Basic tips for beginner climbers
Going on climbing trips is one of my favorite activities but over the last few years, I’ve also grown to really enjoy starting my climbing off with a hot cup of coffee too. That’s why I’ve spent hours researching what is the best way to get coffee and tested a few out as well. After …
Mountaineering or alpine climbing is an outdoor activity where people climb very tall mountains. Some consider sport climbing, indoor climbing, and bouldering to be types of mountaineering or alpinism. And while alp is part of the word alpinism, most people involved in alpinism do it on many other mountain ranges other than the Alps. People …
As an avid climber, I’ve set-up many anchors outdoors for top-rope climbing on bolts. Recently, while talking to a friend about her outdoor experience, she told me that she’s never set-up the anchors herself and has always relied on someone else to do it. This got me thinking about the value of knowing how to …
Belaying is the most important safety skill in climbing and understanding the ins and outs of it can help keep you and your climbing friends safe. If you want to be safe while climbing you and your climbing partner need to be proficient with belaying and it should feel like second nature. This guide directs …
In today’s video, we’re going to talk about using the Grigri for top-rope climbing. And it’s an amazing belay device. Honestly, if you’re worried about falling or you’re worried about your belayer being new to belay, this is a great tool that you can use to get that extra sense of safety. If you fall …
Trad climbing is essential for many routes, especially multi-pitch routes but it can also be nerve-wracking. The added stress of placing your own protection instead of just clipping into pre-drilled bolts means that you’re more responsible for your safety and an error on your part can result in a ground fall. It sounds scary (it …
A common mantra in Trad climbing is “the leader never falls.” Though it is ideal not to fall, the mantra may make you wonder how safe falling on gear actually is. When placed correctly, cams and nuts (gear used for trad climbing) are safe to fall on. Most gear covers 8-12 kN or 1,798-2,698 lbs …
Hangboarding is known for being a great training tool for increasing your grip strength and grip technique. However, there is a lot of contradicting information for when it is safe to start hangboard training. When should boulders start hangboarding? The most common recommendation for boulderers is to wait until you have been bouldering for at …
Some of my friends like bouldering but because schedules conflict, we don’t go together very often. This got me thinking about if you actually need a friend to go bouldering. Unlike rope climbing, you don’t need a belayer for bouldering so can you do it alone? Bouldering indoors alone is very common due to the …
I’ve recently started going back to the gym after a long Covid-induced gym closure break and boy have I been sore. This got me thinking, is it ok to boulder while sore? If the soreness is in your muscles, it is ok to climb a full session. However, if your soreness is related to tendons …
