Sport climbing vs top rope reddit The risk that you can fall on a move while bouldering compared to top rope prepares me a lot more for lead climbing harder routes outdoors, and makes it more satisfying when you finally send a route you've been working on. For a beginner I would recommend getting the cheapest rope that's climbing rated you can find. I started climbing 9 months ago started with bouldering first and gradually to top rope and now sport. Casual running with workouts <5mi? Sure. Why pay for a more expensive coated rope, assuming you avoid climbing in the rain. "Rope Top rope set up, sport climbing, multi pitch, ice climbing? This reddit is for the powered paragliding community. 10, but this is a very old convention which almost no one follows nowadays, gym V0 are typically somewhere in the 5. 2 and thinner, ropes will last just as long used as a personal rope of a climbing guide, but the weekend warrior that isn't taking as specific care of them will find that it's going to get worn and soft and fuzzy much faster. Top Rope groups often lead to a "camp out" mentality, especially at popular moderate areas where a group will put up top ropes and camp them out all day. com Top roping can be done indoors or outdoors, and is a popular style for beginners, as it allows climbers to focus entirely on their climbing technique without having to worry about the rope. Then just get whatever is on sale, most of the bigger companies all make fine ropes for single pitch stuff and unless you want to ice climb getting a dry treatment is overkill. I've found that it's generally easier for boulderers to get into rope climbing, than for sport climbers to get into bouldering, just because of the base level of strength. However I wont hesitate to just use draws if its a typical setup. These are all things that are great to work on. Edited: dry is indeed coated, just got the words messed up Clipping the rope adds a totally different dynamic to the climb. Thank you! Indoor climbing and sport climbing; uncoated. you're much higher up, even though we can logically know its safer on the rope, our monkey brain doesnt. 12 at the moment, as well as have hopped on a couple of 5. Outdoor climbing grades (like gym grades) vary, but folks tend to ann As you approach 9. I certainly wouldn't be adverse to sorting out moves and gear on a classic trad line that was well above my onsite grade. 4mm and 10. I mainly top rope and i boulder with my friends as well, but i prefer top rope. Bouldering generally requires more technique, core and power to perform the problems. true. Generally, people find that the grade that they are able to top-rope is higher than the Where I grew up climbing in Utah, nobody rap-cleaned. The gym juggles the now-usual brand of offerings: birthday parties, youth camps, and adult classes, plus a multitude of top rope and lead routes alongside a small bouldering area. the static and dynamic elongation percentages are the based on how the rope is loaded (static means load applied when rope is already stretched out like a toprope fall 19 votes, 87 comments. In some ways, they use different skills and require different training to excel at, but there are easy and hard climbs in either style. I have been climbing for about 2 years, but only bouldering and top roping indoors, and I have only ever used a typical ATC belay device, which I am very comfortable with. Climb the route, top rope up a second, then GTFO so others can climb too. 11a’s. That being said if you only sport climb outdoors, you will also be bad at crack climbing. To be good at crack climbing you have to crack climb. Crack climbing in Squamish you barely need draws if your cams extend. Some ropes only have 1. You won't be discerning enough to tell the difference between it and a tip top Petzl 8mm. It must be secure and able to support the weight of the climber in the event of a See full list on conqueryourcrux. Glacier travel and Ice climbing; coated. It might be 90 feet of 5. For me: Outdoors: V9 (one V10), 13d Indoors: V9, don't rope climb Yeah my gym grade matches my outdoor grade. That being said, if you're just starting out and want a single, do it all rope for both climbing and glacier travel, a 60m dry rope that's 9. Lead climbing is a true equalizer because you can't just pull past hard moves, you actually have to solve them. 2-9. Honestly, static ropes are not very useful in free rock climbing (mostly for rappelling, fixed lines in aid climbing, etc. 8 - 5. With hundreds of world class sport routes across many Mar 9, 2022 · Climbing gear definitely isn’t inexpensive, but getting into sport climbing offers a relatively low financial barrier compared to many sports. Alpine draws depend a lot on where you climb like all trad gear. If I know they mostly climb indoor, I tend to assume they mean top rope indoor. But I had a lunch, crampons, double rack, my PAS and couple random stuff for top rope solo and extra clothes I started out top roping and slowly worked myself into lead. I think I get the basic concepts and uses, but there is so much to know about using them within their limitations but also being willing to use them in other scenarios while accepting the risks that come. Sport climbing Sport climbing is one of the most popular styles of climbing in the Blue Mountains. In top rope climbing, the rope is anchored at the top of the route, and the climber is attached to the rope from the bottom. 5-5. 8mm and bigger. A lot, a lot. I wouldn’t want my rope being dragged over the lip with a climbers’ weight. 5mm is probably best. The home of Climbing on reddit. When I started climbing I got into sport climbing, but as I was progressing I got injured and looked to trad for easier stuff and adventuring. No shit you will be bad at crack climbing if you only climb in a gym that has only plastic face climbs. I have red pointed up to 11b but have tried into the 12's while sport climbing. Feb 21, 2025 · When it comes to indoor climbing gyms, Seattle’s Vertical World launched the concept in 1987, attaching holds with glue to vertical pieces of plywood. Aug 21, 2023 · Some of the key methods and equipment used in top rope climbing include: Anchor Setup. Many climbers differentiate their sport leading grade from their top-rope climbing grade and their trad leading grade. Thank you for the recommendation! I have quite a few friends and family who are not able to lead sport routes but still enjoy climbing so I am often setting up top ropes for them haha. The rope and helmet needs to be outside the pack. With lead climbing, the rope starts at the bottom of the climb, with one end tied to the climber and the belayer attaching a short length away from that. By the time you've worn out your first rope you'll know what you want your second rope to do. It's great to start off with top, it's a good way to learn technique and build confidence but if you're waiting to reach a point where you know 100% you're ready for lead, you might not reach it. And yes we are scared of falling. Gym climbing grades (in my experience) are relatively comparable to outdoor sport face climbing Hello all! Ive been climbing in Evolv Kronos and while they are great, im wanting something more for top rope, for the small footholds and overhang/slight overhang. Counter to this, the primary objective of trad climbing is adventurous - exploring the rock, flirting with risk, finding the summit. That being said, if you’ve got rope to spare for anchor building you certainly gain a lot of ease in connecting pieces (don’t have to fiddle with making static arms and other weird configurations). I climb about v3-4’s. I'd rather spend my time/energy doing tries on individually harder stuff at the bouldering walls than climbing easier but more physically exhausting things on rope. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. I am doing sport and alpine multipitch and so far I had a single rope for sport (light, belay with grigri, easy handling rope management) and half ropes for alpine (for long abseils, extra safesty e. In lead belaying you're paying out rope (giving slack) while in top rope you're always taking in slack. Apr 16, 2025 · What to look for in sport climbing shoes; Ten things you need to know about climbing shoes; Our favorites; Honorable mentions; Most gear roundups cover new releases. Lots of climbs share a common anchor that really shouldn’t. 9. No one-size-fits all in either climbing style (blocks vs swing) or anchor building (slings vs rope). I can boulder v4s pretty easy some on the 1st try and some takes a few tries. Adding on to this in further ELI5 fashion, this is bad because SOMEBODY has to put up those anchors, and when you run your dirty rope through it to lower, it cuts into the anchor a little bit at a time. I've done a good amount of sport climbing that is essentially 80% awesome V0-2, then some cruxes. It can encompass anything of interest to the PPG Being honest about why you're doing this and how much risk you're willing to take is important. Sport climbing will always be easier to quickly project when you have perma draws or a stick clip. With top rope climbing, the anchor is at the top of the climb, with the rope going down one side to the belayer, and the other side to the climber. Edited: dry is indeed coated, just got the words messed up Apr 16, 2025 · What to look for in sport climbing shoes; Ten things you need to know about climbing shoes; Our favorites; Honorable mentions; Most gear roundups cover new releases. I would wear this one for multi pitches. If for no other reason, a 30m glacier rope is much lighter than a 60m climbing rope. ). g. If you have any desire to improve as a climber, lead climbing is a critical part of improvement. On the flipside, most people that I know that began sport climbing end up never really making it past this The initial 25 ft of radically overhanging savergry, precise movement and powerful gymnastic climbing is in my opinion slightly harder than Esperanza V14 but on a rope clipping bolts and then yields a jug followed by solid 5. 10b-c, while projecting 5. As others have said, having multiple ropes is best. 6. Cleaning on top-rope was, but that gets old fast (although admittedly on the really steep stuff, it's the only option). In Austin, gym climbing > V10 isn't really a thing and the indoor stuff V7 and up pretty much match the outdoor grades. My understanding is: Single: your standard climbing rope. Ok, I'm having trouble understanding ropes. The GriGri2 is made to handle slightly smaller ropes than the original GriGri. If they are showing you these types of stats on manufacturer's website, its likely a dynamic rope. Rap cleaning most routes wasn't an option because they were too steep. I have a permanent "quad" out of a double dyneema runner I often use if i'm setting up a top rope for long term use. I think there are more people here focused on bouldering than on sport so I think you'll get a lot of bias. I have a 9. The anchor setup is critical for top rope climbing. Traditionally, V0 is equivalent to 5. Climbers use the term 'climbing' as a catch all, but non-climbers are more likely to be familiar with "rock climbing" (which usually means top roping), and boulders will use rock climbing to mean climbing with a rope to differentiate it from bouldering, although to a newbie it seems like bouldering is also be a form of rock climbing. If I know someone climbs outside regularly, I assume they mean their lead grade outdoor. So you must have a good base of climbing strength. I would say 9. Do you see yourself multi-pitch climbing? Buy a harness with with 4 gear loops. It was easy to get comfortable climbing top, and I still get nervous climbing lead. Trad climbing is a lot broader than sport. 1. Hello! I've been climbing for about 2 years now, but over the past 3 months have been going on a regular basis and getting more serious about it. Felt absolutely great once I built up to it and I could really see the benefits when sport climbing. However, I am looking to get into lead climbing and potentially start going outside once I'm comfortable with the basics of lead (and when New England winter allows it lol). When a company designs a new suite of shoes, they send pairs to us and our testers, and we climb in them, compare notes, write a review, and then, later, do a roundup of the latest and greatest releases of the year. Now you have to transition everything to rope climbing, which happens with a lot of rope climbing and there are much more variables into the equation when talking about sport climbing. 10d and 5. When you say "versatile" do you see yourself mountaineering or ice climbing in near future? If so, go with a harness with adjustable leg loops. its really just rational survival instinct. In the gym on top rope, have your belay partner give you a little slack and not take in too much especially on hard moves. Trad Climbing Gear Contrast the sport climber’s lean rack to one of those images of a team of big wall climbers and their arsenal of heavy metal, along with a nest of cords and slings, spread out Got my top rope belay cert, and ended up climbing top rope or autobelay a total of like 3 times in the following 6-7 months. Bouldering is the best training for sport climbing if you're a sport climber. Unless you buy a high end sport oriented harness, they are all versatile, so buy what fits you well Oct 12, 2020 · If someone asks you for your sport climbing grade or your lead grade, they mean the highest grade of sport climb that you can cleanly lead. Climb a lot. Don't stress about the diameter. Sport climbing is approached like one might approach tennis. Alpine climbing in the Canadian Rockies I used alpine draws almost exclusively as even with double ropes it could be hard to extend or make tricky placements work. Something to watch for when getting a rope- double weave ropes are more pliable in the hand and don't twist up as much. Hi, my half ropes' lifespan comes to an end soon and I m looking at new options. It would definitely take me about a week or more to finish those. I don’t think a rope would last a full day lowering. Coated does reduce dirt collestion on the rope, but just washing your rope when it's dirty works too. 2mm and use a GriGri2. 5 isn't better than 9. Top rope I can do 11d/12a with some rest on a 50 ft wall. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. The rope and helmet were outside. I find top rope to be more efficient to do for training, I top rope 2-3x a week and only lead once, it’s a huge difference than having a lead-only elitist attitude lol. Every company measures their ropes The obvious example is speed climbing, but between bouldering and sport climbing (lead and top) the gap has increased the last years due to the modern style of setting. the only real way to overcome it is to fall again and again without getting hurt until you break the association in your mind that this will hurt you. Last week-end, I went trad climbing with a 40l pack. The 9. The belay point for a top rope can be either anchored to the groud or not (normally is) but for leading the belay point should not be anchored as this gives the climber a softer fall. What I mean by double weave is when you look closely at the sheath of the rope each individual weave section has 2 parallel strands. you've already done this with bouldering, but sport climbing is a different situation and you Just wanted to chime in that no climbing will ever be “risk free”! It’s all about the kind of risk that one is assuming: bouldering has a high risk of decking, but can generally be low consequence if proper measures are taken; top roping has a low risk of decking, but pretty high consequence if things go wrong. Leading requires a lot more time and at the gym I don’t know if it helps with headspace at all since the clips are so close together anyway assuming 2 good bolts, 2 draws is prob the easiest, if you really want you can get a couple dog bones and permanently put a couple lockers on them. A steel biner is exactly what I need! And as for the locking biners on top rope, that makes sense. 9, but have been wondering lately; Should I stick with top rope, or is it better to "cross train" on bouldering problems? In sport climbing, the primary objective is athletic - doing hard moves, getting a redpoint, etc. In top rope im doing consistent 5. Yes, headpointing (redpointing via top-rope on gear routes) followed by a ground-up gear ascent feels a lot more like sport climbing, but it seems to be done mostly on sport-like routes, so it makes sense. But more people are climbing only in gyms or only top rope so who knows, I think it changes based on the context. 47 votes, 35 comments. IDK just didn't appeal to me almost at all. 8 range. . 12d's to work the moves. I boulder about 30% of the time and sport climb about 70% of the time. 19 votes, 87 comments. Can be used in wide variety of situations Hi, We have never been to Yosemite and planning to fall of 2024 and seeking right level of planning guide. 7 face climbing with the top out being (a fucking hike) 30 feet of literal class 3 walking. It covers everything from hard single pitch cragging where you're basically sport climbing on gear to sketchballs alpine climbing where the gear is mostly there so they can follow the rope to find your body. You can easily get ~15mi/week on top of climbing hard and it'll help your climbing. Now bouldering involves huge volumes, coordination dynos, tricky body positions, etc. V5/6s is where I am at right now. I've not seen too many amazing, awesome V0-2 around that aren't slabs. The beginner climber can really stand in to get more quality this way. The prevailing assumption has been leading a route outdoor. 4 is a little loose and in guide mode on direct belay it walks a lot if the mechanism isn't engaged. when one rope gets a coreshot, reducing rope drag by clipping just one strand etc. I boulder in the same place I sport climb - so rock is similar (I think that's important to the equation here) I boulder around V5/V6 and I'm climbing mid 5. For a first timer I encounter super generalized and repetitive info (youtube high level park info, like entrances, campgrounds, hotels) or super specific (many post here) that are super solid but requires quite a bit of familiarity. A 20l is plenty for sport climbing, multipitch and a lunch. I used to climb for a couple hours and then log a moderate 5k on the treadmill after. No need to make things unnecessarily dangerous I guess. I have been strictly top rope so far and have gotten up to 5. I've recently taken a tentative step out of bouldering and into "real climbing" I did the top rope thing for a while and found it tedious, after asking around for advice on sport climbing, i received mixed messages about which ATC to use, what do you think r/climbing? (I am buying a grigri regardless for use in a long line set up) For a first rope, go for a thicker one as you will most likely be top roping more. 13 climbing. exuy nbtab yihpnd dful irwtqa jwcwg humr vyztz zryz cvtce fhn ocaazr qvkf pfja cvu