Friday glee is on crack(s)

[rydra_wong]

The Friday post of glee is where you get to tell us about your climbing-related happiness this week.

It can be a new achievement or adventure, or just that you climbed and had fun; it can be that your favourite climbing wall is expanding or that you bought new rock shoes or that you found a cool ice-climbing vid on YouTube. No glee is too small -- or too big. Members are encouraged to cheer each other on and share the squee.

N.B. Please feel free to post your glee on any day of the week; the Friday glee is just to get the ball rolling.

To enhance this week's glee: here's a lovely mini-film about Peter Croft and Lisa Rands climbing in the High Sierra.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

I have tremendous glee because on Sunday I'm heading off for a climbing trip in the Peak District for several days. Weather permitting, I'm going to bumble around the Burbage South boulders a bit.

[emperor]

Cool! I hope you get good weather. Do you think any of the trad climbing round there will be tempting? :-)

[rydra_wong]

If I route-climbed, all of it. :)

I have a bit of an aesthetic thing for gritstone. As trends in my video choices may have indicated. *g*

[emperor]

I'd never have guessed ;-)

I've not climbed on grit myself, I'm sure I'll get round to it eventually.

[emperor]

I feel like I'm beginning to get my head around leading inside; for some reason I get really stressed about it, then climb badly and get pumped half-way up the wall. Yesterday I onsighted one route, and dogged my way up a route that had defeated me a couple of times before, so that feels like progress, even though there's a long way to go (still 2-3 grades behind my top-rope grade indoors).

After Monday's climbing got rained off, I'm hoping to get out on some rock this weekend, but who knows?

[rydra_wong]

I feel like I'm beginning to get my head around leading inside

\o/ I know a lot of people say that learning to lead requires a big mental shift.

[emperor]

Oddly, I find leading trad less worrysome. I think it's because on trad I get to choose where I want protection, whereas half the time at the wall the clips seem to be in a really uncomfortable spot!

[tea]

Thanks for that video links - what a wicked piece of rock! I like this about climbing - watching videos of it never fails to inspire.

My glee is I bouldered (& some top rope) until I couldn't hold on anymore yesterday, and did an (easy but what the hey) inverted bit of climb, hauled myself over the ledge to the top, and strained my bicep! Okay, no glee for the strained bicep, but it already feels better and the pain in my fingers means they'll get stronger, right?

My friend and I switch between top-roping and bouldering, but I actually think I like bouldering better, though perhaps I'm letting the mental challenge of my fear of heights get the better of me.

Other glee: this week I buy SHOES damnit!

[rydra_wong]

W00t! \o/

FWIW, I've found that topical comfrey oil can work wonders on muscle strains

I actually think I like bouldering better

I am shamelessly biased towards bouldering, but will try not to influence you unduly. *g* It's one of those individual things -- some people really prefer one or the other.

the pain in my fingers means they'll get stronger, right?

*makes tilty hand gesture*

Depends on the kind of pain. Sore blistered fingers = inevitable, though it'll improve somewhat as the skin toughens up. Sharp tweaky pain inside the fingers = bad, and a signal to go easy on those fingers to protect the tendons.

Thanks for that video links - what a wicked piece of rock! I like this about climbing - watching videos of it never fails to inspire.

*nods a lot*

You might enjoy the videos tag.

Also, SHOES YAY!!!

What are you eyeing up? Have you already been given the Standard Rock-Shoe-Buying Advice?

[tea]

I have read what was probably standard rock climbing shoe advice - i.e. tighter than comfortable for walking?

I'll probably just head over to MEC to pick something up, so these are the shoes I'm looking amongst.

Is there a reason to look at women's shoes over unisex? My feet are (a) flat and (b) not exceptionally narrow or anything.

The pain in my hands is mostly just soreness, not twingy or RSI-y or anything. I could feel one tendon or something snapping over a knuckle yesterday, so I possibly did push them a little too much. No real blisters yet, surprisingly!

[emperor]

As 5-10 say on their shoe boxes, "pain is insane". Particularly for your first pair of shoes, you want to be aiming for "snug" not "painfully tight"; if they've got natural uppers then they'll stretch a bit as you break them in, but if you're getting hot points or losing sensation due to pressure, then they're not for you. Similarly, try lots and lots on until you find a pair that's comfortable for your feet (this will be more or less easy depending on your foot shape).

[rydra_wong]

This. Hot spots in particular are bad.

[tea]

Oh, I read this backwards as 5-10 was advocating pain (read "insane" in the slang way, I guess!) The other way makes this all makes much more sense. Thanks for the advice!

Pressure points are key for me in shoes: I have a bump (bone spur in a weird place?) on the top of my right foot (above the first metatarsal?), and regular shoes of all sorts often push on it in a very painful way, so I'll have to watch for that in climbing shoes.

Tl;dr incoming

[rydra_wong]

*flexes typing fingers*

Okay, Standard Advice for Buying Your First Rock Shoes:

The crucial thing: you want a) a beginner-to-intermediate shoe that b) suits your feet.

Expanding on this:

a) Pretty much all shoe manufacturers have at least one beginner-to-intermediate shoe in their range. It'll be relatively cheap, relatively comfortable, and not super-specialized or technical (i.e. not downturned or ultra-pointy or designed to be worn ultra-tight).

At this point, a "technical" shoe won't do anything except inflict unnecessary pain and it won't help you to climb better. But you can get a good pair of shoes that you can learn with and that won't limit you as you improve (at least not before they wear out).

Looking at that selection, shoes that I know are in that kind of range would be the Evolv Defy or Elektra (the Elektra were my first climbing shoes and served me very well), Five Ten Moccasym or maybe Siren, Sportiva Nago or Mythos, Scarpa Thunder or maybe Force. I suspect there are others too.

If you're bouldering a fair amount, you don't want something that's super-stiff (which might be great for outdoor trad); something a bit more flexible and sensitive will help you improve your footwork faster.

b) Picking among the various possibilities, the key thing is finding a shoe that suits your individual foot shape. Try on as many different ones as you need to in order to do that.

"Women's shoes": basically, they're just narrower and lower-volume. Nothing special otherwise. Often, they're a sister version of a "unisex" shoe made by the same company (for example, the Elektra is the low-volume version of the Defy), so worth trying on if you like the other version but find it's too wide.

Sizing: yeah, "tighter than you'd want for walking" is what to aim for right now. You want the shoe snug, so worn without socks there's no movement or slippage between your foot and the shoe. But actual pain is bad.

Be prepared to ignore the numerical size given on the shoe. It may be less than your street shoe size, but it'll also vary wildly between companies and makes of shoe. It's normal to take a completely different size in different shoes to get the same fit.

Shoes also stretch, by anything from a quarter-size to a size and a half, depending on what the uppers are made out of, so you have to allow for that (ask in the shop). Rule of thumb is that synthetic uppers will stretch hardly at all, lined leather will stretch somewhat, and unlined leather will stretch a size or more.

Re: Tl;dr incoming

[tea]

Awesome, that's great advice. I wasn't sure how important the turned-down bit was, so it's good to know I should probably avoid it at this point - and those are all more expensive, anyway!

Ah, no socks. I've been wearing socks in the gym shoes, which is the only hygienic way to go, but wouldn't be an issue in my own.

Thanks for the help! I will report back. ;)

Re: Tl;dr incoming

[rydra_wong]

I wasn't sure how important the turned-down bit was

It's useful for holding your toes tightly curled down so you can stand all your weight on a very tiny edge, but that can make it harder to smear well. And the ultra-downturned shoes (like the Evolv Shaman or the La Sportiva Testarossa, in that line-up) are meant for ultra-steep overhangs where you're pulling with your feet as much as pushing on them.

So they have certain specific uses, but it can make them less useful as all-round shoes, and also less comfortable. For a beginner, they're not going to give you any advantage, they'll be an active disadvantage in some circumstances, and also they'll hurt. And cost more.

For context, I've recently done my first few V5s indoors; I have one pair of flattish shoes and one with a mild downturn, and between those I am spoiled for choice.

(I didn't mean to end up being one of the people who has multiple pairs of climbing shoes, it just ... happened ...).

Re: Tl;dr incoming

[tea]

Better to be a person with multiple climbing shoes who climbs A BUNCH than a person with one pair who gives up on it after a couple tries. ;)

And hey, it's a relatively 'stuff-free' hobby, all things considered. Not like, I don't know, knitting or something. *looks at her neglected knitting pile* This is a bonus for me as I am trying to de-stuffify. But I do like new fancy things, so I am looking forward to the shoes.

ETA: Also, I have been watching this community for months longingly. I'm so psyched to actually get to comment about Things I Did!

Re: Tl;dr incoming

[rydra_wong]

I'm so psyched to actually get to comment about Things I Did!

\o/ \o/ \o/

If you knit, you could try knitting (and felting) your own chalkbag:

http://princessinhikingboots.blogspot.com/2007/11/powdered-courage.html

(I sew, so I make my own chalkbags that way. Actually, I need to post pictures of my latest one.)

Re: Tl;dr incoming

[emperor]

This is all sound advice. FWIW, my first (and second, current) shoes were the five-10 spires. They're about the only ones that fit my funny-shaped feet.

Re: Tl;dr incoming

[fadeaccompli]

This is marvelous advice, and thanks for writing it up! I need to buy my first shoes soon too. (Alas, there is all of one store within a reasonable distance that sells 'em, so...guess I'll see what my options are there.)

Re: Tl;dr incoming

[rydra_wong]

I hope you'll post about whatever you get! A climbing comm can never have too many shoe posts. *g*

[emperor]

I'd suggest sticking with both, at least to begin with - it'll make you a better climber. And climbing routes outside is awesome :-)

[tea]

It would be, but I have no car and don't, I think, live in a great area for outside. Maybe this is a lie? I'm not sure.

Also, it seems like more of a gear investment than I can afford to make at this point. But SOMEDAY, when I have time & transportation.

[fadeaccompli]

I flailed my way through somewhere between four and six V0s on Tuesday! Sure, it was often the same route twice, but I'm used to one session meaning one good climbing, one flailing climb, and then not getting up anything else after that. Stamina is definitely improving. (My ability to do a proper sitting start is not, but one thing at a time.)

There are still several V0 routes at that gym that utterly defeat me: one with a really slippy starting foot, one with a slanted two-hand first hold--I really need to learn the vocab for this hobby so I can explain things better--and any sort of serious overhang stops me early, so I'm not even eyeing the V1s seriously yet. But it feels like progress. And it's fun.

[tea]

My gym does not seem to have rated bouldering routes - they're all numbered in what seems to be an easy-to-hard level, but nothing beyond this. I did one easy (by which I mean, easy overall, tough for me) 'overhang' one - actually stuck up against a side wall so there were foot holds below to make it easier - and then was pretty much useless after that. Stamina - ah yes, I'll have that some day!

Question! What is a sitting start?

[fadeaccompli]

When my friends showed me how to do bouldering, they taught me a start where you have your hands on the hold marked as the first handhold, your feet on the first footholds, and then you're hanging down from that handhold. Pulling yourself up from that hang to start climbing is part of the process. There are some routes I can manage if I start off with my feet on the ground, rather than that hang, but not otherwise.

I'm not sure how regional/standard that particular approach is, though.

[tea]

That makes sense - i was sort of wondering how you're 'supposed' to start, especially in the overhang ones. Thanks!

[rydra_wong]

A "sit start" is where you're expected to start the route (or most commonly, bouldering problem) sitting down on the mat, and pull yourself onto the wall from there.

The rule of thumb here (London climbing walls) seem to be that you start with a hand on the first handhold (the one with a tag on it) and if you can reach that sitting on the mat, then you're supposed to start it that way. But it may be different in other places; ask in your gym.

Sit starts tend to require a bit of oomph, so if you don't have a lot of strength to start with, you may need to skip them initially and just practice the rest of the problem. The strength will come.

[fadeaccompli]

I've been learning it as 'hang down from the first handhold with your feet on the first holds there', rather than actually 'sitting on the mat', but it seems about the same. Occasionally when I'm just not managing that start, I'll do the route from a standing start, or at least try. It doesn't really count, but it's still practice for the climbing portion.

[rydra_wong]

I think it's basically "hang down" if that doesn't lead to your arse being on the mat anyway. *g*

ETA: And yeah, your feet can be on the first footholds (or you can smear them against the wall if there aren't any starting footholds); sorry if that wasn't clear.

[rydra_wong]

\o/ I think you're away ahead of where I was at this stage.

And yeah, just keep going, and the stamina and strength will come. You'll also make some big jumps in progress as you pick up technique for things like overhangs.

[fadeaccompli]

My friend showed me a nifty trick for how to deal with a nasty shelf bit, but I don't have the grip--or confidence, I'm not always sure which, yet--at this point to pull it off. But. Progress!

[georgmi]

My confidence always trails my ability; I get past that by reminding my belayer that I owe him a beer, so he shouldn't let me fall. :)

[wpadmirer]

My glee for today was climbing with Kim. YAY! I've been working a 5.9 route, and I'm doing it better each time. I also climbed some new routes. It was a good morning of climbing.

[rydra_wong]

\o/

[georgmi]

My glee is I got back on the wall yesterday after surgery and vacations, and especially that I don't seem to have lost a step after six weeks off. Went right into the 5.9s I was doing before I had to stop, and managed to touch the top hold of a 5.10- that I tried in the middle of the session. (Couldn't get a grip on it, though; it was more of a brush-it-while-flailing move.)

And by the end of the evening, I couldn't manage a 5.6, so you know I got a good workout!

[rydra_wong]

W00t! Coming back from time off like that is very impressive.

[ursula]

My Friday glee is that I got to climb! I'm at a math conference, so this was unexpected. Did some bouldering (just playing around, they didn't have marked routes) and flailed my way up a long 5.9.

[rydra_wong]

Yay for unexpected climbing opportunities!