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hammerhead
Mar 17, 2004, 11:22 PM
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Hi,
How many here practise downclimbing while at the gym or top-roped on real rock? We've done it a few times on real rock and we were doing it last week while at the gym . I think it's really good practise. It uses the opposing muscles and it helps to train to pay out rope instead of taking it in. We also both tied into the rope so we didn't have to fiddle around with tying and untying when we were taking turns climbing. Give a shot next time.
Al
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doones
Mar 17, 2004, 11:30 PM
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I also practice down climbing. What is seemingly easy going up, it a whole different story going down. I find that practicing in the gym works great.
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grabngrip
Mar 17, 2004, 11:33 PM
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i've heard this is good, but i havnt done it. what i have done before though is get on a real easy climb, like a 5.6, and just climb up super slow. its kinda like a conditioning
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drrock
Mar 18, 2004, 12:02 AM
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edit
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dredsovrn
Mar 18, 2004, 12:49 AM
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In the last six months I have done a lot of downclimbing. It can come in handy on a trad route, when you find yourself in a spot where you are not sure where to go. You can lunge and fall, or possibly downclimb and find a rest, or fall less. It definitely develops some new skills.
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trad_mike
Mar 18, 2004, 1:25 AM
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It can save your @ss on a trad climb.
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littlebillie
Mar 18, 2004, 2:06 AM
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who down climbs? on a trad route, i just jump down, it cant be more than 12 feet!
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overlord
Mar 18, 2004, 8:08 AM
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i lways try to downclimb in the gym. outside i usually dont bother, there are too many other routes to try to for me to spend the time downclimbing onee route.
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okinawatricam
Mar 18, 2004, 9:59 AM
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Down climbing is the future of our sport. Think about how challenging all those hard routes will become.
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climbhigh2005
Mar 18, 2004, 11:46 AM
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i down climb all the time... it really is great practice... you'd be surprised at how many 5.12 climbers cant do a 5.10 going down...
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dontfall
Mar 18, 2004, 6:29 PM
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i try not to climb in gyms unless it's my last decision of climbing possible.
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hema
Mar 18, 2004, 7:31 PM
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In reply to: who down climbs? on a trad route, i just jump down, it cant be more than 12 feet!
You obiuosly haven't heard of British Grit routes, as most of them are hardly over 40 feet high. And when the grades go up (over 5.11) you might only get one or two marginal placements.
A good (and strangely) quite safe route is Steve McClure's new Elder Statesman, more info can be found at here.
Another Grit is is Appointment with death (5.13 R), and Rock&Ice had some info on it (ie. only pro a low nut, if you fall belayer has to jump off a ledge to atleast give the climber a change of not cratering).
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dirtineye
Mar 18, 2004, 7:47 PM
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Down climbing is good for you.
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rokshoxbkr19
Mar 18, 2004, 8:19 PM
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as was stated before, downclimbing can save your ass on a trad climb. In fact it is a necessary and often times overlooked skill for comptetant trad leading. Great training for strength too and a great way to balance muscles and avoid injury.
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alpnclmbr1
Mar 18, 2004, 8:34 PM
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Downclimbing on lead (backcleaning) is really good for teaching yourself that the route is the holds/crack and not the bolts/gear.
It is also the best way to get out of trouble, as opposed to bail biners, etc.
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chossmonkey
Mar 18, 2004, 8:38 PM
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I always downclimb my warmups when at the gym or sport climbing. Its easy mileage and sharpens lots of skills.
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bigbouda
Mar 18, 2004, 9:08 PM
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As other posters have stated before, downclimbing can save you ass. In my humble opinion it can make your lead head much stronger since you know you can get out of bad situations if you have to. It also makes you stronger with agonist/antagonist muscle training.
Down-climb-on!
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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artofclimbing
Mar 18, 2004, 9:20 PM
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i always down climb, i boulder most of the time and wheneever i warm up that is part of my warm up, down climbing is fun
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maika
Mar 23, 2004, 4:17 AM
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I also downclimb when I'm warming up. It makes me feel really pumped, just because my muscles are working that much more!
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herm
Mar 23, 2004, 4:47 AM
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.........The term for soloists and extereme trad climbers that do not have good downclimbing skills is corpse. Don't know if this has any relevance to gym climbing at all.
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a_guy_named_smith
Mar 23, 2004, 5:02 AM
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here is a nice article on downclimbing from gunks.com that helped me quite a bit.
http://www.gunks.com/index.php?pageid=66&pagenum=1&smGroup=2&smID=4
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madman_dan
Mar 23, 2004, 5:24 AM
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I try to down climb at the gym every once in a while if the route does'nt have me enuff pumpped out by the time I'm at the top. I don't do it that often at the crag, don't wanna hold up the route more than I have to.
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holdplease2
Mar 23, 2004, 7:26 AM
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I downclimb often while on short routes for practice, but definately avoid it if i would inconvenience other parties by doing so.
Beginning to practice downclimbing is like beginning to up-climb. At first it is strenuous, awkward, feels like a ton of work. But after you get the muscle memory, and learn how far down your feet can reach for holds (like you learn about your arm length when you start up-climbing) it begins to feel comfortable.
Great gains are made early on, and it won't take much practice to be able to downclimb at just about a grade lower than you upclimb, in my experience. Slabs, however, I still can't really downclimb...can't get the body dynamics right. I am still sloppy enought that I need big-ish holds for my hands.
-Kate.
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hosh
Mar 23, 2004, 8:03 AM
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Just the other day, I was climbing at the Sea Cliffs in Juneau and with the wind chill, it was in the lower 20's. Sucked. I did a short trad line and my partner was going to clean but the cold just got to us before we got that far. I was forced to shimmy up a near by sport route (still top-ropped from the trad lead) and down climb and clean. Hey, it's more fun when you can't feel your fingers, right? :wink: Yeah, down-climbing is useful and should be praticed, though I don't put in as much time doing it as I should.
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drkodos
Mar 23, 2004, 8:13 AM
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I try to downclimb as much as possible.
Selfish buggery artist that I am, I try to downclimb every 1 pitch lead climb I do. I tend to forget when I'm tired, but I do so about 70% of the time if it is a route I've been on previously.
It's bonus climbing.
I can never understand why people would not downclimb. It is climbing.
If you are a climber you downclimb.
For instance:
If you are a 5.7 type leader at the Gunks, why not down-climb Three Pines from the GT ledge after ascending Something Interesting.
You'd be surprised how much longer ropes last if you don't lower off wuith them or rappel.
One can also "lead" down climb if one is not into the free solo gig.
Rope up.
Send the weaker person down on belay.
Have them place lots of gear.
When they get down, they "down-rope" and put leader on belay.
Leader down climbs, removing pieces. Never exposed to big falls.
2X as much climbing.
More bang for the buck.
Less $$$ on ropes.
Rapid skill improvement, especially footwork.
Why would anyone not do it?
And here is a dirty little secret: It's Easy!!
Gravity is one your side.....
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