Pre-Christmas climbing
A great climbing session with Kenway at the Rock Club. With only a couple of exceptions, we worked on routes rated 5.10 and higher. There were several excellent routes set by MHR (5.10,5.10+,5.11) that had crimpy holds and tricky positioning. The coolest part was that Kenway and I ended up doing a few of these routes in very different styles. I was a couple of inches short on a few critical holds, which required some creative stemming. Kenway worked on some 5.11/12's set by Bishop, all of which just seemed cruel. There were also a bunch of really good lead climbers (5.12) that were fun to watch.
You guys should definitely check out this video: World of Adventure Sports, K2 Expedition.
3 comments:
Awesome! Sorry I missed it. I'm going to do some climbing up here with my friends from Boston at MetroRock up here! It'll be fun to see some different styles and check out a new gym. I'm also thinking about getting a pair of climbing pants. Any thoughts? How's the EMS RipStop cloth? What were the ones you picked up Brian? And where are the best gear reviews?
Cool, MetroRock looks like a good gym.
Re. the pants, many brands make climbing specific pants, but I'm not convinced you can't just find a decent pair of outdoor pants that will work (and more likely to be on sale!). Some basic things to watch out for:
> Gusseted crotch & plenty of room for moving your legs (check especially the hips, for some reason many pants aren't cut for lots of hip flexion).
> Low profile pockets and waist (eg., integrated belt) to keep clear of your harness. If they are cargo pants, you might want to check that the pockets won't bind on your leg loops.
> I like some stretch, this is usually a few percent Elastene or Spandex.
> I like synthetics cause they're lighter, breath better, and dry faster, but thicker canvas will protect you better if you are grinding your knees up.
I've had good luck with Royal Robbins, Mountain Hardware and Lowe Alpine. Bad luck with Prana and my tight-ass jeans.
YMMV
Excellent job on the climbing, Brian, way to fight through those routes without hanging. It builds endurance and forces you to be as mechanically efficient as possible when your strength is at its limit.
Eric, as far as climbing pants, it depends on what you want to do with them. For general indoor use and summer climbing, I tend to like shorts that go past the knees (I know, you can call them capris - I prefer climbing shorts or even knickers) or a lightweight pair of khaki pants. Outdoors, in any reasonably cool weather, I prefer darker, heavier pants. You don't really need anything super climbing-specific, but I look for a few details - to add to Brian's list, I think about:
- freedom of movement Brian's right on the money here, where you'll notice it is in the hip and crotch when you highstep or stem. Baggier isn't necessarily better, it's more in the way they construct the seams and in the material.
- cargo pockets: way easier to access in a harness than other pockets, good for quick access items like route maps, sunglasses, a durable camera, snacks
- stretch: pure nylon is not stretchy enough for me generally, pants with a spandex or similar component really helps
- durability: i find the blended weaves (cotton/nylon/lycra or spandex) last *much* longer as far as durability on real rock. A thin pair of pure nylon hiking pants will quickly be shredded as you squeeze through chimneys, desperately mantle up on your knee, and grovel over ledges (trust me).
- style: no tights!
I'm actually OK with Prana, mostly b/c they fit me decently, but I don't have a huge assortment. A little stretch and a lot of pockets go a along way...
Post a Comment