The amount of gear that you need for a full day at the crag is usually quite a bit more than a day at the gym. Not only do you have to bring your climbing shoes, harness and chalk, but you’ll also need your own quickdraws, belay device, rope, andRead More
Climbing at the gym doesn’t require as much of your gear as you need for climbing outdoors at the crag. You don’t have to be prepared with supplies for a long day out in the wilderness, and you don’t need to bring all your quickdraws, trad protection, or other outdoorRead More
By the time you’ve finally broken in your climbing shoes, you have spent quite a few good sessions getting them nice and sweaty and used. You’ve likely gotten used to your climbing shoes and are loving them, but you’re also bound to start noticing an offensive smell show up everyRead More
When you spend a lot of time belaying, you spend a a lot of time with your neck back, looking up at your climber. Climbers have a term for the feelings of muscle strain – soreness, stiffness, and tightness – that you experience when spending too much time looking up:Read More
Your climbing rope is an essential piece of climbing gear. Your climbing rope is your literal lifeline, and knowing you can trust your gear will help give you confidence. There is a lot of information to learn about how to keep your climbing rope in reliable shape, and how toRead More
If you’re climbing outdoors, maybe you’re trying to choose the best headlamp for rock climbing. Maybe you’re not even sure why you would need to take a headlamp rock climbing at all. A headlamp might not seem like an obvious essential piece of rock climbing gear, but anything that givesRead More
“Ascending the rope” in rock climbing is a technique also referred to as “jugging up” or “Jumaring”. It is when a climber uses the rope to quickly pull themselves up, rather than using their hands and feet to climb up the rock face. If you’ve ever been working your projectRead More
The most obvious use for a rope bag is to have a convenient way to carry your rope and even to store it in between climbing sessions. If you are mainly climbing at the gym this may be your only reason for needing or wanting a rope bag. If youRead More
If you are just beginning to rock climb, then your grip strength isn’t going to be the thing that is holding you back from progressing. You will have a lot of technique to perfect, and muscle strength to build, before you really need to start training your grip. Finger andRead More
What is an approach shoe? Approach shoes are a cross between a hiking shoe and a climbing shoe. They usually have stickier rubber soles than a standard hiking shoe, since the terrain you will be walking on or “scrambling” through as you get to the crag will often be rocky.Read More
