Hey so climbing thread I went outdoor bouldering for the first time at Stoney Point in California (wheeee!)
But I went with friends of a friend that say that went all the time and would bring the kit and show me and the friend the ropes and showed up with a grand total of one crash pad. (Booo!)
So I stuck to low climbs and traverses with a spotter but the friends did not. One took a fall from a decent height and landed on his feet, but one foot half on and one foot completely off the pad.
Hems currently in the ER for two broken heels and is likely getting surgery on both. Surprisingly this hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm for climbing outdoors again but it’s definitely put safety and the front of my mind.
Me and my two good climbing friends are all planning on buying our own crash pads so when we go we have at least 3 between us. We are looking at the mad rock duo but any advice is appreciated.
I want to pick up a book on Stoney point and a guy who works at my local gym offered to take me and my friends there and show us a better time in exchange for beer. He’s been climbing in Stoney Point for over a decade and is safety focused and that sounds way more my speed.
Stay safe my friends.
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Tynnanseldom correct, never unsureRegistered Userregular
:bigfrown:
I fucked up my ankle a decade ago falling into the crease in a bouldering mat (indoors) and my ankle has never been the same since. That's awful for your friend, I hope they recover alright.
As far as crash pads go, I've used a Mad Rock R3 for the past five years and it's served me well. It uses a baffle system that conforms across uneven ground a bit more effectively than a slab-style pad can lay, and the filling material is recycled!
I'm weirdly way more scared when doing rope climbs. Probably because I started on bouldering.
This has been the divide I've seen.
Though in my case I"m not afraid of bouldering so much as I don't like it. I'm overweight for a climber, and big tall routes still let me use my entire body in whatever way I can use it to muscle past things. Many bouldering routes seem, to me, to be impossible to complete without being in much better shape than I am. So 90% of bouldering routes are just useless to me as I frequently can't make the first move.
Darkewolfe on
What is this I don't even.
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Tynnanseldom correct, never unsureRegistered Userregular
For problems that look interesting up the wall, there is absolutely nothing wrong with skipping the first move. Too often the setter will want you to unfold from a pretzel-like stance and spring to the first hold like some wiry kid. Outside of comps, you’re the only one keeping “score.”
Saturday I went to the grand opening of a new gym with very comp style bouldering problems, really interesting problems with holds I have never seen before.
Sunday I went to my regular gym and they set up a two person tandem climb and 20 dynos so that was a blast.
Monday I took a belaying class and did my first top roping ever and that was super fun but exhausting.
I had no idea how I was going to do. I am the heaviest I been in a long time, but I also been taking a fitness class twice a week at my climbing gym, so I knew my endurance was going to be better. But I was also sick that whole week and the day of the comp I woke up not feeling great. Surprisingly ended up doing pretty great. After a long period of warming up where I wondered if I was even going to be able to make it the 12 hours I ended up hitting my groove. Ended up climbing a total of 2,794 feet and placing 54 out of 176 people.
The comp encourages to travel between 5 different gyms but we usually only do 3. Our strategy was to start at the gym with the tallest walls, and then go the one with the second highest wall and finish at the last one with the smallest walls. Ended up working perfectly because this year they severely nerfed bouldering scoring. A 5.8 and a V5 were worth the same base points, but then you added height bonuses, so it made more sense to climb almost exclusively top rope.
The best thing though is reminding me how great the climbing community is. Everyone was encouraging each other through the comp, complimenting costumes, taking pictures and the afterparty had tons of free beer, burgers (even with beyond patties) and tons of fun.
Curious if anyone has heard from their gyms about opening plans and if anyone is actually planning on going back soon.
Here in Texas the governor opened gyms for May 18th (at 25% percent capacity) and I already got emails from my climbing gym and a new one that was set to open when all this started that they're prepping up for opening.
Honestly I'm very curious (and wary) how you run a climbing gym with everything going on and keep things hygienic.
They just opened, a friend visited it and told me that they have good guidelines and checks in place and there's plenty of social distancing since they're limiting how many people can be at the gym per 2 hour blocks.
I haven't been in a climbing gym since the end or March and the pandemic has made me less interested in climbing with others outside, so my hands and my arms are pretty much garbage at this point. I've gone out to one of my favorite bouldering spots a few times since then, but it's a bit too busy for my comfort at the moment and I haven't seen anyone up there wearing a mask. I'm hoping that as it continues to get colder the people that are going out there just to camp/shoot will find other areas.
It also sucks that the only people I trust to do some sort of rope climbing with are not people I trust to keep themselves isolated right now. I may try and go boulder with a couple of people I used to work with that are good about wearing their masks, but we'll see.
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Tynnanseldom correct, never unsureRegistered Userregular
I can’t imagine going into a gym before a vaccine is made public
My local one re-opened sometime this fall, with reserved spots, masks enforced, etc. I've gone a couple times, I think it's relatively safe with judicious use of hand sanitizer, masks, etc, but didn't want to risk it this weekend what with thanksgiving coming up.
I'd already been a bit rusty back when COVID hit though so I was downright abysmal when I made it in. Think I managed one V3.
Hey V3 isn't bad at all, especially if you're still getting back into the swing of it!
I'm with you on the gym thing, Tynnan. The one we have here is a small area inside a bike shop that starts to feel crowded with 20 people in it. I think they have some sort of set up in place, but it still seems like a bad idea to go in there.
Climbing gyms never really opened back up in my area but I am fortunate enough to have Stoney Point a short drive away. I got a v1 traversal there last weekend.
Of course outdoor grades are so sandbagged that they are almost meaningless to me.
It's been years since I've gone anywhere, but I always loved outdoor climbing, especially multi-pitch.
I successfully climbed Devil's Tower. Wonderful experience, although current me kinda hates old me for not looking into and considering native opinions on the matter. At least it wasn't in June.
I managed to get out this morning and got one move closer on sending my 6C+ project which is cool (I reckon it'll actually go next time, which is a cool feeling. Today was the third time I've tried it in as many weeks, so not bad progress!)
Climbing Gyms were open from around July until a few weeks ago, and theoretically are open again in a week or so's time, but I definitely feel like I'm not as smooth and in control as usual.
Climbing gyms never really opened back up in my area but I am fortunate enough to have Stoney Point a short drive away. I got a v1 traversal there last weekend.
Of course outdoor grades are so sandbagged that they are almost meaningless to me.
I often wonder whether outdoor grades are sandbagged or whether it's just because if you are used to going indoors, it's just such a hugely different experience in terms of route reading (no clear indication of holds!) and physical sensation (rock doesn't give at all, harder and sharper on your fingers etc etc etc). Whenever I do an outdoor problem I always think it's sandbagged to fuck until I actually do it, and then I am like "oh yeah that probably was a 6B actually." Unless it is in South Burbage in which case fucking sandbagging bastards etc etc etc
I feel like gym ratings are on the soft side, but you could be right that a lot of the difference comes down to route reading. One of the other reasons that outdoor climbing may seem more difficult than in the gym is because of how different the styles are. The gym at the university and the other tiny place in town have fully embraced the dynamic parkour setting style and there is absolutely none of that around here as far as outdoor climbing goes. So, I can see that transition from that gym style to more static outdoor climbing to be pretty rough. Maybe, hopefully, other gyms set more variety and this isn't actually an issue elsewhere.
Either way ratings are pretty subjective and I try not to pay as much attention to them these days. If something looks fun I'll give it a shot regardless of what it's rated.
Yeah, I try not to care about ratings too much. It’s just mostly I can’t really compare the grades at Stoney Point to the grades at my local gyms in a meaningful way, so I can’t see how much climbing ability I lost over quarantine.
I was doing v5/6s indoors, and got that V1 outdoor traverse after trying on and off for a couple months. Though to be fair I did get it on my first attempt last session, and notably it was my first attempt since the weather becoming cold in my area.
Gym grades are a little soft I think yeah, and they definitely set differently
Like even if you do go to a gym that does outdoor style stuff (and my local one does, incidentally) then like, think of the 2s, 3s and 4s that people are trying at gyms, covered in big comfortable jugs that don't really exist outdoors.
It's a big step to go from an indoor style, I dunno, 6B/V4 with a nice comfy top jug to match, to an outdoor one where you are topping out on a scarily high sloper with your feet on what accounts to basically good smears
Yeah, I try not to care about ratings too much. It’s just mostly I can’t really compare the grades at Stoney Point to the grades at my local gyms in a meaningful way, so I can’t see how much climbing ability I lost over quarantine.
I was doing v5/6s indoors, and got that V1 outdoor traverse after trying on and off for a couple months. Though to be fair I did get it on my first attempt last session, and notably it was my first attempt since the weather becoming cold in my area.
It could just be a mega-sandbagged traverse
I recently did a V6 (or as I call it, a 7A) indoors, my very first ever in fact, and I have not done a 6C+ outdoors, even after trying it for several sessions. I think that outdoors is just harder, even with good technically minded setters. Googling Stoney Point it looks like a lot of the boulder problems are old and were established a long time ago, which in my experience almost universally means "very technical and very very sandbagged"
MOST gyms are soft rating-wise, and you can't understate how much easier it makes it when your holds are a different color than the wall. There are some stiff gyms, but they're the exception.
Also - definitely won't be frequenting my local gym until there's a vaccine. Climbing gyms are the opposite of sanitary when it comes to fluid transfer.
Agreed on the colorful holds. There have been quite a few times where I've been climbing a route outside, looked down for a foot, and noticed a wonderful crimp that would have made getting up to where I was so much easier. The dang rocks are stealthy!
Even then, though, when it's limestone, it's a pain
Like this was the problem I was trying the other day, going up that front face (which is concave so it is juuuust overhanging incidentally), just to the right of that slopey arete
Posts
Right now we're thinking of "The Fifth Elemount" with my partner as Leeloo and me at Ruby Rod (in a highly modified outfit)
The knights of camalot.
But I went with friends of a friend that say that went all the time and would bring the kit and show me and the friend the ropes and showed up with a grand total of one crash pad. (Booo!)
So I stuck to low climbs and traverses with a spotter but the friends did not. One took a fall from a decent height and landed on his feet, but one foot half on and one foot completely off the pad.
Hems currently in the ER for two broken heels and is likely getting surgery on both. Surprisingly this hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm for climbing outdoors again but it’s definitely put safety and the front of my mind.
Me and my two good climbing friends are all planning on buying our own crash pads so when we go we have at least 3 between us. We are looking at the mad rock duo but any advice is appreciated.
I want to pick up a book on Stoney point and a guy who works at my local gym offered to take me and my friends there and show us a better time in exchange for beer. He’s been climbing in Stoney Point for over a decade and is safety focused and that sounds way more my speed.
Stay safe my friends.
I fucked up my ankle a decade ago falling into the crease in a bouldering mat (indoors) and my ankle has never been the same since. That's awful for your friend, I hope they recover alright.
As far as crash pads go, I've used a Mad Rock R3 for the past five years and it's served me well. It uses a baffle system that conforms across uneven ground a bit more effectively than a slab-style pad can lay, and the filling material is recycled!
So does indoor bouldering.
My gumbie ass needs a rope.
I second the R3.
Also, this weekend is my gym's annual 12 Hour comp. Our team name/costume this year?
The Fifth Ele-mount.
Night at the ROCKburry
Who gave beta to Roger Rabbit? (With the guy as Jessica and his gf as Roger cause climbers loooove drag costumes).
I'm weirdly way more scared when doing rope climbs. Probably because I started on bouldering.
This has been the divide I've seen.
Though in my case I"m not afraid of bouldering so much as I don't like it. I'm overweight for a climber, and big tall routes still let me use my entire body in whatever way I can use it to muscle past things. Many bouldering routes seem, to me, to be impossible to complete without being in much better shape than I am. So 90% of bouldering routes are just useless to me as I frequently can't make the first move.
That said, I've never really felt like I'm missing out. Long crack climbs are my favorite. There's plenty to love.
Saturday I went to the grand opening of a new gym with very comp style bouldering problems, really interesting problems with holds I have never seen before.
Sunday I went to my regular gym and they set up a two person tandem climb and 20 dynos so that was a blast.
Monday I took a belaying class and did my first top roping ever and that was super fun but exhausting.
My forearms are so busted right now.
I had no idea how I was going to do. I am the heaviest I been in a long time, but I also been taking a fitness class twice a week at my climbing gym, so I knew my endurance was going to be better. But I was also sick that whole week and the day of the comp I woke up not feeling great. Surprisingly ended up doing pretty great. After a long period of warming up where I wondered if I was even going to be able to make it the 12 hours I ended up hitting my groove. Ended up climbing a total of 2,794 feet and placing 54 out of 176 people.
The comp encourages to travel between 5 different gyms but we usually only do 3. Our strategy was to start at the gym with the tallest walls, and then go the one with the second highest wall and finish at the last one with the smallest walls. Ended up working perfectly because this year they severely nerfed bouldering scoring. A 5.8 and a V5 were worth the same base points, but then you added height bonuses, so it made more sense to climb almost exclusively top rope.
The best thing though is reminding me how great the climbing community is. Everyone was encouraging each other through the comp, complimenting costumes, taking pictures and the afterparty had tons of free beer, burgers (even with beyond patties) and tons of fun.
Curious if anyone has heard from their gyms about opening plans and if anyone is actually planning on going back soon.
Here in Texas the governor opened gyms for May 18th (at 25% percent capacity) and I already got emails from my climbing gym and a new one that was set to open when all this started that they're prepping up for opening.
Honestly I'm very curious (and wary) how you run a climbing gym with everything going on and keep things hygienic.
I climbed for shit!
It was AWESOME.
They just opened, a friend visited it and told me that they have good guidelines and checks in place and there's plenty of social distancing since they're limiting how many people can be at the gym per 2 hour blocks.
I'm really excited.
Also, hello climbing thread. Climbing with a mask on is terrible but you do what you have to do.
It also sucks that the only people I trust to do some sort of rope climbing with are not people I trust to keep themselves isolated right now. I may try and go boulder with a couple of people I used to work with that are good about wearing their masks, but we'll see.
I'd already been a bit rusty back when COVID hit though so I was downright abysmal when I made it in. Think I managed one V3.
I'm with you on the gym thing, Tynnan. The one we have here is a small area inside a bike shop that starts to feel crowded with 20 people in it. I think they have some sort of set up in place, but it still seems like a bad idea to go in there.
Of course outdoor grades are so sandbagged that they are almost meaningless to me.
It's been years since I've gone anywhere, but I always loved outdoor climbing, especially multi-pitch.
I successfully climbed Devil's Tower. Wonderful experience, although current me kinda hates old me for not looking into and considering native opinions on the matter. At least it wasn't in June.
Climbing Gyms were open from around July until a few weeks ago, and theoretically are open again in a week or so's time, but I definitely feel like I'm not as smooth and in control as usual.
I often wonder whether outdoor grades are sandbagged or whether it's just because if you are used to going indoors, it's just such a hugely different experience in terms of route reading (no clear indication of holds!) and physical sensation (rock doesn't give at all, harder and sharper on your fingers etc etc etc). Whenever I do an outdoor problem I always think it's sandbagged to fuck until I actually do it, and then I am like "oh yeah that probably was a 6B actually." Unless it is in South Burbage in which case fucking sandbagging bastards etc etc etc
Either way ratings are pretty subjective and I try not to pay as much attention to them these days. If something looks fun I'll give it a shot regardless of what it's rated.
I was doing v5/6s indoors, and got that V1 outdoor traverse after trying on and off for a couple months. Though to be fair I did get it on my first attempt last session, and notably it was my first attempt since the weather becoming cold in my area.
Like even if you do go to a gym that does outdoor style stuff (and my local one does, incidentally) then like, think of the 2s, 3s and 4s that people are trying at gyms, covered in big comfortable jugs that don't really exist outdoors.
It's a big step to go from an indoor style, I dunno, 6B/V4 with a nice comfy top jug to match, to an outdoor one where you are topping out on a scarily high sloper with your feet on what accounts to basically good smears
It could just be a mega-sandbagged traverse
I recently did a V6 (or as I call it, a 7A) indoors, my very first ever in fact, and I have not done a 6C+ outdoors, even after trying it for several sessions. I think that outdoors is just harder, even with good technically minded setters. Googling Stoney Point it looks like a lot of the boulder problems are old and were established a long time ago, which in my experience almost universally means "very technical and very very sandbagged"
Also - definitely won't be frequenting my local gym until there's a vaccine. Climbing gyms are the opposite of sanitary when it comes to fluid transfer.
But then I climb a lot of grit
Even then, though, when it's limestone, it's a pain
Like this was the problem I was trying the other day, going up that front face (which is concave so it is juuuust overhanging incidentally), just to the right of that slopey arete
Yeah look at all those footholds...