Hah! Giving Johnny Dawes tips! Excellent

I’ve returned to climbing after dabbling years ago and love it. I mainly boulder at the moment, but prefer route climbing.

I’m stuck on a bit of a plateau at the moment though, which is frustrating.

Shouldn’t be foremost in your mind when starting out but climbimg has a complex code of ethics that covers the type and validity of any ascent.

To use a biking parallel: It shows a higher level of ability to do a technical section first go (the onsight in climbingspeak) but getting a techy section after sessioning it can also be super satisfying (worked or redpointed).

The good news is that biking and climbing complement each other very well in terms of locations and suitable weather.

If someone says you climb like a girl, this is a compliment of the highest order!

I notice nobody has ventured to offer a précis of the UK climbing grades… and I’ll not be breaking cover!

Ethics, Ooo, now yer talking 😀

Climbing walls are ace but any fule kno that the only real climbing is trad leading and soloing. Everything else is just playing at it. 😉

Ignore all the advice about feet fingers and hips, its your head that counts

Ignore all the advice about feet fingers and hips, its your head that counts

+1

I can climb 6a with a wee bit of style indoors, with a raging hangover and after an argument with my belayer.

But give me a long mountain vdiff, with a 2 hour walk in to get me anxious/excited, a bit of loose rock at the awkward start and before you know it, I’m shaking like a wee lamb, fumbling around trying to get a massive nut in so that I can fudge the next easy move, all the while trying not to think about the mess I’d make if I fell from my current position and how long it would take MRT to get to me 🙂

I’m currently teaching minivader (who is 5) to climb and he is loving it. … gets his first taste of real rock in the peaks in a couple of weeks, really can’t wait as have also got his first harness too. I’ve also realised just how much I’ve missed climbing and am learning alot again by teaching. Climb as much as you can on any surface natural and artificial.. like cycling, you may be on the road bike, pub bike or mountain bike, its all good

I used to climb regularly but much less so in the last couple of years. I got sick of the mind games and fear. Like going out biking for a few hours where you are repeatedly faced by your nemesis jump or drop.

Climbing walls are ace but any fule kno that the only real climbing is Yorkshire grit

FTFY 😉

This idea that women generally have better technique than men is cobblers. Different cllimbers find different ways of solving a problem based on their individual strengths and weaknesses and the one that works for you is the right one whether its a delicate smear or cutting loose and campussing.

Watch good climbers regardless of sex then see how (if!) what they do can be applied to your practice.

Having climbed a fair bit and done my share of new routing on Yorkshire Grit and Limestone its fair to say that no matter what style you have or sex you are when it starts heading into the 7a / 7b territory there is usually only one way to get up the route.

There will always be scope for different climbers approaching things differently.

On Dura Dura, one of the hardest sport climbs in the world, Adam Ondra got round a section one way, that didn’t work for Chris Sharma, he had to go about it in a different way.

Hence the reason I put Usually, always one odd person out there 🙂

Edit oh and one noisy bstard

But give me a long mountain vdiff, with a 2 hour walk in to get me anxious/excited, a bit of loose rock at the awkward start and before you know it, I’m shaking like a wee lamb, fumbling around trying to get a massive nut in so that I can fudge the next easy move, all the while trying not to think about the mess I’d make if I fell from my current position and how long it would take MRT to get to me

In that case, don’t ever try winter/ice climbing

I watched our village duck race with Ron Fawcett does that count?

Yes, yes it does if you are very old you must be in the village where I live but dont remember any duck races back then or Ron doing anything but climbing.

Edit:- and thats what gets you good climbing all weathers out doors.

I remember when Ron were just a lad and bathed wearing rubber gloves so ‘is ‘ands didn’t go soft.

He was interloper from a village up the valley.

Spin – Member

This idea that women generally have better technique than men is cobblers. Different cllimbers find different ways of solving a problem based on their individual strengths and weaknesses and the one that works for you is the right one whether its a delicate smear or cutting loose and campussing.

Watch good climbers regardless of sex then see how (if!) what they do can be applied to your practice.

wouldn’t disagree with the 2nd part but as women are generally shorter than men and usually have less power (but stronger cores and better flexibility) so they tend to resort to technique rather than strength to solve sequences and good women climbers are well worth watching for more than one reason – and there is a tendency for guys to work on upper body strength when hit a plateau or want to improve when working on technique would probably help more

I started climbing at the end of last year after moving to Scotland and being unable to face cycling in the cold/wet. Did my first trad lead climb this evening :). Only advice is not to be too enthusiastic and trying to do too much/too often, you’ll probably injure yourself. Oh, and don’t mention bolting outdoor routes, unless you want to start the climbing equivalent of the cycle helmet debate.

Nedrapier, reminds me of the time up at Stainburn that I ‘advised’ Josh Bryceland to warm up on the Red loop first…

Looking forward to trying Rokt in Brighouse this winter, much safer than climbing with my Bro in law, B.A.Nana, his climbing partners all end up injured!

Daftvader, Sandwich junior entered club folklore after his first day out where we shared lead duties on Stanage. He was about 12 or 13 and had been going well on mods and diffs at the popular end and I thought we’d do something a bit more challenging too finish with a flourish. I made the first couple of moves and got some good gear in. Setting off from the big ledge I hear “do i take in or let out now?”
My response was to reverse the moves and pack up for the day, all our mates stood around laughing like fiends. 🙂

much safer than climbing with my Bro in law, B.A.Nana, his climbing partners all end up injured!

Disabled is the word you’re looking for, but they all came out alive and the police have never pressed charges.

Sandwich. . 😆 minivader weighs about 11st less than me so no belaying for him yet! I am going to start on yarncliff as its nice and enclosed and lots of stuff for him to look at (we like bugs in our house!!) Whilst I’m climbing. And maybe another crag on the second day….

Im off for a go at the indoor climbing walls and bouldering for the first time this evening. Should be interesting as I’ve never really climbed anything except a bit of scrambling up Tryfan once in the pouring rain and shinning up lamp posts when I was a kid.

In that case, don’t ever try winter/ice climbing

Much too late 😆

Final pitch of Smoking the White Owl. We were last team on, topped out in the dark and 60mph winds. Couldn’t see my hands in front of my face on the way out, ended up following the World Cup downhill track just to get back to the car park. I need to wear laminated pants for winter stuff.

Chapeau Sir

More excellent posts, cheers guys. Plenty of stuff to take on-board so all I can do for now is give the indoor stuff a go and see where it takes me.

Re the Peaks, my mate said Stanage is one of the places he and another mate have done and will return to. Sounds like Castleton might be a base for later this year? If we do end up going then I’ll stick up another post asking if anyone’s up for some riding too.

see where it takes me

Good stuff!

I think climbing’s very similar to mountain biking, in terms of the different disciplines and the different ways different types of people get their jollies from being on two wheels/pulling on rock (or plastic/wood/buildings/etriers/icetools)

For some poeple it’s a bit of fun now and again, for others it’s everything.

Huge opportunities for personal fulfilment on every scale in every direction, mental, physical and cultural.

Enjoy!

Also, a very sociable activity and if you venture outside the climbing wall, some of the most fantastic views and situations.

Where abouts are you climbing spacemonkey? I’ve started to use reading climbing center, as it was too far to go to Guildfords craggy island every week, and as indoor ply walls go its pretty good( plus membership is for life and several other walls in the country)

I like the big mountain easy route style stuff, you don’t need to be a gymnast, can wear walking boots and still get some (easy) climbing in. Plus the views are great…

AMPHITHEATRE BUTTRESS by brf, on Flickr

Where abouts are you climbing spacemonkey? I’ve started to use reading climbing center, as it was too far to go to Guildfords craggy island every week

Craggy Island at both Guildford and Slutton I believe. Will be 2 weeks before I can start going though 🙁 Looking forward to it. Should be more than enough to give me a taste!

I climb at craggy. The grading tends to be a bit harder than some places, does mean you can annoy people by saying ‘oh, you climb a *Reading* 6a’.

(They’ll then ask you what you’ve done on grit 😉 )

Craggy is good. Nice top rope climbs and some good leads too. Route setting is fairly regularly done too… used to lead a craggy 6c 😉 cant remember what I used to lead on grit around the hvs 4a/5a according to the froggat guide…. now I’ll be lucky to top rope a 6+!!! Really need to find someone to climb with regularly again.

Sandwich Juniors first lead at 10 was Nursery Slope (M) at Froggatt at the grand age of 10. I belayed and a mate in big boots followed alongside to check gear etc. Now that was a grand day out for a dad! I had a bit of a quivery lip as I shook his hand after I had topped out.

I’m just getting back into climbing after a few years’ break. Planning to do at least one evening at Craggy Guildford or Sutton (I’m in Dorking) as well as a weekend session. Used to lead HVS/E1 on grit, Pembroke, etc but mainly climbed on Southern sandstone. I’m looking for people to climb with so let me know if anyone’s interested.