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graniteboy
Mar 6, 2002, 11:13 PM
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1) Be safe. We're all gonna die, but some will die in bed like Whillans, and some will die like fools, like Dan-O.
2) Read everything you can, and practice it all. Many times.
3) Find a mentor or mentors. Hopefully, a real one, not a paid guide who most of you can never afford to pay enough to get you through your first five or ten years of climbing and teach you actual JUDGEMENT.
4) learn in the easy zone, practice in the challenge zone, stay out of the freak out zone.
5) Give me all your material posessions. Send them to: Graniteboy, P.O. Box 3051, Truckee, California, 96160)
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treyr
Mar 8, 2002, 10:31 PM
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I think most of these are on my top 5 list. They are great topics
Trob
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tiago
Mar 14, 2002, 4:20 PM
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the points of using your feet submitted by the others is so true. Take it from me, I am relatively new to climbing and being quite strong in my upper body thought I could pull my way up. It only left me knackered with my arms feeling like they were a few inches longer
Saftey of course comes first, followed by getting good instruction.
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rockjunky
Mar 24, 2002, 4:24 PM
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When I started climbing one thing that helped me was doing easier routes like 5.5-5.7 making sure that I stepped on every hold. It makes you more aware of foot holds and eventually you realize how important your feet are.
rockjunky
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rockjunky
Mar 24, 2002, 4:28 PM
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When I started climbing one thing that helped me was doing easier routes like 5.5-5.7 making sure that I stepped on every hold. It makes you more aware of foot holds and eventually you realize how important your feet are.
rockjunky
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lostangel
Mar 25, 2002, 12:14 AM
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My tips
5.)Pay attention to what you are doing
4.)Noting replaces experience, so practice
3.) sometimes you teach sometimes you gotta learn, know the difference
2.)always warm up and cool down
1.) Check Double-Check
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lyquidfyr
Mar 28, 2002, 3:17 AM
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Make sure check EVERYTHING!! safety should be ur number one aspect.
take your time, dont rush, get a feel for the new area.
and for me, its best to stay cool..dont panic if something happens.
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wes_allen
Mar 29, 2002, 4:15 PM
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1) Learn the basic things like how to safely clean anchors, etc from someone who knows, and can teach it well.
2) Climb as many different kinds of routes as you can. Sport, trad, ice, bouldering, and even aid. Slabs, face, crack, steep, pockets, Off width, etc are all good.
3) Don't get caught up in the sport v. trad v. bouldering crap. Just climb what ever looks cool.
4) Downclimbing is great practice, as is traversing.
5) Sometimes it is hard and not much fun, but stick with it.
Wes
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ravens_wing_jim
Mar 29, 2002, 8:12 PM
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Ummm, I have to disagree
with Wes_Allen.
As you are a newbie climber, your not going to
be doing any sport, trad, ice, aid, etc.
So at the moment, erase those from your mind.
The only climbing you will be doing right
now, is toproping.
All n all, I think that most of the points
you need have been touched on...
one thing to remember, is once you learn to
set up a proper toprope anchor, allways
try to back it up, especially when the primary is a couple rusty old bolts and chains. Sure they would probably hold you
in most cases, but there is no reason to
pad the list, back it up.
That will also take any worried concerns out
of your mind, and leave you free to concentrate on the climbing, and have fun
[ This Message was edited by: ravens_wing_jim on 2002-03-29 12:15 ]
[ This Message was edited by: ravens_wing_jim on 2002-03-29 12:19 ]
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inflight
Apr 3, 2002, 8:45 PM
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1. Climb with inspiration
2. Know your safety equipment
3. Take responsibility for your own safety
4. Survive the first ten years
5. Read all you can get your hands on.
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knuckles
May 29, 2004, 12:27 PM
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1. To reiterate: check EVERYTHING... check your buckle, make sure your knot is pretty and perfect, make sure that locker on the belay device is locked, check all your partner's stuff and make sure he/she checks yours, and don't be afraid to put THEM in check if they aren't getting the necessary safety stuff done before stepping off the ground. There is a tendencey to get complacent about these things as you get comfortable climbing and it's BAD. Never ever, get lazy with it... make it a compulsion... make it so you feel almost embarassed about it when climbing with somebody new. Do it all in the same order every time. I cannot step off the ground without double checking every buckle, my knot, my partner's harness, his locker, and making sure that the free end of the rope is tied to my belayer, the anchor, or at the very least it's sporting a big knot in it that won't go through the belay device... and then making him do the same to me. If I try to climb without going through my checklist, I'll have an anuerism and die.
2. Go to where the climbers are. It's easy to get the bug, recruit a patsy (little brothers and goofball friends) and try to teach yourself in a vacuum... it's not easy to do it safely. Find people who are better than you, and if you see them doing something suspect then find somebody else. Make friends at the campground, not at the crag... folks out climbing have an adgenda for the day, camp is the equalizer. Brush up on those social skills and be friendly. I started climbing young with nothing but a pair of shoes and a simple plan: go to Hidden Valley, be totally honest about my abilities, be cool and bring beers. Share your food. Get adopted. Climbing is like surfing in this, except climbers are generally much more accepting of neophytes.
3. Breathe. Find those rest spots. Force yourself to look down at your feet instead of up at your hands all the time. How you use your little footsies is much more important than what kind of shoes you have on them.
4. Toprope... a LOT... then second, a LOT. Don't be in a hurry to get out on the sharp end. When that dweeb in the next campsite tells you you didn't actually climb route 'x' because you didn't lead it just tell him that whatever it WAS you did up there today, it was a whole bunch of fun and be proud of it anyway. Your own ego and other people's perceptions can get you into big trouble. Fear exists for a reason. You should think of your climbing career like a boxer's manager... you don't throw your fighter in against some crusher who's way over his head... baby steps, small tests, just enough that you can rise to the occasion without risking getting knocked out of the game.
5. Love it, just relish every single minute whether it be pleasure or pain. Make it part of who you are rather than something you do. See yourself WAY down the line, not just the young hotshot but that old grizzled badass. Hone your craft and pass it on to another eager kid with the bug.
-Brad
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scrappydoo
May 29, 2004, 3:16 PM
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Excellent last post.
Everyone has offered good advice (safety, use your feet, don't make it an ego thing and aviod those who do, etc) but there are two things I don't think have been mentioned.
Climbing is dangerous, and often scary. Learn to trust your gear and, when sketched-out, learn to accept the dangers and make peace with the possibilities of serious injury. This allows you to REALISTICALLY and HONESTLY assess those dangers and ways to mitigate those (notice I'm not saying ignore or deny), like quickly pushing through sketchy sections (the old "pro or go" dilemma), hanging on the rope, or even bailing and calling it a day. By working through fear issues, you learn to shut off unneccessary fear (that wastes you by making you grip the rock too hard and move very tentatively and jerkily) and to know when something isn't right and to back-off. The best way, and basically only for beginners, is to safely scare yourself s--tless on toprope; get on routes that make you fall and don't let yourself be lowered down--you'll be surprised what you can climb if you accept the possibility you could fall while pulling the move. Make this your motto; "If Im gonna fall, Im gonna fall trying"
Take personal pride in your accomplishments and climbing style; don't spray about what you can do and strive to climb cleanly, without hanging or pulling on gear.
All this leads to this: to find others to share your addiction with and learn from, realistically represent your ability and experience. If you have to hang on the rope five times to get up 5.8's, don't say your a 5.8 climber. If don't know (and haven't practiced) self-rescue, escaping a belay, and rope ascending skills, then don't tell others you're ready for multi-pitch climbs. As with anything, you have to get in over your head a little to improve; HOWEVER don't get in over your head when it comes to safety, and even with ability, only push yourself in small increments.
$.02
(and wow, the first topic like this that hasn't degenerated into flame wars, pedantry, or elitism)
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areuinclimber
May 29, 2004, 4:23 PM
Post #38 of 81
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what does F.O.T.H. stand for?
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nextascent
May 29, 2004, 4:59 PM
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FOTH stands for "Freedom of the Hills". An excellent book (now in it's 7th ed?). Can find at any major book stoor or order online under "Mountaineering".
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karmaklimber
May 29, 2004, 5:04 PM
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1. Its not about the grades. Simply use them as a reference guide so you know what's in your ability and what's not, so you don't go on taking something you can't handle. Don't go chasing them.
2. Humility. Even if you do become a badass, don't go on boasting. Remember, in everything that you do, everything, there will -always- be someone better than you.
3. Patience. Sometimes the urge to strive to get better grows faster than the muscles in your body. Listen to your body first and foremost. If doing one certain type of move hurts, don't do it. If you need to stop climbing for the day, then stop.
4. Breathing. Don't forget to breathe while climbing.
5. Have fun. :)
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fenix83
Moderator
May 29, 2004, 6:09 PM
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Amazing thread! 8^)
These are in no particular order, and many of them are reruns, but here goes:
SAFETY! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY! In order to be able to do this, you should be equipped with both the gear and the knowledge to get yourself out of a hairy situation. There are always variables and unredictable elemnts, so it is almost impossible to have a recepie for each possible epic, but if you have enough knowledge in your bag and keep a cool head, you can take on almost anything.
BACK IT UP! Redundancy redundancy redundancy (was that redundant?). If its your anchor, you rap, etc... Murphy is one meaaaan SOB.
Take it slowly, the rock isn't going anywhere and you don't need to climb it all in one day. Injuries suck, and most of them come about because you aren't listening to your body, or because you are too lazy to do it right (ALWAYS STRETCH, I learned that one the hard way).
Remember why you got into this in the first place. It isn't about the numbers, or the type of climbing you do or the ego, or the comps. It's about being happy and enjoying life.
Take the good days and the bad ones. There will be days you feel like you can barely climb the stairs, it happens, don't let it get you down.
Choose your partners wisely, their attitude is a huge factor in making a day out a succes or a failure (and I don't necesarily mean sending). You are _literally_ putting your life in his/her hands.
Welcome to the family, it's good to have you here :)
Ohh, and read my sig.
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overlord
May 29, 2004, 6:13 PM
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1. get someone experienced to teach you.
2. be patient. learning to climb is a slow process and if you try to rush thing youll probably get hurt.
3. be safe.
4. focus on using proper technique rather than gaining strength
5. mind your feet (also a part of no4)
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beesty511
May 29, 2004, 6:25 PM
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1) I think giving tips to beginners to "climb with their feet" is not helpful. We all probably heard that mantra while we were beginning, but it's not until you achieve some modicum of expertise that you actually know what that means or how to accomplish it. In every endeavor, it seems to me there are some tips for beginners which only someone experienced can appreciate or understand, and I think that's one of them. If you find it good advice, then all the better. If you don't get it, don't worry about it.
I say climb up the route anyway you can. You will end up having most of your weight on your arms, but over time you will learn to use the power in your legs to get you up climbs—it comes with experience. In regards to feet, the only thing I would advise is that when you are moving your feet, you look down at the foot you are going to move, and before you move it decide exactly where you are going to place it next. When beginners get tired, they generally tend to start reaching for holds as high as they can--which is even more tiring--and pawing with their feet while they are looking upward. Try to work on looking at the hold you are going to move your foot to, before you move it, and then place it precisely there before looking for the next foothold or handhold. You still might find it hard to make yourself do that, but I think it gives you something a little more concrete to shoot for. Watch the good climbers do some routes and notice how they always look down to locate a foothold, and only then move their foot to it.
2) Start practicing your knots. Buy 8-10 feet of thick cord(or get a 20 foot section of old rope from your gym or a friend), and get a climbing book and start practicing your knots at home.
3) Be vigilant. A lot of people get more casual as they get more experienced. Rock climbing is not a sport that suffers fools. As you get more experienced, instead of getting more casual--get more vigilant. You will know more and be aware of more things that can go wrong, so if you are wise, you will keep a careful watch over everything. Don't adopt the casual attitude I see all to frequently. The accident reports are filled with experienced climbers who were too lazy to check and double check things, and they either got killed or seriously injured as a result.
4) Don't climb too often. I know I had finger problems when I started because I was enthusiastic, and I didn't know that climbing every day wasn't good for my poor fingers. I've read that it can take up to a year for your finger tendons to adapt to climbing. I would suggest you not climb more than 3 times a week, and if you feel any soreness in your fingers, don't climb that day--take a rest day. Be really careful in that regard. Climbing tends to be a sport that often requires extended periods of rest.
5) Learn how to set up a rappel and clean anchors. I would consider those advanced beginner or intermediate skills, but when you think you are ready, get a climbing book and practice those skills at home. You can sling some webbing around a couple legs of a chair and clip some carabiners to it for an anchor, and then practice with the 20 foot section of old rope in #2.
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antigrav
May 29, 2004, 6:38 PM
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I just want to add my few cents on these "use your feet 90%" etc. mantras...
As a (relative) beginner, I see this repeated all over, all the time. But still, when I find myself up some route (say, something 5.10a'ish), barely being able to keep from falling off, with both feet in the two best positions I can find, "better footwork" doesn't seem to cut it. I know that although my two feet now can support most of my weight, a single one of them definitely can not. So, in order to move on, I can't help think that "good handwork" is the way... Or am I wrong? Or is the "90% footwork, 10% other" something which applies to "easy routes", and which is gradually transferred to, say, "50% footwork, 50% other" when moving up some grades?
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fenix83
Moderator
May 29, 2004, 7:58 PM
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In reply to: 2) Start practicing your knots. Buy 8-10 feet of thick cord(or get a 20 foot section of old rope from your gym or a friend), and get a climbing book and start practicing your knots at home.
I can't believe I forgot this one, safe knots are key to safe climbing (no kidding huh?), remember its a completely different ball game tying a knot at home that when you are five pitches up, tired, scared and have to bail because of bad weather. When I trained with as a volunteer firefighter down here we were required to be able to tie the knots behindd our back and guiding the rope with either hand (in case you screw up one of your hands) while wearing gloves. The gloves might be a bit much for climbing, but I still practice knots while hanging from my harness with my eyes closed and alternating hands. Remember the 7 Ps "Proper Previous Planning Prevents Pi$$ Poor Performance"
-F
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elron
May 29, 2004, 8:13 PM
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1) Use your feet. Yeah, its been said before, but its important. I don't know about 90% of climbing being feet, but I do know that 90% of the time when I fail on a climb its because i didn't use my feet properly
2) Use balance. Learn how shifting your hips left and right just a small amount can make a bad stance into a great stance. find the hip position relative to the rock that puts the most weight on your feet on less than vertical, vertical, and overhanging rock
3) Look around you. Climb with your eyes and your head. Look for the good holds. Then think about where your body needs to be in order to use that hold to the greatest benefit.
4) Learn the knots you'll need to climb safely. There aren't a lot of them from the beginners perspective, and they're not difficult to tie. Tie them a lot. Tie them with your eyes closed.
5) Enjoy yourself. Take time to pause and look around and enjoy the scenery. Enjoy the air. Enjoy the movement on the rock. Have fun!
Kevin
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knuckles
May 29, 2004, 9:57 PM
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The feet thing always seems weird to beginners... especially now that so many of us learn on plastic and hop right onto steep stuff from day one... but it's true. Spot your foothold, move your foot, and lay it down silently... no noise at all. The only sound should be your breathing, all that pawing and slapping is bad and just means you're wearing out your shoes. Your hand strength will come in time but foot technique is something that you can improve today... with immediate gains.
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unabonger
Jun 3, 2004, 12:44 AM
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If you aren't falling, remember, you aren't falling.
WTF?
That is, you may feel like you are in a precarious position and about to fall. But you haven't fallen yet, so reverse a move and step up again with a different technique.
UB
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alpnclmbr1
Jun 3, 2004, 1:34 AM
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Lots of good ones.
Here are mine, in no particular order.
1) Mileage is the key to learning and safety. Climb on as many different types of rock and style of climbing because each has its lesson to teach.
2) Climb with climbers that are still going to be around in ten years. This is a good general practice when you can do it. You can often tell the difference and the people that are going to last tend to be safer. (this may be a bit advanced)
3) Start leading sport routes as soon as you can. Follow trad routes for as long as you can. (Avoid top roping unless it is all that is available or safe.)
4) Believe in yourself
5) Find a partner that you can believe in. (trust with your life)
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choppie
Jun 3, 2004, 2:08 AM
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1) don't believe anything you read on this site
2) Boulder only while smoking (like rrradam) that way you have the built in excuse of smoke getting in your eyes, when you can't send problems
3) wear 2 helmets and carry 60 hexes at all times.
4) if you run into climbinganne tell her you have a 86 margaux in your tent and then serve her nighttrain once she is inside
5) draw enormous tic marks on jugs.....the general rule is the bigger the hold the larger the tic mark (spray paint is ok if you don't have enough chalk)
6) If you are going to and area with lots of delicate slabs , bring a boom box and crank slayer...the other climbers will thank you for it.......
7) If you are walking along the base of a cliff with a lot of climbers it is customary to step on each persons rope as you pass. It is considered
a sign of respect and luck.
8) Bring a bullhorn to shout up encouragement and beta to your partners.
or better yet people you don't even know..unsolicited loud beta is the epitome of good climbing etiquitte.....
9) remember the scottish are idiots and bagpipes suck ass.........
10) put your harness on before you get in the car and don't take it off til after you shower.......
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