Rob was born in Ohio and didn't even learn about rock climbing until after graduating high school. Having his first climbing experiences at the New River Gorge, West Virginia gave him the climbing bug and he has been at for over 20 years. He continues to travel the world for climbing and adventuring, always seeking the ever elusive perfect route. His passion is establishing new climbs big and small. His favorite places to climb are in the Italian Dolomites and in Zion National Park. He has been teaching high school science for 15 years at an alternative high school for high risk youth where he leads an outdoor program and a real life hands on science curriculum. Rob now resides in Grand Junction, Colorado where he is a proud husband and a father of two boys

What are your recommendations for climbing harnesses for someone on a budget?

I've sold a lot of harnesses working at gear shops over the years and the biggest thing that I go ahead and remind folks is get in the harness, hang at the gear shop, and find out if it fits your body type. And when you're hanging in that harness you're gonna either feel pinch points on the insides of your legs, the outsides of your legs, around the waist, or underneath your belly button over the over the hips. So if you have any of that type of pain that's not the harness for you or pinch points and if you find a harness that happens to be more inexpensive than other harnesses that meets all that criteria of being comfortable while you're hanging in it then I'd say buy it. But a harness is safe per manufacturers delivery of a safe product. It's up to you to go ahead and buy something that fits your body type and is comfortable for you. So buy what works not what's cheap.

When buying a harness, make sure it fits your body type and is comfortable when hanging in it. Don't buy something just because it's cheaper - buy what works for you.

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Gina Grain is a Canadian Strength & Conditioning coach and a retired professional road and track cyclist. She won a silver medal in the women's scratch at the 2006 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and later represented Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Throughout her career she raced with U.S. and Canadian teams and Hong Kong's Giant Pro Cycling. She earned a number of titles, including the U.S. Pro Tour Championships and the Canadian Championships in Saint-Georges, Quebec. She also scored stage triumphs at the Grand Montreal Cycling Tour, Tour de Gastown, and Tour of the Gila. After retiring in 2010, she focused on her kinesiology career. Gina has her masters in Exercise Science. Gina volunteers with various soccer clubs around Vancouver including the Phoenix Women’s Soccer Team helping with pre-game physical preparation and post-game recovery. 

How many years should you keep your equipment like a harness? To be safe?

How many years should you keep your equipment like a harness to be safe? Well this is one of those tricky questions that there's never going to be a right answer. There's going to be what is the condition of your harness and ultimately I would check with a manufacturer and see what they suggest. If your harness is looking worn out in the belay loop and around the waist belt then that's definitely a time to go ahead and retire it. But if it doesn't look like there's anywhere and it's 10 years old that's where you want to go ahead and ask an actual manufacturer. My personal philosophy would be if it hasn't been used for a long time I don't know what condition it is even if it looks fine. I'm gonna retire it and get something new. So I would always err on the safe side because if your harness breaks you're dead so don't ever trust it if it hasn't been used.

Check with the manufacturer for specific advice, but typically it is safest to retire a harness after 10 years of use or if it looks worn out.

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What are the best kind of pants to wear rock climbing?

The best pants for rock climbing? It all depends on what you want to do my friend. I want mobility so I want to be able to move and move freely without restriction. I want durability so typically that's probably going to be a nylon style or of pant rather than a cotton blend. I want windproofness. I want it to be very abrasive resistant. So I'm usually looking for a technical pant that's got a little reinforcement in the knees and around the ankles. Sometimes a little drawstring at the bottom of the pant to keep the wind out. I want it to have a waist area that is not a tight little string. I'd rather have a smaller belt with a small buckle to go ahead and hold my pants up. Usually I'd like a one pocket over the thigh to hold anything while I'm on route. So something that's durable, flexible, and has a nice pocket.

I'm looking for a technical pant that is nylon, windproof, abrasion-resistant, with a reinforced knee and ankle area, a belt with a buckle, and one pocket over the thigh.

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Are climbing gloves necessary for ascending?

Are climbing gloves necessary for ascending? No, not at all. I wear them when I am ascending and when I'm rappelling and the main reason is if I'm doing rope work and the rope is sliding over my hand I want protection over my hand because it'll eventually wear my skin out and I don't want my skin to be worn out from non climbing related things. So when I'm ascending and my gloves are sorry my hands are moving up the rope on a tool and I have risk of scraping them against that my knuckles against the wall I'm gonna make sure that I have gloves on because I do not want to go ahead and have each of my finger knuckles bleeding just because I'm ascending a rope. So gloves are by no means necessary but I will wear them 100% of the time when I'm doing rope work going up the rope or down the rope.

Climbing gloves are not necessary for ascending, but they can be helpful in preventing skin from getting worn out from rope work.

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Why buy passive pro when active pro (like spring loaded camming devices) are so secure and easy to place?

Great question about why buy Passive Pro and we have our Active Pro. For me, when I go up and adventure on things never climbed before, I don't know what is necessary to go ahead and protect the route safely. So I like to make sure that I carry a combination of Passive Pro and Active Pro. Also, if you're going out on big adventures into the unknown, if you need to leave behind an anchor piece, that Passive Pro is significantly cheaper, works just as well, and is something that you can leave behind and repel off of. So for me, the variety allows me access up the wall by having Passive and Active Pro. Now, Active Pro doesn't come into the tiniest sizes that small nuts and wires do, so you're getting some value there also as far as the size that you can actually protect in the rock.

When climbing, I like to carry a combination of passive Pro and active Pro so that I can access up the wall and protect the route safely. It also allows me to leave behind an anchor piece if needed, as passive Pro is significantly cheaper and works just as well when rappelling off.

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Various gear-related questions to prepare you for your climb.

Gear 101: Harnesses, Pants, & Gloves

Rob Pizem

What are your recommendations for climbing harnesses for someone on a budget?

How many years should you keep your equipment like a harness? To be safe?

What are the best kind of pants to wear rock climbing?

Are climbing gloves necessary for ascending?

Why buy passive pro when active pro (like spring loaded camming devices) are so secure and easy to place?