You don’t need training. Even as a beginner. Just rock up to the centre. They will make you do an induction (explaining some safety rules) and away you go. The easiest stuff is basically like climbing a ladder. As you progress you’ll be able to find loads of hints and tips online.
Thanks Pogue. Think I might give it a go on Sunday.
Jaysus. That looks rough. What sport are you going to take up to help with eating a bag of raw onions?!
Do it! And report back.
I've found it depends, Climbing Works made you either pay for an induction (about an hour I think), or you signed something to say you were experienced. It was generally safety stuff as you said, but also explanations on grades, how to start, how to finish etc.
An hour’s induction for bouldering sounds excessive. It’s usually about 15-20 minutes. Although I guess it depends how busy they are. In lots of gyms you can save time by completing disclaimers/watching videos online before you turn up.
That seems pretty cool, I love watching climbing documentaries/movies, there's never enough of them. I prefer ones focused on outdoor, if only for the scenery, but anything with Janja Garnbret in competitive mode is worth watching.
No need. Can't be more difficult that stomaching the lasagne I had in Primary School. Now that was grim.
Static, definitely. I’m tall and have a very positive ape index so reachy problems are right up my alley, the burlier the better. Not a fan of crimps and I rarely need to be very dynamic, which suits me fine. Plus I like slabs. Roof problems and steep overhangs are my kryptonite (and I know this means I should train them more).
Already watched it yesterday, forgot to post here. This Magnus/Adam series is soo good, I usually don't watch Magnus channel because I'm not really interested in all the "doing the military xy test" stuff but this collab has simply been awesome. I think I've never seen Ondra as comfortable around the camera as in these videos, really good atmosphere. Great insights, especially Ondra is really incredibly detailed in his analysis of thinsg - what felt really sad was when he said if not for the Olympics he'd have retired from competition, especially bouldering, already two years ago because it's so unhealthy demanding on his body and that he can already feel it. Quite a brutal honest take.
The power vs weight and height/ape index chat is super interesting. Plus I love the way he sums up the issue with the bouldering problems at the olympics without sounding bitter at all. “Unfortunately the slab was too easy and the strength problem was too hard”. Spot on.
Nice! A guy from my gym is competing in that.
Scarpa Vapor V are decent for beginners.
Cheers. Maybe a bit expensive as I've only just started but I'll keep an eye on ebay.
God that looks like fun
It’s amazing. Fontainebleau is so beautiful. Forests absolutely full of sandstone boulders. With flat, sandy landing areas. A giant playground.
Climbing outdoors is bloody humbling you're right. I considered myself semi-competent indoors then went outdoors and was like "What do I hold onto?". Got to trust your feet so much more.
Yeah, exactly. All about the feet. Especially in font, where you’re usually topping out on dodgy slopers. Just being able to identify what is and isn’t a good foothold is an art in itself. The lads I was travelling with had a lot more experience outdoors than me and kept finding somewhere to plant a foot where I just saw blank rock.
Yeah, I definitely wouldn't pay above 90€ for beginners climbing shoes because you'll wear them out so quickly due to bad technique. Check if you can get something like Sportiva Tarantula for 60-70€, that should be enough. Either way, best is to go to your local store and see what fits, for a start I'd look for something soft but with strong support at the front. Also I wouldn't go with the "as tight as possible" approach as it doesn't make a big difference on lower levels and only ruins the experience at the start.
Cheers for the advice. I think I'll pop over to my local store (Blacks) at the weekend and see what they've got/how they fit.
That’s awesome. Great achievement. Must be so satisfying. I find the whole concept of multi-pitch climbing absolutely terrifying! Presume the route was bolted? Or were you climbing trad?!
This is a trad route. Apparently there are some old pitons still kicking around from the 50’s & 60’s but I didn’t see them. It was actually my first multi-pitch trad climb, but a decent one to learn as all but one belay station had a ledge big enough to stand, as opposed to a hanging belay, though since there are no bolted anchors, the belay station is ultimately wherever you decide it is!
Fecking hell. Multi-pitch and trad. My two greatest climbing fears combined. So impressed.
