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California Climbers: Urgent Action Needed

Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241
Paul Hutton wrote: Oh, so people are just trolling on here. I see.
People wouldn't troll on a joke thread. That is forbidden.

We really tape our outdoor routes here. For one, it maximizes the route potentials while also making the climber stronger. It is clean climbing, because we take the tape off and only keep a notebook of first ascents we made along with digital. It is all about the movement.
Nkane 1 · · East Bay, CA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 140
Colonel Mustard wrote: People wouldn't troll on a joke thread. That is forbidden. We really tape our outdoor routes here. For one, it maximizes the route potentials while also making the climber stronger. It is clean climbing, because we take the tape off and only keep a notebook of first ascents we made along with digital. It is all about the movement.
I object. This thread is no joke.
Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241
nkane wrote: I object. This thread is no joke.
I thought it was. Sorry. I mean, tape indoors??!!! LOL!
Paul Hutton · · Nephi, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 740
Colonel Mustard wrote: People wouldn't troll on a joke thread. That is forbidden. We really tape our outdoor routes here. For one, it maximizes the route potentials while also making the climber stronger. It is clean climbing, because we take the tape off and only keep a notebook of first ascents we made along with digital. It is all about the movement.
Oh, ok, well do what you do. I, personally, travel around to discover new potential and challenges and scenery. I can imagine that climbing the same 5.9 would make you want a 5.10 to see if you can do it. Someone typed up that long-ass original post to joke? A fake topic?
Paul Hutton · · Nephi, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 740
Colonel Mustard wrote: I thought it was. Sorry. I mean, tape indoors??!!! LOL!
As the Italians say to a male to praise him-- "BRAVO!" Or is the gender you label yourself as on here a joke, just because I say it is?

Io sono Americana e capisco sarcasmo bene. translate.google.com
Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241

Non si lodano le donne?

Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974
Paul Hutton wrote: I can't even comprehend why anyone would wanna do that. So, there's a hold there and if the tape blew off or got washed away by the rain, it's off route?
That's why most folks around here are now using paint to mark outdoor holds instead of tape.
Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241
Mark E Dixon wrote: That's why most folks around here are now using paint to mark outdoor holds instead of tape.
Wow! That's a good idea. Thanks!
Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974
Colonel Mustard wrote: Wow! That's a good idea. Thanks!
And you can just paint over with a new color whenever you want.
Dan Austin · · San Francisco, CA · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 0

Using same colored holds and getting rid of tape = best climbing gym trend of 2015

mediocre · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 0
Dan Austin wrote:Using same colored holds and getting rid of tape = best climbing gym trend of 2015
Indoor or outdoor climbing gyms?
Ryan M Moore · · Philadelphia, PA · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 35

Here in Philly we use this to paint the holds. Lets you know which holds are "on" AND gives better grip. jegs.com/i/Eastwood/352/150…

Aaron Liebling · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 947

I don't think anyone is complaining about getting rid of tape on the whole route when using same colored holds. The issue is not having any tape on at least the starting holds, since they all turn a dirty, dark grey pretty quickly; making it impossible to tell what route they belong to. This is particularly a problem in a densely set bouldering gym (like dogpatch).

Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974

Is anybody experimenting g with glow in the dark paint yet? Seems like it could be really handy on moonless nights.

Paul Hutton · · Nephi, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 740
Colonel Mustard wrote:Non si lodano le donne?
Brava
Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241
Paul Hutton wrote: Brava
Touche.
Forthright · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 110

Want to know why it's a problem at dog patch? Cause they never clean.

Roped routes in gyms have been doing this for years. So what if you have to spend a few minutes more finding a little foot chip. YOU'RE GYM CLIMBING. No one from DPM or rock and I've is going to interview you after sending a v12 inside. Also complaining about having to find a small or disguised hold? Welcome to an outside climbing problem.

Nkane 1 · · East Bay, CA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 140
NorCalNomad wrote: Also complaining about having to find a small or disguised hold? Welcome to an outside climbing problem.
I'm very happy you brought this up! But let's talk about why indoor climbing is actually quite different from gym climbing, especially with respect to identifying holds.

Outside, everything is on. Every nubbin, every crystal, every smedge, every crack. Unless, of course, you live in some godforsaken place like Pennsylvania and you have to resort to climbing eliminates in order to justify the gas you burned waiting in traffic on the Blue Route trying to get to your scruffy boulder.

Inside, of course, only the holds on the route are on. Normally, the ones you want to step on are helpfully identified by colorful tape! If you rely on a hold on a different route, you have made your route easier. This robs you of the challenge you set out to experience.

There is an important cognitive difference between the two approaches. Outside, you see it, you step on it. Inside, there's an intermediate step: you have to ask, "is this hold on?" With colorful tape, it's an easy answer. But without tape, when every foothold is the same slate-brown, the analysis of what color the hold is adds a moment of hesitation. And hesitation, we all surely agree, leads to failure.

Now maybe, NorCalNomad, you're OK with this situation. I don't know you. Maybe mediocrity is a state that brings you comfort. I doubt it, though, because you seem like a nice guy. And me, when I see a problem that is easily fixed, a problem that doesn't have to exist, a problem that we, together as climbers and as paying gym customers can solve so easily, I speak out. And that's why I'm asking you to speak out as well. Let's not settle for a crappy system. Let's fix this.

NorCalNomad wrote:Want to know why it's a problem at dog patch? Cause they never clean.

Actually, Dogpatch does a pretty good job of rotating problems and keeping things clean. The indistinguishable black hold issue is inherent to any system that lacks colored tape. Smeary footchips blacken within days. It would cost orders of magnitude more for a gym to individually clean every foothold than to take the obvious, proven solution and simply use tape. This shouldn't even bear mentioning, but I'll explain why: If there is tape, it doesn't matter what color the hold is. Because you can look at the tape to tell if the hold is on.

NorCalNomad wrote:Roped routes in gyms have been doing this for years.
If gyms want to emulate Rockreation in LA, nothing we can do will save them. They're in God's hands now.

NorCalNomad wrote: No one from DPM or rock and I've is going to interview you after sending a v12 inside.

Speak for yourself.
Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241
NorCalNomad wrote:No one from DPM or rock and I've is going to interview you after sending a v12 inside.
You haven't been following the career arc of Sierra Blair-Coyle? Good for you.
Hillis Coward · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 20

LOL Gym climber calls someone else mediocre LOL

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern California
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