Never ever go free climbing. That shit is scary.

Work on grip strength

STRETCH.

Tie off. Tie off. Tie off. Check your tie off. If you're unsure, get down and make your tie off safe. Don't wear a loose harness, it'll crush your balls. Tie off.

Try to not get caught (night climb, dark clothes, mute your phone...) Make shure the ladder is not rusted (punsh it, jump on it, ... to check) depends what you want to climb If you get caught it depends where you from and also if youre a minor or not.

Stay safe!

Use a harness If you feel unsafe

When you say the tower is “charged” I assume you mean unsafe to climb due to radio frequency’s being transmitted on the tower. There is a wiki that can answer most of your questions about what’s safe (https://www.reddit.com/r/urbanclimbing/wiki/advicetipsandtricks/towerinfo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) and if you have any more questions please join this discord: https://discord.gg/aE3f2HwmH7 :)

GLOVES

Shoes and gloves with good grip are good. Always check for cameras and motion sensors. No flashes or lights of any kind where you’re visible from the ground. A construction vest isn’t a bad idea if you’re somewhere especially visible. Take your time while climbing and remember that at the end of the day it’s better to get caught than fall and die.

Great link! Would be worth a pin I think!

I guess I’d add that generally a wide-ish stance tends to help avoid ankle injuries, pretty much never reach behind yourself to avoid elbow injuries, and should be obvious, but look at the ground.

Seen a lot of people hop (or drop) off of boulders, stare up at the wall or straight ahead, then hit the ground like a surprised sack of potatoes.

Tip one, don’t jump down from the top of the wall.

It’s by far, the way most injuries occur in a climbing gym. If you make it to the top & you’re so tired that you physically can’t down climb even a jug ladder.. you fucked up.

Unless this was extremely steep terrain (40 degrees+) having enough in the tank for a safe retreat is essential.

I agree with everyone that fall practice is a really positive thing to introduce at low heights. But not putting yourself in unnecessary danger is a skill / life lesson that unfortunately the person you witnessed learnt today.

Try to down climb the vast majority of the wall & you won’t have any issues at all mate. Plus your knees / hips will thank you in 10+ years if you end up falling in love with the sport :)

can't speak to every injury but I broke my tib/fib falling from the top of a boulder with a high heel hook

what led to my injury was committing hard to a move when I was too fatigued to keep confidently make it and falling in an awkward position

I think generally if you fall like you're supposed to, you will be fine. I came back after surgery and nowadays im a lot more conservative, make sure to downclimb as much as possible and proactively come down if I'm at all scared of a move

probably not the best way to improve because conquering fear is part of the sport but eh, I'd rather stay safe and not get hurt that badly again

Totally agree. Even if I jump from the top of a wall I always land in a controlled manner and roll onto my ass. Sure, there could be a freak accident but having the proper form will go a long way in preventing injury. A dude at my gym had the most wild falls off climbs. He ended up blowing up his ankle which wasn’t a surprise.

Not sure what happened that led to the injury but the best thing to do is fall properly, often, so much that it's second nature. It's easy to forget and catch your fall with straight arms or fall at an angle without the tuck and roll, and a misplaced foot can make all the difference.

It seems like you kind of get it. You can add like a helmet, but that won't do a lot if you fall down a cliff, and the next real step up from that is rock climbing rope anchors which are expensive and complicated.

The advice I’ve been told and am currently following: take a few classes at a climbing gym.

I know it sounds wack, but knowing what your body is capable of on a sheer wall, what grip you have, what a good hold feels like… that’s supposed to help you feel more comfortable and keep you safer on a class 3 scramble.

Many people wear helmets on every class 3.

I also don’t understand how you can self belay up an entire mountain, but I’m still new to anything with a rope.

Honestly, If you aren't comfortable soloing a class 3 section, I'd just avoid them. Trying to set up a lead solo is time consuming and not super effective on that kind of terrain

And the debate continues….I came into climbing at the end of the piton debate, when passive protection, and traditional climbing was the norm. The community was pretty much unanimous in their condemnation of pitons, since they damaged the rock. When safety was brought up the response was, find another route. The discussion is a valid one, but I sense that outdoor esthetics is being compromised here, and not the guiding foundation that it once was. The old leave only footsteps is just that ,old.

So Messner and the author agree, don't bolt snake dike

Some climbing is for "sport." Alpinism and the path to it is not for "sport."

"Sport climbing is neither"

But in all seriousness, to me it's FA preference for existing routes, beyond that only bolt local crags. Keep new bolts out of the alpine and big walls, but let them continue with them at "sport" crags. Although I haven't decided my opinion on bolted anchors/rap stations...

I fundamentally agree with the article despite the haughty flexes, but it sort of misses that climbing has split in a big way. Many people who learn indoors just aren't in it for the self reliance, adventure, mental control, etc. They go outside because it's sold as the "real deal" but they go with the same consumer, sport-focused mentality that's fostered on plastic. Climbs are merely graded notches on your belt, to be swallowed with your eyes shut and regurgitated as a number to your friends later.

To hold these folks to the standards of Messner and others is pointless. For them there should be plenty of safe, accessible climbs that let them enjoy their climbing how they want to, and for those with the older mentality there should also be plenty of adventure routes to climb. No reason we can't all enjoy climbing the way we want to.

No but the worst injury I’ve ever gotten (thankfully) was badly spraining my ankle on a volume about a foot off the pads. All climbing has some degree of risk management.

No. I always back off gym climbs that have a weird move that if you fall you can’t control your fall to a degree. One route setter at my gym made a top move to a sloper on the top and around a corner 3 people I heard had some sort of injury from the fall. Just look at the problem and assess if it’s worth the risk to top out on plastic imo it’s not

A top rope

You’d be surprised at your body’s ability to spot a landing intuitively but it’s not always possible no

Short answer is no.

Long answer is nooooooo.

The problem with outdoor access issues is that there isn't some guy at the front desk waiting for you to punch in and verify your account as you would have in the gym. There is no crag police. We have to enforce ourselves, be good land stewards ourselves, and take ownership for our climbing areas. It would be a lot easier if we could just ban people, but the only real solution is to hopefully educate people to prevent them from doing stupid things.

Someone deliberately chipped holds and someone else used a blowtorch to dry wet holds. It should seem pretty obvious that in either case, some people are just plain stupid and these actions threaten access to all climbers. Please don’t do this and minimize your impact with Leave No Trace ethics.

What problem on the c-demon boulder is fake?

I think it’s great to bring light to this topic as a community. While this is an extreme instance of breaking the leave no trace rule, it can be seen in other less extreme ways as well. Notably people leaving areas covered in chalk and tic marks. It sucks when people don't treat the environment with the respect it deserves.

A 24-hour guard has already been posted (actually, angels with swords of fire, but you get the gist).

Honestly if you feel like you are not comfortable bringing up safety concerns multiple times with your group, you shouldn’t be climbing outside with them.

That being said, I’d try to tell them that anything that gets followed/TR’d for more than once should have locking carabiners at the anchor. You can premake some anchors and give it to the leader when they are about to go up. They’ll likely complain about it being heavy and annoying, but you should stand your ground and tell them that this is an important safety measure to you, and you get paralyzed thinking about it mid climb. Be prepared however, that they are not willing to accommodate or not willing to climb with you again if they have a different mindset about anchor safety. It’s ok to ask but we simply can’t control how other people react. Best of luck OP

I understand the concern; and i usually throw a locker on a top rope anchor. Re: fear, if you are put in that situation, i don’t think there is a single recorded incident of a dual QuickDraw anchor failing due to non locking carabiners. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. By contrast, ropes have failed, harnesses have failed, bolts have failed etc… an adequate inspection of bolt and rock condition at the anchor is a more data driven concern to address with whoever is setting up the TR.

So while safety is always a real concern, the difference between perceived safety and and actual safety is generally a personal thing. I don’t know why i typed this I’m going to get downvoted.

Edit: to add on, anyone who makes a big deal out of throwing a locker on a toprope anchor probably sucks. If you hand someone a locker, and phrase it almost as more of superstitious request, rather than a huge safety concern, any reasonable person would toss that shit on there, but would be within their rights to make one lighthearted/ silly jab at the practice.

I took an anchor class at my gym and they said it was ok to use two opposite and opposed quick draws as an anchor to lower and to TR. No locks on those 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think you’re overblowing the safety concern as long as they’re setting the biners opposite/opposed and with gates not interacting with the rock. But just as truly, if they won’t do this small thing to make you feel safe, you need less shitty friends and climbing partners.

EDIT: Spelling

I know the struggle of feeling dumb bringing up safety issues to (more) experienced climbers, but I always say what is on my mind nonetheless - there should be no compromises when it comes to safety. If the person I'm climbing with doesn't agree with my opinion, then I just don't climb with them. And you shouldn't as well! If what they are doing is unsafe or even just feels unsafe, you either have to say something again (in a very direct manner) or stop climbing with them.

Also, being a very experienced climber definitely doesn't say anything about their safety and belaying skills or techniques. Some of the world's best climbers like Alex Honnold belay in a horrible way (in my opinion). So much slack that it's basically free solo. So don't be intimated by good climbers when it comes to safety issues!

Generally no, to me that would be weird. I think women are probably on average a bit more selective than men about climbing with random strangers, but in particular if you’re pretty new and not able to necessarily deal with any technical or safety issues (anchors, stuck ropes, etc).

Indoors, a lot of gyms will have social nights or something similar to help you find a climbing partner. Outside, local facebook groups or climber hangouts are a good option but both are probably going to be a bit hit and miss if you’re only looking to toprope tbh.

I think it depends on the situation.

If you’ve seen someone confidently belaying and you’ve chatted a bit, there’s no harm in saying ‘any chance you could belay me on this route’ - but I think it’s smart to check out their skills before you approach anyone.

I’d also suggest seeing what meet-ups your wall/gym has - is there a ladies night? Could be a great space to meet someone. Equally, pop a note on the message board that you’re looking for a climbing partner.

Good luck!

Do you mean indoors or outdoors? I'm a very anxious person and therefore an anxious belayer so take my opinion in that context, but I would never belay a stranger outdoors. It's just so risky, and if something goes wrong you'd be potentially liable. If a stranger asked me to belay them outside I would say no.

Indoors it's probably different, but even then I'm not so sure, I'm sure others will have opinions though. You may be better asking at your gym if there's like a match up/meet up scheme.

In some gyms you can ask at the desk to make an announcement that you are looking for a belay partner. Not all gyms do this. Otherwise I would see if there is a Facebook group for your gym where people find partners. I absolutely would not ask someone out of the blue.

If you boulder a lot you could ask people you are chatting with in the bouldering area. But it would be like “do you ever climb ropes, would you like to climb ropes with me sometime”?

If you are talking about outside then I’d say probably not….also choosing randos to belay you seems risky.

My gym has tags that you can put on your harness that says something like “ask me for a belay!” See if your gym does something like that? We also have a board you can post on that says you’re looking for a belay partner. If someone I didn’t know asked me for a belay I’d do it, but I’m usually climbing with a partner already when I’m doing ropes so i probably would only do it once or twice. Unless they wanna be friends too and not just get a belay and leave. So I guess it just depends on the person, doesn’t hurt to ask though!