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zealotnoob
Nov 14, 2006, 3:38 PM
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This being my first cold season as a climber, I was wondering if anyone had advice on climbing in the cold. Also, how cold do you guys go?
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zealotnoob
Nov 14, 2006, 3:56 PM
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I know! You could pour zippo down the length of your desired crack climb, light her up and you'll have steamy comfort all the way up after it burns out. Now, how can we desecrate a face climb?
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zealotnoob
Nov 14, 2006, 3:58 PM
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Seriously though, do you wear gloves right up until you climb, or do you try to get your hand used to the air temperature? Warm-up excersizes?
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mturner
Nov 14, 2006, 3:59 PM
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Joking aside, many outdoor gear shops have pocket hand warmers which stay warm for hours and are great for warming up your hands in between climbs. It's basically a little pouch of something that you break to have a chemical reaction and then you just leave the pouch in your pocket.
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redlegrangerone
Nov 14, 2006, 4:00 PM
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Minus 30 for rockclimbing Mr Brent_e? I can see this for ice, but not for rock. Maybe for an alpine climb, but it would be really hard to grab rock that cold.
I have been climbing down to about 40F. It does effect the hands, but mostly, there is a definate mental aspect to it.
Routes with a lot of exposure seem a lot higher up when it is cold. It also just does not seem to be fun.
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qulith
Nov 14, 2006, 4:05 PM
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In reply to: Joking aside, many outdoor gear shops have pocket hand warmers which stay warm for hours and are great for warming up your hands in between climbs. It's basically a little pouch of something that you break to have a chemical reaction and then you just leave the pouch in your pocket.
Better yet throw it in your chalk bag.
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zealotnoob
Nov 14, 2006, 4:12 PM
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Now that is an interesting idea!
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breaksnclimbs
Nov 14, 2006, 4:18 PM
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The hand warmer in the chalk bag work well. I typically climb 'till the snow blows us off. It's just matter of pain tolerance. Bu yeah I keep gloves on for the approach and at the belays. I have also thought about buying some of those down booties to put on over my rock shoes at the belays. Just to help keep the feet warm.
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bizarrodrinker
Nov 14, 2006, 4:24 PM
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Very cold...friction is better...coldest I have climbed was 18F. The Trapps boulders were cold last thanksgiving.
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zealotnoob
Nov 14, 2006, 4:35 PM
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I was climbing at the NRG this past weekend...headed up Zag in the birdge area with the temp in the upper 30s. I noticed that my hands were getting pretty stiff...but it was my first climb of the day and I wasn't warmed up. Does the stiffness pass? Do you select climbs below your normal grade when the temp dips? Are you more prone to injuring in the cold?
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overlord
Nov 14, 2006, 4:35 PM
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there are a few tricks to climbing in cold.
1. hot drink. cant emphasize that enough. nothing better than hot tea with honey to warm you up. even if it lasts only an hour, itll at least help you warm up.
2. mits. nothing beats a good pair of gloves. i prefer "convertibles"; theyre 4+1 that have flaps and a regular cut-finger glove (think bycicle gloves) beneath. that way you can keep them on while tying in, putting on shoes and remove them at the last possible moment.
3. good jacket.
4. hat. i mean a real hat, not a thin weak-ass beanie you wear during the summer and think youre cool.
5. hand warmer in chalkbag are nice.
6. so are some handwarmers in your shoes.
7. warm footwear for between climbs.
8. layers.
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sspssp
Nov 14, 2006, 4:49 PM
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In reply to: Are you more prone to injuring in the cold?
I've gotten three serious finger injuries climbing outdoors (and a few more in the gym). All of my outdoor finger injuries were in temps below 50 degrees (I don't climb in the cold anymore).
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brent_e
Nov 14, 2006, 8:00 PM
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In reply to: Minus 30 for rockclimbing Mr Brent_e? I can see this for ice, but not for rock. Maybe for an alpine climb, but it would be really hard to grab rock that cold. I have been climbing down to about 40F. It does effect the hands, but mostly, there is a definite mental aspect to it. Routes with a lot of exposure seem a lot higher up when it is cold. It also just does not seem to be fun.
of course it was for ice, Red! which is why I was wearing pants.
But seriously...I think it you're climbing in the cold you're just going to have to deal with cold hands. You have to be on the rock, and unless you're bouldering and can warm up constantly while lounging on a crash pad, you're going to be cold. Handwarmers are a good start to get some life back in your fingers.
Keeping your wrists warm will help a bit.
but hey, there will be MAD friction!!!! 
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devkrev
Nov 14, 2006, 8:04 PM
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Climb Southeast facing cliffs.
You'd be surpised how pleasant it is in the winter.
dev
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ja1484
Nov 14, 2006, 9:31 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Joking aside, many outdoor gear shops have pocket hand warmers which stay warm for hours and are great for warming up your hands in between climbs. It's basically a little pouch of something that you break to have a chemical reaction and then you just leave the pouch in your pocket. Better yet throw it in your chalk bag.
Good man. I was about to say, I usually pop one of these in my chalk bag on cold days and keep a couple spares on me if it's a particularly long or time consuming pitch. The second has several spares in the pack so as to restock at belays.
As far as I've found, this is the best way to warm your hands.
A word of warning: Buy some self-sealing laminate from your local office supplies store and seal these babies up with a layer before you use them. Had a friend punch a hole in one once and his chalk bag was a disgusting paste pit for the rest of the trip.
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ja1484
Nov 14, 2006, 9:34 PM
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In reply to: Are you more prone to injuring in the cold?
Pretty much, yeah. In cold temps, the body shunts blood away from the extremities and into the core. This is going to affect muscle performance, and thus the stability of joints out there on the periphery. In other words, it's definitely gonna be easier to blow something in the cold. Save the hard stuff for warmer weather.
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charley
Nov 15, 2006, 2:54 AM
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In reply to: there are a few tricks to climbing in cold. 1. hot drink. cant emphasize that enough. nothing better than hot tea with honey to warm you up. even if it lasts only an hour, itll at least help you warm up. 2. mits. nothing beats a good pair of gloves. i prefer "convertibles"; theyre 4+1 that have flaps and a regular cut-finger glove (think bycicle gloves) beneath. that way you can keep them on while tying in, putting on shoes and remove them at the last possible moment. 3. good jacket. 4. hat. i mean a real hat, not a thin weak-ass beanie you wear during the summer and think youre cool. 5. hand warmer in chalkbag are nice. 6. so are some handwarmers in your shoes. 7. warm footwear for between climbs. 8. layers.
Are you climbing in below zero far.? In the winter I climb down to the high twenties. I wear a long sleeve base layer, sometimes with some wool in it. I have a wicking t shirt. I have a light hat or an ear wrap. Fleece pants are plenty warm. If I am going to be in the wind things change. Wind makes it much harder to stay warm. Layers are important because it is easy to ajust.
I usually just boulder in the winter but if I was to go to seneca I would wear much more. I have climbed at seneca when it was 47 but not too windy and was comfortable in the same clothes.
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overlord
Nov 15, 2006, 8:15 AM
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i have climbed when it was about -5C (20F?) outside. its a real pita to stay warm, but it can be done. long underwear is a must at that temps imho.
and wind does complicate things a lot.
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climbsomething
Nov 15, 2006, 8:20 AM
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I'm a wuss. I can handle temps down to about 50F, a bit lower if there's no wind. I'm from the Sonoran desert and I have NO LOVE for the cold.
Those hand warmers are great. Not a cure-all but you will suffer quite a bit less if you have them. Also, south-facing cliffs can be pretty nice.
I just moved to the mountains and I am apprehensive but I'll survive... le brrrrrr.
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svilnit
Nov 15, 2006, 1:01 PM
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Ehh... When it gets too cold to climb it's just natures way of saying "It's time to heal up some of those injuries you sustained from climbing all summer."
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david_smithrock
Nov 15, 2006, 5:59 PM
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Walter Bonatti used to train his body for extreme cold by doing winter climbs in the alps without wearing gloves, and bivouacing as cold as possible (not recommended, I'm sure!)
Here at Smith people sometimes use propane heaters while belaying.
Getting your core warm is super important for warm fingers, which is why it's nice to be the first to climb after the approach hike. Try to get a good warmup on pumpy terrain if possible, as well.
Be sure to take care of your skin in the winter, as the cold dry air will crack your tips pretty quick. I use that Bag Balm stuff in the green can at night after climbing.
30 degrees in the sun is PERFECT by the way!
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drfelatio
Nov 15, 2006, 6:37 PM
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Speaking of cold climbing. This past Saturday Barry Blanchard came to my local rock gym to talk about a lot of his alpine ascents. During his slideshow he talked about one of his climbing partners who would take off his gloves, lick his fingers, freeze them to the rock for better grip, rip his fingers off the rock, and repeat. Can you say sick?
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coolklimber
Nov 15, 2006, 7:36 PM
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Take one of those hot packs you use in your glove, and put it in your chalk bag.
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serac
Nov 15, 2006, 9:38 PM
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Gloves for belaying.
The back of the neck is a good place to warm up the hands for those of us who are too cheap to by chemical hand warmers.
South facing routes protected from the wind which is the real killer.
Big lunches take too long to eat and pull blood to your stomache away from your fingers.
Crack shoes big enough for a very thin pair of socks amazing how much warmer a thin layer of fabric makes things.
It is fun to pass ice climbers and shout "WIMPS"
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