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Indoor Climbing Features

Original Post
Nic Lazz · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 315

What are your favorite indoor climbing features and why?

don'tchuffonme · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 26

Cracks done well. Because no one is ever on them. Ever.

Jeff Johnston · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 110
Nic Lazzareschi wrote:What are your favorite indoor climbing features and why?
+2 for cracks. I feel jamming technique takes more practice to get proficient at and translates better for out door climbing.
MRock · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 10

I really like slab problems with volumes on them, that's been my kick lately. And big slopers.

The cracks at my gym are super slick and great for technique, but there's no pads beneath them...

Nic Lazz · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 315
Jeff J wrote: +2 for cracks. I feel jamming technique takes more practice to get proficient at and translates better for out door climbing.
I agree for the cracks. What kind? Overhanging? Flared? Have you been to momentum in Utah?
DanielRich · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 5
Nic Lazzareschi wrote: I agree for the cracks. What kind? Overhanging? Flared? Have you been to momentum in Utah?
I climb at momentum all the time(local gym) and I always thought the cracks looked cool but I haven't gotten on them yet. One of these days..
slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103
MRock wrote:I really like slab problems with volumes on them, that's been my kick lately. And big slopers. The cracks at my gym are super slick and great for technique, but there's no pads beneath them...
completely disagree. this is one of the things i dislike about my gym. how many slab pitches (outdoor) have huge beach ball slopers on them? having climbed a lot of slab i can answer this question on zero fingers.

the slab walls should have tiny positive holds. otherwise they are a complete waste of time.
JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
slim wrote: completely disagree. this is one of the things i dislike about my gym. how many slab pitches (outdoor) have huge beach ball slopers on them? having climbed a lot of slab i can answer this question on zero fingers. the slab walls should have tiny positive holds. otherwise they are a complete waste of time.
You make a good point, Slim, but this is largely a reflection of the manner in which you use indoor climbing. You are a very strong proponent of indoor climbing as training for climbing outside, and want gyms to provide a more outside-like experience (more tiny edges, less blobby slopey pinches). This isn't the only perspective out there, though. As of the last 5-10 years, indoor climbing is taking a life of its own, almost as an end unto itself. A lot of route setters these days now see their objective in route setting not as creating realistic training routes for the outdoor climber, but rather to create new and interesting sorts of moves that might not be found anywhere else (you've been to the Spot, you know what I'm talking about). With both perspectives in competition right now, indoor climbing seems to be in a bit of an identity crisis. Is it training for outside, or should it be a fun endeavor in its own right? You can't have it both ways, since the good training routes (slightly overhanging crimps...at least for US sport climbing) often aren't as fun in the gym as the unrealistic, campus-between-lightbulbs routes (these may be realistic if you live in Greece...)

I think the best scenario is when you can have sufficient quantities of both types of route in a gym...and the individual climber has the self-knowledge and restraint to stick to the proper types of climbing. I think that problems arise when people don't realize the gap between these climbing types, and decide to "train" during the winter by swinging between jugs in the bouldering cave. This can lead to disappointing results come springtime...
slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

well said JCM. :)

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115

That said, I still like those unrealistic blobby pinch/volume/campus sorts of problems, but more because it is something fun to do on a Tuesday night, not because I think it will make me any better at actual rock climbing.

reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125
slim wrote: how many slab pitches (outdoor) have huge beach ball slopers on them? having climbed a lot of slab i can answer this question on zero fingers. the slab walls should have tiny positive holds.
I feel like I'm disagreeing w/ you on everything; I swear it's not on purpose. I have pretty strong outdoor slab fingers, but they are pretty useless on slopers, so I have to be more in tune with my balance. Otherwise, you can always crimp harder & be a bit more sloppy w/ body position. The way I see it, you can get a lot more mileage out of the balancing part of the training before your fingers are trashed, and that's not a bad thing.
Paul Wilhelmsen · · sandy, ut · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 231

+1 for cracks. Wish I hadn't ignored them for so long, they are great training, IMO.

My favorite feature of the gym probably has to be the shear number of routes you can do in one session.
I'm trying to get ready for a 22 pitch climb this spring, and I love the fact that I can goto the gym and do 20+ unique routes in 2 hours. I always enjoy being outdoors more, but the fact is between approach, flaking, leading, cleaning and moving to the next route, a really good afternoon of climbing outside is probably gonna consist of 5 to 10 lines.

Nic Lazz · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 315

So what about actual features? Do we like overhangs? What kind? Towers? Arretes? Corners? Obvioulsy no slabs...(jk)!

Brendan N · · Salt Lake City, Utah · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 405
JCM wrote:. . . and decide to "train" during the winter by swinging between jugs in the bouldering cave. This can lead to disappointing results come springtime...
very disappointed
J Sundstrom · · San Diego, CA · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 185

Agree with the cracks. I can always get on one, even when it's packed.

Also enjoy well set corner routes that force a bit of smearing.

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103
reboot wrote: I feel like I'm disagreeing w/ you on everything; I swear it's not on purpose. I have pretty strong outdoor slab fingers, but they are pretty useless on slopers, so I have to be more in tune with my balance. Otherwise, you can always crimp harder & be a bit more sloppy w/ body position. The way I see it, you can get a lot more mileage out of the balancing part of the training before your fingers are trashed, and that's not a bad thing.
just answer the question though, how many slab pitches outdoors have beachballs to stand on? i would guess that i have climbed 1000, maybe more, slab pitches in my life and i can't think of any that were remotely similar to the slab routes in the gym.
Cor · · Sandbagging since 1989 · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 1,445

What about the slabs in California that have huge slopers & knobs?? (Beach ball sized too..)

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

they are all easy, or more like face climbs (ie candyland at the phantom spires).

my comments also apply to the stemming routes. how many stemming routes have you done that are large beachball like holds? probably not many. i don't remember any beach balls on vertigo, over the hill, aerial book, any route at devil's tower, etc.

sure, climbing on beach balls is fun and all, but i would rather do something that has at least a slight corelation to improving on real rock. this generally means being accurate on small holds.

MRock · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 10

Sorry guys, I meant them as two different components. I like slabs with volumes.

And big slopers everywhere

In fact my current project at the gym is a tiny crimper problem on a slab over a volume.
And I have climbed quite a few boulders with the top out being a sloper an the climb being a slab.
As for slab climbs here, they're mainly friction and don't have any hand holds. I've palmed more slabs than trying to break those potato chips off

Cor · · Sandbagging since 1989 · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 1,445

Nothing to see in the South East, move along now…

Bum Boy.
(I know… it's not a slab!) :)
I guess my point is slopers are useful in gyms.
They do exist on outdoor routes, be it slab or not,
and they help one improve balance, technique, and
most important for steep routes with slopers, core tension/strength
to do the moves. (Some young gym climbers call this compression climbing.)

cnadel · · San Francisco, CA · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 5

I like overhanging aretes that require lots of compression/hooking and sketchy top outs.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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