We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Rock Climbers

mpeterson

mpeterson

Team THP for Life
Joined
May 24, 2013
Messages
22,197
Reaction score
1,806
Location
MA
Handicap
9.5
Any fellow rock climbers here on THP? My wife and I took up the sport as a hobby just about a year ago, when I climbing gym opened down the street from us. Since then we've been outside a few times, and we're looking forward to getting out more this year now that we've got more experience under our belt. Also just took the lead climbing class at the gym, which was a ton of fun.

Figured I'd start a thread to talk gear, fun climbs, etc. if there was anyone else here interested.
 
Took my boys[3] with some trained instructors the year Foxwoods was opening. Entire Scout Troop with hand full of guides. Great rock walls behind the casino. We camped and climbed and Rappelled for two days on a 90 foot wall. It wasn't very technical and we had a 2nd rope with a belay person....Good fun.
 
I was bigger into climbing pre-pandemic and now more of my free time is put into golf.

That said, I came across my climbing shoes and realized how I have missed it.

Any other rock climbers out there? Are you mostly gym climbers? Boulders? Outdoor bigger wall stuff?
 
Scooby45 said:
I was bigger into climbing pre-pandemic and now more of my free time is put into golf.

That said, I came across my climbing shoes and realized how I have missed it.

Any other rock climbers out there? Are you mostly gym climbers? Boulders? Outdoor bigger wall stuff?
Click to expand...
I used to climb at Rock Quest in sharonville, and took trips down to Red River Gorge.

Now? Eff that.
 
Canadan said:
I used to climb at Rock Quest in sharonville, and took trips down to Red River Gorge.

Now? Eff that.
Click to expand...
Why pass now?

And if you haven't checked in out, Mosaic out towards Fields Ertel is really nice
 
Scooby45 said:
Why pass now?

And if you haven't checked in out, Mosaic out towards Fields Ertel is really nice
Click to expand...
I considered it, but climbing for me was only fun when i was doing it regularly, and I don't really think I have the time to invest.

Why pass now? Maybe not for the indoor stuff, but I completely lost my nerve for the outdoor stuff after a weekend of trad climbing in Tennessee. That **** is terrifying.
 
I liked the combination workout and puzzle of gym climbing and can appreciate the need to do it regularly.

I had gotten to the point I could send V4 and the occasional technical V5 (power moves would get me) but not sure I could send a V2 after two plus years off.
 
I used to climb a lot. North Shore here in MN along with Taylor's Falls. Did several big trips out west and "peaked" with the Regular NW face of Half Dome. I was dropped 54 feet on Devil's Tower in WY in 1994 and haven't felt much like climbing since then.

devilstower1.jpgdevilstower2.jpg
 
You were dropped? What happened? Those pics look pretty scary!
 
goalie said:
Knot pass screwed up and I was dropped. It wasn't fun.
Click to expand...
doesn't sound like it, this makes me want to stay in the bouldering gym
 
Used to climb three days a week at an indoor rock gym when I lived in Texas. The extent of my outdoor climbing was a couple of trips to Utah. Little Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City and Wall Street in Moab. My grandson and I did some sport climbing. He did most of the work!884FAFA0-BBBB-44A8-B315-BBBAAD85CC32.jpegF71CEE8F-53FF-4739-90A4-F8F3FD94EBA5.jpeg
 
RD said:
Used to climb three days a week at an indoor rock gym when I lived in Texas. The extent of my outdoor climbing was a couple of trips to Utah. Little Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City and Wall Street in Moab. My grandson and I did some sport climbing. He did most of the work!View attachment 9123364View attachment 9123365
Click to expand...
Those look like fun climbs, Feels like just from looking I might have been able to make the ascent up the first one. Do you recall what it was rated?

I head out to a spot a couple hours outside of Denver and have been looking to take a guided trip up something at some point.
 
Scooby45 said:
Those look like fun climbs, Feels like just from looking I might have been able to make the ascent up the first one. Do you recall what it was rated?

I head out to a spot a couple hours outside of Denver and have been looking to take a guided trip up something at some point.
Click to expand...
We picked out 5.7 to 5.8 routes at both places. Wall Street has some pretty difficult routes…. way beyond my pay grade.
 
That 5.7/5.8 zone is kind of my sweet spot - I started too late in life to get actually good at climbing. Though with the extra COVID weight, not sure I'd have that much fun right now :D
 
mpeterson said:
That 5.7/5.8 zone is kind of my sweet spot - I started too late in life to get actually good at climbing. Though with the extra COVID weight, not sure I'd have that much fun right now :D
Click to expand...
I can climb some 5.9s and a few 5.10s indoors but I enjoy something around 5.8 The most difficult thing for me on an outdoor route is making it to the first bolt. Some of the routes we climbed in Utah had the first bolt 12 to 15 feet up. That is tuff for an old guy like me. I was lucky to have someone else do that.
 
RD said:
I can climb some 5.9s and a few 5.10s indoors but I enjoy something around 5.8 The most difficult thing for me on an outdoor route is making it to the first bolt. Some of the routes we climbed in Utah had the first bolt 12 to 15 feet up. That is tuff for an old guy like me. I was lucky to have someone else do that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm the same - 5.9 is my sweet spot in our indoor gym. Up in Vermont there's a lot of places you can top rope too, so we'll use those when we want to find a project and work on it so we don't need to worry so much about clipping.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RD
I've done some gym climbing and it's fun (and a KILLER workout), but I've never actually climbed outside. It would be fun to try sometime, but I think I would want to stick to top-rope stuff. The consequences in climbing can be pretty severe if you screw up...

I absolutely love watching the stories of good climbers though (Honnold, Caldwell, etc). The whole psychological aspect of high-consequence stuff like that is fascinating to me.
 
Back in the climbing gym for the first time in a long time. I am wiped out and my technique was so bad….!….!

Signed up for a membership so hopefully I can come out of winter more fit and flexible
 
GolfTravelDude said:
Took my boys[3] with some trained instructors the year Foxwoods was opening. Entire Scout Troop with hand full of guides. Great rock walls behind the casino. We camped and climbed and Rappelled for two days on a 90 foot wall. It wasn't very technical and we had a 2nd rope with a belay person....Good fun.
Click to expand...

Hope it all turned out well. Something local did not! There's a state park in the neighboring state of PA, that has some rock climbing spots. Quite a few years ago, a scoutmaster had his troop there to show them how to rappel down a sheer rock wall. I don't know how it happened, but he plunged to his death! I don't imagine many of his scouts became rock climbers!

And I absolutely cannot understand the "free" rock climbers out west. Those who climb without any assistance. They are taking on "El Capitan" and stuff like that in Yosemite!

I had one brief instance of something at least a little bit like this. I hiked a long downhill UV track into a quite deep creek bottom. Then, I wondered what would happen if I decided to come out via the cutbank! There seemed to be a trail. The farther I went on the harder it got! Finally, at the end, i could see telephone poles and wires immediately above me. I was alone, I had no belay rope, and the slope was darn near vertical!

I looked down and decided that if I fell, I would not stop for quite a long way! And I would probably be dead by the time I got there. This can provide you with powerful motivation!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top