It’s late and I’m tired. I almost typed Harry Potter Documentary. Anyway, hopefully there are still some people out there who haven’t seen this yet. It’s pretty cool. It’s in 5 parts, which is kind of annoying, but it’s still worth watching.
{ 0 comments }
The stopper knot.
More from the St. George chronicles…
As I was absorbed in leading the second pitch of a route this past weekend, my belayer was witnessing an entirely different epic. A group of climbers had arrived at the crag. One of them seemed to know what he was doing, but the three or four others didn’t. The competent climber led off up a route and eventually lowered down. Well, the pitch was evidently longer than half a rope length because as the climber was cleaning his draws, the rope slipped through the belay device!
{ 1 comment }
So I just got back from a weekend of mountain biking and climbing in St. George. It was awesome! Today’s tip is the first in a series of tips inspired by the trip.
To make a long story short, my buddy and I had a somewhat unpleasant time on a route that was inadequately described.
{ 0 comments }
If you want to climb this bad boy, you need to know what you're doing!
Over on Supertopo is a fantastic resource for the new (and seasoned) aid climber. Chris McNamara, veteran big wall climber and SuperTopo founder, is working on a how-to-climb-big-walls book. The book is available to everyone online. There are awesome videos, too. Check it out!!!
{ 0 comments }
Radios like these can make communicating a breeze.
I’m playing in St. George this weekend, so this and the next few tips are going to be short.
Using two-way radios is a great way for belayers and climbers to keep in touch in situations where it is difficult to communicate. If, for example, you climb in a canyon that has a raging river running through it, it can be really hard to hear. Never again will you have to worry about whether your partner said said “Take” or “Off belay.”
I’ve got an older pair of Motorolas that work great. Each one weighs a little bit more than a cell phone, and it’s easy to keep it in a cargo pants pocket or pack pocket. The ones to the right go for $36 on Amazon, but you can pick up a pair of generic brand ones for $20 or so.
{ 0 comments }
Cyberclimber!
I love it when people on climbing forums get really mad and say stuff like, “Why are you wasting your time asking/doing/looking at _____?? Get out and climb more, idiot!” Well, I whole-heartedly believe that we would all rather be outside, but life often prevents that.
So what is a climber to do when he/she can’t get out to climb? He or she plays a climbing game online, obviously. Enter Cyberclimber. This is a fun time waster for when you really, really want to climb but can’t. The object of the game is to get the climber from the bottom of the wall to the top. The climber’s arms and legs can only reach so far, and you have to position the climber’s body correctly. It’s really simple, but there are enough walls to keep it interesting. Give it a shot!
{ 1 comment }
Dying in an avalanche would be a lousy way to go.
As we enter March, winter is on its way out. But don’t let your guard down! There’s still a lot of snow in them mountains, and they’re still a dangerous place to be. It’s essential that you know what you’re getting into. Literally. Taking an avalanche safety class is the best way to know what you’re doing, but the resources below are great supplements.
{ 0 comments }
Don't let this happen to you!
It’s always a good idea to have a small first aid kit handy. Here’s the stuff that you should have in a small first aid kit that should be good to treat most cuts, scrapes, headaches, blisters, etc. that you’ll get when climbing.
{ 0 comments }
Behold the long quickdraw!
You know how sometimes you just want to buy gear because you like the feeling of new gear? Of course you do. We’re climbers and that’s part of the game. Well, I was bored one day and decided to go to the local climbing shop and blow ten bucks on something cool. A long (12″) quickdraw caught my attention. Most of my draws are short little guys except for one longer (maybe 9″?) draw that I bootied a while back that I really liked. I felt that my quickdraw rack could use a little diversity, so I bought the thing.
I have to admit that this was probably one of my more brilliant impromptu gear purchases.
{ 2 comments }
Psha. Forget spending all winter in the gym. Forget churning out a hundred pull ups. Forget. You don’t even have to try to get better at climbing. Here are ten things you can do the next time you go to the crag that can help you pull down harder.
{ 0 comments }