beta

figure8
beta

Rock climbing is arguably one of the most physically and mentally challenging sports in the world. It can be just as daunting to get started if you do not know a seasoned climber. We aim to help climbers at all levels by providing them with information, inspiration, equipment knowledge, and community.

  1. ٢١‏/٠٤‏/١٤٣٨ هـ · فيديو

    5.6 | Steep Sheep

    I have been climbing on the guest pass of a friend at Salt Pump for a while. We have a routine, we climb a few top rope routes, get pumped out and call it a day. I’m lead certified at evo Rock + Fitness but had never bothered to get lead certified elsewhere. Until today, when we decided it was time to take my lead test. I haven’t been climbing lead in a while so I was a bit nervous that I was not going to finish the test. You see, when you test on lead, they often ask you to climb on a route above a specific grade. Since I’ve been rocking the 5.6 – 5.10 routes lately, I wasn’t too excited to test on a 5.11 lead route. Especially since 5.10 has been the extent of my top rope game so my lead ability has been around a 5.8. When I asked to certify at the front desk, they said I would need to climb a 5.10a or harder to certify. That did not mean I would need to complete the route but I would need to get at least 3-5 clips in to the route before demonstrating a lead fall. I was not worried about failing the test if I could not finish, I was more worried that I would get 2 clips into a 5.10a and slip off a crimp and embarrass myself. Lucky for me, they had just done a reset of most lead areas and almost none of the routes were graded. That eliminated a lot of over hanging routes with small holds. We ended up finding this nice green route, that may have been rated 5.8 or 5.9 but looked like a great start with a little over hang so I would have a nice fall. I stuck all the clips, took my fall, and then nailed the lead belay test. After completing my lead test, I was now free to try any of the lead routes. I tried a 5.8 purple route with no over hang but a lot of corner work. I almost made the top out on the first try but missed it by a few holds. I will have to take my new beta and try again next time. Later we tried a blue route rated 5.8 with a feature that looked like a beach ball sized death star. I made it up to the second clip before I realized I had bit off more than I could chew. I ended up finding a fun yellow route where the main lead wall meets the center pillar. The staff said the yellow routes were ‘warm up’ routes, but that must be for the pro climbers. I made it three or so clips in and couldn’t commit to the next move. I had to leave it and live to climb another day.

    ٣ من الدقائق
  2. ١٦‏/٠٤‏/١٤٣٨ هـ · فيديو

    5.8 | Rub the Belly

    You may not have noticed but I haven’t been on a lead route in more than a year. I’ve also never captured a clean climb on a lead route, ever! The sadness ends today with this 5.8 route at evo Rock + Fitness in Portland, aptly named ‘Rub the Belly.’ Today marks a milestone in the history of the figure8 Podcast because I have now climbed the first ever lead route clean (not to mention on sight) but more importantly it was climbed ‘squeaky clean’ which means there were no breaks and no hanging on the rope. I really like this orange route for those making the transition from top rope or mock lead to full lead climbing because it is really approachable. The first hold gives this route its name, Rub the Belly. The first hold looks a lot like a Buddha belly and the best start is to put two hands around the top of the belly. Every clip has solid holds so you know your not going to take an embarrassing fall but it is also still challenging enough to make the top out feel like a victory. There is a small overhanging roof that is totally possible for most people but not so easy that you feel like your in the kids section on lead. If you’re looking for some more lead practice, there are a few other routes set up at evo right now that are slightly out of range for an on sight lead but could be climbed on mock lead for some beta before attempting a lead climb. The clips for a mock lead are only ideal for adjacent routes so be mindful when you are on lead. If you are brave, just nail it first try or take the whipper, but if you are like me… maybe down climb a few holds to avoid a big swing. In any case, if you want to get on the sharp end of a lead route, I would strongly recommend Rub the Belly to build up some confidence. (Update: 04/10/2017 Rub the Belly is still set up but its days are numbered!)

    ٣ من الدقائق

التقييمات والمراجعات

حول

Rock climbing is arguably one of the most physically and mentally challenging sports in the world. It can be just as daunting to get started if you do not know a seasoned climber. We aim to help climbers at all levels by providing them with information, inspiration, equipment knowledge, and community.

للاستماع إلى حلقات ذات محتوى فاضح، قم بتسجيل الدخول.

اطلع على آخر مستجدات هذا البرنامج

قم بتسجيل الدخول أو التسجيل لمتابعة البرامج وحفظ الحلقات والحصول على آخر التحديثات.

تحديد بلد أو منطقة

أفريقيا والشرق الأوسط، والهند

آسيا والمحيط الهادئ

أوروبا

أمريكا اللاتينية والكاريبي

الولايات المتحدة وكندا