| Climbing is rarely about actual strength. Of course | | | | down to retrieve your gear. Be careful when lowering |
| strength helps but the better and more experienced | | | | off climbs on one piece of equipment, that fails, you |
| you get you'll find that balance and technique are | | | | die! Better to lead trad routes several grades below |
| FAR more important. Climbing well does not always | | | | your ability level. |
| mean getting to the top. Climbing is about being in | | | | Why does most mountaineering guides require you to |
| control, moving decisively and fluidly up the rock and | | | | have plastic boots instead of leather? Simply, the |
| not thrashing and scrambling. | | | | warmth, plastic boots have several layers and are |
| Work on balance and overall strength and not on | | | | quite a bit warmer. Most guide services do not want |
| building large muscle groups. Build your heart rate and | | | | to deal with any frostbite problems while guiding. As |
| work on finger strength. | | | | a beginner/recreational climber...find a size that is |
| There are three types of climbing. Trad (traditional) | | | | snug...but comfortable. If you could not wear the |
| climbing is identified as routes where you must place | | | | shoes for one hour without discomfort....then the |
| you own safety gear. You are free climbing and using | | | | shoes are too tight. |
| combinations of stoppers, cams, hexes and even | | | | I have been climbing 5.10/11 since 1977. In my |
| pitons as protection. Sport climbing is usually short | | | | experience, a little bit of tightness may give you a |
| face climbs (though they can be milti pitch) using all | | | | slight advantage....you get up a 5.11a when normallly |
| bolts. Bouldering is done without ropes and done on | | | | your limit is 5.10d...but I would much rather enjoy my |
| free standing boulders. These routes are between 3 | | | | recreation than climb at my ultimate limit. |
| and maybe 20 moves; they are practice for sport | | | | RP's are a brand name for artificial chock stones. Like |
| climbing and often involve gymnastic or dynamic | | | | Stoppers, Rocks, Walnuts, Offsets, etc, it is the |
| moves. The rating system in the US is called the | | | | name given by the manufacturer; Pacific Crossing. |
| Yosemite System and goes from 5.0 to 5.14. Ratings | | | | Typically RP's were small to micro sized brass alloy |
| at 5.10 and above also include letters 5.10a, 5.10b, | | | | nuts, similar to the Black Diamond copper/steel nut |
| 5.10c, 5.10d, and 5.11. Boulders are rated with V1-5 | | | | made today. |
| based on difficulty. | | | | RP's were used, almost to the exclusion of any other |
| Question on leading a trad route - say you start a | | | | micro nut, in Yosemite to push the frontier of what |
| route placing gear as you go. You get halfway up | | | | was possible with clean aid climbing in the late '70s, |
| and can't get past a crux, so you drop down. Now, | | | | '80s, and early '90s. With the huge growth of the |
| how would you get the gear out that on the in the | | | | sport of climbing in the 1990's, many other companies |
| wall? (i.e. the top piece that you came down on.)? | | | | began producing micro nuts similar to the RP. |
| You don't. Unless, you can walk to the top and rappel | | | | |