There are many climbing pulleys on the market that could satisfy your pulley-related needs. It could range from simple to auto-locking or from lightweight to heavy duty. All these may seem a bit overwhelming, but we’re ready to help.

Here at The Adventure Junkies, we try to make gear-buying as simple possible. In the following article, we will outline the uses of a pulley and review which are the best rock climbing pulleys for different adventures.

For more of our top climbing gear recommendations, check out the Best Belay Devices. 

Reviews - The Best Pulleys for Rock Climbing

Petzl Micro Traxion

Specs

• Autolock: Yes
• Breaking Strength: 15kN
• Weight: 85g
• Rope Diameter: 8-11mm

BEST FOR: EVERYTHING, FROM HAULING TO SELF-BELAYING TO SIMUL-CLIMBING

PROS: Light-weight and versatile. Works well with dirty or icy ropes. Auto-locking feature means it has a myriad of climbing uses

CONS: Not as strong as other pulleys, and pricey

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CAMP USA Sphinx

Specs

• Autolock: No
• Breaking Strength: 24kN
• Weight: 93g
• Rope Diameter: <13mm

BEST FOR: HAULING LOADS UP A WALL

PROS: Light and compact, with a higher breaking strength and broad range of rope compatibility

CONS: No auto-locking feature

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Petzl Pro Traxion

Specs

• Autolock: Yes
• Breaking Strength: 22kN
• Weight: 265g
• Rope Diameter: 8-13mm

BEST FOR: EVERYTHING, FROM HAULING TO SELF-BELAYING TO SIMUL-CLIMBING

PROS: The heavy duty auto-locking pulley. Durable and perfect for heavier hauling loads. Auto-locking feature means it has a myriad of climbing uses

CONS: Heavy and pricey

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CAMP USA Tethys Pro Mobile

Specs

• Autolock: No
• Breaking Strength: 25kN
• Weight: 91g
• Rope Diameter: <13mm

BEST FOR: HAULING LOADS UP A WALL

PROS: Light and compact, with a broad range of rope compatibility. Slightly lighter than the Sphinx, with a slightly higher breaking point

CONS: No auto-locking feature

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Petzl Oscillante

Specs

• Autolock: No
• Breaking Strength: 15kN
• Weight: 72g
• Rope Diameter: 7-11mm

BEST FOR: HAULING LOADS UP A WALL

PROS: Easy to use, cheap and ultra-light

CONS: No auto-locking feature and a narrower range of rope compatibility

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Petzl Ultra Legere

Specs

• Autolock: No
• Breaking Strength: 15kN
• Weight: 10g
• Rope Diameter: 7-13mm

BEST FOR: SIMPLE, LIGHT PULLEY TASKS

PROS: Super light and cheap

CONS: No auto-locking feature, small hole restricts the types of carabiners it can be used with

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Petzl Mobile

Specs

• Autolock: No
• Breaking Strength: 15kN
• Weight: 75g
• Rope Diameter: 7-13mm

BEST FOR: HAULING LOADS UP A WALL

PROS: Easy to use, cheap, small and light, and with a broad range of compatibility with ropes of different diameters.

CONS: No auto-locking feature limits its use

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HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST ROCK CLIMBING PULLEYS

USE

Pulleys have a variety of uses in rock climbing. The one you should choose will depend on what you want to climb. Most uses are for advanced forms of climbing, from self-belaying to hauling loads up a remote, alpine big wall.

If you’re a sport climber and wondering if you would need a pulley, know that you don’t need one. But if you’re a big wall adventurer or a simul-climber or a rope-soloist, then read on.

You may want a pulley for simple hauling or for more complicated hauling of super heavy bags up a 3,000-foot wall. You may want to use an auto-locking pulley to make simul-climbing safe. Do this by attaching one to a piece of protection that will catch the bottom climber’s fall without pulling the leader off of the wall.

You may want to use them to set up a “z-pulley” system to haul a heavier load or even pull a climber out of a crevasse. It can also be useful for a top-rope solo, a self-belay or a tyrolean traverse.

Deciding on the right pulley can make or break your climbing trip. Mistakes can result in serious injuries or even fatal consequences, so always refer to the pulley’s instruction manual to make sure you are using it properly. When hauling, always back up your systems.

STRENGTH

This is a biggie. Pulleys are rated to hold up specific weights. Some have a breaking strength of 15kN, which equates to roughly 3372 pounds. Others are rated up to 42kN or 9441 pounds. What you will want will depend on the intended use.

For small hauls, 15kN is more than enough force. For huge haul bags on big wall adventures, stronger pulleys are better.

Some models have a specific working load limit and breaking strength. The working load limit is the maximum load the pulley can take while it is in use. It is usually twice the maximum working load limit on one rope strand as the pulley usually holds two strands of a rope, which equates to double the force.

WEIGHT AND DURABILITY

As with any climbing gear, weight is an important factor. This is especially crucial if you’re planning to spend a long time on a route since minimizing the load is essential. The heavier the pulley, the stronger and more durable it tends to be. But after several days on a wall, you’ll be able to feel the benefits of a lighter pulley.

Lighter pulleys are generally made of plastic or nylon and not as durable or strong as heavier ones, which are made of metal. The pulleys used in this guide range from 42g to 425g.

CONSTRUCTION

The complexity of your pulley will depend on where you plan to use it. A simple, light, plastic pulley is great for glacial travel. Without side-plates though, the rope will be prone to fall off the pulley.

A pulley with side-plates will help prevent this. The type of side-plate is also a consideration. Some side-plates have curved edges to prevent a prusik from getting caught in the pulley.

A nylon pulley wheel will last longer than a plastic one, but not as durable as the kinds that are made of metal. Most of the metal in a pulley is heat-treated to make them last longer. Nylon and metal wheels are usually on self-lubricating bearings to ensure they run smoothly.

The size of the pulley wheel is also important. A larger pulley wheel will make hauling heavy loads up a wall easier, but this will also increase the weight.

ROPE COMPATIBILITY

Not all pulleys are created equal. Some are designed to work with ropes of smaller diameter, while others are for ones with larger measurements. The range in the pulleys in this article are from 7mm (a tag line) to 16mm (a heavy, but sturdy rope).

For most purposes, whether you’ll use the pulley to haul or belay with, you probably want one that can comfortably accommodate a rope of about 9-10mm diameter. For fatter ropes, which are used to haul enormous loads, a more specialized pulley may be needed.

SIMPLE OR AUTO-LOCKING

A simple pulley will reduce friction and make it easier to pull up a load than running the rope through a carabiner. They are great for light loads and for setting up 2:1, 3:1, or more rigging systems.

They are also cheaper than auto-locking pulleys. If you only need a pulley for basic tasks, choose a simple one.

Auto-locking pulleys are more versatile and typically have a camming device that bites the rope when weighted. This locks off the rope and only allows it to pass through the pulley in one direction. For hauling, it means you don’t have to hold the weight as you reset your position to start hauling again. You can just let the rope go and the auto-locking pulley will hold it still.

An auto-locking pulley also allows you to self-belay because the rope only goes through the pulley in one direction, capturing your upwards progress and preventing you from dropping down if you fall, let go or just sit on the rope.

For simul-climbers, an auto-locking device means the leader can run the rope through an auto-locking pulley and attach it to a piece of protection – either a bolt or trad protection such as a cam or a nut. If the follower falls, the auto-locking pulley will catch him or her without pulling the leader off the climb.

Auto-locking pulleys usually have a feature to disable the auto-locking mechanism, turning them into simple pulley wheels again. This makes them extremely versatile and popular. But, they tend to be heavier and more expensive than a simple pulley. They also tend to be more complex, so you should be doubly sure you are using them correctly.

The post Best Rock Climbing Pulleys of 2022 appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

Climbing is a versatile sport that demands more than just strong fingers and forearms. In fact, only doing pull-ups will often give you muscle imbalances that could lead to injury. In this post, The Adventure Junkies will walk you through the best exercises for rock climbing, including workouts that will not only improve your climbing, but also help to maintain good balance and flexibility.

PULL UPS AND DEAD HANGS

Climbing starts with you fingers, forearms and shoulders, which all flex and strain to pull you up a route. The classic exercise is doing sets of pull-ups with your palms facing away from you. Do sets of five (or more, if you’re more advanced), with a short rest in between. This mirrors a climbing route, where you pull hard for a short period (through a crux, perhaps), and then reach a resting point.

If you’re just starting, then you don’t want to pull too much, too soon, as this could lead to injury. You could try assisted pull-ups, starting with your feet elevated on something, such as a chair. After a week or two, if you can feel the difference in your strength, then start to graduate slowly to more weight.

If you have a hangboard, you can use it for specific pull-ups and dead-hangs (static hanging, without pulling up) to work on your fingers, arms, shoulders and core. If not, you can do pull-ups using any horizontal bar that you can hang on to, or a solid door-frame. Make sure what you’re using is strong enough, and isn’t going to leave you with an ugly household repair bill.

Door-frames can also be used for stronger fingers. It is best to strengthen your fingers through isometric training, which means dead-hanging with a set weight for a short period of time – usually five to 10 seconds – without trying to pull up.

Make sure you hang correctly – squeezing your shoulders inwards to engage the muscles – to minimize the chance of injury. If you are dead-hanging, your elbows should be slightly bent.

LEGS

Good climbing technique dictates that you use your legs to push yourself up, rather than your arms to pull yourself up. Your leg muscles are much larger than your arms, so having stronger legs will also improve your climbing.

Try doing a series of single-leg squats. Standing up with your hands on your hips, raise and straighten one leg as you lower your weight onto the other, going as low as you can before standing back up. Try to take 30 seconds to lower and then raise yourself, and then swap legs.

If this is too difficult, do sets of basic leg lunges. Again, this will improve your climbing because the action mirrors a common movement on a climbing route: pushing your body up with your legs.

CORE

A strong core is great for any climber, as it allows different muscle groups to take some of the weight off of your arms. It can be particularly useful on horizontal roof climbs, or tough boulder problems where you have to tighten every muscle in your being to prevent popping off the rock.

PLANKING

A plank is a resistance exercise where you engage your core as you hold yourself up on your hands or forearms, keeping your body as straight as possible. Holding a standard plank position for one minute intervals is a good core workout, but there is a variation that can also help with finger strength. Try planking on straight arms, with fingers outstretched.

Another variation is to hold yourself in a plank position on your hands, and then slowly, and in a controlled fashion, raise your left knee up to your chest, followed by the right knee. This is called the Mountain Climber Plank. For another variation, touch your left knee to your left elbow, and your right knee to your right elbow.

VIDEO: HOW TO DO A MOUNTAIN CLIMBER PLANK

LEG LIFTS

Using your core to lift your legs is another common movement in climbing, especially on overhanging or roof routes. To do hanging leg lifts, use a hangboard or a pull-up bar to hang from your arms, and then raise your legs so they are perpendicular to your upper body. Hold the position for 30 seconds, and then lower them in as controlled a manner as you can. Try to do this 10 times, with a short rest in between. If this is too difficult, you can ease the strain by bending your legs at the knee.

If you’re just starting out, or don’t have anything to hang off, you can still do leg lifts by sitting on the floor, leaning back slightly (and keeping your back straight), and lifting your legs to turn your whole frame into a ‘V’ shape. Start with bent knees for an easier workout. You can also swing your legs to the side in a windshield-wiper motion to work out your lateral abdominal muscles.

VIDEO: CLIMBING LEG LIFTS FOR BEGINNERS

ANTAGONIST MUSCLES

Climbers tend to pull a lot, and have hunched, imbalanced shoulders. This can be countered by doing exercises to develop strong antagonist muscles, which can help prevent injury.

PUSH-UPS

Great for chest muscles, as well as shoulders, arms and core, a good push-up starts with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, and keeping your core engaged and your body straight as you lower your chest to just above the ground. Keep your elbows as close to the sides of your torso as possible, which activates your triceps and aligns your joints correctly.

TRICEP DIPS

These dips will work on your triceps as well as your chest, shoulders, and abdominal muscles. Take a chair or bench and lean on it, with your chest facing up and the palms of your hands on the bench, shoulder-width apart. In a controlled manner, lower your upper body until your arms are bent at right angles, and then push back up.

Keep your legs, head and back as straight as you can. Do three sets of 20 or more, depending on how comfortable you are with this exercise.
 

YOGA

It’s no wonder that many climbers also practice yoga, which not only improves their climbing, but also their longevity. It’s fun, and great for strengthening as well as improving balance and flexibility.

There are many yoga routines, some of which focus on strength, others on flexibility, or both. After a day of climbing, an evening yoga session based on stretching your muscles is an excellent way to ease the muscular tension of a full day of pulling on rock.

One sample session includes poses such as the eagle, warrior 1, downward dog, seated twist and bridge pose, which will stretch your shoulder, trapezius, calf, chest, hip flexor and lower back muscles, while also strengthening your leg and butt muscles.

You should try and do a full yoga session at least three times a week to keep your climbing muscles loose, which not only makes them stronger, but will also make them less susceptible to injury, and keep you climbing harder, for longer.

The post The Best Exercises For Rock Climbing appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

But there are so many different types of knots – how are you supposed to know which ones are the most useful, and in what type of situation? Which knot is best for sport climbing, traditional climbing, building a belay of traditional gear, or simply for tethering yourself into a safety point? Here at The Adventure Junkies, we try to take the complicated, and make it easy for you to understand. This article will look at essential rock climbing knots, their strengths and weaknesses, and when to use which knot.

TYING-IN KNOTS

The tying-in knot is the most important knot you will use, as it is the knot that threads the leg and waist loops of your harness and connects you to the climbing rope.

It is the climber’s responsibility to tie the knots correctly, ensure they are well-dressed, with no strands crossing each other, and that each knot, where appropriate, is backed up, or has a sufficient tail. Always test the knot by pulling on the rope in the appropriate direction and seeing if it locks off, and always double-check your knots, and those of your partner.

FIGURE-8

The figure-8 is the go-to knot for many climbers. It is safe, strong, and easy to tell if it has been tied correctly. It is important to back up the knot with at least six inches of tail, or an overhand stopper knot.

The only drawback is that it can become stubbornly tight if you take a bunch of falls on it, making it very difficult to untie.

VIDEO: HOW TO TIE A FIGURE-8 KNOT

DOUBLE BOWLINE

This knot’s strength is also its weakness: it is easily loosened. For this reason, many climbers use a double bowline instead of a figure-8, especially when sport climbing, when you might be taking many large falls while projecting a route. It is almost always easy to untie afterwards, and is only slightly weaker than the figure-8 knot.

But beware – the double bowline has also been known to come loose, if not properly backed up, with serious consequences. It is extremely important to back up the knot with an overhand stopper knot.

VIDEO: HOW TO TIE A DOUBLE BOWLINE

TYING TWO ROPES TOGETHER

Climbers commonly tie ropes together to rappel twice the distance they can with a single rope. Indeed, many multi-pitch climbs are equipped only for double rope-rappels.

DOUBLE FISHERMANS

This is the strongest knot you can use to tie two ropes or pieces of cord together. It also is very difficult to untie after it has been weighted, which makes it a popular choice for tying two ends of cord together to make a prusik, which is a useful loop of cord featured lower in this article.

EDK

The European Death Knot, or flat overhand, has a demonized name that is undeserved. It is quicker to tie and untie than a double fishermans, is less likely to get snagged in a crack while pulling it, and is very safe if dressed correctly, with at least a foot of tail on each rope. It can also be effective to tie together ropes of different diameter.

It has been known to roll under heavy loads, which can suck the rope-tails through the knot, but testing has shown that with a foot of tail, the rope will break before the knot rolls (under a weight of about 2000 pounds – far greater than any force generated by a simple rappel).

Make sure the knot is well dressed, with no crossing of the strands, is aggressively tightened, and has sufficient tail on each strand. It can also be backed up by tying a second EDK right next to the first, though many climbers consider this unnecessary, because a single EDK is more than strong enough, and a second EDK will make the rope more likely to get caught on something when trying to pull it down.

HITCHES

A hitch is a knot used to attach a rope to a fixed object.

GIRTH HITCH

A girth hitch is a super easy way to attach a sling to a harness or carabiner. It is commonly used to attach a PAS (Personal Anchor System) to your harness, which can then be used to clip yourself safely into a set of climbing anchors. It can also be used to sling trees for anchors, or horns of rock while traditional climbing.

Keep an eye on your girth-hitched sling, though. If it has been used for a long time, it can wear and will need to be replaced.

CLOVE HITCH

This another super easy way to attach a rope to a fixed point, and is also commonly used to anchor yourself into a safety point, simply by pulling out a length of climbing rope from your harness, and clove-hitching it to a locking carabiner on the master point of an anchor. It is also popular when you are using your climbing rope to build a traditional gear anchor system at the top of a pitch, because you can simply tie a clove hitch into two of the gear placements, and then equalize all the points with an overhand knot with a bight.

It has the advantage of being easy to untie, even after being weighted, and being easy to lengthen or shorten. You can also tie it with one hand.

Clove hitches can slip under a massive amount of force, but it is very safe for the kinds of forces it is commonly used for, such as holding body weight.

MUNTER/ITALIAN HITCH

Dropped your belay or rappel device? The munter hitch has saved this situation many times. It is a hitch that only allows the rope to pass in one direction, as long as you’re holding the rope on the other side of the hitch, as you would with your brake hand while belaying. You can also tie this knot with one hand.

The munter is bi-directional, meaning it can allow either end of the rope to pass through, simply using your brake hand on the other side of the rope. If you switch directions, the munter will first flip through the carabiner before the brake will be effective.

By attaching a munter hitch to the anchor via a locking carabiner, you can safely belay a climber seconding the pitch. You can also attach the carabiner to your harness and belay a lead climber from the ground.

If you need to rappel, you can also clip a locking carabiner to your harness and pass both strands of the rope through the carabiner in a double-stranded munter, and use this to rappel down.

Using a munter hitch, however, should only be reserved for emergencies, as it is hard on the rope and often leaves it twisted and kinked.

ALPINE BUTTERFLY

The butterfly is commonly used in the middle of a rope, as it maintains its shape regardless of which direction it is being pulled in. It is favored in situations where multiple climbers are all tied into the same rope, meaning that there is a climber at each end of the rope, and all other climbers are tied in to the middle of the rope with alpine butterflies, such as while crossing a crevasse-filled glacier.

PRUSIK

A prusik is a piece of cord that climbers use to wrap around the rope and then attach to their harnesses with a carabiner. When weighted, the prusik bites into the rope and stops the climber from moving up or down the rope. There are a few ways to tie a prusik, but this is the simplest way.

It is commonly used as a back-up safety device while rappelling. After setting up the prusik and attaching it to your harness, you should keep the prusik fairly lose on the rope as you descend (you can have the prusik slightly tight, which will create some friction and slow your descent, too). If you lose control or something unforeseen happens, such as rockfall, that causes you to let go of the rope, the prusik will automatically come tight on the rope and catch you. It is also useful if the rope becomes caught in a crack and you need both hands to free it.

You will need to loosen the prusik’s grip on the rope, usually by pulling up and sitting higher on the rope on your belay/rappel device, before you can continue descending.

It is easy and quick to tie and untie, and also has many other more advanced uses, including building pulley systems for a rope rescue, or using two prusiks to ascend a rope, which can get you out of a tight spot.

The post A Beginners Guide To Rock Climbing Knots appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

You may have seen hangboards at the local climbing gym, but how do you know the best way to use one? One of our big goals here at The Adventure Junkies is to show you how to develop the best hangboard workout for you. If you have the time to dedicate to some training, you’ll soon be breezing through the best hangboard workout, and eventually, see that translate to great gains in your outdoor climbing.

There are several ways to train for climbing, but hangboard training is one of the best ways to build specific strength in your fingers, upper body, and core. There are a number of different hangboards, but they all serve the same function – to allow you to work specific muscles by hanging or pulling on a variety of holds.

If you’re not careful, hangboard workouts can also leave you injured and out of climbing for several weeks. It’s important to know your level and stick to a routine so you’re not doing too much, too quickly, which is a recipe for injury.

WARM-UP

Many injuries can strike if you’re not sufficiently warmed up. Start by doing some dynamic stretching. If you’re in a climbing gym, spend about 15 minutes bouldering on easy problems after your warm-up stretches.

If you’re not in a gym, you can still do some push-ups, jumping-jacks, and easy pull-ups on the hangboard using the largest holds. Once you’ve got the blood flowing, chalk your hands up and you’re ready to begin.

DEAD-HANGS

Hanging on tiny holds puts a lot of pressure on your tendons and ligaments, as well as your muscles. A common mistake is to do pull-ups on holds that you can barely hold in the first place.

Isometric training builds strength by holding static positions and is less injury-prone. Dead-hangs are when you simply hang off certain holds without pulling up or down.

THE WORKOUT

There are different methods for hangboard training, but all of them are based on repeating a set of dead-hangs on small holds for around 7 to 10 seconds, and then resting for a similar number of seconds. Repeat on the same holds three to five times. This is one set.

Choose about seven different types of holds to begin with, from small crimping edges to pockets to slopers to pinches to jugs. Start on one of the smaller holds and do three sets, resting in between each set for two minutes.

After the third set, move onto the next hold and do three more sets. Continue until you have completed your circuit of about seven holds.

VIDEO: BEGINNER HANGBOARD WORKOUT

HANGBOARD TECHNIQUE

It is important to use proper technique to minimize the risk of injury. Engage your shoulders by squeezing them towards each other and your arms by bending your elbows slightly. Hanging on your skeleton may be easier on your muscles, but it puts a strain on your bones that they were never meant to endure.

Engage your core as well to try and keep your legs and lower body from swinging. This is also will help to keep consistent pressure on your shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers.

There are different schools of thought on whether to use an open-hand, half-crimp, or full-crimp position on small edges. An open-hand crimp puts less strain on your finger tendons, and is therefore less likely to injure you. Open-hand training will also strengthen your fingers for half- and full-crimp positions.

But climbers often use the full-crimp position on real rock, so some climbers believe it is important to train all three specific positions. If you do, take it easy and don’t put too much strain on the full-crimp position.

THE RIGHT WEIGHT

The holds you are using are about the right size if you’re near failure at the end of your last set. If they are too hard to hold onto, you can use a box to rest your feet on, which will take some weight off your arms. Make sure to keep your core engaged to prevent your body from sagging.

If the holds you are using are too easy to hold, you can move to smaller holds, or put extra weight on you, either by using a weight-vest or by putting on your climbing harness and clipping gear onto it.

PULL-UPS

Hangboards can also be used to build power by training pull-ups. We recommend you start with dead-hangs to build initial tendon strength, but as you get stronger – after a few weeks – you can begin to incorporate pull-ups into your hangboard routine.

A set of pull-ups starts on two holds. They don’t have to be the same type of holds, nor do they have to be level. Offset pull-ups are popular because they more closely mimic the movement of climbing on real rock.

Select two appropriate holds and do three pull-ups. Rest for 15 seconds, and then do another three pull-ups. Repeat until you have done a set of three or four laps on the same holds.

If you’re doing pull-ups, pay close attention to any pain in your elbows. If you feel any, cease immediately and return to dead-hangs.

CORE

Core strength is vital to strong climbing performance, as it allows you to take weight off your arms and fingers. Hangboard training also includes core workouts, including L-hangs, leg lifts and front-levers.

If you’re just starting, leg lifts are the easiest. Take the largest holds on the hangboard, and then lift your knees towards your stomach 10 times. Try to keep your back as straight as possible.

As your core strengthens, you can try hanging for 30 seconds with your legs bent at the knees, When that becomes too easy, hang with straight legs in an ‘L’ shape.

The most advanced core training is to front-lever, meaning to hang from your arms with your body completely horizontal. This should not be attempted unless you are at an advanced stage.

COMBOS

Now that you’re acquainted with dead-hangs, pull-ups and core training, try alternating between the three to get a more complete workout. Do a set of dead-hangs followed by an L-hang, and then a set of pull-ups followed by 10 leg lifts.

Remember to take a good rest in between each set, and monitor your body – elbows and fingers in particular – for any pain that might be a forerunner to injury.

GIVE ME MORE

After a few weeks, you will probably find that your last repetition isn’t bringing you as close to failure as it did in the first week. You want to increase the weight by about 5 per cent per month. Remember – doing too much, too soon, is a recipe for injury.

After several months, when your training becomes far more advanced, you can play with hanging off fewer fingers, or on smaller holds, or for more sets. The principles remain the same – look to be close to failure on the last repetition.

WARM DOWN AND REST

At the end of your hangboard workout, do some static stretching to help prevent your muscles from getting too tight. To make strength gains, a proper resting period after your training day is essential. Take two full days off before hitting the hangboard again.

BE PATIENT

Start off slowly. Tendons and ligaments take longer to strengthen than muscles, and going too hard from the start will likely leave you with injury-prone imbalances.

Improving strength is a long path with no short-cuts. In the beginning, you should aim to hangboard train twice a week, with lots of rest in between. Don’t expect to see immediate results, but if you persist, then you should be noticing solid improvements after four to six weeks – both indoors and outdoors.

The post A Beginners Guide To Hangboard Workouts appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

However, crack climbing can be an acquired taste, one that can bring you to a world of pain and misery. The Adventure Junkies is here to put you on the right path to enjoying, not despising, cracks. Here we will help with the basics of how to crack climb, from the right shoes to the right gloves to the right technique. (Note: this post does not cover off-width or squeeze chimney crack climbing.)

JAM IT

Cracks are often the only feature on a crack climb and therefore the only way to move up is to use the crack. Jamming various parts of your body into the crack is essential. It may be painful at first, but once you start to master the movement, it can be exhilarating to move quickly and confidently up a crack system.

HAND-CRACKS

This is the bread and butter of crack climbing. The easiest way up a crack climb is if the crack swallows your hand like a glove. The best way to hand-jam is to insert your hand into the crack and slide your thumb down towards your palm, engaging the muscles in the hand around the thumb. Flexing these muscles makes that part of your hand fatter, allowing you to easily hang off your hand as it jams into the crack.

You can either hand-jam thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Thumbs-up allows you to reach a bit higher. Thumbs-down, in general, will slot better into slightly tighter cracks.

As hand-cracks get wider, you can bend the knuckles at the base of your fingers and make cups out of them inside the crack. It’s not as secure, and you often have to straighten and engage your fingers, but cupped hands are great for the crack that is a bit wide for bomber hand-jams, and too tight for fists.

Footwork is essential to all climbing, and crack climbing is no different. Hand-cracks tend to offer great foot placements, but you have to twist your feet into them. Start with your knee facing out like you’re sitting cross-legged, and bring your foot roughly level to your other knee. With your foot tilted sideways, pinky toe at the bottom, insert as much of your shoe into the crack as you can. Then weight the foot by twisting your big toe downwards and bringing your knee more parallel to the crack.

This can put a lot of pressure on your ankles and will likely feel uncomfortable when you first try it – but will become easier and more painless the more you get used to it.

VIDEO: HOW TO JAM HAND CRACKS

FINGER-LOCKS

Inserting finger knuckles into a constriction in the crack is known as a finger-lock. Like a solid hand-jam, a well-placed finger-lock can feel like you could hang off it all day.

For a thumbs-down finger lock, look for a place in the finger crack where it constricts and start with your elbows pointing away from you. Insert the knuckles of your index and middle fingers as deep as possible and then turn your elbow down as you twist your hand and sink in your finger-lock.

For a thumbs-up finger-lock, use the knuckles of your pinky and ring fingers. Again, lock them into position by twisting and bringing your elbow down.

Footwork on finger-cracks can be challenging. Climbers usually resort to trying to use their feet as they do in hand-cracks: start with the knee facing out, and then torque the foot into the crack by bringing the leg parallel to the crack and twisting the foot. Even just a tiny bit of purchase from twisting your toes into the crack can take some weight off your arms. Keeping your heels low can increase the surface area of your climbing shoe in the crack.

Another technique is to stick your big toe, pointing up, in the crack, in the hope of finding some friction. Having any foot contact with the rock is better than having none. Remember also to make use of any holds on the face that might be available.

VIDEO: HOW TO FINGER-LOCK

RING-LOCKS

For cracks that are slightly wider than your fingers, a technique called the ring-lock can be used. This is a hard skill to master and can feel somewhat tenuous but will be vital when trying a size that climbers call “rattly fingers”.

Start with your elbow facing out, and cross the tip of your index finger on top of your thumbnail. Insert this into the crack, stacking the rest of your fingers over your index finger as the crack allows. Now when you pull your elbow down and twist into the ring-lock, your fingers should wedge against your thumb inside the crack.

FIST-CRACKS

When hand-cracks get wider, a fist sometimes slots in perfectly. Fist-jams can be palm-up or palm-down, and are used by placing your fist inside the crack and clenching your hand muscles to make the fist slightly wider to wedge it inside. You can play with the position of your thumb to make the fist slightly wider or narrower, but be wary – a wide thumb position can be very painful.

Feet often fit perfectly into wide hand-cracks or fist-jams. The technique is the same, but often you will not need to twist your foot into the crack too much, as it will slot in perfectly. If the crack is too wide for your foot, you may need to torque your foot in the crack, pushing the outside of your heel against the inside of your big toe, or the inside of your heel against the outside of your pinky toe.

VIDEO: HOW TO FIST-JAM

MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL FORCE

When cranking up on any jam, it is important to maintain the direction of the pull. For example, for a thumbs-up hand-jam, try to keep your elbow down as you pull yourself higher in order to keep the force on your hand in the same direction. Lifting your elbow as you pull higher may change the directional force, and cause your hand to slip out of the crack.

This often makes crack climbing – especially hand-cracks – very shoulder-intensive. As the hand and arm positions stay as static as possible, most of the pulling is then done through your shoulder muscles.

LEANING CRACKS

If a crack leans a certain way, it’s often easier to shuffle your hands as you climb, rather than leap-frog them. For example, on a left-leaning hand-crack, lead with your left hand in a thumbs-down jam, and follow with your right hand in a thumbs-up position. Instead of climbing right hand over left hand, keep the left hand above the right hand and shuffle them up one at a time.

If the crack leans to the right, lead with your right hand in a thumbs-down jam, and follow with your left hand in a thumbs-up jam.

CRACK CLIMBING GRADES

Crack climbs are seemingly graded for the hand and finger size of a normal male. In very general terms, a 5.10 hand-crack will indicate that the crack size will fit a number 2 Camelot slot (usually very solid for the average-sized man) and be fairly steep. The higher the grade, the steeper the climb and the more awkward the crack size relative to a number 2 hand-jam.

This sometimes means that climbers with smaller hands and smaller fingers can find 5.11 cracks easier than 5.10 cracks. A number 1 Camelot hand crack will be difficult for the typical male, but much easier for a climber with smaller hands. Hard finger cracks will also generally be easier for tiny fingers that can sink a knuckle into the crack, rather than larger fingers that can only get fingertips to desperately cling to the edge of the crack.

In general, go for the climb that inspires you, and use the grade only as an indication of crack size and steepness.

PROTECT YOURSELF

Most crack climbs are trad climbs, meaning they have no bolts and are protected by placing quickdraws on traditional gear as you climb higher. It’s also a good idea, when trad climbing in general, to wear a helmet.

As most cracks are parallel, camming devices are often the best way to protect yourself from a fall. it’s often best to place gear at your waist; placing it higher might take up your next jamming spot.

In crack climbing paradises like Indian Creek, uniform cracks often need several of the same cam size to safely climb a single route. But don’t fret – climbers are a friendly bunch, and people at the Creek and other areas are often very open to lending gear to climb routes safely.

CRACK GLOVES

Crack climbing can be hazardous on your skin. Many cracks have torn off skin from climbers’ hands, fingers, knees, or any part of you that can be useful for stuffing into a crack. Some climbers opt for gloves made of thin sticky rubber, which not only protects your skin but also increases the friction between your hand and the rock.

Others go for gloves made of climbing tape. There are a number of ways to do this, but this method allows you to keep your palms tape-free. Make sure to cover your knuckles.

Climbers also often tape their fingers if they know they’re getting into some sharp finger locks. Simply wrap a thin strip of tape around the first knuckles of your index and middle fingers. Now when you sink in your finger locks, they should be a less painful and more joyful experience.

CRACK SHOES

Crack climbing means generally stuffing your feet into the crack and twisting it, so having an aggressive and tight sport climbing shoe is not what you want. Comfortable is better than painfully tight. Flat is better than curved; if you stuff a tight, curved shoe into a crack and twist your foot, your curled toes are never going to forgive you.

While there are a lot of shoes that are great for cracks, most crack climbers go for either the La Sportiva TC Pros or the Five Ten Moccasym shoes. The TC Pros have a very stiff toe-box and also protects the ankle, which can reduce the pain of burly footwork. Moccasyms are very soft and flexible, making them better for tighter cracks because you can stuff more of your foot inside a tight hand-crack or more of your toes into a finger-crack.

The post How To Crack Climb: A Practical Guide appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

But how do you know the right time for a new rope or how many times you can cut an old one before it’s time to retire it? One of our big goals here at The Adventure Junkies is to make your life easier when it comes to making big decisions about the most indispensable gear. In this post, we will walk you through rope anatomy and care, how to inspect your rope for damage, how to cut your rope, and when to replace your rope altogether.

CLIMBING ROPE ANATOMY

Most rope manufacturers hide their rope secrets as if they were the key to the kingdom of heaven but in general terms, most dynamic climbing ropes are a kernmantle construction. This means it has an interior core protected by a nylon sheath, which adds to the rope’s overall strength as well as protecting the core from abrasion.

The core is made of nylon filament and yarn and is tight enough to be strong but loose enough to allow the rope to absorb shock across a greater area as the rope stretches about 6 to 7 percent.

CLIMBING ROPE STRENGTH

Ropes are all rated to UIAA (International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation) standard. Single ropes are tested by dropping an 80kg weight from a height of 7.5ft onto a 9ft length of the rope being tested. With rope stretch, the weight falls about 16.5ft. The force of the weight on the rope is a fall factor of 1.77 – usually far greater than a standard climbing fall.

For a half rope, the test is done with a 55kg weight. When buying half ropes, there will be a UIAA number of tests done on one of the half ropes, and a different number for tests done on both of them.

The UIAA number for each rope is the number of test falls the rope managed to withstand before breaking. It is not an indication of how many falls the rope can take before breaking but is an indication of general rope strength. A rope can actually endure a far greater number of big falls than the UIAA rating.

A rope will also be rated to hold a number of kilo-newtons. One kN is about 225 pounds of force; most single climbing ropes are rated to hold around 9kN, strong enough to hold 2000 pounds.

INSPECTING THE ROPE IN 5 STEPS

After you’ve been using your rope for a while, you might suspect that it has become substantially weakened. Inspecting a rope is easy if you follow these steps.

CUTS IN THE SHEATH

Look at the sheath along the length of the rope, seeing if there is any significant damage. The rope is still healthy if some of the stitching on the sheath has come loose. A cut in the sheath is generally only noteworthy if it is so large that you can see the core of the rope.

CORE SHOTS

A hole in the sheath also occurs after a rope has been subjected to a lot of heavy catches and wear and tear. If you can see the core of your rope through a hole in the sheath, then it is core shot – a sure indication that it is time to cut or replace your rope.

FUZZ

Another way the sheath can be damaged is if it is fuzzy. More fuzz generally means greater damage to the sheath and could be close to becoming core shot. If there is a section of your rope that is getting fuzzier, then pay close attention to it and cut or replace it if it becomes core shot.

SHEATH SLIPPAGE

The sheath can sometimes slip from the core. Feel along the length of the rope and if there are spots where you can feel the sheath but very little core underneath, then the sheath has slipped. This will mean the rope is weak in that spot, as the sheath is no longer protecting the core.

CORE FLAT SPOTS

As your rope wears, it will develop flat spots – signs that the core has become weakened. To check for flat spots, pinch a loop along the length of the rope: the core is still good if the rope holds its loop but it you can easily pinch it into a sharp bend, the core has been weakened.

VIDEO: HOW TO INSPECT YOUR ROPE

CUTTING YOUR ROPE

If your rope inspection reveals any weak spots, then it’s time for action. You might not need to buy a new rope, however. Most ropes become damaged at the ends, which take the full brunt of the force from a fall. Often while inspecting a rope, you’ll find a weak spot within the first 15-20ft of the rope end.

To cut your rope, find the weak spot or the core shot and wrap a few layers of climbing tape around it. This is where you will make your cut. Make the rope taut, either with someone’s help or by wrapping it around your legs and then carefully slice through the center of the tape around the rope.

After it has been cut, use a flame to melt the edges around the new rope end. This will keep the strands of the new end from fraying. Be sure to be aware of the new length of your cut rope, and don’t get on a 35m-long route with a newly cut rope that used to be 70m, but is now 67m.

VIDEO: CUTTING YOUR ROPE

Once a rope is cut, it will normally need more frequent inspection – but if you remain vigilant, you can cut a rope many times and it will still have a good enough core to be safe for climbing. Climbers often keep ropes that have been cut to 40m and still use them at, for example, indoor gyms where the routes barely extend beyond 20m-high.

If your rope is not long enough to climb the routes you want to climb, or you have any doubt about the integrity of your rope, then it’s time to buy a new one.

DAMAGE PREVENTION

Ropes do not last forever, but there are some steps you can follow to extend the life of your rope.

KEEP YOUR ROPE CLEAN AND DRY

A dirty or wet rope is substantially weaker than a clean, dry one. Tests have shown that wet ropes are up to 30 percent weaker, while dirt in the core can weaken it by 20 to 40 percent. Try to keep your rope dry and clean, if possible.

You can wash a rope (bathtubs are handy) in water no hotter than 86F and dry it in a cool place away from sunlight. Some climbers use mild soap, not detergent, to wash the rope, but others are so wary of chemicals that they will only rinse it in water, or use rope-specific soaps.

Using a rope-bag while climbing can help to keep the rope from collecting dirt.

KEEP YOUR ROPE OUT OF THE SUN

Sunlight is well known to damage ropes, so keeping your rope out of the sun will extend your rope’s life. Store it in a cool, dry place.

Even if you have a rope that you haven’t used in 10 years, it might still be safe if it has seen little use and been kept away from sunlight, heat, dirt and chemicals.

WATCH OUT FOR HAZARDS

Watch for hazards while climbing, such as a sharp edge that could damage or even cut your rope. Be aware that a taut rope is cut far more easily than a loose one, so make sure that the rope is running smoothly on the rock surface and away from sharp edges – especially in any fall or rappelling line.

BE KIND

If you’re projecting a climb and falling a lot, it helps to unweight the rope and use a quickdraw to anchor yourself into protection, such as a bolt. Just clip one carabiner of the quickdraw to the belay loop on your harness, and clip the other to the protection in the rock-face.

Once anchored in, your belayer can give you some rope slack. This not only gives your belayer a rest but is also kinder on your rope. Make sure your belayer keeps you on belay.

If you’ve been falling on your rope a lot, then switching ends regularly can also help extend the life of your rope. If you’ve been falling on your project and come down for a rest, switch the ends of the rope before heading back up.

TIME’S UP

A rope won’t last forever. In general, a single climbing rope will be good for around a year of heavy use, multiple times a week. If you’re only using a rope on the weekends and tend not to fall a lot, then it could last two to three years.

The general rule is to inspect your rope frequently because a safe rope will save your life, so err on the side of caution. If in any doubt, get a new one.

The post When To Replace Your Climbing Rope appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

You often have to be comfortable untying the rope from your harness in order to clean sport climbs – a daunting, even terrifying, prospect. One of our big goals here at The Adventure Junkies is to turn the complicated, and potentially dangerous, into a task much safer and easier. In this post, we will walk you through setting up and taking down sport climbing anchors.

WHAT IS A SPORT CLIMB?

A sport climb is a bolted rock route, where a series of safety bolts are drilled into the rock every few meters. As you climb up, you use a quickdraw to attach the rope to each bolt, clipping the top carabiner into the bolt, and the rope through the lower carabiner. This is what will catch you in the event of a fall.

WHAT IS AN ANCHOR?

At the top of every sport climb is an anchor. It is almost always two points of safety, whether it be two bolts, or two chains hanging from bolts, or two rings attached to bolts in the rock.

When you get to the top of a sport climb, you clip the top carabiner of a quickdraw into each anchor point, and then clip the rope through the lower carabiners of each quickdraw. Make sure the quickdraws face opposite directions to ensure the rope cannot become unclipped from both of them. (This is why you always bring at least two more quickdraws than the number of bolts on the route: one for each bolt, and two for the anchor.)

Once the rope is safely clipped through opposing quickdraws on the anchor, the belayer can safely lower you to the ground. The route is now equipped for other climbers to enjoy, with a quickdraw on every bolt, and two at the anchor.

TOP-ROPE ANCHORS

Top-rope climbing is one of the safest forms of climbing, where the rope runs from the belayer to the anchor at the top of the route, and then back down to the climber. If the climber falls, a tight belay means that the fall will be kept to a minimum – often only a small amount of rope stretch.

There are several ways to set up a top-rope anchor but never thread the rope directly through the chains or rings on the anchor points for top-roping. This is considered poor practice as it will wear down the anchor points and eventually render them unsafe to use.

QUICKDRAWS ON THE ANCHOR POINTS

The easiest top-rope anchor is to have the rope run through the lower carabiners of opposing quickdraws that are clipped to each of the two anchor points. This is the set-up that climbers usually establish once they get to the top of a route.

AN EQUALIZED MASTER POINT

While opposing quickdraws are commonly used and perfectly safe, you can also set up an anchor system that is equalized, meaning that the weight of the climber is evenly distributed on both anchor points.

You’ll need a double-length sling/runner or cordelette, and four carabiners. Clip a carabiner onto each of the two anchor points and clip the sling through both carabiners. Grab all four strands of the sling and pull them down towards the direction of where the climber is. This means that if the climber falls, the master point will be in the best place to absorb the force of the fall on both anchor points.

The sling should now be in a ‘V’ shape. Now you’re ready to create a master point. There are two easy ways to do this.

SLIDING-X

Take one side of the sling and flip it once to create a sliding-x. Clip your remaining two carabiners through the sliding-x and then clip the rope through both carabiners. Make sure the carabiners are facing opposite directions. The advantage of this method is that the master point self-equalises, regardless of the direction of pull on the anchor. The disadvantage is, in the unlikely event of an anchor point failing, the sling will lengthen and shock-load the other anchor point. See this video on how to build a sliding-x.

PRE-EQUALIZED

Tie all four strands of the sling together in an overhand knot or a figure 8 knot on a bight. This pre-equalizes the anchor and makes each anchor point independent of the other. Clip your two remaining carabiners, facing opposite directions, into the bight, and then clip the rope into the carabiners.

While the master point may not always be perfectly equalized as the climber moves around, it will still be mostly equalized. The big advantage of a pre-equalized anchor is that if one anchor point fails for some reason, the other will not be shock-loaded. See this video on how to build a pre-equalized anchor.

CHECK HAZARDS

When building a top-rope anchor, you want to avoid any potential hazards. Make sure the sling or the rope doesn’t run over a rough, sharp edge, which could damage or even cut the sling or the rope. You also want the carabiners to hang cleanly. If a carabiner is running over an edge, then a fall could bend the carabiner and compromise strength, potentially causing it to snap.

Check that the anchor bolts are tight, and if not, tighten them. Check your carabiners for sharp edges that could cut the rope. Make sure all hardware – bolts, chains, carabiners – is relatively free of rust and is not too worn; sometimes the metal can be almost entirely worn through.

It is not unsafe to use non-locking carabiners but is safer to use locking ones. If you’re using locking carabiners, make sure they are all locked.

CLEANING THE ANCHOR

There are several methods to clean the anchor of a sport climb, but this post is going to outline the most common.

When you get to the top of a sport climb and want to clean the quickdraws or the master point, the first thing you have to do is secure yourself into the anchor. There are a number of ways to do this, but they all involve using a sling, quickdraws, or a Personal Anchor System (PAS) to clip from the waist and leg loops of your harness to the anchor.

Make sure to be always backed up. Use two locking carabiners to clip a different loop of your PAS to each anchor point. Test your PAS by calling “SLACK” to your belayer and putting your weight on the PAS, making sure that it comes tight.

Once you are secured into the anchor, call “SECURE” to your belayer to indicate that you are safely attached to the anchor and ready to clean the gear. You now need to rethread the rope through the anchor points.

Before untying the rope from your harness, you may want to secure the rope so that you don’t accidentally drop it, which would leave you at the top of a climb with no rope to get down. Most climbers do this by pulling up a few meters of slack, and then clove-hitching the rope to a quickdraw on their harness.

When you’re certain that you’re secure, untie the rope from your harness, thread it through both rings or bottom chain links of the two anchor points and then re-tie the rope back through the waist and leg loops of your harness – as if you were about to start climbing again.

Except for your PAS, you can now clean any gear – including quickdraws, slings, and carabiners – from the anchor points. Also, release the rope that you clove-hitched to your harness.

When you’re ready to be lowered, call “TAKE” to your belayer. The rope should come tight through the anchor points. You can test it by taking some weight off of the PAS and seeing if the rope takes your weight.

Only when you’re absolutely positive that your belayer is holding your weight, clean your PAS and remaining carabiners from the anchor and call “READY TO LOWER”, so your belayer can lower you. You should leave the anchor as you found it – with two points of safety and no other gear.

(Sometimes there will be sharp edges on the route, and lowering off from the anchor will put the rope at risk of being cut. If this is the case, you will want to rappel down after you have cleaned the anchor. Make sure you and your belayer know how you are going to descend a climb before you start; many accidents have happened from misunderstandings between climber and belayer, mainly when the belayer took the climber off belay, believing that the climber was going to rappel.)

CLEANING THE QUICKDRAWS FROM THE ROUTE

If you need to clean the quickdraws off the bolts on the sport climb, you may want to clip a quickdraw to the belay loop of your harness, and clip the quickdraw’s other carabiner to the side of the rope that is running through the other quickdraws. This will keep you close to the line of bolts as you are lowered, so you can reach them more easily.

Remember to unclip the quickdraw from the rope before you remove the final quickdraw (the one closest to the ground). If you don’t, you could potentially pull your belayer off balance as you clean the last quickdraw.

Once back on the ground, pull the rope down from the anchor, and move on to your next route.

The post A Beginners Guide To Sport Climbing Anchors appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

But if you know what you’re doing and take appropriate safety measures, the risks in climbing can be substantially minimised, leaving you to enjoy a fun, challenging, inspirational sport with a great community and in the most breathtaking destinations. In this article, The Adventure Junkies will walk you through some simple steps on how to stay safe while climbing.

SAFETY CHECKS

Before you set off on a climb, a climber and belayer should always – always – do a round of safety checks. Even the most experienced climbers have suffered injuries that could have been prevented with a simple check. Lynn Hill, who famously freed The Nose of El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, once took a giant 70ft fall from the top of a climb because she had been distracted while preparing, and had failed to complete her safety knot.

SAFETY KNOT

Properly tying into the rope is vital. Climbers use different kinds of knots, but the figure-8 with a stopper knot is the most common. The knot must pass through the tie-in points on the harness, usually through both the leg loop and the waist loop. Check the harness instructions to ensure you are doing this correctly, and check the knot is properly tied before casting off.

HARNESSES AND BELAY DEVICE

Are the harnesses of the climber(s) and belayer sitting above the hips, tightened, with all appropriate loops double backed? Is the belay device – usually an ATC or a grigri – threading the rope in the correct way (check instructions to be sure), and attached to the harness with a locking carabiner? Is the carabiner locked?

You should always check that everything is properly set up by tugging the rope, as if it were catching a fall, and seeing if the belay device catches the rope and keeps it from running freely.

ROPE AND PROTECTION

Make sure it is the right rope for this type of climb, and check the sheath to make sure it is undamaged. Flake the rope at the bottom of the climb to ensure there are no knots in it, which could get snagged in the belay device at a critical, and potentially dangerous, moment. If there is a chance that the rope is not long enough, put a knot in the end of it to keep the end from unexpectedly running through the belay device, dropping the climber in the process.

Finally, check that the lead climber has everything they need for the route. If it’s a sport climb, ensure they have enough quickdraws (usually three more than the number of bolts, including two for the anchor, and one extra, just in case). If it is a traditionally-protected route, ensure they have enough protective gear, such as cams and wires.

HELMETS

Many climbers don’t wear helmets on well-traveled routes, assuming that the chances of rockfall are minimal. But how stupid would it be to own a helmet, and sustain a serious head-injury while climbing because you had chosen not to use it. Be safe – wear a helmet, no matter what type of climbing you are doing.

AVOID THE DROP ZONE

Have a look at the route, and ensure that the belayer is out of the line of fire, or can easily step out of the line of fire. A lead climber can accidently dislodge a loose rock at anytime, putting the belayer at risk of getting hit.

DESCENT

Many accidents have occurred while lowering climbers from the top of a route. One common mistake is if the climber believes he will be lowered to the ground, but the belayer believes the climber will rappel. If the climber is taken off belay and leans back, expecting to be lowered, then they will fall to the ground. Know and agree on how to descend. Repeat it before the climber starts climbing, to ensure there is no miscommunication.

Sometimes climbers have to walk off the top of a route. If so, be sure to know the descent route. Many climbers have spent cold, hungry and wet nights pinned to a wall after getting lost on the descent and not being properly prepared.

COMMUNICATE CLEARLY

Accidents can happen due to poor communication, such as the previous example about confusion over how to descend. Miscommunication has also lead to belayers taking their lead climbers off belay before they have finished the climb.

Know your calls, and shout them clearly. “Take” means the belayer should take in rope slack. “Slack” means to give more rope slack. “Secure” or “off-belay” means the climber has anchored to the wall and can be taken off belay. If there are other people around you, use names to avoid confusion that could lead to a potentially fatal scenario.

For multi-pitch climbs, or routes where the climber will rappel down, “secure” or “off-belay” are extremely important calls, as they indicate to the belayer that they can remove the rope from the belay device. But the belayer should be absolutely certain that the climber is secure before doing this. Misheard calls can lead to the climber being taken off belay while they are still climbing, essentially turning the climber into a free-soloist, carrying a rope, and facing a potentially fatal accident if they fell.

Various calls are used, so make sure both the climber and belayer agree to have consistent calls, and consistent responses. Have a plan for communicating if you can’t hear each other. (Very windy routes, for example, can sometimes make it impossible to hear). Three tugs on the rope is a common way for a climber to tell a belayer that they are securely anchored and can be taken off belay.

PAY ATTENTION

Distracted belaying can be a major cause of accidents. Resist the urge to socialise, converse, text, or tie your shoelaces as you belay. Watch the climber at all times. Don’t give too much slack when the climber is above a ledge, or too little slack that could lead to a hard catch, and slam the climber into the rock-face.

Make sure you know about z-clipping and back-clipping, or climbing with the rope behind your leg. If the lead climber does any of these things, the belayer should tell them immediately.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Ignorance can be a recipe for disaster. Arming yourself with knowledge is one of the best ways to assess and avoid risks, and gaining knowledge through climbing courses, or through solid mentors and real experience, is a great way to learn under safe supervision. Showing up at a crag with gear and no idea what to do is asking for trouble.

KNOW YOUR CLIMB

You can minimise risk by knowing the climb and everything you need for it. If it’s a long multi-pitch route, you may want to take a topo map of the route that you can refer to as you climb higher. The approach and descent information, especially for alpine climbs, should be well-known before setting out. Check the forecast to make sure that the chances of getting caught in a thunderstorm are slim.

Risks have been amplified by climbers getting on the wrong route, going off-route while halfway up a climb, having the wrong gear or not enough gear, or not knowing how to get down.

KNOW YOURSELF AND YOUR PARTNER

Overconfidence is a major cause of accidents. Know your own abilities and don’t overreach. If you want to climb El Cap in Yosemite, it is probably best to try something smaller first to hone your multi-pitch skills and, depending on how you want to climb, your aid and hauling skills.

A climber’s partnership with a belayer is sacrosanct. Numerous accidents have occurred from people climbing with strangers. If you don’t know who you’re climbing with, don’t be afraid to ask them to demonstrate to you that they know what they’re doing. Give them a rope and a belay device, and ask them to show you their belaying skills.

MORE TIPS TO MINIMISE RISK

If you are climbing a big wall, ensure you have enough gear to descend if you need to from anywhere on the climb. Basic first aid kits and headlamps are also essentials for long climbs.

Carry a cellphone, or a satellite GPS distress-signal device such as a Spot or InReach, in case of emergency. Also, tell someone where you are going, so they know where you were headed if disaster struck and you didn’t come home when you were supposed to.

The post How To Stay Safe While Climbing appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

Many strong climbers have been thwarted by the mental prison of fear. Conversely, moderately-strong climbers are often able to climb harder than those much stronger than them, simply because of their clearer head space. In this post, The Adventure Junkies will walk you through a number of ways to help conquer the fear of falling.

THE PHYSIOLOGY OF FEAR

When you’re scared, a part of your brain called the amygdala starts screaming at you. The amygdala is a finely-tuned evolutionary tool that activates in the face of an imminent threat. It’s what used to keep you alive if you were born millennia ago and roamed the African savannah among creatures that could eat you.

When alerted, the amygdala kicks the central nervous system into action. Your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing increase, and you are flooded with adrenalin and cortisol. The blood flows to your extremities as your body readies itself to survive either by fighting, if you think you can overcome the threat, or fleeing, if you think you can’t.

Often, however, there is a third response – freeze. This occurs if your have neither the strength to successfully fight, nor the ability to escape. This often happens in climbing: you’re pumped out of your mind, anxiously over-gripping, so you don’t think you can make the next move. You’re also terrified to let go and take the fall. So you just freeze.

Because you are not using the extra energy that your body has produced to fight or flee, you may start shaking. The part of your brain that reasons and judges (the cerebral cortex) shuts down, impairing your ability to look around for holds or sequences you may have missed. You simply hang on, gripped in terror, until you can’t physically hang on any longer.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU CLIMB

GET LITERARY

There are a number of books about sports psychology and climbing in particular that looks into how to improve your mental game, including increasing focus and awareness, and making intelligent decisions about risk. The original textbook on this is The Rock Warrior’s Way, though there are now countless books written along the same lines.

DISTINGUISH FEAR AND RISK

Before you get on a climb, you can take a good look and judge how dangerous it might be. Are there any ledges that could make a fall potentially injurious? Is the lower protection easy to clip, or is there a risk of a ground-fall while trying to clip? Are there any traverses that could turn a fall into a pendulum? Are there any scary run-outs (where you have to climb way above your protection) and, if so, what is the climbing like in those sections?

If there are risks, then you can steel yourself for those moments, and communicate to your belayer about where they are, so your belayer can be extra attentive and encouraging. If you are in a dangerous spot, always remember that down-climbing might be the best option.

If the risks are relatively benign, then once you’re on the climb and feel gripped by fear, you can rationalize that the danger you are sensing is not actually real, and that falling will be relatively harmless. This may help you just go for the move, to fight, rather than to freeze or flee.

FALLING PRACTICE

Some falls can hurt, but many more are more or less harmless. If the idea of falling terrifies you, practice. If the fall in a particular spot on a particular climb terrifies you, go there and take that fall. Several times. The more familiar you are with the action, the less it will scare you.

After you take the fall, breathe, reflect on whether it was actually dangerous and, if you are still worried, climb back up and do it again. One method is the clip-drop technique, where you take a fall every time you clip a higher bolt on a sport climb.

GET EXPERIENCED

In the same vein as falling practice, the more you climb, the more familiar you will become with the various aspects of climbing that may scare you, whether it be a fear of heights, of overhangs or a roof, or traversing. A constant exposure to fearful situations is one of the ways that helped to explain the calmness of elite climber Alex Honnold’s amygdala – he had free-soloed so often that it didn’t phase him much anymore.

MENTAL REHEARSAL

If you’ve been on the climb before, or even if you haven’t, it helps to visualize the moves. That way, when you get to the hard section and have to try harder, you will be somewhat prepared for the mental and physical difficulties. Try to think about as many details as possible, from how the hold will feel on your hand, to how the sunlight might make you squint. Go through the moves and the body positions on the ground, before you start climbing.

VIDEO: HOW TO TAKE A FALL ON A LEAD

WHAT TO DO IN THE MOMENT

BREATHE

Slow, even breathing steadies and calms your heart rate and, as in meditation, aims to keep you present. This helps you stay focused and to concentrate, and not be pulled into that zone where you simply freeze and wither until you have no option but to simply let go.

SELF-TALK

Either out loud or in your head, self-talk can calm you down if you are gripped with fear. For example, if you’re on a climb and know that the risks are minimal, then you can tell yourself that your fear is natural, but you have no reason to be scared, and that the fall is harmless.

You can also tell yourself to stop negative talk such as “I’m gonna fall, I’m gonna fall”, and replace it with positive phrases such as “go for it”, “I am strong” or “I’ve got this”.

Knowing your ability is also useful, so you can tell yourself that the climb is within your capability. When you are pumped and scared, remember that you are almost always stronger than you think you are in those moments, and you almost always have more left in the tank than you think.

The post How To Conquer The Fear Of Falling appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

While belaying may seem straightforward, there are a lot of ways a belayer can make a climber feel safe and secure – and not just by catching falls. A good belayer makes the climber know that they are being well looked after, giving them the confidence to concentrate on nothing but the climb. This post is all about how to belay well, responsibly, and safely. (Note that this post does not cover multi-pitch belaying).

WHAT IS BELAYING?

For most roped climbing (excepting rope soloing), there is a climber and a belayer, tied into harnesses and connected by a climbing rope. As the climber ascends, the belayer feeds out or takes in rope, depending on the climber’s position, and is always ready to catch a fall at any moment. The belayer uses a belay device to catch a fall, and to lower a climber from the top of the route.

BELAY DEVICES

In the old days, people belayed off shoulders, hips, and around waists. Modern technology has given us many belay devices, but the ATC and the grigri are the most commonly used. Both devices are clipped to the belay loop of the belayer’s harness with a locking carabiner, and are based on the same principles, increasing the friction on the rope to make catching a fall much easier.

After feeding the rope properly through the device (refer to instruction manual), the belayer uses one hand, called the guide hand, to pull rope through the device when the climber needs more slack. The other hand, called the brake hand, takes in rope slack if the climber needs less rope.

While you should always refer to the instruction manual for how to use any device, the golden rule of belaying is to always have the brake hand on the rope below the belay device at all times, known as the brake position. The devices are designed to catch a fall simply by keeping hold of part of the rope below the belay device, allowing the device and your weight to do the rest. If you only have your hand on the rope above the belay device – or not on the rope at all – and the climber falls, then the rope may run freely through the device, which could lead to a fatal accident.

ATC

An ATC is shaped so it pinches the rope in three places. With the brake hand in the proper position, a fall will pull the rope taut, making the ATC pinch it and preventing it from moving. To feed out rope, you simply pull more rope through the ATC with the guide hand, while still keeping your brake hand in the brake position.

GRIGRI

A grigri contains a camming device that, if sufficiently weighted, pivots and traps the rope. While useful, it should not be viewed as full-proof; many accidents have occurred with grigris, and the instruction manual should always be consulted. As with an ATC, a brake hand should always be on the rope, under the device, ready to catch a fall. There are two ways to feed out rope, which are covered below under the heading: lead-belaying with a grigri.

BELAYING TECHNIQUE

Good technique means being able to feed out or take in slack quickly and smoothly, and keeping the right amount of slack in the rope at all times, without breaking the golden rule. Most belaying techniques involved sliding the brake hand on the rope as it is fed out or taken in, to ensure that it is always in the brake position and ready to catch a fall.

TOP-ROPE BELAYING

In top-rope climbing, the rope runs through an anchor at the top of the route and then down to the climber. While belaying on top-rope, you should keep the rope a tiny bit loose at all times, preventing the climber from losing much height from falling, but not so tight as to help pull the climber higher.

As the climber moves higher, you take in any extra slack, and grab hold of the rope in the brake position if the climber falls. A top-rope belayer rarely, if ever, needs to feed out rope slack until lowering the climber.

Lowering the climber from the top of a route also must follow the golden rule. Generally, you will keep at least one hand on the rope in the brake position, and then slowly let the rope run through the device to lower the climber, always in control, and always ready to grab the rope and stop the climber’s descent, if necessary.

Some helpful images on top-rope belaying with an ATC can be seen here, while this helpful video shows the PBUS technique – Pull, Brake, Under, Slide – to take in rope slack while keeping the brake hand in the brake position. It also shows how to lower a climber from the top of a route:

VIDEO: HOW TO BELAY

LEAD-BELAYING

In lead climbing, the lead climber clips protection (a bolt or a piece of trad gear) as they move up. The leader climbs unprotected until the first piece of protection is clipped. In lead-belaying, you should give the climber a spot until the first protection is clipped. This entails standing below the climber with upraised arms, ready to catch them or soften the landing in case of a fall, exactly as with bouldering.

After the first protection has been clipped, you should maintain a little bit of slack in the rope at all times. It should droop slightly as it comes out of the belay device, like a banana arc, before running up towards the climber. If the rope is too tight, the lead climber could be pulled off the rock face while trying to move higher. If it is too loose, the lead climber could fall much further than necessary.

You may need to quickly feed out slack if the lead climber grabs the rope and lifts it higher to clip into protection. As your guide hand pulls out more rope, you allow the rope to slide through the brake hand, while always being ready to grab the rope in brake position, if necessary. You should watch the climber and anticipate when they are about to clip, and start to feed out more rope just moments before the climber goes to grab the rope to clip.

After the climber has clipped the protection, the rope may become more slack as the climber moves higher. You should take in any excessive rope slack that results from the climber moving up, and then feed out the rope again as the climber moves past the protection – always maintaining the banana arc.

LEAD BELAYING WITH A GRIGRI

One way to lead-belay with a grigri is exactly the same as it is with an ATC – with a guide hand to feed rope slack and a brake hand that is always in the brake position. But if you feed rope slack too quickly, the camming device in the grigri can engage and lock the rope.

To avoid this, there is a second way to lead-belay with a grigri. While still holding the rope in the brake position, you press the thumb of your brake hand to the base of the grigri lever. This will prevent the camming action of the grigri, and allow the rope to run through the device without locking up.

It is extremely important to keep the brake hand in the brake position, because if the climber falls with the grigri in this position, then the camming device in the grigri will not engage unless the brake hand grabs the rope and the thumb stops pressing the base of the lever.

Lowering a climber from the top with a grigri is similar to using an ATC, but you have to fully open the grigri lever, while keeping the brake hand in brake position. The lever can help with the lowering, but the brake hand primarily controls the speed of the descent as the rope feeds through the grigri. If in any doubt, the belayer can release the lever and the camming device will engage, pinch the rope, and stop the descent.

CATCHING A FALL

When catching a fall, the weight and force can sometimes lift you several feet off the ground. Be aware that a fall can pull you, sometimes violently, up and towards the rock face. For this reason, it is a good idea to be wary of things you might hit if pulled up (don’t belay in front of a spiky tree, for example), wear shoes to protect your feet, and be ready to lift your legs and land with soft knees and ankles.

It is often better to belay directly under the first piece of protection. Belaying far from the base of the climb is an invitation to be thrown forcefully into the rock wall while catching a fall.

It pays to not have a huge weight difference; if your climber is much heavier than you, then a fall might lift you very high, sometimes into the first piece of protection. If you are much heavier than your climber, then you might give them a potentially injurious hard catch.

HARD CATCHES

These occur when the rope stretch is minimal, increasing the force on the climber and possibly slamming the climber into the rock-face. A number of injuries are attributed to hard catches, as it can be very hard on ankles, knees, or whatever part of the climber’s body hits the rock.

A hard catch can happen a number of ways, including if the rope is really tight, the belayer is much heavier than the climber, or if the belayer weights the brake end of the rope (by, for example, sitting down) just as the climber falls.

Sometimes a hard catch is warranted – if the climber is directly above a ledge, or in danger of a potential ground fall, then a hard catch might prevent the climber from hitting the ledge/ground. But most of the time, a soft catch is a much safer and more pleasant way to fall.

SOFT CATCHES

A soft catch maximizes the stretch of the rope in a fall, meaning that the climber will usually fall a greater distance, but in a much gentler manner. It is counterintuitive, as falling further will often evoke a sense of greater danger – but soft catches are generally safer. A soft catch means the climber is much less likely to be slammed into the rock face, instead falling more vertically, and then slowly coming to a stop.

Giving a soft catch as a belayer is a skill that takes practice. You need to give a bit more rope slack just as the climber’s weight comes onto the rope, while keeping your brake hand locked on the rope. The easiest way to do this is to belay in a bent-knee position and to straighten your legs just as the rope comes taut. You can also hop or jump, to increase the rope stretch. The catch will pull you up and into the rock-face, so it pays to stretch out your feet and land softly.

BELAYING TIPS

DO YOUR SAFETY CHECKS

Before leaving the ground, double check that the climber’s rope is knotted properly into the harness, and that the rope is properly fed through the belay device. Check both harnesses – climber’s and belayer’s – are properly double-backed through the appropriate buckle. Ensure the leader has enough protection for the climb (12 bolts means at least 14 quickdraws), and that the rope is long enough to lower the climber from the top.

Also, make sure that both the climber and belayer know what the descent plan is; accidents have occurred when, for example, the climber thought they were going to be lowered, while the belayer thought the climber was going to rappel down, and took them off belay.

PAY ATTENTION

The best thing you can do as a belayer is to be attentive. Belayers have dropped climbers or not noticed potentially dangerous situations after being distracted. A good belayer is constantly aware of where the climber is, of any potentially dangerous hazards (such as a ledge that the climber could hit), and is always watching to see if the climber is clipping protection and might need rope slack in a hurry, or is about to fall and might need a hard or a soft catch.

WATCH FOR THE ROPE BEHIND THE LEADER’S LEG

Sometimes a lead climber will climb to the side and the rope might come to rest behind the climber’s ankle. Falling like this will often see the rope trip the lead climber, flipping them upside-down (good image of how this happens halfway down the page). If the belayer sees this happen, they should warn the climber. A simple call of “watch the rope” suffices.

CLEAR CALLS

A good belayer is very receptive to clear calls from the climber, and reacts quickly. The basic calls are:

“TAKE”

Meaning to take in slack so the climber can rest on the rope. The best way to do this is quickly pull in any rope slack, hold the rope with your brake hand, and then lean back or sit down.

“SLACK”

Meaning to feed more rope slack to the climber. This call is common if the rope is too tight and the climber is trying to either move higher or pull the rope up to clip protection.

“CLIPPING”

The climber calls this as they are about to pull up the rope to clip protection, as a warning to the belayer to give more rope slack.

“CLIPPED”

The climber has clipped the protection, so any extra slack in the rope should be pulled in.

“READY TO LOWER”

The climber has reached the top and is ready to be lowered to the ground. Often follows a call of “TAKE” when the climber reaches the top.

DON’T SHORT-ROPE

Short-roping is what happens when a climber goes to pull up the rope to clip protection but doesn’t have enough rope slack to reach. It can be terrifying as a climber on the sharp end, red-lining to the maximum and fearing the worst, to pull up the rope and find that there is not enough slack. If you are paying attention to the climber and are proficient at paying out slack quickly, you should be able to avoid short-roping.

ROPE MANAGEMENT

A knot in the rope will not pass through any belay device, and dealing with it while the climber is already on a route is inconvenient, if not downright dangerous. It always pays to flake the rope before climbing, which basically means to lay it down on the ground, passing every inch through your hands, to ensure that it has no knots in it.

Rope management also means not only keeping the right amount of slack in the rope at all times (very little for top-roping, and a banana arc for lead climbing), but also checking the rest of the rope from time to time to make sure it doesn’t get snagged on a tree root or a rock, which could disrupt your belaying and, by extension, the climber.

WEAR GLOVES

Belaying can be hard on your hands, particularly when lowering a climber. There are a lot of different belaying gloves to make this easier.

LEARN IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT

Many gyms offer courses, where you can learn to top-rope belay and lead-belay under the competent supervision of gym staff in a safe environment.

The post How To Belay: A Practical Guide appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.