I’ve spent a decent amount of time writing about training for climbing. However, it always involves giving new ways of training in the climbing gym and/or at the cliff. Well, what if you don’t have a climbing gym near you, and/or you don’t have a cliff nearby? I thought it would be helpful to give you all some advice on how to train for climbing in a typical fitness gym. Below you will find ways to use weights to train for stamina, power/strength, and anaerobic endurance. Of course, climbing is always the best training, but weight training when climbing isn’t possible is of utmost importance (this is in addition to antagonist push muscle training that every climber should be doing 2 times per week). Read the rest of this entry »

This morning I was browsing the internet reading various articles on training for climbing, and I quickly came to realize that no one out there is stressing the importance of training technically for climbing. All the emphasis is on the physical side of training. I am included in that group! I always write about physical training, but rarely do I stress the importance of technical training. While it is a routine part of my weekly schedule, I always forget to teach that principle to others. So I wanted to write this morning to suggest adding the following things to your weekly routine: Read the rest of this entry »

One of the biggest problems that new trad climbers face is being overburdened with gear on long multipitch climbs. Standing at the base of a climb, it can be so tempting to say, “Well…I might need that cam, and this hex, those 3 sets of nuts, 15 quickdraws…”, well you get the picture. I know that I personally ran into those problems all the time. One of my first long multipitch routes was Solar Slab in Red Rock Canyon NV. (Here’s someone’s trip report: Solar Slab.) I equated many pitches with lots of gear. I carried 2 full sets of cams, 2 full sets of nuts, a full set of hexes, 10 non locking carabiners, 10 locking carabiners, a nut tool, 12 quickdraws, slings in mass quantities, a chalk bag, and filled my pockets with food. Needless to say, I got burnt out and didn’t top out!

Many years later, I have learned from these mistakes and have learned how to streamline the process of choosing the right gear for the right climb. Over the next few weeks, I will post some thoughts and tips on these things.

• Read the route description and topos thoroughly. Often you can read about features such as “Hand Cracks”, “Off-Widths”, “Chimneys”, and “Thin Seams”. You can learn about directions, such as “Traverse”, “Pull the roof”, or “Hanging Belay”. Tips like these can help you learn what gear to bring. If a climb says that it is a hand crack, followed by a 25 foot traverse to the right, before a hanging belay on bolts, chances are you will not need small cams for that pitch…since it is a handcrack. You also most likely won’t need small stoppers, so just bring larger stoppers. You may need to double up on medium to large cams, and leave the smaller ones behind. You will need some slings to extend your pieces for the traverse. And you will need a cordellete or slings for the hanging belay, with 3 non locking carabiners and 2 locking carabiners. Your partner can bring up the gear that you didn’t carry, in case it will be needed for the next pitch. Hopefully you catch my drift. Study the route.