UKC

Hi.

I boulder at V1-V3 but I do not want to push it higher as I am scared of injury but not falling.

As I am not scared of falling would it then be safe for me to try sport routes - first top rope/second them then lead them - that are a few 1 or grades higher than my hueco bouldering grade?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:


If you have a competent belayer and know what you're doing sport is relatively safe (compared to other forms of climbing).

Or are you asking how the grades work as in: Is an F5 'two grades higher' than a V3?

I'm not sure I understand the question, perhaps you could clarify it.
jk

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

I think, in order to be safe! you should not get on anything that's harder than (your maximum hueco grade) + 1/2 (your maximum font grade). If you do trad, subtract an E or 2 and you should be ok!!

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

I think you're asking if you can get stronger by working a sport route rather than working hard boulder problems?

If so, yes! Sport climbs of about F7a+ and up are likely to have sections of at least V3 climbing.

You could start by trying to redpoint an F7a and see how far off you are, and take it from there. Make sure you've got a belayer who knows what they're doing.

Bear in mind though that you can injure fingers etc just as easily doing hard sport climbing as doing bouldering. Your ankles might be safer sport climbing.

Have fun!

In reply to jkarran:

I'm not sure I understand the question, perhaps you could clarify it.

Hi jkarran.

I was asking about the first one!

If I was doing V3 traverses and V3 boulder problems - which I think is F6c+ or F7a - could I then try top-roping an F7a+ or F7b which I think is approximately V4 and V5/V6 respectively?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Nick Russell:

Hi

I do indoor sport climbing and I only recently got my ropes!

I think you are making alot of sense!

By 1/2 do you mean 1 or two or half?

My grades are Hueco V3 and Font 4+!

Apparently a V3 is ~ = to a uk tech 6a

If I were to start leading trad do you think I should start at HVS and E1?....

As there hardest moves are 5a and 5b!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit: No, I would lead a vdiff first, as you need to learn how to place trad gear on easy routes first (where you can concentrate on the skills involved). By all means chuck a top rope on a E1 and see how you find it.

In reply to RockSteady:

Hi RS.

Yes I do mean what you are saying!

Very sound and good advice!

As regards to fingers I do a warm session on easy traverses followed with some fingerboarding fun!

I also know do crushing/squeezing using handgrips!

I did 150 reps today and will do another 150 today!

Planning to be doing 1000 reps/a day by the end of the week!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to FreshSlate:

Hiya

I would learn on a v.diff and then use route selection and a guide book to help me move up the grades!

I would do love to do Cloggy Corner as my first HVS lead as it 5a and my style of climbing - bridging, jamming and good hand holds - along with good gear!

Cenotaph Corner as a good first E grade but only if I could do V4-V6 traverses!

Cracks are good first trad leads as - depending on the route - they have great gear and require a special technique which I will learn from the masters at this Saturdays Wideboyz Masterclass at the Castle Climbing Centre!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

I imagine the crux of a 7a is probably about v3. But then remember you've probably got 10-20 meters of climbing around it. It might be v0, but saving enough power for the v3 at the top is a completely different challenge. Unless of course you pick very short bouldery routes.

I found I could climb v3 pretty quickly/easily while at the same time really struggling on 6c's.

In reply to Mountain Spirit: You certainly sound keen.

Out of curiosity, how much outdoor climbing and/or bouldering have you done?

In reply to Steve John B:

Hey SJB.

I am really keen!

I have only done a bit of top roping and outdoor bouldering in North Wales with Plas Y Brenin!

I want to do more though but it is hard I do not have a partner and PyB need to find an instructor that can work with me on a 1:1 basis!

When I asked I was takling about indoor top-roping/leading?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Kemics:

Hiya.

I think it is all to do with endurance - but sometimes the crux might not be at the top!

I was told I needed to drink energy gels when I was climbing in the F7s!

As for my endurance it is endless I could climb for hours upon hours!

Aren't they rest points in climbing?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:


Endurance and stamina are two different things. Stamina is how long you can climb for in a session, endurance is how long you can climb for on a single route without getting pumped.

What kind of injury are you afraid to get whilst bouldering that you aren't afraid of getting whilst sport leading?

In reply to Hazelnuts:

Hi Hazelnuts.

I have been told to climb pumped by Johnny Dawes if I want to climb F7s etc so I get pumped on easy VB/V0 traverses!

I am just scared of serious stuff from falling as it will put me off climbing!

If I fall in sport leading will I just fall to the clip/qd below me and just hang (except at the first holds and moves)from the rope!

I do not mind small staff like cuts and scratches and bruises, sprained stuff etc but I do not want any broken joints!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

He said you should climb pumped? Surely you're trying to avoid getting pumped in the first place!

I've been bouldering for a fair while and falling off is never normally a problem, the injury you're more likely to get is a finger injury and that is equally likely sport climbing as bouldering.

In reply to Hazelnuts:

He told me to learn to climb pumped!

I do not mind the fall as long as it on a mat and not on a hard bit of floor!

I have had finger cuts from bouldering and they have just gone away - other than that nothing else!

Is doing traversing a good way to develop moves?

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
I have a few questions just so that I don't make myself look stupid.

You said that you boulder V3 and Font 4+. (Font 4+ would be about V0+, V3 would be about Font 6b)

You said that you are scared of injury but not falling. What injury are you scared of, as when I boulder the only injury I really worry about is missing my 2 boulder mats and not injury due to mono's or tweaky moves ( I'm not climbing problems hard enough to have either)

And finally Mr Dawes told you that you should climb pumped. Now I won't second guess a man that has done more for climbing in a week than I will do in a life time, but I think that you may have either miss heard what he said or misunderstood what he meant.

In reply to ashley1_scott:

Hey Ashley.

Yes those are my current grades I was at Font 4+ before I had the Johnny Dawes and Neil Gresham sessions!

I am scared of broken and twisted limbs but I think it is me not having enough grip strenth to hold onto the holds!

What he told me was that if was to climb harder then F5+ I should learn to climb pumped and do traverses that I can just about do the moves!

I have gone from Font 4+ to ~Font 6b in a few months!

Bye

Savvas

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
Hey Savvas,

If you're climbing at the Castle (which I think you mentioned you were) and bouldering V2/V3 there then I suspect you're at a similar level to me, and you should have little trouble onsighting their routes up to about 6b and 6c/+ should be doable on top-rope at least.

For lead I'd start on the low grades and work up gradually as your confidence improves, especially as it sounds like you don't have much experience clipping gear and a lot of the routes at the Castle - particularly downstairs - are very short, so clipping up to even the third draw can be a little uncertain.

In reply to ashley1_scott:

Makes total sense to me to climb with a bit of pump. If you get to the chains on a route and your arms feel fresh, you're probably not trying hard enough

I think it's a really good skill learn to climb with 'pump management'. Making sure you don't over grip, knowing how to find rests, shake outs and knowing exactly how much gas you have left in the tank.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Hello Savvas

With bouldering if you're worried about falling and getting hurt don't go so high, you don't have to go to the top if you're not comfortable with it.

With routes, indoors and out I'd suggest once you know what you're doing you just get on some easy ones to begin with then work up the grades. There isn't a lot of point in calculating what you 'should' be climbing in one discipline based in where you are at in another, it's error prone and much easier to just try some problems/routes, figure it out for yourself.

Trad is a little different. To begin with at least while you're gaining experience it's not so much about the climbing, it's a blend of mind game and technical exercise with some steady climbing between the puzzles. I'd suggest not fixating on a particular route or grade or where your sport/bouldering needs to be to try a particular line. Just give it a go on some easy routes with a safe partner, do some fun lines and build your experience.

Learning to climb pumped is an important skill, sometimes you're forced to by a route or a mistake you've made. It isn't a great way to train, it makes you rushed, clumsy and I find it leaves me with very sore muscles.

jk

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

I have only this to offer: please stop putting an exclamation mark at the end of EVERY sentence that is not a question! It's like reading the Beano!

In reply to jkarran: I think this guy is taking the proverbial. You get something like this in this thread and in another he is talkng about climbing the hardest routes in the alps.

James

In reply to lennym:

Hey Lenny.

The Castle is where I climb the most but today I was at the Mile End
Wall and Neil Gresham coached me at The West Way.

I was at The Mile End Wall and I found V1 and V2 problems pretty easy so I attempted a few of the blue competition routes which are
Start at V3 - managed to do a few of the moves on most including a very crimpy one on a slab.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Ok

Cool as beanz

In reply to jkarran:

Thanx JK.

If I am climbing at say V3 but I do not get to the top does it mean I climb at that grade because bouldering is all about moves?

Bye

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Cool as porridge!!!!

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

The whole point about the grade is you can't say you climb at V3 if you can't actually get to the top. To say you climb at a grade you need to be able to climb at that grade regularly. Just doing the moves doesn't count as doing the problem.

In reply to Hazelnuts:

Thanks

I now I can get to the top but I get a bit nervous and scared.

Is a spotter or 2 a good idea?

In reply to Mountain Spirit:


If you can climb Font 4+ you could totally send Three Pebble Slab which is HVS 4C because 4c is its bouldering grade!!!

Its kinda hard to figure out your sport grade or if you could climb the Cassin ridge on Denali without actually climbing outside but the UK trad ones are brilliant cause they have the bouldering grade right in there!!!!

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh: tom I think you should do a bit more reading on what the technical bit of the uk trad grade means!!

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Nah it's fine. I boulder at V4/V5 and can therefore climb an E4 no probs without any experience or a French 7a. So alpine wise I can cruise at ED without bothering to get any experience. As I can climb Scottish VII based on my bouldering grade I'll be alright.