Climbing

As a first time buyer of any passive protection, should I buy everything in one go even if I don't know how to use it yet?

First-Time Buyer Dilemma: Buy All Gear at Once?

What should I buy when I'm buying gear? Great question. Hopefully you've used something with someone else at some point in time, meaning you've tried to use placing nuts or hexes or something or tri-cams or things like that. But if you don't know, go ahead and get some information from the salesperson at the store and if the price is right, meaning it's a good deal, I would go ahead and buy it all. I wouldn't buy one nut at a time. I would buy a set of nuts. I wouldn't buy one hex at a time. I would buy a set of hexes. I wouldn't buy one tri-cam at a time. I would buy a set of tri-cams. And then go practice at a local area where you can stand on the ground and place the gear in cracks at the ground level and wait them there. That way you have no risk of getting hurt if they fall out. So that is a great way to practice in a safe way on the ground.

Buy a set of climbing gear, such as nuts, hexes, and cams, and practice placing them at ground level to gain experience in a safe way.

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As a first-time buyer of passive protection gear, such as nuts, hexes, or tri-cams, it's important to gather information from the salesperson at the store. If they offer a good deal and the price is right, I would recommend buying everything at once instead of purchasing individual pieces. For example, buy a set of nuts, a set of hexes, or a set of tri-cams. While it's preferable to have some prior experience using this gear with someone else, if you're unsure about how to use them, you can start practicing in a safe manner. Find a local area where you can stand on the ground and place the gear into cracks at ground level. This way, there's no risk of getting hurt if the gear falls out. It's an excellent way to practice safely before attempting more challenging climbs.

What is the worst injury you have ever had from climbing?

From broken vertebrae to bruised egos: climbers' worst injuries

This is the worst injury I've ever had from climbing. I broke some vertebrae off my spine, or my back, years ago when I was climbing a climb in Yosemite. So I took a big fall, broke my hand, and three transverse processes. That's probably the worst one. That one you just recover from, and fortunately all was well. I'd say the worst injury most people have on a day-to-day basis is their pride gets hurt because they're comparing themselves to others. Again, climbing for me is about me trying to reach my personal potential. So I don't compare myself to others, so I'm not worried about that pride thing. But there's a lot of people that that's probably the biggest stinger they have when they go ahead and see someone else do something they want to do.

The worst injury I've ever had from climbing was breaking some vertebrae off my spine, a broken hand and three transverse processes. However, the most common injury among climbers is hurt pride due to comparing themselves to others.

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The worst injury I've had from climbing was when I broke some vertebrae in my back during a fall while climbing in Yosemite. Along with my hand, three transverse processes were also broken. Thankfully, I recovered well from that injury. In terms of day-to-day injuries, the most common one is probably the bruising of pride when comparing oneself to others. Personally, climbing is about reaching my own potential, so I don't worry about comparing myself to others and getting caught up in pride. However, for many people, that's often the biggest blow they experience when they see someone else achieving something they desire.

What has your experience been like Big Wall Climbing? How safe is it to sleep on a portaledge?

Big Wall Climbing: The Demands, Safety, and Rewards

What has my experience been like big wall climbing and how safe is it to sleep on a portal ledge? A portal ledge is attached to the wall either via some bolts that are already in the wall or cams that you placed into the rock. Sleeping on a ledge is like sleeping in your bed except your bed is hanging in the air. You are attached to the rock the entire time so you could say you could roll off but then you just be you can't roll off because you keep yourself in tension with your tether. So if you were to roll to one side it would just be snug you never actually roll off the portal ledge. My experience big wall climbing is that it's physically demanding, it's mentally demanding, and then when you're only part way up and it's getting dark and you want to keep going and you have to keep going it requires you to keep calm and stay focused and manage your diet, manage your water, manage your relationship with your partner. It's extremely committing, extremely difficult, but very rewarding.

Overall, my experience with big wall climbing has been physically and mentally demanding but rewarding. Sleeping on a portaledge is safe as you are attached to the rock at all times, so even if you were to roll off you would remain in tension with your tether.

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My experience with big wall climbing has been physically and mentally demanding. Sleeping on a portaledge is safe as long as you are properly attached to the wall. The ledge is secured either through bolts or cams placed into the rock. While sleeping, you remain connected to the rock, so rolling off is not possible. You stay in tension with your tether to ensure stability. Big wall climbing requires staying focused, managing physical needs like diet and water, and maintaining a good relationship with your climbing partner. It's a highly challenging and committing experience but ultimately very rewarding.

In your climbing practice, how do you try to accept responsibilty for the impact of other climbers on routes? For example, do you pick up left behind trash?

Climber takes responsibility for minimizing impact on routes

How do I try to accept responsibility for the impact of other climbers on routes? For example, do you pick up trash that is left behind? I certainly do. I want to leave the place looking nicer than it did when I was there, so I'll go ahead and clean up areas. If trails are getting overrun or if people are cross-cutting trails, I'll go ahead and build a barrier with, you know, like sticks and things like that to keep them on the right track. If we're crossing trails to make sure that people don't want to make shortcuts, we'll make them very clean and easy to use. If there's an erosion area, we'll go ahead and build a bridge if we need to, or just make sure that we do the trail work that will keep the trail being as successful as possible and last as long as it will. So yeah, basically, that's part of being outside, taking care of things. So you take care of your house, you take care of your house outside, which is the climbing area. Thanks for watching.

I take responsibility for the impact of other climbers on routes by picking up trash, keeping trails clean and making sure not to cross-cut, building barriers and bridges when necessary, and doing trail work to maintain a successful route.

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In my climbing practice, I take responsibility for the impact of other climbers on routes. For instance, I make an effort to pick up trash left behind by others. It's important to me that the climbing areas are left in a better condition than when I arrived. If trails become overused or if people start cutting across them, I will construct barriers using sticks or other materials to guide them back to the proper path. We also make sure that any trail crossings are well-maintained and clearly marked to discourage shortcuts. When encountering erosion areas, we may build bridges or perform necessary trail work to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the trails. Taking care of the outdoor spaces is just as important as taking care of our own homes. Thank you for watching.

Looking Down While Climbing: The Key to Efficiency

Do I ever look down while climbing? Of course I do! If I can't see my feet, I can't see where I need to stand. So I'm looking down at the placements where I can put my big toes and I can stand on them. Climbing is all about standing on your feet and pushing your way up, not necessarily about the pulling your way up and dragging your feet. That's the last thing you want to do. So I look down probably 90% of the time when I'm climbing. And I'm looking down so I can place my feet accurately and stand on them and use my balance and grip to kind of stand up against the wall. And then I move my hands higher up the wall. And then again I move my feet up so I kind of accordion my way up. So yes, looking down is essential to efficient climbing.

Yes, I look down while climbing in order to place my feet accurately and stand on them.

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Looking down while climbing? Absolutely! It's essential for me to see where I'm placing my feet. If I can't see my feet, I won't know where to stand. Climbing involves relying on proper foot placements and pushing upwards rather than solely relying on pulling and dragging your feet. So, I look down about 90% of the time while climbing. This allows me to accurately place my feet, find secure footing, utilize my balance and grip against the wall, and then progress by moving my hands higher up. It's like an accordion motion, steadily gaining height. Therefore, looking down plays a crucial role in efficient climbing.

What strategies have been successful for rock climbers to remain safe when attempting to summit complex walls or peaks?

Experience and Practice: Key Strategies for Safe Rock Climbing

What strategies have been successful for rock climbers to remain safe when attempting to summit complex walls or peaks? Most of the time I would say those folks have gone and done a lot of smaller, less intimidating, less dangerous walls and peaks. So they've just had a lot of experience. So when they get to it, they're just applying the strategies that they've been preparing for for months, weeks or years. Typically a long time, so I would say years. When people are successful and they don't have much experience, generally it's due to luck. But there's certainly some skill involved, but generally it's due to luck. So they've attempted and practiced complex things on a smaller scale many times before.

Successful rock climbers remain safe when attempting to summit complex walls by preparing for months, weeks, or even years beforehand. This includes practicing on smaller, less intimidating and dangerous walls and peaks. Without much experience, success is largely due to luck.

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The strategies that have proven successful for rock climbers in ensuring their safety when attempting to summit complex walls or peaks generally involve gaining experience through tackling smaller, less intimidating, and less dangerous challenges. By building a foundation of experience over months, weeks, or even years, climbers acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to apply appropriate strategies when facing more complex climbs. Although luck can play a role, success without much experience is rare and often attributed to chance. Therefore, climbers typically practice and attempt complex climbs on a smaller scale multiple times before taking on more challenging endeavors.

Rob Pizem answers your Climbing questions. See all the advice Rob Pizem has and get answers to your own Climbing questions.

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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 30 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 and engineering for over 20 years. Rob now resides in Grand Junction, Colorado where he is a proud husband and a father of two boys.