New and Experienced climbers over 50 #20

Carl Schneiderwrote:

Everyone needs to stop flexing their muscles and flex their love.
it’s all just about gangs. Gang USA, Gang China, Gang Russia etc. Pathetic childishness. Rich gang members posturing.  

I'm flexing my muscles and my love.  Also... I don't have a sack (Russ), at least not one I know of.  

phylp phylpwrote:

I just got back from a week at Red Rock.  I was planning on staying through next Monday, but I think the long approaches and descents (with pack and gear) were overly ambitious.  My knee got quite sore and then, from walking funny with my knee I think, my low back started complaining.  I decided retreat was the wiser choice that trying to hang out in Vegas and continue.

This is what the hike into Oak Creek from the road looks like on iphone.  The time between 11 - 4 PM was having a leisurely lunch and doing a newer route (very easy but fun way to approach the upper level) on the lower level and rapping down the gulley.

Driving home, I was feeling sad because I think this is going to be my last year of solo driving the RV + tow car.  It's so physical.  45 feet and 14,ooo pounds.  Really, it's more tiring than a long day of climbing.

I feel your pain.  Since moving to Vegas ~3 months ago my biggest climbing challenge has been knee pain from walking/scrambling downhill :)

I have a friend who is in our age group. He has the lightest most minimal kit to minimize the impact on his knees.  It has me thinking of replacing gear/packs/clothing/rope with super lightweight options. My pack isn't even close to your 45 pounds!

Mike Kwrote:

I feel your pain.  Since moving to Vegas ~3 months ago my biggest climbing challenge has been knee pain from walking/scrambling downhill :)

I have a friend who is in our age group. He has the lightest most minimal kit to minimize the impact on his knees.  It has me thinking of replacing gear/packs/clothing/rope with super lightweight options. My pack isn't even close to your 45 pounds!

Uphill/downhill with scrambling mixed in is helped heaps with a trekking pole (or stick clip) used as an aid to lean on going down, and to shove on to haul up. It's also an additional point of contact, which keeps me upright, when being on one foot AND doing a biggish move up or down is not so great with dicey knees. 

There's also that old chestnut advice to lose weight, lol. Or, at least have that pack weight impressing you to stay motivated not to gain weight. Although weight distributed in a body isn't as noticeable as that weight being on your back, or whatever. That was quite striking when I gave birth, how much more he seemed to weigh strapped to my chest, as opposed to just inches away, prebirth!

Best, Helen

Mike Kwrote:

My pack isn't even close to your 45 pounds!

Oh God, Mike,  my pack isn't nowhere close to 45 lbs!  My Winnebago with the tow car hitched to it is 45 feet long.  I think that's where you got the 45 number from.  All my gear is very lightweight.  I even have a 60 meter rope that's mostly for RR that's 8.8 mm - only 6.5 pounds.  And my other knee never got sore - just the one that had the knee surgery in November.

I was planning on being there until Tuesday and was planning to get in touch with you to go out on my last day, but I'm glad we didn't plan and then have to cancel. C U next trip, hopefully.

phylp phylpwrote:

 I even have a 60 meter rope that's mostly for RR that's 8.8 mm - only 6.5 pounds. 

What make of 8.8 mm?  Is it rated as a single rope?  I am in the market for a light 70m which can last 300 or so pitches (almost all leads, few falls).
I recently cut my 70m 9.5 Mammut down to about 60m, I was surprised how much lighter the packed rope bag felt losing just 10m (at 59g/m).

here’s my little chart for my ropes!

useing a 70 when you could be using a 60 is and insane amount of extra weight and extra rope to pull through a bunch of belays. I typically travel with a bunch of ropes so that I can try to taylor the rope or ropes to the day. 

Thanks.  I see another Mammut fan.  Serenity.  Duly noted.
I have three ropes; 35m (gym), 70/60m (workhorse), 80m (Euro trip rope) and I thought that is OTT. Not compared to you! :)

S. Neohwrote:

Thanks.  I see another Mammut fan.  Serenity.  Duly noted.
I have three ropes; 35m (gym), 70/60m (workhorse), 80m (Euro trip rope) and I thought that is OTT. Not compared to you! :)

LOL, well the 80 is brand new.  I bought it with a specific wall in mind that I didn't get on this trip.  I mostly always buy Mammut but they changed all their names which is annoying.  The 40 M Petzl is the gym rope, we love the way it handles so I tried them again for the new 80.  I used to have additionally an 8.2 1/2 rope but that one was retired and all my partners have 8.0 or 8.2 1/2s or tag lines, so I didn't bother to replace it.

60m single that is trashed and needs replaceing. two 70m singles in good shape. one for rock, one for ice.   60mX6mm tag for ice soloing rappels, 60m doubbles for rock and ice, 70m doubbles for ice that need replaceing. ... 

What do folks do with your retired ropes?
Lately I have been donating them to local, well-deserving route developers.

S. Neohwrote:

What do folks do with your retired ropes?
Lately I have been donating them to local, well-deserving route developers.

Usually I send them to Sterling for recycling. Once I made a small rug using a template from Edelrid along with their instructional video.  Claimed time was 40 minutes, ha,ha, maybe if you're German.  Took me almost 2 hours.

S. Neohwrote:

Thanks.  I see another Mammut fan.  Serenity.  Duly noted.
I have three ropes; 35m (gym), 70/60m (workhorse), 80m (Euro trip rope) and I thought that is OTT. Not compared to you! :)

Edelrid "Swift Protect" 70 m, 8.9mm, 8.1lbs; Mammut Infinity 70 m;  Mammut 60m,  Mammut static, 2@50m, 10mm(for new route fixed lines),  Mammut Genesis Doubles, 70m, 8.5 (for adventure climbs).

The Edelrid has the new aramid sheath construction and it is wearing very well.

Thanks, everyone.  Clearly, I need more ropes :)  My wife will not be pleased, however.  :)

Looks like I need to give a sub 9.4 mm single rope a try.
You see, I am still hung up on ropes thinner than 9.4 mm. Even though I searched high and low to buy a 60m Mammut Galaxy 10mm BITD.
Many questioned my choice back then when 50m 11mm was the standard. That Mammut Galaxy was indestrutible. It fared better than all the 11mm I had before and all the 10.5 and 10 I had after. I retired it because of age, not wear. Just an amazing rope which Mammut made way beyond spec and to prove that a rope that thin can last.

For Jan and those of us who are petite; I, when I weighed significant less than 55 kg, considered buying a half rope as my 'hard rp' rope.  Back then that was 8.9 mm or 9.0 mm.  Funny how 2-1/2 decades later we have several single ropes which are 9.0 mm and thinner.

Neoh. I am no light weight but I do use a single 8.1mm half rope as a lead line for easy stuff with hideous approaches. Think pinnacle buttress, 5 easy  in the tetons. etc  i have a 9.2mm Mammut that feels super rugged. 

As Soon knows, I am very old fashioned in such things. Yesterday I was belaying someone on a ‘shoe lace’—I have no idea of  what the diameter was, but it was awfully thin. I really had to work to control the lower of my pretty average weight partner. Super thin ropes make sense for alpine and red points on cutting edge routes, but to me they are not reasonable for normal cragging and, especially, as I experienced yesterday, in gyms.

At the moment, there are 9 ropes in my closet!   

This crowd is all destined for local sale, though, so, uh, I actually only own 4 ropes. Although that Boa 60m is mighty pretty....  

That short, skinny, one on the right was a puzzler for me, until I flipped it over:

Glacier rope! Okay, but this is Idaho??? Then I saw the ski mountaineering thingy. Okay, that seems reasonable! And, with these sorta uses approved for a single line? So does you guys using skinny cords for your easy for you stuff. This is the smallest cordage I've been around, so far. 

Why all these ropes?

Our little local gear shop is closing.

I had access to cash, the timing was good, so I grabbed all the ropes and rather a lot of cams. Literally paid cash, right now, when the dude needs it. I'll sell the ropes here, and the cams will go online later this spring. 

He got fast cash ahead of whenever it gets down to a fire sale, others will get some brand new gear at a bit of a discount, my friend who will sell it will get a "cut".... win win win win. My friend already has certain people in mind who need some kindness. I love when things like this happen, and particularly love being able to help others!

Best, Helen

when I was developing a lot of sport routes i always bought 10mm or fatter until I ran into a super good deal on a Roca 9.8mm . I loved that rope and it was super durable so I bought a 2nd roca 9.8 and still have that one. the 9.2 Mammut that I won @ ice bash doesn't feel particularly skinny or light for that matter. I am kind of used to half ropes so any single seems like a monster to me. 

Alan Rubinwrote:

As Soon knows, I am very old fashioned in such things. Yesterday I was belaying someone on a ‘shoe lace’—I have no idea of  what the diameter was, but it was awfully thin. I really had to work to control the lower of my pretty average weight partner. Super thin ropes make sense for alpine and red points on cutting edge routes, but to me they are not reasonable for normal cragging and, especially, as I experienced yesterday, in gyms.

Ah geez....

Someone had an alpine rope when I was in a group of friends. 4 climbers, 3 ropes up, loads of fun....

Until I tried belaying my friend who, well, is a BIG guy. Belaying a refrigerator, basically. 

Fortunately, my almost brand new belayer self had been carefully reading MP....and some guy named rgold. I grabbed another carabiner, to add friction to the ATC belay, an i beam type, as it turned out. Wow! What a heck of a lot of friction THAT was! Okay, let's do 2 carabiners....big fat ones. 

Ahhhhhh......

Still, years later, when we again met up with my friend this season?

He sheepishly admitted he likely "topped 250".

I had my climbing partner belay him, and was entertained to watch him sliding across the dirt, even with his 175, 180ish pounds! Welcome to my world!   

Best, Helen

We must be pretty neolithic. We usually have one lead rope (a 70m 9.4 or so) and use it until it begins to wear. We then cut it in two to provide two gym ropes (these are more than long enough for our gym and ones we have visited). We then use these "gym" ropes until they develop sheath "issues" and then (either cut off the ends or retire). These short ropes do double duty as TR ropes at places like Woodson or Rubidoux.

When we were climbing outside nearly every weekend (when we were much younger), we would go through two to three lead ropes a year. Now, it is sad to observe, that we end up buying a new 70m outdoor rope when the gym ropes are ready to retire, rather than the reverse. When we climb with friends, they have rope(s) as well, so have never felt the need to have a "quiver" of different ones.

We are probably going to acquire a second outdoor rope for road trips (we hope to get out this Summer), when a second rope is needed for rappels.