Alright mighty 2GNT'ers...

I know some of you here climb and I'm starting to get interested in it. My only real experience was on a climbing wall a few years ago, but I got hooked right away. So I'm wanting to learn more about it.

Right now I'm watching Dosage vol 2 (Netflix link) and trying to really get my head around some of the insane stuff I'm seeing. So to any climbers out there, what recomendations do you have? Websites? Forums? Any info is great since I really would like to start doing this (it will also help me keep my diabetes under control).

Thanks much.

Find somewhere you can practice daily. Whether its your local climbing gym, a park, or a big rock in your area.

And don't get distracted with a ton of gear. All you need to start is a harness, shoes, and belay device. Then make friends in your area and plan climbing trips whatever big wall or feature exists in your area.

Make sure you hit Yosemite with an experienced climber at least once, and stay in the walk-in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_4_(Yosemite). :)

don't know how old you are.. or what kind of financial situation your in, but some colleges or gyms offer classes in rock climbing.

I climb, but near as often as I would like to. My best advice is to either take some classes or talk to someone at a local gym. Too often men use their arms, which is why women are better climbers. Focus on keeping yourself close to the wall. Your arms do not move to the next hold until your legs push you there. If you climb once and are sore then you did it wrong.

Of course as you get more advanced arms have to be used more when making moves off and then back on. To develop good technique boulder for a while each time first, then once you are warmed up you can start to move vertical.

As someone else mentioned, don't get caught up in all the gear. Most gyms will let you use their harnesses and shoes. When you are ready to drop some money, I would check EMS.com for sales. They often have complete kits for cheap. Good luck and have fun.

Originally posted by RSClipse9d7
When you are ready to drop some money, I would check EMS.com for sales. They often have complete kits for cheap.

EMS has tons of good stuff. But, it's far from cheap. You can find some stuff at Campmor.com and prices are pretty reasonable.

What kind of climbing do you like? Traditional, Top rope or Sport?

If you have places to go with sport routes, then you will need quick draws $70 for 6, harness $40, chalk bag $15, belay device $8, shoes $50-150, rope $100-200, a couple different anchor carabiners ,straps $10 and a friend.

For trad climbing you will need everything listed above plus different sized nuts, and cams cams are usually expensive.

If you are Top roping then you will need everything listed above for sport climbing plus maybe a static rope, some large straps, and maybe some cams.

EMS is a great store but its an east coast store. I also suggest taking a class and practicing at a gym. You need to know what you are doing before you go out and start climbing.

I had to idea that EMS was only on the east coast. I guess that is a product from not living anywhere else. I will have to check out the campmor place before I purchase something again.

Originally posted by eclipse_99rs
What kind of climbing do you like? Traditional, Top rope or Sport? If you have places to go with sport routes, then you will need quick draws $70 for 6, harness $40, chalk bag $15, belay device $8, shoes $50-150, rope $100-200, a couple different anchor carabiners ,straps $10 and a friend. For trad climbing you will need everything listed above plus different sized nuts, and cams cams are usually expensive. If you are Top roping then you will need everything listed above for sport climbing plus maybe a static rope, some large straps, and maybe some cams. EMS is a great store but its an east coast store. I also suggest taking a class and practicing at a gym. You need to know what you are doing before you go out and start climbing.

Right now I'm not entirely certain. I know speed isn't a big factor with me. I want to basically be able to work up to more challening climbs, maybe even eventually try to climb Mt Hood here in Portland.

Originally posted by RSClipse9d7
I climb, but near as often as I would like to. My best advice is to either take some classes or talk to someone at a local gym. Too often men use their arms, which is why women are better climbers. Focus on keeping yourself close to the wall. Your arms do not move to the next hold until your legs push you there. If you climb once and are sore then you did it wrong. Of course as you get more advanced arms have to be used more when making moves off and then back on. To develop good technique boulder for a while each time first, then once you are warmed up you can start to move vertical. As someone else mentioned, don't get caught up in all the gear. Most gyms will let you use their harnesses and shoes. When you are ready to drop some money, I would check EMS.com for sales. They often have complete kits for cheap. Good luck and have fun.

Most of my strength is in my legs actually and the few times I have climed (on a wall) I did most of the work with my legs. I didn't climb much (about half hour maybe?), but I wasn't sore at all either. So maybe that's a natural plus for me! Thanks for the info! :)

Originally posted by noboost
Find somewhere you can practice daily. Whether its your local climbing gym, a park, or a big rock in your area. And don't get distracted with a ton of gear. All you need to start is a harness, shoes, and belay device. Then make friends in your area and plan climbing trips whatever big wall or feature exists in your area. Make sure you hit Yosemite with an experienced climber at least once, and stay in the walk-in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_4_(Yosemite). :)

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'll be checking in on it soon.