Is Wind Aid?

Some heinous winds predicted to point directly at some of the walls at calico. Which makes me wonder…. If the wind helps you keep your hips and body pasted to the wall, maybe on particular overhanging moves that require serious body tension, is that aid?

Yes, wind is aid, the only way to reliably remove this factor is to climb in a vacuum. The ISS should suffice, but the approach is kinda hard. 

Grayson Gwrote:

Yes, wind is aid, the only way to reliably remove this factor is to climb in a vacuum. The ISS should suffice, but the approach is kinda hard. 

Cant wait for those low gravity days on mars

Grayson Gwrote:

Yes, wind is aid, the only way to reliably remove this factor is to climb in a vacuum. The ISS should suffice, but the approach is kinda hard. 

The ISS isn't a vacuum but it is near zero G. 

Alternate question: if the wind blows the chalk off the holds is it less aid?

Redacted Redactbergwrote:

Some heinous winds predicted to point directly at some of the walls at calico. Which makes me wonder…. If the wind helps you keep your hips and body pasted to the wall, maybe on particular overhanging moves that require serious body tension, is that aid?

Hurricanes are aide, anything else is fine.

Beaufort Scale goes from 0 to 17.

When rating a climb, one should certify the day was BS 3 or below. Alternately, days at BS 8 and above come with bragging rights and so should instead be noted in your route tick.

Many years ago I believe it was Messner while climbing the Lhotse Couloir noted that the wind was blowing so hard up the Western Cwm and the Lhoste face that it aided their ascent.

Sure can be the opposite, I've been in gusts that about blew me off the wall.

I was ice climbing at Lee Vining and the 40 to 70 mph down gusts did not aid in the climb. Sure made it interesting, though. 

Charlie Kissickwrote:

I was ice climbing at Lee Vining and the 40 to 70 mph down gusts did not aid in the climb. Sure made it interesting, though. 

Conditions good enough for a 4 hour drive up?

Don’t recall ever being aided by the wind. 

I do recall belaying my son on some runout lead with wind blowing rope in an arc sideways, thinking I hate the slack but also don’t want to pull him off by tightening up  

Another was a sibling on lead, buffeted by wind gusts and waiting for a pause to make some slab moves.

Suspect on slab is mostly worse.

Li Huwrote:

Conditions good enough for a 4 hour drive up?

It’s more like a 7 hour drive from the Bay Area. This was a couple of years ago. The conditions are fine if there’s not a big storm. It was sunny that day. Just super windy. Trucks were tipped over on 395. We went for it anyway. It was okay. You just had to hunker down for the big gusts.