UKC

Tufa climbing

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 afshin 06 Apr 2017
Any tips or online vids for tufa climbing?

My local indoor wall doesn't have tufa style routes, I'm going to Kalymnos where its gonna be tufa heaven but how's best to prepare for that specific style of climbing? Indeed, what is the key to tufa climbing?

All I could find on youtube was a guy climbing an indoor tufa in a US climbing gym.

Any tips or videos most welcomed.
 AJM 06 Apr 2017
In reply to afshin:

Drop knees, always being sideways on and kneebars are good, and if you're hanging off the front of a tufa pinching it desperately with both hands you're probably doing it wrong.
 Dandan 06 Apr 2017
In reply to afshin:

Definitely work on your open hand strength, yes the holds are absolutely massive but you'll rarely get to close your hand down around stuff or, perish the thought, crimp on anything!

Get used to being pumped too.
 Reach>Talent 06 Apr 2017
In reply to afshin:

Tom et je ris in the Verdon gorge has some good tufa climbing and there are a fair few videos of it online.
 Valkyrie1968 06 Apr 2017
In reply to afshin:

A good rule of thumb is to try not to get Tufa King Pumped (7b+).
In reply to Valkyrie1968:

> A good rule of thumb is to try not to get Tufa King Pumped (7b+).

Or Tufa King Hard (6c)
 Dandan 06 Apr 2017
In reply to Valkyrie1968:

> A good rule of thumb is to try not to get Tufa King Pumped (7b+).

I tried this line last year and there was bat nesting in the top crack. I didn't finish it because I was Tufa King scared of getting rabies.
 stp 07 Apr 2017
In reply to Dandan:

Agree with that.

Although for tufas generally pinch strength is good I think of Kalymnos more about cave climbing than tufas. Being good at really steep climbing on good holds is what you need. After 3 weeks there last year I felt I hadn't used any finger strength the whole trip.
In reply to afshin:
For me, the key to climbing tufas has always been to avoid their quintessential pinchy tufa-ness. Try to stay side-on to them: use them as pinch lay-backs / sidepulls whenever possible. Bridge and drop-knee between adjacent tufas. Seek out the solution pockets that are often found on top of lengths of tufa. If you do have to pinch, pick a tick marked narrow and nobbly section and yard as far as possible to the next similarly positive bit. Avoid straight-on drain-pipe pinching except when it involves a rest - there are sometimes decent knee bars behind tufas if you are straddling them.
Post edited at 21:42
 climberchristy 08 Apr 2017
In reply to afshin:

As others have said don't get 'front on' too often, but also I'd add... don't forget to heel hook around the sides of them.

Go to Ghost kitchen in Kaly (it's brill) and there are tufas big enough to sit on for a rest!!

Enjoy Kaly. You'll love the place!
 Fakey Rocks 15 Apr 2017
In reply to Dandan:

Would it not be better to not finish it so as not to disturb the bats nest?
I haven't been, but perhaps there are bats nests everywhere?
Don't they have bat nesting restriction periods?... or are they sadly viewed as flying rats, "vermin", which i'm sure they are not.
Has there ever been a case of a climber catching rabies from climbing in a bat zone?
Hope this post doesn't seem too Nora Batty (f7A)
No one seems to have named a route there yet called Batty.
 andrewmc 15 Apr 2017
In reply to Rock to Fakey:

All UK bats are protected species; it is illegal to kill them or intentionally or recklessly disturb them when are in their roost or in a group. It is also illegal to damage their roosts or prevent access to them. It is not that dissimilar to a schedule 1 bird (e.g. peregrine falcon) although they are possibly more vulnerable when hibernating than when breeding (and restrictions in practice, at least in caving, seem to be much less stringent).

http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/bats_and_the_law.html
 johncook 15 Apr 2017
In reply to andrewmc:

That is a very good and useful link. Thanks.
 Fakey Rocks 15 Apr 2017
In reply to andrewmc:
Thanks thats good news, unfortunately this is not uk, isn't it greece? There's lots of tufa stuff at various euro crags, i guess bats don't need tufas, just overhanging crags, but i guess they must get disturbed by climbers, and if a crag isn't protected, i hope climbers have the sense to care, it's there home, as much as if it was a peregrine falcons home,.... bats are more common though, but some are still struggling for habitats... Uk example...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23519010
Post edited at 18:15

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