Wall climbing

[D'z Nutz]

I've been thinking about trying this out for a while and finally got to try it out at MEC this afternoon and found I actually quite liked it. I'm thinking of signing up for an intro course. Groupon has an intro course and 1 month of unlimited climbing at Crux which looks like a good deal.

Any tips for beginners?

What sort of gear should I have to get started? Worthwhile shopping for used harnesses? I was browsing through the MEC site and see there's fixed and adjustable harnesses. Why would I want one over the other?

[taemo]

i always rented as we didnt wall climb enough to warrant buying gears but shoes would be the one i would look for.

Havent been to crux in a while but let me know if you need someone to belay with as ive done the test there

[D'z Nutz]

Sure thing, sounds good Earl

[sexualbanana]

Fixed or adjustable harnesses are a matter of preference and weight. I think some people prefer fixed because it means less buckles and less weight. But I don't think that makes a big difference until you start doing trad climbing with a full rack of cams and bolts - in which case weight reduction becomes important.

Shoes are the most important. They'll be the most expensive thing you buy, but probably the most useful.

[Brent.ff]

I'd take the course at CCC over the Crux, just due to the facility(ies). You can get the course and a month membership for like $80. Crux has also had that groupon for years, so it's not going anywhere if you want to try a new facility for a month.

Buy a harness, shoes, ATC device and locking biner. Way better then renting, and you can be all in for under $200 (MEC gives you a 10% discount if you buy it at the same time). Adjustable harness is better if you're going to be doing any outdoor climbing in the future (which you may), so increasing layers, etc. You don't need insane shoes to start as you won't get the benefit of them.

For beginner tips: Use your feet and legs. Playing pull-up all day isn't going to work, and you won't be strong enough yet to do it anyway. Also, hang on your joints and bones (straight arm), not locking off.

Edit: You can find harnesses and such for cheap online (canmore buy and sell, kijiji, etc), but i'd be wary of any that have spent much time outside or have any wear whatsoever. Really, you can get into a harness for $60, and then don't have to worry about if joe guy accidently left it in the sun for 3 months.

[msommers]

I can't wait for the new CCC gym to open. The Hangar up north is awesome and the new gym looks even better!

Could try bouldering as well, and only need shoes. If you end up hating it, selling shoes on Kijiji shouldn't be too hard. I'd be really leary of buying a used harness and carabiner/atc - I'm too paranoid someone has fucked with it.

[sexualbanana]

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I can't wait for the new CCC gym to open. The Hangar up north is awesome and the new gym looks even better!

Could try bouldering as well, and only need shoes. If you end up hating it, selling shoes on Kijiji shouldn't be too hard. I'd be really leary of buying a used harness and carabiner/atc - I'm too paranoid someone has fucked with it.

The downside to taking the intro class at CCC is that you can't take the class and the test on the same day, which can be a bummer.

I started out by buying a harness and shoes and renting a Grigri at the CCC until I found a decent Grigri on Kijiji.

[msommers]

That is a bummer! The Crux Groupon is a good deal for sure, and their really tall walls are nice for endurance.

[Brent.ff]

When we did the course we were still able to climb as much as we wanted that day, just had to do the test the next time i was in there... That was ~5 years ago tho

[sexualbanana]

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When we did the course we were still able to climb as much as we wanted that day, just had to do the test the next time i was in there... That was ~5 years ago tho

You could boulder. You just couldn't do sport. Although, I'm not sure if that relates to just you belaying or if it also applies to you climbing.

[Brent.ff]

Im pretty positive we were allowed to be on sport routes following the course, as they counted the course as the training for the day. We just couldn't go straight from the course to the belay test (which really, is easy as hell)

[BerserkerCatSplat]

If you want to do sport, I have a harness you can borrow - I used it like twice and decided that bouldering is waaaay more fun than toproping. Come climb with us at the Hanger if you want to get started!

[sexualbanana]

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Im pretty positive we were allowed to be on sport routes following the course, as they counted the course as the training for the day. We just couldn't go straight from the course to the belay test (which really, is easy as hell)

Ah, yeah. That's what I meant. You could climb, but you'd need someone who's already passed the belay test to belay you. So you'll have to convince someone to not climb and only belay.

[sexualbanana]

Apparently, Rocky Mountain is doing a limited hours starting today.

[D'z Nutz]

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If you want to do sport, I have a harness you can borrow - I used it like twice and decided that bouldering is waaaay more fun than toproping. Come climb with us at the Hanger if you want to get started!

Thanks man, I might have to take you up on this! I was looking up the climbing places here and Hanger looks pretty cool.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

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Thanks man, I might have to take you up on this! I was looking up the climbing places here and Hanger looks pretty cool.

No worries! If you want to try bouldering first (which I highly recommend) just let me know. If you want to do toproping, you'll need to get someone to belay you - I don't have my belay cert because I don't toprope, haha.