The Rock Climbing Thread

I learned to lead on a rack of 1-10 rocks, a couple of small friends and a couple of hexes. You can climb a surprising amount on a small rack as long as you’re not chucking things in every few feet. Think I probably got up to about E1-E2 before I needed to get a more extensive rack.

I think I started with a couple of Moacs, a baby Moac on wire and a hex along with a couple of tapes. Mind you I also had 120ft of hawser laid rope and a waist tie. So I wouldn’t recommend that particular setup nowadays.

Just to echo what Spin said. Nuts are the most useful protection but you need to learn how to place them. It is fairly common to see strong climbing wall jocks new to leading trad shoving in loads of micro cams into tiny shallow slots, providing, at best, marginal protection. Perfect bomber nut slots are overlooked in the process. But then they’re maybe strong enough not fall off!

It is fairly common to see strong climbing wall jocks new to leading trad shoving in loads of micro cams into tiny shallow slots, providing, at best, marginal protection

I’ve done quite a few routes recently that I’ve found to be very well protected with nuts but when I look at the UKC logbook comments some people are saying they’re bold or run out. I think a lot of folks have become over reliant on cams.

+1 for a set of nuts first.  I started with one set of nuts and a few hexes and that was fine for quite a while. Eventually added friends, quadcams, aliens, RPs, brass offsets, more nuts…. but you don’t need all that to get going with. I know it all looks shiny and exciting in the glass counter at your local climbing shop, but just go simple and learn to place nuts really well.

I think I started with a couple of Moacs

I’ve still got a moac somewhere. I no longer have the far too small EBs or the whillans harness. Jumpers for bleedin’ goalposts

Pretty much every youtube mid-grade trad climbing video I see seems to involve placing nothing but cams.

I thought about trying to refresh my trad rack, but the cost of even just scrapping and replacing the slings/quickdraws/ropes/harnesses made me think twice.

And one from Wednesday. Alpine Monkey at Redhythe Point. A nice wee spot but shan’t be rushing back.

DMM used to do something called the protection pack…..which is 4 hexes, a set of nuts and a set of offsets….great value, add in those quick draws off Cougar and you’ve got what I led my first years worth of climbs on, up to VS 4c. I now own 4 cams and still have a maximum lead of VS 4c! This year has been a write of for outdoors climbing for me. Hoping to right that next year. Might need to join a club though as my climbing partner is going to become a dad in the new year.

Moacs

Miss my Moac – second couldn’t get it out on Commando Ridge. Still married her though :-)

Let’s talk local training/quick hit crags. The wee places you go for a quick burn that you have grown fond of but would never recommend to visitors. Mine’s the Tom Riach boulder, 15 mins from the house, limited but some excellent stamina traverses. What have you got? Don’t bother if Almscliff is your local… :)

Nothing within 1.5- 2hrs for me. So it’s Red Spider (climbing wall) or the garden woody. A little boulder nearby would be great though. A few years ago I did try and get the local council to fund some Sheffield style boulders in parks, but failed. Money went on some sort of fitness trail thing instead.

… within 15 minutes – Shipley Glen (and no walk in so easiest for quick blast), Caley ( short walk in to roadside boulders), Ilkley, Baildon Bank.

Almscliff is actually within 30 minutes ( sorry)

within 15 minutes – Shipley Glen (and no walk in so easiest for quick blast), Caley ( short walk in to roadside boulders)

Been to Caley quite a few times over the years. Lots of brilliant problems. Mr Smooth sticks in my mind as a classic piece of nonsense

About 15-20 mins away.  My daughter is in the Boulder Britain (Niall Grimes guide book)

We also have the Bowder stone 45 mins away.  Some good evenings spent there followed by a paddle board 5 mins down the road

Got to ask Spin, but is the friction on nougat actually better in the wet?

Been to Caley quite a few times over the years. Lots of brilliant problems. Mr Smooth sticks in my mind as a classic piece of nonsense

Classy line – next boulder along from one of my favourites The Horn

Given all the climbing on my doorstep I should spend more time on rock and less in the gym really.  To be fair to myself the weather has been so wet for last 18 months I guess

Got to ask Spin, but is the friction on nougat actually better in the wet?

Don’t you be slagging my local off. :)

It’s actually brutal on the tips, never managed much more than 2 hrs there.

This weekend, Killer Instinct and Jack the Ripper on Stack Pollaidh. the Talisman Direct Start and Zircon in the Cairngorms.

Nice. Keep it coming – bit of inspiration

Roaches is my local.crag. 25 minutes on a good traffic day. Not climbed there in about 18 months though. Hoping to really get back climbing as of next month.

First time out in 2 year, due to long covid, on Saturday. We ended up doing Curved Ridge and Crowberry Tower in sublime conditions. There was even a plentiful supply of blaeberries all the way up the route. Wonderful day – 10/10 rating.

First time out in 2 year, due to long covid, on Saturday. We ended up doing Curved Ridge and Crowberry Tower in sublime conditions. There was even a plentiful supply of blaeberries all the way up the route. Wonderful day – 10/10 rating.

A day on the Buchaille in the sun never fails to please.

Cracking day soloing at Bowden and Kyloe yesterday, 51 routes and a few problems. Kyloe never fails to please.

Bowden is looking pretty worn these days, the sort of thing you really notice when you don’t visit regularly.

upload pic

Nice.

That’s the downside of a softsock crag that gets enough trade to not go green, get dirty.

On a similar subject I saw some photographs of Froggatt a week or so ago, at the busy bit (Downhill racer etc.) and I thought it looked more grassy than it did 30 years ago.  I haven’t been there for a long time now…

I thought it looked more grassy than it did 30 years ago. I haven’t been there for a long time now…

Pads make a big difference to the erosion at the bottom of problems. The rock on Child’s Play at Bowden is trashed but the bottom of it is all grass now whereas is was just dirt back in the day.

This is really tragic compared to the other posts, but it’s all I have, so in it goes…

Had an excellent roped session at the wall this morning for the first time in years… Last couple of trips have been well demoralising, topping out at about 6a+.  But today I felt the flow state for the first time in ages, and really really enjoyed it. “Did” a few 6cs, including nearly flashing one of the overhangs. Just the feeling I had moving around, trying the sequence, down climbing to try again and eventually getting the move was great.  I wasn’t quite on max commitment when I fell, which was a shame, but more than made up for by the feeling of total relaxation.  Just so satisfying to be able to chill trying the moves and then take a biggish lob without even giving a thought to it.

Got a big fat gut these days, and never been good at overhangs, but I had this confidence and relaxed technique that I’ve not had for years. Yay !

Maybe I should try to persuade the family to do Kalymnos at October HT after all…..

I’ve found that the secret to being able to consistently enjoy my climbing is to accept it’s not going to be awesome and I won’t be  pushing the grades out on every session/trip (cause being awesome 2 or 3 times a week is hard work and not very likely).

I just like to do a lot of climbing, rubbish or not.  Which means I have a big enough base that when I do need it, I’ve got it!

’ve found that the secret to being able to consistently enjoy my climbing is to accept it’s not going to be awesome and I won’t be pushing the grades out on every session/trip (cause being awesome 2 or 3 times a week is hard work and not very likely).

I spent years thinking I should always be performing at my top level and constantly threw myself at routes of that grade. Sometimes I did them, sometimes I did them but didn’t really enjoy the experience and sometimes I failed then beat myself up about it. Nowadays I go out with cruising in mind and only try harder stuff if I’m really motivated. Much more enjoyable!

Wise words Spin. I obsessed about doing 7a almost every trip I went on. In the end the first one I did was a relaxed trip somehere we didn’t even had a guidebook. Only found out years later.

Anyway QQ….. If one was going to extend a crazy weekend trip from Manchester to the gorms next weekend by doing the Toridon lollipop, is there a good sport climbing crag somewhere between Aviemore and Achnaschellach that you could recommend for a rest day. 5-7a mainly nearer 6a.

Was thinking of Moy rock, but if there does exist any Torri sandstone peppered with bolts then that would be da bomb…

.

I spent years thinking I should always be performing at my top level and constantly threw myself at routes of that grade.

Climbing’s weird in that everyone (including me) kind of expects to be able to hit a PB every single session. It’s also pretty much pass/fail so not hitting that PB can mean total ‘failure’. You’ve almost got to work at finding things to enjoy. It took me a few years to figure that out but climbing’s so much more fun now I have.

Let’s talk local training/quick hit crags. The wee places you go for a quick burn that you have grown fond of but would never recommend to visitors.

@thegeneralist – does it have to be sport climbing? The bouldering in Torridon is ace.

Ooh, I do quite well on this one! I’ve got the Matlock quarries a couple of minutes’ walk from the door. Wouldn’t want to inflict them on anyone else but they are fun (if you shut your eyes).

is there a good sport climbing crag somewhere between Aviemore and Achnaschellach that you could recommend for a rest day. 5-7a mainly nearer 6a.

Have a look at An Teanga and Fideal Crag. Have you climbed at Moy? It’s right on your way and there are some great routes but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Looks like I’ve got a week free to go climbing towards the end of October. Most likely Yorkshire if the weather plays ball.

Climbing’s weird in that everyone (including me) kind of expects to be able to hit a PB every single session. It’s also pretty much pass/fail so not hitting that PB can mean total ‘failure’.

Back when I was going regularly, we settled into a routine of acceptance where some days you’re killing it, others you kinda CBA and everything you touch goes sideways.

One of the last really good days I had, I was feeling all proud of myself.  Swung my pack over my shoulder, turned to leave, stood half-on half-off the crash mat and went down like a sack of shit with my kneecap taking the full impact.  One of my best climbing days in years and I couldn’t walk properly for weeks afterwards because I’d fallen off the ****ing floor.

@aldo56 we were on Crowberry Ridge last week, what conditions! For rope practice (and maybe a bit of confidence) we pitched it and it turned into a ridiculously overlong 11 hour car-to-car, but we were in no rush and spent a good while staring at the setting sun down Glencoe.

I’m going to be weird here and say that I never got anything out of doing routes I could easily manage, instead I spent my time trying things too hard for me or at my limit; failure was the common outcome but when I did suceed the achievement buzz was beyond measure and I would dine off that feeling until the next successful ascent.

When my climbing standard started to drop (getting old and not prepared to compensate by training more) I just gave up climbing as I got nothing out of doing routes at a lower level.

Everyone’s different.  I did the same with running

When my climbing standard started to drop (getting old and not prepared to compensate by training more) I just gave up climbing as I got nothing out of doing routes at a lower level.

You were operating at a pretty high standard whereas I’ve never been anything but a keen punter so it’s not surprising we get/got different stuff out of it and had different motivations.

I never got anything out of doing routes I could easily manage, instead I spent my time trying things too hard for me or at my limit; failure was the common outcome but when I did suceed the achievement buzz was beyond measure and I would dine off that feeling until the next successful ascent.

I mainly boulder these days but I know what you mean. I absolutely love projecting hard stuff, maybe working out one move a sesssion, figuring out all the little subtlties, the psychological stuff and so on. When you eventually get up a project that’s taken ages you never forget it.

But I also love just going out and doing easy circuits. I can happily spend an entire day doing stuff way below my limit, just running round and enjoying the rock and the moves and being outside and just generally messing about. Not memorable in the same way as projecting but it makes me grin.