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jlc325i
Jul 2, 2004, 3:25 AM
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Okay here's what's up... My father offered to buy me gear for climbing. right now i have a chalk bag and me. I need shoes and a harness for sure, and I plan to go to McConnell's Mill within a month upon having some ropes training. I've been climbing at a gym for a couple months doing mostly bouldering. Anyways what gear will i need for the mill? I'm thinking about putting a small wall in my house at college. The catch is EMS is having buy 3 get the 4th item free (same or lesser value). The shoes and harness are a definite, but should i get holds and a hangboard? should I get ropes?... BASICALLY what gear do I need to start me off?
sorry my thoughts aren't exactly flowing...
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okie_redneck
Jul 2, 2004, 3:52 AM
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Your question invites contradicting opinions. If you're gonna be bouldering, you want the whole hold/hangboard combo. If you're gonna be sport climbing, you need a rope. Honestly, it's a personal decision, and you haven't climbed enough to really know what you're into. I'd go for what is more expensive (mom and dad are buying it, right?). You'll probably find it's all worth having (I have a slight addiction and so do others).
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jlc325i
Jul 2, 2004, 4:29 PM
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okay so what's more expensive? rope or holds? what rope should i be getting?
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brolloks
Jul 2, 2004, 4:40 PM
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You will have to be more spesific in regards to what equipment you already have, and I guess you will be doing mostly top roping for now (I am not familiar with McConnell`s Mill)? It`ll be easier to give a good response when the facts are clearer.
Meanwhile you will do well by checking out prices of various items over the internet, so you know what is more expensive (and so will your dad... ha ha).
Guidance
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glowering
Jul 2, 2004, 5:05 PM
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#1 shoes, try as many pairs as you can
#2 Top roping- harness, belay device/biner, rope 10.5mm or so, 4-6 biners (ovals or lockers best for top rope), 2-4 slings and/or cordelette.
#3 Sport- add 10 or so quickdraws.
OR
#2 bouldering pad
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highminded
Jul 2, 2004, 5:39 PM
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Of course this is all just my opinion, but it is true, you should consider whether you want to focus more on bouldering or more climbing.
If you want to focus on bouldering, forget the harness. Get a pair of nice shoes and a crash pad for when you go outside. Then look into doing the home gym thing with the holds and all. (Sorry I'm not a boulderer, so I can't give you great advice on holds.)
If you want to do more climbing outside, then definitely have your parents spring for the shoes, harness, rope and possibly belay device. At this stage, until you start leading, those will be your most expensive outlays. (Slings and biners for top-roping can be got for relatively less money.)
Another bit of advice: It's better not to go whole-hog and run out and buy a bunch of stuff you don't know how to use. If your parents are looking to support your climbing habit, ask if they will get you a gift certificate to you local climbing shop, or start a "climbing fund" for you, so you can take your time deciding what you need and want. I blew a disgraceful amount of cash when I first started climbing, by buying things I thought I needed, but wound up never using.
Experience and climbing with others who are experienced will help you pick up on what little climbing goodies are cool and what are a waste of money.
That said, my recommendations on ropes are:
1) Don't bother getting a dry rope (i.e. one that will resist water). You won't want to climb in the rain or wet and the water "proofing" wears off after a while anyway.
2) If you can afford it, a bi-color rope is nice (i.e. one that changes color or pattern at the half-way point), especially if you want to start leading outside. But it's not absolutely necessary and you can go with a mono-color rope and use a Sharpie pen to mark the half-way point. (I've checked with my rope manufacturer and they say the Sharpie's are alright to use on a rope.)
3) Go for a 60-meter rope. Most outdoor pitches are routed for 60m now-a-days; you'll probably find yourself frustrated with a 50m rope. Don't go for the new 70m ropes that are coming out. For a beginner, they will just mean more weight and more tangles.
My recommendations on shoes are:
1) As a beginner, get something that's not going to torture your feet.
2) Be aware, that the different configurations of shoes serve different purposes. The less aggressive shoes (like the Five Ten Spires) are best for general climbing and excellent for slabby smeary stuff. Something with a bit more edge to it (like the Five Ten Anasazi) are better for edging on little dime-edge holds. (Sorry, can you tell I'm a Five Ten fan.) The most aggressive shoes (like the La Sportiva Katana) have a very stiff sole and are bent inward to focus power in your toes -- they work like dynamite when you've got notchy-little holds to grip onto but are damned uncomfortable and can't be worn all day unless your totally masochistic.
My recommendations on harnesses are:
1) You MUST test your harness before buying it. Go to a shop that provides a hang-rope where you can clip in and see how the harness supports you. It shouldn't tip you either forward or back when you're hanging from it. You should be able to sit up, fairly straight, in the harness.
2) Otherwise, just make sure it fits comfortably. Having a detatchable butt-strap is nice (it means you don't have to take the harness off to go to the bathroom, but this is more of an issue for girls than guys -- unless you're dealing with # 2, that is.)
3) Some people like the gear loops that are mounted so they stick out, but I hate them. They always seem to be getting in my way and, when you load them up with gear, they always flop down anyway. It's totally a matter of preference.
My recommendations for beginner gear are:
1) Buy 5 or 6 locking biners for setting up top-rope anchors. Also, get yourself either about 30m of static rope, or buy/make slings in various lengths. When I first started out, I made myself 2 each of 4-foot, 6-foot and 8-foot slings using tubular webbing (dirt cheap) tied with a water knot. Those did me well for my initial TR experiences, but the lengths of your slings kind of depends on the availability of anchors. Alternately, you can use the static rope to set up an anchor and it means less fussing to equalize the anchors (see http://www.chockstone.org/TechTips/Equalise.htm).
2) If you're wanting to use a GriGri for belaying, that's another item you could hit your parents up for. They're pricier ($80) than other belay devices.
3) Once you start leading is when the money suckage really kicks in. Sets of nuts, cams, hexes, quick-draws, biners, light-weight slings, etc. all add up to be a pretty good sock to your pocket book. Buy them slowly, to make sure you don't wind up with stuff you won't use. It will also depend on whether you want to climb sport, trad or aid. Again, see if you can talk your parents into starting a "climbing fund" for you, so you can defer purchase decisions until you have better info about what you need.
Good Luck, have fun
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sharpend
Jul 2, 2004, 6:00 PM
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Registered: May 24, 2004
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get the "how to climb book"
even better before you try to use the gear you are going to buy take a lesson to learn to ropes and how to set up anchors
if you are going to buy stuff for anchors know how to do it safe
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jlc325i
Jul 2, 2004, 9:35 PM
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Registered: Jul 2, 2004
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thanks guys... you've been helpful
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chadnsc
Jul 2, 2004, 9:47 PM
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Don't forget about the helmet, unless you're bouldering.
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zeffe
Jul 3, 2004, 1:06 PM
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Registered: May 26, 2004
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Where are you from? I've been going to the Mill about 1-2 times per week for a few weeks now.
I'm actually in precisely the same situation you are... so I'll tell you what I'm going to get for TR anchors at McConnel's Mill. But I wouldn't listen to this "dont get a harness" stuff! You can get a good harness for less than $50 and it will allow you to jump in on people's ropes. Bouldering is fun but it really is nice to jump on a rope and I wouldn't deny yourself that in favor of like 5 giant hand holds that you'd spend $50 on. People at the Mill are generally friendly... I usually offer belays to people who are standing around and that gets me a pass to use their ropes :)
Anyway, for anchors at the Mill, you're usually dealing with bolts on the top of the cliff or trees near the edge, its not bad at all. Here's what I'm going to get:
-Webbing. 2 longish loops (10-12 feet), 2 intermediate loops (6-7) feet, and 2 small loops (3-4 feet). Keep in mind these are the finished loop lenghts, so you'd need to buy double the loop length plus some for the water knots and tails, which are important for not dying. I'd guess it takes about 2 feet for the knots and tails.
-Cordelettes. I'm going to make 2 of these, each about a 10ft loop of 7mm Perlon. Generally useful. I think the standard knot here is two triple fisherman knots.
-Biners. Lots of locking biners, at least 4 I would say. Ovals are good for the rope end because they're roomy.
-Rope. Rope is good to have. I got a 10.2mm Beal and for a while I wished I would have gone for something more like 10.5, but the 10.2 seems to be working out fine after all. It doesn't catch in the belay devices the same way a thicker rope does, you have to hold your brake hand a little tighter it seems. It's fine though, and nice and light for a 60m rope.
Basically I think having a rope along with stuff to build anchors opens your climbing options tremendously for the cheapest possible price. We're lucky too because at the Mill the trees tend to be very accessible instead of set back 30 feet from the cliff!
Gimme a PM, we can go be newbie anchor builders together (bad idea) and have someone experienced help us out (better idea), so we dont ... die.
-Zeffe
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