Indoor Climbing Features
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What are your favorite indoor climbing features and why? |
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Cracks done well. Because no one is ever on them. Ever. |
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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. |
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I really like slab problems with volumes on them, that's been my kick lately. And big slopers. |
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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? |
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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.. |
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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. |
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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... |
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well said JCM. :) |
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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. |
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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. |
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+1 for cracks. Wish I hadn't ignored them for so long, they are great training, IMO. |
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So what about actual features? Do we like overhangs? What kind? Towers? Arretes? Corners? Obvioulsy no slabs...(jk)! |
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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 |
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Agree with the cracks. I can always get on one, even when it's packed. |
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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. |
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What about the slabs in California that have huge slopers & knobs?? (Beach ball sized too..) |
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they are all easy, or more like face climbs (ie candyland at the phantom spires). |
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Sorry guys, I meant them as two different components. I like slabs with volumes. |
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Nothing to see in the South East, move along now
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I like overhanging aretes that require lots of compression/hooking and sketchy top outs. |