~~Alpine Rock Edition~~>Where do I start?People typically start in the gym and branch off outdoors and find their niche, be it bouldering, trad, sport or a mixture of the above. Some never leave the gym at all. Ultimately it doesn't matter -- just get started and enjoy yourself.>How fit do I have to be to start? Do I have to be able to do x amount of pull-ups?Being light, strong and flexible helps at the higher levels but climbing is open to almost anyone and is fairly intuitive to most. Even if your body is feeble and weak now, you will develop strength over time by virtue of just climbing. Climbing is a holistic sport and success often hinges upon many factors, not just strength and power, but having these qualities definitely helps when you breach into the higher grades.>What shoes do I buy?If you're starting out in the gym, don't worry too much: get some snug shoes without dead space that don't cause you lasting pain. Some people (such as the famed shoe designer Heinz Mariacher) recommend wearing soft shoes when you're starting out -- this makes sense since your footwork will probably suck and the increased feedback will pay dividends over time. You really don't need fancy expensive shoes when you're starting out, but certain shoe properties help send harder problems (e.g. stiff shoes for standing on tiny granite edges or soft shoes for sandstone/gritstone smears).Here are some useful resources for sizing:>https://sizesquirrel.com/>https://rockrun.com/blogs/the-flash-rock-run-blog/rock-climbing-shoe-sizing-guide>Do I need Magdust/Rugne Gear?No, most chalk you find will be good. Mammut is older, cheaper, and as reliable as they come.>Do I need to start hangboarding?Hangboarding is a tool used to improve climbing, but you likely won't *need* it until you've climbed for 2-3 years. Even that's generous. Just climb.Old Thread:>>259470
the weather in my area has officially entered its cold & wet phase that will persist until spring, so I'm focusing now on indoor climbing. there's a 5.12 autobelay on which I've fallen on the last move several times. I also have a 5.11- lead project on the large overhanging wall that must be training my weakness because I hate climbing on it.what are your current projects? goals for the winter?
>>273528Rain's starting to pick up around here too but there's a spot of sun peeking for the next few days so I'm planning to get some bouldering done outside while the weather's good. Probably going to get a few attempts on this v5 I've tried a few times. Vertical climb off razor crimps into a small lunge up to a somewhat featureless top out. Feels like I've should've gotten it by now but the holds just tear up my skin.
>somewhat featureless top outwhy is it always like thisbonus for>sit start 2x as difficult as any other move on the boulder
i've been reading a lot of Andy Kirkpatrick's stuff lately and i happened to move into an area with a lot of ice climbing recently so i guess i'll try to get into it this winteri think its a little funny how when i started climbing i found this sort of multipitch and alpine climbing style repulsive but now it excites me so much, altough i cant wait for rock season again...
City bloc, Leeds is literally the greatest climbing gym of all time They have the hangboard at the perfect height And the gym and old-school climbing area just sort of blends into one No wonder it's max milnes local. It's simply the best I don't feel self-conscious hangboarding with a weight load there A national treasure. It's not even Reddit
>>273619multipitch climbing is awesome. it is the #1 way to climb in my eyes because you feel like you've actually done something significant at the end of the day. alpine stuff is attractive to me for the same reason but traversing over snow & ice is not appealing. ice climbing is uncomfortable and tedious and I'm not that strong of a hiker. also ice tools are crazy expensive.>>273682whatever you say kid you've never even been to my gym tho??
>go to gym alone>everyone is climbing with their bros>girls are climbing with guysI'd be lying if I said I don't get a little sad about being solo but I don't have any friends who are into climbing and I feel a bit awkward trying to nudge my way into a group of people. I also feel like an unc at 32 years of age
>>273778Board climbing. Just board climb. Wait until someone joins you. Talk to them a little. Ask about their projects. Work on a climb with them. That's how I got psyched climbers to climb with.
Fucking hell I'm going back to almost exclusively using 3 finger drag unless a hold needs my thumb, this is my 4th injury this fucking year, coincidentally the same year I stopped using 3 finger drag the most
