best climbing focus ever made really gets to the heart of the sport

https://youtu.be/dTja2AHikQc

i've heard of this one, haven't watched. will save this to watch later :thanks:

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

i'm tryna hit the local crag this weekend but outside forces like weather and illness keep conspiring against me. if i go tomorrow i will take pics for teh thread

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Devils Affricate posted:

Sometimes people climb buildings too

that's true, i've seen vids of this - "buildering". seems dumb. like free solo, except without the essence of rock climbing. just doing the same move over and over again to climb 130 of rthe same window frames til you're at the top

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

B-Rock452 posted:

Central pa, the gunk's, some ice/alpine climbing in New Hampshire, ran a few trips at red river gorge. Central Pa actually used to have an awesome ice climbing season but not anymore thanks to global warming.

cool! that's dope. red river gorge is a popular location for ontarians to go around this time of year actually when it's still kinda cold and wet here but people are too impatient to get outside. i'd like to go, maybe next year

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Devils Affricate posted:

Yeah but when you're done you can just take the elevator down and get a coffee, or maybe even the building is where you work

or maybe jyump off the building with a parachute like a loving boss

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

bagmonkey posted:

Good luck on the thread hcotc, I may try rock climbing one day but idk if I can handle The Community

everyone is super nice and welcoming

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Internetjack posted:

Friends and I got into free climbing back in high school. I have no recollection of why or how we started, but very soon we all had chalk bags and sneakers with a lot of rubber on the toes.

There was a state park that had half a dozen boulders, 20' in diameter and that is where we started. We'd climb all over those things like spiders. If you fell, and no ever did, it would only be about 5' - 10' drop onto soft forest duff. We learned a lot though, what we could do ourselves, and how to navigate a rock, picking out handholds and toeholds. And we learned to be patient and keep calm.

The park also featured a rock face, somewhere in the range of 60' - 80' tall.

After bouldering we'd head over to the face and watch any climbers that might be there. We'd sit and eat our lunches and just study the routes and the face. Most of the climbers were on a belay, but occasionally there'd be a free climber.

At about the third time of watching, one of my friends just stood and said, "I'm going up." Very much a double take of, "What? Right now?"

He started climbing, free style. Once he was about 15' up, being a dumb rear end teenager, I decided I had to go too. I took the second route. Our third friend, not to be out-done, was on the third route seconds later.

I've done a lot of stupid, life endangering stuff in my life. Hanging on the side of rock, 40' up is quite a self-lesson, in deciding that "I can do this". It's not curing cancer or surviving a war, but it does teach the lesson that you are the only one that can finish this. You have to keep climbing, there is no other option.

Needless to say, being a bunch of idiots, we went back quite a number of times.

One last story is the time we all came over the top and there were some guys prepping belay gear up there. We just crawled ourselves over the top edge and were laying on the ground laughing. These two guys were all stunned, "Where is your gear? Did you just free climb up?!?!" We just laughed harder.

lol. yeah when you're a kid you feel invincible. if i'd have started climbing when i was a teen i'd have probably done the same tbh

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Flowers for QAnon posted:

The county fair wouldn’t let me climb the rock wall with a prize at the top because my shoes were too good?? I wore them to prevent donkey & goat piss from reaching my mangled toes

lol wtf. were you wearing climbing shoes or?

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Piss Creep posted:

We went up to Saint Peters Birch one day, its rated a 9, and we set up in a usual 5-4, long belay. And I remember coming off the first connection, something is wrong. And we made our way down maybe 14 or 15 link ins, and I remembered I had forgotten my lucky hat. And it was at that moment I fell, and I grabbed for Gregs legs, little did I know he hadn't clipped in yet,. We fell, I dunno, 10, 15 meters before it kicked in for me and he just kept going. When I got down, what did I see on his crumpled corpse. I forgot to put it in his grave.

cool approximation of a climbing experience but it's clear that tihs is ai generated or more probably from the mind of a mad man. stop posting itt :thanks:

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

BAGS FLY AT NOON posted:

Nice op OP, I learned a lot about climbing. Sadly I’m too old and broken now to climb anything higher than big tiddies.

thanks brother :cheers: hella old guys out at the gym and crag tho, you're never too old imo

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

WarpedLichen posted:

Highball bouldering seems crazy dangerous for how common the routes are. I'm a climbing newbie so I stick to the gym but some people just don't seem to fear death or serious injury.

yeah no kidding. for the uninitiated, a highball boulder is a boulder that is very tall. recall that bouldering is done without a rope or harness. around here, niagara glen is a popular bouldering spot with some boulders that are 20+ feet tall. that's getting into free solo on a short route territory. falling 20 ft onto a crash pad is still gonna hurt and probably break or sprain something

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Devils Affricate posted:

What are the faux pas of the climbing gym? Like what kind of poo poo makes the vets grumble about the newbies?

not being attentive to those around you, especially while bouldering. walking under someone climbing, climbing too close to someone else whose boulder overlaps yours, etc. it's annoying and also unsafe because you could collide. little kids do this all the time which is forgivable but adults should know better. typa people who lane change without a shoulder check

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Bad Purchase posted:

climbing upside down for starters

this is called a bat hang. also going "feet first" on boulders is challenge mode or training

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

B-Rock452 posted:

I was with a bunch of climbers and we did one of those and all of us could get up in sneakers but after 3 guys in a row all won a hundred dollars the carney started screaming at us and then a dozen more Carney's surrounded us while my one friend screamed incoherently back that he wanted his 100 dollars and I legit don't know how I wasnt stabbed and then disappeared by them

lmao. reminds me of that nijna warrior ripoff show that was basically designed for rock climbers. the final challenege was literally a like 5.12 auto belay route. stalloens stupid rear end game show

B-Rock452 posted:

Advanced climbers usually just don't give a crap or will be cool and help you out if you are obviously new. It's the guys climbing for a whole year so they suddenly think they are hot poo poo and get to gatekeep the sport that are the assholes. Just avoid them

this is ultimately true though. again, climbers are very friendly and helpful and want everyone to feel good and have a good time. ime, anyway

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

oh i forgot i made this thread

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

yeah so me and the team got out last week and scouted the local crags, rattlesnake point and mount nemo. kids had a blast exploring the bottom, we even got to see this awesome little spring where some snakes were hanging out. found a whole bunch of good looking routes i nthe guidebook and noted them. going back next friday when it's going to be a beautiful 23 degrees and we all took the day off work, gonna pull the kids out of school for that too. should be a good time, first outdoor expeirence!

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

i may have some pics of our outing but they're probably boring. when we climb we're gonna take hella pics obv and i'll share them here

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Bad Purchase posted:

put down the phone and live in the moment

this.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

hot cocoa on the couch
Dec 8, 2009

Mr. Merdle posted:

I just climbed off of your mom

moderate crack climb, lots of exposure and run out. bring lots of options for protection

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