UKC

would climbing on loose holds at the climbing wall be good training for climbing on the north Devon sea cliffs as i have heard there loose help!!

In reply to ribtech:

Holds stuck on with blu tack would be more like it

In reply to ribtech:

No. Climbing on loose rock just takes care/experience, you can't practice it. Also, there's plenty of stuff on the North Devon coast that isn't loose.

In reply to ribtech: just train climbing with a really static style. A drill you can do for this is have your belayer shout 'stop' at random and you have to hold the exact position you're in for a few seconds.

In reply to Nick Russell:

I think pushing rather than pulling is the best advice for climbing loose rock. Even if you're very static, if you're pulling out on dodgy holds, it may end in tears/death.

In reply to Jon Stewart: True, I guess I'm thinking of the ability to stop (assuming you're on a solid hold) and grope around/dig for the next bit of solid rock.

In reply to ribtech:

No. Climbing wall holds spin when they are loose - which can hurt your wrists. Loose rock just comes off (or if you're lucky moves a bit then stops!). Like Jon says, pushing rather than pulling on the rock works well. Just be really smooth and delicate. Be sure to tap/ whack holds to see if they sound loose/ move. For low angled stuff, it may be good training to practice climbing with a tennis ball in each hand (a game I've heard of but never tried).

In reply to ribtech:

Much of it is really solid. Some of it is so solid and featureless that you'll only need really small wires.

Have fun!

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Agreed