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Gym vs. Sport: Compare and Contrast


pope

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Over in Newbies, in a thread discussing how much experience one should have gained before sport leading, the consensus seemed to say that climbing in a gym is far different than climbing out of doors, even sport climbing. I find myself disagreeing with this opinion and offer the following analysis.

 

Gym-climbing gear issues: One must deal with the complexities of clipping bolts for 50 feet before lowering off a bomber anchor.

 

Sport-climbing gear issues: Read "Gym climbing gear issues".

 

Gym-climbing experience issues: There's a chance that you will be belayed by somebody who has spent more time working on sit-starts than tying knots.

 

Sport-climbing experience issues: Read "Gym climbing experience issues".

 

Gym-climbing communication issues: A nonstandard lexicon may interfere with safety procedures. Instead of asking for tension, somebody may ask you to "take". Instead of telling you that you're on belay and OK to climb, you may be encouraged to "send it" (dude).

 

Sport-climbing communicaton issues: Read "Gym-climbing communication issues".

 

Gym-climbing route-finding issues: You will need to complete difficult sequences of moves ("Gastons" and "pianos", for example) across blank expanses of plywood between wildly colored plastic holds.

 

Sport-climbing route-finding issues: You will need to complete difficult sequences of moves ("Gastons" and "pianos", for example) across blank expanses of crappy rock between manufactured finger pockets.

 

Gym-climbing commitment issues You're probably 15 minutes from the nearest mocha.

 

Sport-climbing commitment issues You're probably 25 minutes from the nearest mocha.

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i am laughing so very hard! it is true gym climbers and sport climbers are not hard climbers unless they are also traditional climbers or russians of course to. your mention of mocha is so true as i often say americans are drinking to much starbuck and eating far to many crybabie sugar cookie. it is making them soft like butter and sugar instead of iron like red meat will. yellaf.gif

 

may you train and climb very hard friend and good luck to you i am leaving to go to work now.

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Great topic!

 

Gym-climbing gear issues: One must deal with the complexities of clipping draws for 20 feet before lowering off a bomber anchor.

 

Sport-climbing gear issues: One must clip bolts for the length of a pitch and often one must decide whether or not to clip that doggin' bolt or go for it in a scramble to glory!

 

Gym-climbing experience issues: Chance your belayer will be distracted by that cute as hell girl who is for some reason dating some total loser..

 

Sport-climbing experience issues: Chances are both you and your belayer will be distracted by some cute as hell woman you both have never seen before and who for some strange reason is engaged to that DFA character.

 

Gym-climbing communication issues: See Gym-climbing experience issues

 

Sport-climbing communicaton issues: See Sport-climbing experience issues. Ease of communication enables you to meet and safely climb with a wide variety of partners.

 

Gym-climbing route-finding issues: You will need to complete difficult sequences of moves ("Gastons" and "pianos", for example) across blank expanses of plywood between wildly colored plastic holds in a stuffy gym while torrential rains pour down from the heavens..

 

Sport-climbing route-finding issues: You will need to complete difficult sequences of moves ("Gastons" and "pianos", for example) across blank expanses of rock in some of the most beautiful places in the world. ( ie Smith Rocks, Verdon Gorge, Mediterranean coastline, Thailand.)

 

Gym-climbing commitment issues: You're probably 5 minutes from the nearest mocha.

 

Sport-climbing commitment issues: The beautifully landscaped terrace and armchairs at the base of the cliff provide the perfect location to break out that stove and portable espresso machine!.

 

PP bigdrink.gif

 

 

 

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yellowsleep.gif

 

Pope, baby! You're puttin' Dr. Flash Amazing asleep, here, man! And anyway, if a sport climb is on crappy rock, it's moot 'cause the first-ascensionist will have Sika'd the pile together. After roto-sculpting the pockets, of course. Ever allow your puritanically crack-cloistered fingers to caress a lovingly-chipped 1/2"-dia. pocket? So comfy ... so right-where-you-need-it ... so just-right. Ahhh ... that's nice ... "Send it, dude!"

 

wave.gif

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Peter_Puget said:

Great topic!

 

Sport-climbing commitment issues: The beautifully landscaped terrace and armchairs at the base of the cliff provide the perfect location to break out that stove and portable espresso machine!.

 

That's what we fucking need more of, right there. More espresso machines at the damn crag. Dr. Flash Amazing and the Political Action Division of AmazingCo, Inc. have been lobbying hella hard (HELLA!) for a paved parking lot "capping" the Crooked river from Rope-de-Dope to Morning Glory wall, and running from Ship Rock down to the Dihedrals or so (for Phase I, anyway), as well as a Starbucks at Morning Glory, maybe built around that big boulder by 5-Gallon Buckets. And perhaps a smaller Starbucks at 'The Office' in the Dihedrals. But obviously the No Mochas On Rock, Especially Smith's Popular Overclimbed Ramps of Tuff 'n' Overbolted Slabs lobby has headed DFA's cause off at the pass, and lined the pockets of key individuals on Capitol Hill, as they all seem to be stonewalling the project. It's a crying shame! Did you know you have to drive all the way to Redmond -- REDMOND! -- to even find coffee, and then it's mediocre at best? One must drive all the way to Bend, which takes over 30 minutes, if one is to find a Starbucks. Oh, the horror! The horror! cry.gif

 

 

 

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COL._Von_Spanker said:

Fejas said:

If you don't know how to place gear properly than you shouldn't be leading anything... even if it is only cliping bolts...

 

THblblblblblblblblblb thumbs_down.gif

 

Not true

 

I realalize that there are great sport climbers who don't ever place gear but I'm just bi-assed... I think you will become a better climber if you place gear along the way and fall on it... It make you trust yourself and you ablities a lot more... keeps me from doing any thing stupid... well maybe not any thing...

wink.gif

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Sport-climbing gear issues: difficult decisions required in deciding whether to clip the bolt at your knees, the one in front of your nose, or the one alongside the nearby crack.

 

Gym-climbing issue: confronting the fact that climbing a "5.11" your first week in a gym does not mean you are a "5.11" climber anywhere.

 

Sport-climbing issue: accepting the revelation that hang-dogging and rehearsing your way up a 5.13 sport route doesn't make you a 5.10 trad-master.

 

Gym issue: looking around the room to try and figure out which post-modern pretender is assigning the idiotic names to the ephemeral taped routes.

 

Sport-issue: wondering which post-modern pretender thought they were poetic with the idiotic route name assigned to a line of 5 bolts.

 

Gym Climbing Issue: being afraid to climb outdoors...it might be cold and such.

 

Sport Climbing Issue: climbing with gym rats whose limited skills include belaying from a gri-gri tethered to a floor chain.

 

- Dwayner bigdrink.gifbigdrink.gif

 

 

 

 

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Sport issue: Deciding whether it's worth it to get out of your sleeping bag and go get coffee at Starbucks and then head to the crag and maybe be cold while dogging your latest 5.13 project, or whether to sleep for a while longer.

 

Trad issue: Deciding which Grateful Dead bootleg to play at maximum volume through your barely-running Volkswagen's blown-out speakers at 7 in the morning while you figure out which gear to hang from your pack in order to draw maximum attention to yourself as you hike into the crag so everyone knows you are a Trad Climber.

 

Sport issue: Is it cold enough to justify throwing a heat pack in the chalk bag, or is the mocha providing enough warmth to the digits?

 

Trad issue: Am I making enough supercilious remarks about sport climbers and their stupid Lycra tights? Would the Verm or the Bird be impressed by my quips, or should I toss in a few more references to cheap beer, sheep fucking, excessive bolting, and heeeeiiiiiinous offwidths?

 

Sport issue: Keep working the proj' all day, or go onsight some other routes?

 

Trad issue: Continue lurking over this pile of gear, sorting through cams, and making the perfect tape gloves at the base of this route, or head over there where we can rack up AND cast disparaging glances at those pathetic sport climbers and their stick clips?

 

Sport issue: Keep working on the crux beta, or start working on linking the route up?

 

Trad issue: Keep working on this 5.8, or go attempt but possibly have to retreat from that 5.9, where we could better make fun of those pathetic sport climbers on their 5.13s. We could climb 5.13 too, if we debased ourselves and clipped bolts, but we shalln't dally with such base behavior. Say, why have we been climbing 5.8 for the past 10 years?

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I realalize that there are great sport climbers who don't ever place gear but I'm just bi-assed... I think you will become a better climber if you place gear along the way and fall on it... It make you trust yourself and you ablities a lot more... keeps me from doing any thing stupid... well maybe not any thing...

wink.gif

 

If your goal is to only sport climb than why bother learning to trad climb. My second ever lead, which was outside, was at my limit and I took whippers on it. No biggie. You certainly wouldn't want to learn this way climbing on gear.

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Whoa DFA!

 

What's all this talk about Mochas! hellno3d.gif Yech! A double shot and a three tablespoons of sugar! MMMMMM Besides lugging all that water and milk around might lead to leg muscle development!

 

Also, isn't the Bird a well known chipper and rap bolter! Clearly the antecedent to Alan Watts! And as an early advocate of flashy dressing I like to consider him the god father of lycra.

 

Heck, even J Bachar has felt the pleasurable rhythms holding a Bosch in motion.

 

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COL._Von_Spanker said:

If your goal is to only sport climb than why bother learning to trad climb. My second ever lead, which was outside, was at my limit and I took whippers on it. No biggie. You certainly wouldn't want to learn this way climbing on gear.

 

I'm just sayin' that some one will be a hole lot more knowledgable when trying some thing out of their range, if they spend the time to trust, and place some protection...

Lets say your sporting a harder multi-pitch, if the person who set up the route was better than you (wich is most likly), than the bolts might be to far apart for your comfort zone... mentaly and extra placed piece would help, but if you can't place one with confidence, than you might waist preshish energy on an area that didn't require it... thats all... I'm not calling sports less of climbers...

 

bigdrink.gif

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Peter_Puget said:

Whoa DFA!

 

What's all this talk about Mochas! hellno3d.gif Yech! A double shot and a three tablespoons of sugar! MMMMMM Besides lugging all that water and milk around might lead to leg muscle development!

 

Also, isn't the Bird a well known chipper and rap bolter! Clearly the antecedent to Alan Watts! And as an early advocate of flashy dressing I like to consider him the god father of lycra.

 

Heck, even J Bachar has felt the pleasurable rhythms holding a Bosch in motion.

 

Ah, just humoring Mr. Dwayner and Mr. Pope. DFA actually had a latte this morning.

 

A double shot with three tablespoons of sugar?! shocked.gif That's like twice as much sugar as you get in a mocha, hoss! Time to rearrange your priorities, follow the tick-marked custom pockets, clip the chains, and have a triple grande mocha!

 

Oh, and DFA will be wearing the grey tights with the sage-colored chalk bag to the gym today, so do try to wear something complementary but not exactly matching, 'K?

 

Ciao! wave.gif

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I'm just sayin' that some one will be a hole lot more knowledgable when trying some thing out of their range, if they spend the time to trust, and place some protection...

Lets say your sporting a harder multi-pitch, if the person who set up the route was better than you (wich is most likly), than the bolts might be to far apart for your comfort zone... mentaly and extra placed piece would help, but if you can't place one with confidence, than you might waist preshish energy on an area that didn't require it... thats all... I'm not calling sports less of climbers...

 

bigdrink.gif

 

The discussion is regarding moving from gym to sport, and when I say sport I mean craggin' at places like smith or little si or 38; since that's where most gym people would go for a first outdoor climb. I don't think many sport climbers even bother with placing extra gear, cause usually extra gear is another quick draw.

 

I think that it's better to learn to clip bolts first that way you can get used to being above gear. Then when you learn trad you and climb things below your level you don't get all sketched out.

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