Archive for September, 2009

Climbing equipment review: Red Chilli Spirit VCR, Impact Zone Velcro, climbing shoes

I have been climbing in my Red Chilli Spirit VCR, Impact Zone climbing shoes since early summer 2009. I bought them as a replacement for my trusty Boreal Jokers, which had developed a hole in the toes after a year to 18 months of hard use.

Climbing equipment review: Petzl Corax harness

I have been using my Petzl Corax climbing harness since early last year. It has been a reliable and trustworthy piece of kit. I climb at least once per week, and the harness looks pretty much as good as new.

Carabiner and larks foot for emergencies (or a bit of reassurance when you need it)

David’s mate Paul gave me this one. Take a short sling and tie it to the belay loop on your climbing harness using a larks foot*. Clip the other end to a carabiner (I like to use the open gate type, like the ones you find on your quick-draws). Then just clip the carabiner to [...]

Snowdonia Climbing – Milestone Buttress, Ogwen – Nasty rock climbing fall

Like many sports, rock climbing carries an element of risk. When you move from indoor climbing to trad climbing outdoors that risk becomes a little greater. You hope that when gravity wins the day and you do fall off, that the protection you placed prevents you from making contact with terra firma. Unfortunately for me, last weekend I fell off, my protection failed and I made a very firm connection with the ground!

Snowdonia climbing – Llanberis Pass, Crag Ddu – Rib and Slab 79m, Vdiff

It was a warm and bright Sunday morning, but a short downpour the night before left us with a fair bit of moisture on the ground. Still recovering from my fall on Milestone Buttress the previous morning, my ribs and arm were extremely sore and as such served provided a constant, throbbing reminder of what can happen when you fall off when rock climbing. The sun appeared to be drying the rocks in the Ogwen Valley, but I still felt a little apprehension at the idea of climbing on less-than-dry rock.

Peak District climbing – Wharncliffe

Wharncliffe is a bit of a dark horse.

With it’s lowly aspect overlooking the steel rolling mills of Stocksbridge, and the fact that most of its routes are only between 8 and 14 metres you might be forgiven for overlooking it as a decent rock climbing venue. I urge you to take another look, I climbed there last Sunday and I have to say I thought it was actually really rather good.

The bowline climbing knot

I’m told the bowline (pronounced ‘bow-lin’) is often used by cavers as it is a really quick climbing knot to tie your climbing rope to your harness, and easier to undo than the figure of eight climbing knot. In fact, it can be used whenever a loop at the end of a rope is needed.

Climbing rope: the essential beginners guide

The subject of climbing rope can be pretty bewildering, but knowing how to select and care for this essential piece of climbing equipment should be high on every climbers list. Here’s my simple breakdown of the basic categories of rope, how and when to use them, and how to look after them.