My ideal trip
I think my ideal trip would just be a long cross-country
trip where I tour the best climbing routes and spots in the world. I hate
working so the idea of being a bum that just lives out a van and travels
through different areas just following the best temperature is really appealing.
Outdoor climbing is fundamentally different than indoor climbing, most indoor
climbing is top-rope climbing so if you have climbed than you have top-roped. The
issue with top roping is that unlike in a gym you can’t leave the rope on the mountain
because the elements will weaken it and then you will die, which is pretty lame.
Top-roping outdoor is kind of trash
because you need to hike an hour to the top of the mountain and then repel down.
The big innovation for outdoor climbing is lead climbing the main advantage it
offers is that the rope, belayer, and climber all start at the bottom. This eliminates
the one-hour hike before you get to climb. The problem is lead climbing is like
1000000 times more dangerous. To lead climb all you need is to bring a rope and
gates. Gates are just carabiners attached too other carabiners. When you climb
up a route you reach a bolt in the mountain, and you attach a gate and then put
the rope through it, that way it catches you when you fall. What makes it so dangerous
is that you are climbing above your rope. So, if you fall and you’re above the
rope you will fall twice as high as you are above the clips. And if you skip a
clip the fall gets longer, like 30- 40 feet. The rope will catch you but its
easy to hit your head on a rock or get flipped over. Whereas if you fall on a
top rope you will fall like 6 inches max. I know how to lead climb and belay but
I have yet to be certified.
https://cdn.citylab.com/media/img/citylab/2015/10/winter_forecast_2015_cold_weather_october_snow_rain_sleet_hail_el_nino/940.jpg?mod=1494536288
Also, if I was able to take a
driving road trip through all of the best climbing spots, I could spend the
whole trip in amazing weather. Not only do you get to climb all the coolest routes,
but you get to see all over the country and meet new people. So, if anyone
wants to go 50/50 on a van and wants to learn how to lead climb please hit me up.
This would be such a great trip! I've always wanted to start cllimbing outdoors once I go to college, and I sort of know how to lead climb but I've only tried on an inside wall. Which climbs would you want to do on this trip?
ReplyDeleteI relate to the idea of hating to work and wanting to be a bum who just lives out in a van, I would love to do that. I also liked this post because I never really considered the differences between outdoor and indoor climbing, I sort of thought the only differences was the location so this was interesting to read and it seems like it would be such a fun trip.
ReplyDeleteWow! I never knew about the difference between top rope climbing and lead rope climbing and it was really interesting to learn the difference. I knew outdoor climbing was more dangerous than indoor climbing, but I never realized that it was that dangerous. It really makes me appreciate the intro to Mission Impossible 2 where Tom Cruise is rock climbing outdoors.
ReplyDeleteI too love climbing and the trip you described sounds amazing! However, I would probably be too nervous to lead climb. I have found that climbing in general is one of my favorite physical activities though. Anything from trees, to climbing walls, to buildings, if there is a way to climb it, its fun to try. Another fun part of climbing is figuring out the most effective way to climb something; this mental activity combined with the physical satisfaction of succeeding leads to an engaging activity that it is easy to lose yourself within.
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