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Best climbing instruction website ever...

Original Post
Pete Elliott · · Co Spgs CO · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 95

Most educational clicky you will ever click...

images.google.com/imgres?im…

... and evidently I have been climbing the wrong way all along. Dammit.
The bit on belaying was the most enlightening. At least I know now.

Taylor Krosbakken · · Duluth, MN · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 1,086

wow. that was a fun read.
i agree about the belaying section. i dont even know what to say.

and i guess i have way to many carabiners according to this guy.
"Get two of them. Get the locking kind. That’s all you actually need to know"

and in those pictures, what kind of harness is he wearing??

anyways thanks for that.

tenpins · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 30

that harness he is wearing is either a lineman's belt, or an old bridgeman's belt. Not the most ancient type since there are D rings on his hip, but still SUPER old school stuff. Like before OSHA was involved in fall protection.

I havent seen anything like this posting in a long, long time. Kind of had a timewarp to the early eighties feel about it.

Mark Griffin · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 95

My favorite: "If you’re climbing in dry conditions (summertime climbing only, etc.), save some money and buy a dry rope. They don’t handle ice and rain very well, but they’re dramatically cheaper than non-dry ropes."

You know despite how misinformed this person may be, at least he's climbing for the right reasons. "The heart of rock climbing is discovery."

He should not however be providing instruction nor safety tips.

Ahhhh interwebs.

saxfiend · · Decatur, GA · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 4,221

Wow, I would never have imagined there could be a website that would make the rockclimbing.com forums seem intelligent.

JL

Jesse Davidson · · san diego, ca · Joined May 2007 · Points: 45

I didn't read it all, but what I read was more than enough.

Allow me to quote

"If you’re climbing in dry conditions (summertime climbing only, etc.), save some money and buy a dry rope. They don’t handle ice and rain very well, but they’re dramatically cheaper than non-dry ropes."

good to know!

EDIT: I should have read the posts above mine... oops

matt davies · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 25

That harness is an arborist saddle, and a pretty old design, although you can still get them. They're less for fall protection than for work positioning at height. Actually pretty bomber, but weigh a ton.

Jesse Davidson · · san diego, ca · Joined May 2007 · Points: 45

ok, I read on...
another tidbit, describing the author and his friend and their newfound feelings

"We reached the top a few minutes later and sat on the roots of a tree, dangling our feet off the cliff and looking at the valley beneath us. We were filthy, drenched in sweat, and exhilarated. The sun shined through the green canopy and bathed the river with its warmth—squirrels bounced from tree to tree and a young couple cuddled on a rock upriver.

That day, I discovered..."

Brian Taylor · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 45
Jesse Davidson wrote: That day, I discovered..."
That's what i was gonna say!!!
Jason Wong · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 10
"When I first got into rock climbing, I followed the advice of experienced climbers, obeyed every minor safety procedure, and rented every unnecessary piece of equipment."

Minor safety procedures and experienced climbers, two examples of the MAN keeping us down.
jim schuring · · pennsylvania · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 5

i can't wait for the post on multi-pitch

Shamus Gaffney · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 50

Wrap the other end of the rope around a tree? I don't know how to comment on this without violating guideline #1.Was looking at the list of Popular Articles in the sidebar and I can't help but wonder if the author was in Ireland recently.

Ralph Kolva · · Pine, CO · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 210

"In the lawyer-run, self-protective spineless orgy of fear that is American society, we’ve forgotten that life is pointless without danger."

Can't wait till he posts his full "manifesto".

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Mark Cushman · · Cumming, GA · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 980

When I first started climbing I was in college and didn't have a lot of money. My friends and I shared a static rope for toproping, three locking carabiners (two for the rope-side of the anchor, one for our single belay device, a figure 8) and several 30' lengths of webbing which we used for anchoring to trees and tying swiss seats for harnesses. It is possible to get into climbing cheaply, with a minimum of gear and still be safe. Belaying by using a tree? Bah!

Uncle Ben · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2009 · Points: 10

Very instructional but I fear he is actually an aid climber posing as a hard ass ;)

"I did find a tree, though. Thank God for an oak tree that grew right next to the cliff. I grabbed onto a branch and clung to it like a toddler holding onto his mother’s leg."

JasonT · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 250

Look onto some of the other posts on his site...jesus. This guys got issues.

half-pad-mini-jug · · crauschville · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 1,740

wow

Brett Brotherton · · Arvada, CO · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 121

Note that “basic equipment” does not mean “every single piece of climbing gear that I may, in some unlikely scenario, need to have.”

Well isn't collecting all the cool gear half the fun in trad climbing?

Jordan Ramey · · Calgary, Alberta · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 4,251

"you’ll probably be yelled out by “experienced rock climbers,” but it works and hasn’t caused me any problems yet!"

that... was... awesome...

edited to add: "Hey guys! My name is Jake and I’m pretty much awesome"

from his about me page. I like this guy. He's up front about his awesomeness, so I'm not left guessing.

Jonathan S · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 2,113
successful troll is successful

err, the jake guy with the website that is.

he simply can't be serious
Jason Wong · · Los Angeles, CA · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 10

"There’s a certain fabulous-ness about you that I really like. :D"

Posted in the comments section by a gal on his Ireland Spontaneity diatribe.

This is going to entertain me all weekend.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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