Anyone Rockclimb?

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Got into it a few weeks ago to join my brother who's been doing it for years. No altitude yet, 6 feet off the ground at most at my local gym, gonna get certified to belay tomorrow though...we'll see how I deal with the height.

Half an hour to an hour every other day is the best upper body workout I've ever gotten. Only downside is my swiss-cheese hands...I have a blister on every finger.

It really helps to find a good gym. This one caters to the ultimate newb to monkeys. Lot's of square footage and constantly changing routes.
It's addicting, and really fun. I pay 56 a month, which includes shoes and a harness.

[danshaz82]

i used to "free climb" rock bluffs when i was down at school. nothing too extreme, but pretty high distances.

that kind of stuff.
it was such a good time and workout. really gets the blood flowing.

[BusyBadger]

Awesome! Shots of the old hood! I had a rappelling fall not too far from there. 10 Lortab and half a bottle of Sambvca later I was fine...except for my liver.

[danshaz82]

Awesome! Shots of the old hood! I had a rappelling fall not too far from there. 10 Lortab and half a bottle of Sambvca later I was fine...except for my liver.

damn! some of those bluffs are pretty high. weve always wanted to use gear, but we were to cheap to afford it. plus had no idea how to use it correctly. so being the smart college kids we are, we said "f it". we would climb all over giant city. even out in bell smith springs sometimes. i always wanted to try to climb Little Grand Canyon, but that was just waaay too intense haha

[MinisterofDOOM]

i used to "free climb" rock bluffs when i was down at school. nothing too extreme, but pretty high distances.

that kind of stuff.
it was such a good time and workout. really gets the blood flowing.

Yeah, same here. I used to spend a lot of time in southern Utah (Snow Canyon, Zion, Moab, etc.) climbing and hiking. I never used equipment or did any cliff/faces. I haven't been down in years, though, due to work constantly getting in the way of things. I'm planning on getting down there for some backpacking and climbing next summer no matter what it takes.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Hmmm..maybe I should have specified "indoor" rockclimbing :P

[BusyBadger]

Hmmm..maybe I should have specified "indoor" rockclimbing :P

Once you get comfortable (and good) at climbing you should do some on real rocks...completely different. When I quit (ie: got older & lazy and decided just to rappel instead) the guys I knew just did indoor during the winter months to stay sharp. Or the really crazy ones would head somewhere colder to do ice climbing.

It's a great workout though. I'm guessing your gym has some Metolius setup, do they change the routes and holds to keep things fresh? Also, it seems weird to me that you can rent climbing shoes.

damn! some of those bluffs are pretty high. weve always wanted to use gear, but we were to cheap to afford it. plus had no idea how to use it correctly. so being the smart college kids we are, we said "f it". we would climb all over giant city. even out in bell smith springs sometimes. i always wanted to try to climb Little Grand Canyon, but that was just waaay too intense haha

My fall was over at Shelter One, the big rappelling spot in GC, I didn't fall from the top though. I had hooked up to do Aussie style for a roommate that was in film school and instead of hooking up around the harness belt I had hooked up through an eq loop on my harness. Most of the weight was on my legs until I got to the undercut and all the weight was on the loop. I know how Wylie Coyote felt, because for this split second I felt like I was suspended in midair just before I fell.

When I hit, checked my harness and saw the loop, carabiner and figure 8 about 45 feet up on the line I figured out what had happened. The realization of the high probablity of falling from 90 feet up hit me and I fell to my knees and almost passed out.

Head out to Shelter One sometime and make friends with someone that's got a rope so all you need to buy at first is a harness and a 'biner and an 8...and you can always do a military rappell and skip the 8 if you really want.

[danshaz82]

My fall was over at Shelter One, the big rappelling spot in GC, I didn't fall from the top though. I had hooked up to do Aussie style for a roommate that was in film school and instead of hooking up around the harness belt I had hooked up through an eq loop on my harness. Most of the weight was on my legs until I got to the undercut and all the weight was on the loop. I know how Wylie Coyote felt, because for this split second I felt like I was suspended in midair just before I fell.

When I hit, checked my harness and saw the loop, carabiner and figure 8 about 45 feet up on the line I figured out what had happened. The realization of the high probablity of falling from 90 feet up hit me and I fell to my knees and almost passed out.

Head out to Shelter One sometime and make friends with someone that's got a rope so all you need to buy at first is a harness and a 'biner and an 8...and you can always do a military rappell and skip the 8 if you really want.

is that the one where you can just walk up the side of it after you pass the outhouses and gazebo? if so, theres like a little path on the side of the face with a tree in the middle. ive climed that one, and it scared the poop out of me. cause once you get to the tree, you cant really turn back.
is it the one with this shelter?

not the best picture.

[marlin29311]

I used to indoor climb like 3 times a week back in college...i miss it tons now...

[93coupe]

I used to go here

https://www.earthtreksclimbing.com/timo ... enter.html

Sooooo much fun.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Here's some pics of mine.
http://www.belay.com/images/
And yes the routes are changed weekly. They have a monthly competition thing going on too.
Once I build my strength up (Been 8 times total and already I have doubled my muscle endurance and can pull myself up with one arm) and get better techniques down and confidence my brother and I will go here http://www.smithrock.com/routes/bouldering/index.html near Bend, Oregon.

[snwbrdr435]

Yay another climber.

I go to a gym down the street when i have free time during the winter and summer since i have a membership. Once you get in your hooked. Take your time and don't try to go out and climb the hardest route you can find. Have you gotten any flappers yet?( Rip the pad of your finger or palm) I climb hard about once a week now since my work has changed and i get to climb trees every day the need to go climbing 3 times a week has diminished a little bit. Nothing beats climbing outside. The indoor gym is just a good place to practice different techniques and work on your form in a controlled environment. I freesolo'd something very stupid over the summer, about halfway up at about the 50-60ft marker i hear "Get Down From There Your Going To Kill Yourself"! Look down to see two moms and their teenage sons looking up at me in dismay.