Name your Climbing improvement

Tell me something that after more experience climbing outdoors you’ve since improved upon or realized you were doing wrong or something you could do to be more efficient. Examples being how to place gear and where, when to extend and not to, rope management at the belay or setting up rappels and what knot you use to join ropes. Just want to hear your different experiences learning and progressing as an overall climber and might help beginners know what to look for when venturing outdoors.

Have a trolley when you clean steep routes, and take it off before you clean the first draw. 

I use YGD less often, but more effectively. 

Changeovers. All of them. First time is painful to watch for a 3rd person. Now I'm dialed.

Kenneth Dougherwrote:

Tell me something that after more experience climbing outdoors you’ve since improved upon or realized you were doing wrong or something you could do to be more efficient. Examples being how to place gear and where, when to extend and not to, rope management at the belay or setting up rappels and what knot you use to join ropes. Just want to hear your different experiences learning and progressing as an overall climber and might help beginners know what to look for when venturing outdoors.

I was born best but I’m really proud of myself for never wearing shorts.

Tradibanwrote:

I was born best but I’m really proud of myself for never wearing shorts.

Perhaps it is best your legs remain unseen.

In climbing (like my career) I thought that if I knew a crapton of the latest research and techniques and trivia and read books and was really good and smart by myself, I'd be successful. 

But you have to work with people. I really think finding and keeping good climbing partners is critical, more and more as the years go by. Get good at the soft skills.

Even for boulderers, it's hard to carry all those pads yourself, and a solo send is never as motivating as one shared.

Kevinmurraywrote:

Perhaps it is best your legs remain unseen.

Pants have kept them beautiful and silky smooth, only for the eyes of the blessed.

How best to pack the post climb beverage so that it is properly chilled.

Allen Sandersonwrote:

How best to pack the post climb beverage so that it is properly chilled.

From the low spots in the talus field, buried under sleeping bags in the tent to hidden under a rock in the stream, these are truly skills that always need honing.

Tradibanwrote:

I was born best but I’m really proud of myself for never wearing shorts.

When I was a kid and climbing I always wore shorts, couldn't imagine wearing pants.  Now out of respect t all around me I wear pants to prevent their eyes from melting from the glare of my glaring white skin.

I don't think I'm any stronger than when I started climbing, but I'm much better at spotting rests and identifying when I'm safe or not. Proper management of pump and risk have let me chill out a lot more on lead and let me focus more on the movement and less on the fear.

How people climb shirtless or in shorts, I don't understand.

Allen Sandersonwrote:

How best to pack the post climb beverage so that it is properly chilled.

How best to pack those cold beverages into the bottom of your buddies pack so that he can't hear the bottles clink until he starts to unpack at the top.

Never underestimate the importance of being a good belayer. Safe technique, sure, but make sure you can communicate with your partner and have that figured out in advance.
Also, mark your gear, and sort it out before you leave the crag (or crack open that six pack.)

Tradibanwrote:

Pants have kept them beautiful and silky smooth, only for the eyes of the blessed.

Yes but my legs are so good looking it would be a shame to keep them from the gaze of the masses.

Not Not MP Adminwrote:

Have a trolley when you clean steep routes, and take it off before you clean the first draw. 

Instead of taking the swing, you can leave your trolley and the first draw in, lower to the ground and retreive first draw later.

Kevinmurraywrote:

Yes but my legs are so good looking it would be a shame to keep them from the gaze of the masses.

Joking aside, the shorts, no shirt, but helmet thing is a recent phenomenon I can not tolorate!

This is a photo of a recent one

I am so damn good at clipping a rope into carabiners now. 

Zach Baerwrote:

I don't think I'm any stronger than when I started climbing, but I'm much better at spotting rests and identifying when I'm safe or not. Proper management of pump and risk have let me chill out a lot more on lead and let me focus more on the movement and less on the fear.

How people climb shirtless or in shorts, I don't understand.

Not that I ever climb shirtless in shorts anymore but a mid summer cruze climb dressed like this seems acceptable, helmet on just to spite the haters. 

I’ve learned it’s really not that hard to just add a hold if a climb is too hard or remove one if someone downgrades one of my lines

jk my lines are choss, they do the sandbagging themselves