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Want advice on rock climbing?
bigpanda
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So there's a rock climbing gym in my neighborhood and I've been wanting to take some lessons (thinking this weekend). I'd prefer not to kill myself (hence the lessons) but what else should I know other than falling might be detrimental to my health.
Keep in mind that I know nothing about rock climbing.
Keep in mind that I know nothing about rock climbing.
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Wear comfortable clothing you can move in, you might end up scraping against the faux/rock face a bit, so be aware of that if you do decide on shorts/shortsleeves. I'd take some food/energy drink with you as it's pretty knackering.
And prepare for your wrists to die.
Do NOT try to support your weight with your arms unless you just have phenomenal upper body strength.
Use your leg and thigh muscles as much as possible.
THANK YOU! I probably would have blown our my muscles trying to do this. I'm a big guy and my strength is probably not there yet.
Assuming you've never climbed before this is the best thing to remember. Massive leg muscles, tiny little arm muscles. Your arms and hands are for balance. If you can find 3 other people to climb with it's really best. Then you can take turns watching, belaying, and resting.
Bring a water bottle. Many gyms don't allow sport drinks on the mats due to spillage making a sticky mess.
Make sure you climb for a while before you consider buying gear. Your own harness is really sweet because the rentals tend to suck. But if you end up not climbing for a year it's a waste of money.
Once you've been at it for a little while, start to concentrate on "silent feet". Keep your movements very purposeful, your feet shouldn't be slamming into the wall and groping for the hold. Slow purposeful movement it the key to conserving energy for long or highly technical climbs.
If you fall in love with the indoor rock climbing, go to Ratho. I don't care where you live, it's worth the trip. Their 115 ft climb, although not technically difficult, is one of the greatest climbs I've ever done indoors.
This is pretty important. Myself and a buddy are pretty skinny guys but we're decent at rock climbing. We brought a guy who was former Israeli infantry and 3-time NCAA champ in his sport. He tried to do everything with his upper body, made it halfway up the easiest route, and had his legs cramp up completely. He couldn't do any of the easy routes and just gave up.
Keep your body close to the wall when you move. Slow, deliberate actions with your hands and legs. Don't be afraid to try some moves though. It takes practice.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Over doing it will wear you out faster.
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Hey, that's where I climb! Although I wouldn't quite say it's worth the trip, but then again, I've never seen any other indoor climbing centres.
Don't wear ultra baggy clothing. Baggy shirts can get caught in the knots and baggy pants can make it harder to get the harness on right and will ride up when you fall.
Your arms shaking isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some people just have shaky arms even though they aren't tiring out.
For top rope climbing some gyms will teach you to use a grigri while others will show you how to tie the knots and use the pyramid. If possible, get the lessons to do the real thing (tie the knots and use the pyramid). If you do learn to use a pyramid a good thing for a beginner to know is that your hand can get sucked into the pyramid. It really really hurts so make sure your hand is in the right place.
Your shoes are supposed to be tight and mildly uncomfortable.
Other than that, if they give you lessons they should be giving you all the necessary safety information.
Oh, another thing, a good stretch for your forearms is to press your hands together like you're praying, then slowly pull them down while keeping your elbows level so that it applies pressure to the muscles there, then you can flip your hands over and pull them up doing the same thing.
If you like it but aren't ready/sure enough yet to invest in the shoes/harness, a chalk bag with a chalk ball is always a good (and less expensive) investment.
Don't feel self conscious when you're climbing because most of the time no one but your belayer is paying attention to you anyways. Sometimes new climbers are worried about looking stupid trying to climb, the reality is everyone is always too busy paying attention to their climbing partners/people they're climbing with to really watch anyone else.
Climbers are really friendly people. If you get stuck trying to figure something out or want to know how someone else made it up X thing, just ask. I've never met anyone who wasn't excited to talk about different ways to get up something or how they did it.
If there's tape on the wall it denotes trails/paths, basically anything with that color tape on it is "in" and you're allowed to use it to try to get up that path. The numbers (if there are numbers on them) are how difficult a climb/path is. For ascents beginner climbs are 5.6 or 5.7-ish, the higher the number after the 5 the harder it is. When you hit about 5.10 a lot of places start dividing it up into 5.10a, 5.10b, etc. A 5.10a is an easier 5.10, a 5.10d is a harder one. For bouldering routes they're number on a system with a V in front, V0s are the easiest, then V1, V2, V3, etc.
Also a plug: if at all possible your first time should be outside on real rock. (obviously you have to go with people who have the gear and know what they are doing). But its a very different experience and it is traditionally and outdoor sport. Gyms are great, and challenging and good for a workout/practice, but half the fun is being outdoors, and conquering nature, and looking out from the top of the cliff.
But all in all, have fun, obey ALL the safety rule etc. Rock climbing is great, and its a great community.
So far some really good advice. I've still got a couple more posts to read through yet. I really appreciate the info.
If you're going to climb a lot, climbing shoes are a good investment.
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One of the downsides to bouldering (for me at least) is that you don't build up the endurance that you would get from the longer climbs. But that's not really a problem, since you can do both top-roping and bouldering. Hurray!
Edit: Also, if you start climbing often, your hands might start getting torn up (especially in bouldering), so I would suggest that you get some cheap adhesivie medical tape to wrap your fingers if the skin starts getting shredded.
Ratho is the worlds largest indoor rock climbing arena. Other places are really small potatoes in comparison. You're lucky and spoiled to have this as your local gym. Come to North America some time, you'll be sorely disappointed at the size of our indoor climbing.
To the OP and anyone in the area interested. Although you can boulder and do technical work by your self, climbing with friends is the best way to enjoy it. Hopefully you've got a few other people interested, or some PA people are willing to hang with you for the day and try it out too. If you get into it, friends can also be great motivation to finish. We have a personal, "I'm not letting you down until you reach the top." rule that motivates well.
There are generally three types of climbing available in the gym:
Sport Climbing - Sport climbing is probably what you think of when you think about rock climbing. You have a rope attached to a harness, the rope is secured to the top of the wall and comes back down to your belayer. It's the easiest form of climbing to start with.
Lead Climbing - Most gyms require you take a test before lead climbing in their gym. The reason for this is because the climber clips the rope into quickdraws placed on the wall. The quickdraws are placed about 5-10 feet apart in the gym, which means if you fall before the next quickdraw you're going to fall 5-10 feet or more. Lead climbing is pretty safe in the gym but if you're not careful you'll get yourself hurt. It doesn't matter much anyway, since you'll need experience and practice to lead climb anyway.
Bouldering - Bouldering is ropeless climbing on rocks that are about 15-20 feet tall, but some are up to 50-60 feet tall. In the gym they won't get much higher than 15 or 20. Bouldering is primarily about strength, but balance and technique is important. The lowest difficulty for a boulder problem (route) is V0, which is equivelant to a 5.10 or 5.11 in sport/lead climbing. Bouldering is by far the most difficult type of climbing to get into, I recommend trying it but don't expect to do very much.
Climbing outside is another beast altogether. It's not uncommon to climb a rock that's 700 feet tall with quickdraws placed up to 20 feet apart. This is the kind of climbing people get killed doing, but mostly due to inexperience and accidents (which go hand-in-hand). That being said, it's also the most enjoyable form of climbing. The gym is really boring in comparison. Two quick things to note: climbing inside in the gym and climbing outside are so different that excellent climbers in either setting might find it difficult in the other. Indoor climbing generally relies more on strength along fixed routes, while outdoor climbing is more technical and freeform.
When climbing, always, always, always put chalk on your hands. Chalk keeps your hands dry, which is what keeps you on the wall. Chalk up periodically while climbing a route when you can.
Climbing Etiquette: There are some basic, easy-to-follow rules that keep new climbers from getting strangled to death by experienced climbers. I can't tell you how angry some people make me, enough to leave the gym just to get away from them (after entertaining the idea of throwing a brick at their head). Here are a few good ones to know:
- Don't fucking swing on the ropes. This is really for children, but if you swing on a rope you're not attached to, I'm going to attack you like a rabid animal. You're in the way and taking the rope from someone who actually wants to use it properly. Big pet peeve of mine and many others.
- This is a bouldering tip: When you fall off, step away from the wall. Don't stay and touch the holds or try again. Other people want to climb on the boulder, so get moving before they move you themselves.
- Never ever walk underneath a climber whether he's attached to a rope or not. You're a severe safety hazard. If that person falls you're going to be in a lot of pain (and even more when he decides to stab you to death). I see people do this often, espeically underneath boulderers, and it makes me so mad I almost want to drop on top of them out of spite. It's incredibly stupid and blatantly disrespectful. Always look before you walk near a wall.
You might also hear a lot of climbing slang. In fact you will without a doubt hear a lot of climbing slang. Here's a few to know:
Beta - Beta is a term that climbers use to refer to advice specifically about the problem or route they are climbing. If someone asks for beta, they are basically asking where they should place their feet and hands and how they should orient themselves to reach the next hold. Some people don't appreciate getting beta when they don't want it, so never offer advice unless they ask for it.
Crux - You might have heard this term before. The crux is the section in a route or problem that is more difficult than the rest and often trips up climbers. Some routes don't have cruxes at all, some have more than one.
Quickdraw - A quickdraw is a carabiner attached to a piece of material that is clipped into the bolt on the wall. Indoors the quickdraws are already placed, outside you must place your own quickdraws.
Aggressive shoes:
Most serious climbers where 'aggressive' climbing shoes, which is kind of like aggressive inline skates. They have a very narrow toe that is often curved downward and an extended heal. Aggressive shoes are tight and not at all comfortable to wear, but the performance is worth it for a lot of people.
So there you go, a little crashcourse in climbing. Any more questions let me know.
1) Wear relaxed clothing-- basketball shorts and a nice white tee are okay. A lot of climbers will wear cargo shorts and other things which would be really useful if you were outside climbing, but completely pointless in a gym.
2) STRETCH! For the love of God, if you don't stretch you will not be able to climb for the next two days, especially as a beginner. STRETCH VERY WELL! Stretch by pulling your hand back and hold it for 30 seconds. Stretch your arms like you were going to play baseball. Stretch your legs like you were going to go running. Additionally, stretching will let you go for a longer period of time and prevent injury. If you become serious at climbing, make sure you work out your triceps, biceps, and shoulders as zombie said, as your muscle will become imbalanced and possibly prone to injury during difficult maneuvers.
3) Start off bouldering. Not only do you not need to wear a harness, but if you fall it won't hurt that much. Additionally, you'll learn to climb smart before you ever start climbing hard. Top Roping is great for endurance, but I've found it easier to teach people to boulder before strapping them into a harness the first time.
4) Chalk it up! You don't have the callouses on your hands that regular climbers have, and you may end up with a lot of painful ones if you don't use chalk.
A couple of hints on technique:
Anytime you're on a wall, try to keep your arms as straight as possible, though not locked unless necessary. Think of it this way: How long could you hang from monkey bars vs. how long could you do an isometric pullup? Try to make your arms such that you're "hanging on monkey bars".
Don't be afraid of looking like a fool. I don't think anyone will judge you for messing up, and if they do then they're probably douchebags. Part of what may embarrass you is trying the same route multiple times. I once spent almost an hour trying a difficult bouldering route-- well over 50 attempts -- before actually getting it.
A good core and leg strength are critical for doing any overhang.
Really the best advice here was done by archonwarp. I don't personally stretch but I warm up by running up a bunch of 5.9 to 5.10b before I start tackling real stuff. Since you are beginning it will probably be best to generally stretch.
The other important thing that no one has mentioned is don't overgrip the wall. It's awfully easy just to squeeze as hard as you can, relax and think about how hard you need to grab it.
Satans..... hints.....
As many others have said, use your legs. If you're using your arms a lot to move your weight around, you're doing it wrong. Try to keep your ass close to the wall (keep your center of gravity over your feet so your weight isn't pulling you off the wall).
The muscles that will probably hurt the most after your first session are your forearms. Learn some forearm stretches if you don't know any, it'll help a lot. Give yourself some time before you drive home afterwards- after the first time I went climbing I couldn't grip the steering wheel and had to drive home with my wrists :P
Stretch afterwards, and do core exercises if you really want improvement.
I came in this thread to post this. Those climbing shoes are, as said before, tight and not comfortable.
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When you get into higher end bouldering, about V10 or V11, your upper body is being used more than anything else. It's just the style of climbing.