Rock Climbing Pants: Look Good, Climb Good
September 1, 2008
I know-it’s “Climb Well”, but that just doesn’t flow, so deal.
I think we’ve all been there-it’s a hot summer day, your cotton clothes about five pounds heavier with the sweat they’re holding, your knees burning from scrapes on the wall you just climbed, and don’t get me started on chafing. Nothing ruins a good day on the wall like inappropriate clothes. Luckily, there’s a way to be comfortable while hauling yourself up a rock face without rockin’ the neon spandex and fishnet tanks of the 80’s. Unless you’re into that.
We’ll focus on the one thing “the man” won’t let you climb without-pants. Can’t go anywhere without these. Maybe you can in Europe…anyway, when you’re climbing here’s some things to consider when covering your naughty bits:
Elasticity-when you climb, you want to be able to have a full range of motion, so make sure the pants are made with either a stretchy fabric, or are gusseted in the crotchal region for better flexibility. Sickle’s Merced shorts are great for flexibility.
Knee coverage-I’ve shredded my knees on enough walls to know the importance of this aspect. If you’ve even spent a day dragging your knees up a limestone wall, you’ll be nodding your head right now. When I’m about to tackle a particularly scrapey patch, I usually roll up a pair of pants, like Patagonia’s Stand-up Pants. If you’re going with shorts, opt for a longer pair, something that will cover your knees even if they’re bent.
Toughness-that in mind, look for reinforced points of contact. You don’t want a pair that’ll fall apart after a single season. Most climbing-specific pants will come with a double layer of fabric over main points of contact. Patagonia’s Stand-up Pants are double layered in the knees and butt, so they’ll put up with a lot of abuse.
Keep these aspects in mind when you’re shopping for your climbing gear and you’ll be able to climb comfortably and look pretty cool while doing so.
Carabiners - Versatile, Functional, and Sometimes Fashionable
August 22, 2008
I admit - duct tape is one of my favorite all-purpose “fix it” tools; but the truth is that carabiners offer a great deal of compact functionality just when I need it. It’s not often that I carry a roll of the sticky grey stuff, but I can always count on having at least one carabiner with me at all times
For our adventurous readers and those in-the-know, carabiners are standard and important pieces of equipment for bouldering, mountaineering and a host of other recreational activities. Having the right carabiner for any of these sports is vastly important, however, the versatility of this handy little gadget in daily life is worth noting
I am curious as to how others use carabiners, so I am in the midst of conducting my own informal survey (and I do emphasize “informal”). There’s nothing scientific about my methodology at all; just simple probing. I have asked the adventurous and non-adventurous alike to share their carabiner experiences with me. To date, my unofficial survey has yielded a variety of responses ranging from the predictable, to the resourceful and creatively eclectic:
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“Securing tents and fly tarps.”
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“I hook it onto my fishing bait bucket while trolling the walleye hotspots”.
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“A keychain - - did I mention that it’s green?”
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“Keeping essentials together - packs, tools, gear, water bottles, made-for-carabiner sunscreen, and so on.”
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“My kids enjoy clipping these with jump ropes to form a train-like tether between their wagons, scooters and trikes.”
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“I never owned one, but a classmate jury rigged a sagging car fender using a couple of industrial grade carabiners that he had in the trunk.”
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“We’ve used them to connect cardboard boxes to make a portable puppet theater.”
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“My wife and I use it as a marital aid….”
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“It’s my business card.”
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“I wore one as an enlarged earring during my Goth-Emo-Punk phase.”
How about you? Share your favorite and unique uses of this invaluable little gadget by logging in CascadeGear.com!
Under the Bridge: A Favorite Climbing Spot
August 13, 2008
Sometimes climbing spots are obvious-Half Dome, Castle Crags, and Everest are all pretty hard to miss. Chances are no matter where you live, you’ve heard of or driven by a local rock climbing area of note, but the real treasures are the neglected areas, the secret spots that nobody knows about.
It’s at these spots that you can climb all day and never see another person, have the whole area to yourself, and never have to wait your turn. Hopefully they’re close to home, but even if they’re not, you think fondly of the times you’ve spent there and eagerly await your chance to go back. Everybody’s got a secret garden.
"The Bridge" is one such location. It’s only known by a few folks around here, so we don’t have to fight any crowds. It’s just a few miles from downtown and it has a great variety in features. The climbing area is beneath the bridge of a popular local trail, and the retaining walls are huge blocks of eroded stone that make up a great selection of edges, pinches, and finger pockets.
The bridge blocks out the worst of the sun and makes for an interesting roof section. For such a small area, there’s a huge amount of wall to play on. It’s tall enough to top-rope, but there are enough features to support a few hour’s worth of bouldering if you’re alone.
The retaining wall looks as if it was designed for climbers with features ranging from beginner to expert, with just about every skill level in between. I learned to climb on it and have felt the exhilaration of climbing the harder routes and shouting in triumph from the top. Over time it became more than just a climbing spot-it’s a place to invite people to join our climbing culture, a place to get away from daily life, a place to have some deep talks. It’s a private resort five minutes from home.
As a kid, it’s a prerequisite to have a secret clubhouse for you and your friends, a place to get away from it all, a place where you need a secret password to get in.
If you’re lucky enough, you can find one when you’re grown up.
Climbing Tips: Hang Around for Hand Strength
August 10, 2008
As a rock climber, your hands are your anchors. Your feet hold you up, but without your hands, you ain’t going nowhere. That said, it’s obvious that hand strength is of great value to a climbing fool such as myself. Obviously, the best way to keep your climbing strong is to get out there and climb…but what if you can’t? When time is a factor or the weather’s bad, or in my case, if your state is on fire and it’s raining ash, having a hang board is a godsend.
If you got swindled into living in a residence without an interior climbing wall and there’s no climbing gym around, a hang board is a convenient way to stay on top of your climbing game, especially if you’re stuck inside.
A hang board is a board (sigh) made of plastic, wood, or a rock-simulating composite built with a variety of holds to hang from. It’s a great way to build endurance and strength in your hands and forearms when climbing isn’t a possibility.
There are a variety of hang boards to choose from-different sizes and materials make for different experiences, but Revolution Climbing’s Grill Hang board is a good way to go. It features every hold you could want, with pockets and pinches of all sizes, as well as a nice big sloper for you to curse.
With the various holds, you’ll be able to static hang, asymmetrically hang, or even traverse from one side of the board to another. It’s the next best thing to having a climbing wall in your garage (more on that later).
If you spend your winter on this beast, you’ll be dominating walls in the spring.
And who doesn’t love to dominate?
Check it out here.
The Basic Beans About Carabiners
August 4, 2008
Last week, I mentioned to a close friend of mine that I needed to look into carabiners for an upcoming trip. “Cara Who-a?” she furrowed her brow in confusion. I laughed at her curious response (she has an IQ of 138); instead of gently mocking her high intelligence as I sometimes do (she is a good sport), I decided to show mercy on her and launched into a short explanation of the following basic function and uses for carabiners.
Car-a-bi-ner (n.) – An oblong metal ring with a spring-hinged or locking screw gate fastening, used in rock and mountain climbing as a connector holding a freely running rope to a piton or similar device. Also: an absolutely handy accessory to have for multiple uses.
Compact, lightweight and strong, carabiners are essential pieces of equipment for repelling, rock climbing, mountaineering, sailing, and many more recreational endeavors. Made from aluminum or steel, these devices come in several shapes designed to maximize their load bearing capabilities:
· Oval carabiners are the original shape created to hold a lot of your gear. The symmetry of their curves help to reduce shifting when climbing.
· “D” shaped carabiners offer a high strength-to-weight ratio which places the majority of your load onto the strongest part of the carabiner, the spine.
· Asymmetrical “D” carabiners are smaller at one end and generally have larger gate openings which makes them easier to clip.
· Bent gate carabiners have a concave gate making them the easiest carabiners to clip.
· Pear shaped/HMS carabiners are larger versions of the asymmetrical “D” style that allow more to be hooked into it.
· Locking carabiners provide an added feature, either a screw gate closure (a threaded collar) or a spring mechanism auto-lock.
“Oh, so is this a carabiner?” Smiling, my good friend produced a fashionable-looking carabiner from her handbag, bright green and bearing the name of a previous employer stamped on the spine.
“Well, yes,” I grinned, pleased with my quick study. “What did you think it was?”
“A keychain.”
(sigh). I guess I know beans about keychains.
Climbing Holds Part III: Taking it to the Edge
July 31, 2008
We’ve gone over jugs, pinches, slopers, and pockets. Hope you enjoyed the easy stuff, ’cause now it’s time for some hurt.
Today we’re talking about edges-the intimidators. These little guys were brutal for me when I learned, so we’ll spend a bit more time on them. You can recognize an edge hold by your first impression of it-if you see a hold and think “I can’t possibly hang on to that!”, you’re looking at an edge.
Edges are usually small, slightly positive edges that are just deep enough to fit the tips of fingers onto. They’re also called chips because many times they’ll look like little flakes of rock on the wall. There are two ways to approach these holds, one is to “hang” on it, which utilizes an open hand grip, and the other is to “crimp” it. Crimping places a lot more stress on your finger joints for the same reason that it’s an easier way to hold and edge-it relies on the finger bones and tendons as well as the muscles.
Officially, I’d like to recommend the hang method, just to keep my legion of faithful readers safe and sound…but I just love the crimp. When you get it down you’ll love it, too. So master it.
A key thing to keep in mind when crimping is to realize that your hands aren’t going to be supporting your weight-their jobs is to keep you from falling back from the wall. Your legs (again) are what hold you up. Realizing this is your first step to utilizing the crimp.
So when you crimp, you’re going to put your fingertips on the ledge and rest them in a way that you can put a portion of your weight on them, however briefly. I usually prefer to wrap my thumb over my index finger for a bit more reinforcement.
Don’t worry about your fingertips-they’ll hurt at first, but you’ll develop calluses. Once you do, you won’t feel a thing. Except awesome when you dominate that chip section at the gym.
I’m not going to lie to you-it’s going to be rough. You may even want to give up and stick to juggy routes, but keep at it! You’ll improve a little every time you try a chip route, and nothing beats the feeling of mastering a route you used to have trouble with.
Climbing Holds Part II: Slopers and Pockets
July 31, 2008
Alright, now that you’re familiar with jugs and pinches, it’s time to get a little more serious. This time we’re going to up the ante and talk about some more difficult holds: slopers and pinches. 
- Slopers are holds that slope downwards away from the wall, and can be a bear to hang on to. They’re the liars in the climbing hold community. You see them from below and rejoice, thinking that it’s a much needed jug, until you reach for it and realize that you’re in trouble. With these holds you mostly rely on the friction between your hand and the slope to keep you on the wall, so you’re mostly going to want to take the open-hand “hang” approach to them. The hang gives your skin a larger contact area with the hold, therefore increasing friction.
- Pockets are exactly what they sound like-indentations in the rock that range in size to accommodate anywhere from a single finger to a whole fist. Depending on their size, pockets can be great or terrible. Single digit pockets are appropriately named monos, and are notoriously difficult (try hanging from a finger sometime and see how fun that is). With a pocket that’s big enough for two fingers, use your middle and ring fingers. I know it seems more instinctual to use your middle and index, but the ring finger seems to hang on a bit better. If you’re faced with a mono, use your strongest finger, usually your middle or index finger. You’ll figure out which fingers are dominant after a few tries on the wall.
Now here’s the good news-the best way to become a better climber is to climb. The more time you spend on a specific type of hold, the more familiar with it your body will become, and the less you’ll think about it. Soon you’ll be bypassing your former problem areas and moving on to better climbs and even more difficult holds.
Climbing Hold Basics: Jugs and Pinches
July 31, 2008
Alright climbers, we’ve talked about etiquette and gear, it’s time to get to the fun stuff. That’s right, I’m talking holds: jugs, slopers, pockets, pinches, and edges. Dominate these and you’ll be king of the hill. We’ll start off on the friendliest holds: the jugs and pinches.
- Jugs slope inward towards the wall, and they provide a lot of space with a great grip for you to hang on to. They’re essentially a handle on the wall, and you’ll find that they make a great rest spot on the wall. Because they’re so easy to use, jugs are prevalent on beginner route, campus (arms only) routes or roof sections of climbing gyms. Don’t get cocky, though-just because a wall is juggy doesn’t mean it’ll be a walk in the park. One of my favorite climbing spots has a climbing wall that is spotted with jugs, but since it’s a 60-foot overhanging 5.11, it’s still a brutal climb.
- Pinches are holds that two faces and need to be pinched (go figure!) to hold on to. They generally require more strength to hang on to, as they have to be gripped by the thumb as well. Pinches vary in size and difficulty, and they focus on thumb strength more than any other hold, which gives your other fingers a break from doing all the work.
Jugs and pinches are great for starting out, as they put less stress on your hands. At the gym, look for routes that feature them for your first few attempts. Once you’ve developed your grip strength somewhat you can move on to more advanced holds with more confidence.
Climbing Shoe Review: La Sportiva’s Mythos
July 28, 2008
Like I said on A Note to Newbie Rock Climbers, good footwork is essential to any climber’s arsenal. You stand on your feet all day, so it makes sense that your feet will hold you up on the wall as well. That said, it’s very important to have a shoe that will stick to the wall-even when there aren’t any footholds.
Smearing is pressing the sole of your shoe against a flat, featureless part of the wall, relying on the friction from your shoe’s rubber and the wall to hold you up. It’s a very important technique for climbers to learn, and unlike most of the other tactics known to climbers, a large part of smearing depends on what gear you have.
That said, I’ve got to give some love to the Mythos. After a season of scrambling feet, it’s great to have a climbing shoe that is great for smearing. La Sportiva’s Mythos shoe is a sticky-soled, comfortable climbing shoe that’s useful on any surface.
The Mythos scores on two huge areas-grip and fit:
Grip
The Vibram XS grip is outstanding, as well-it’s like I’m a completely different climber. Footholds that were inconceivable are now child’s play, and I’m finding myself able to smear on most surfaces.
Fit
The upper consists of a stretchable leather that molds to your feet instead of squeezing it into the shoes’ shape, and the flat-toes fit makes it an extremely comfortable shoe. As if that weren’t enough, the laces wrap around the heel to minimize shoe slippage while you’re on the wall, making it ideal to wear on the wall or while you’re waiting for your next climb.
It’s a great all-around option for those of us who can’t afford shoes for every type of climb-comfortable enough not to scare off a beginner, but sticky enough to please the veteran.
VIsit La Sportiva for more info, or take my word for it and pick them up here.
Got SPF? Sun Protection for Higher Altitudes
July 25, 2008
We understand how important sunscreen is with our outdoor activities. While the best sun protection comes from clothing coverage, here are a few notable products I’ve found that raise the bar on sun protection for higher altitudes. (Note: prices and formulas are subject to change.)
REI Extreme Protection Sunblock – SPF 50, 8 oz., $12.00.
REI features this sunblock designed specifically for high altitude sports and snow glare. Containing titanium dioxide as its power ingredient, it also touts state-of-the-art polymers that allow this lotion to attach to the skin more effectively; that means you get a serious barrier of UVA/UVB protection. One perk: the hole at the end of the tube fits a small carabiner perfectly so you can attach it on your person or pack - effective and functional!
Aloe Gator Super Water Proof Total Sunblock Gel – SPF 40+, 4 oz., $10.95
This product provides UVA and UVB protection without the eye-stinging PABA, and surprisingly, it has staying power. The gel formula is a nice alternative to either lotion-based or spray-on protection, yet it may be a sticking point with some as it does feel a little greasy slathering it on large portions of your body. Yet for specific areas like ears, back of your neck and under your nose, it performs very well.
KINeSYS Fragrance-Free Spray-on Performance Sunscreen – SPF 30+, 4 oz., $18.00
KINeSYS Spray-On Sunscreen is a great choice for those of you who want to keep your hands free of lotions that could impede your ability to grip equipment. It dispenses an even mist of coverage leaving your skin feeling natural. The fragrance-free formula and ergonomic bottle makes this product a favorite with avid adventurers.
UV Natural Adult Sunscreen – SPF 30+, 5.29 oz, $37.00
UV Natural Adult Sunscreen offers a winning combination of UVA/UVB protection, moisturizing, and skin rejuvenation all in one tube. While the active ingredient is zinc oxide, it also contains a preservative-free vegan formula including green tea and grapeseed, a great choice for those who have fragrance sensitivities and allergies. Although it’s the most expensive of the four products highlighted, it is also highly concentrated; a little bit goes a long way.
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