lemon_boy wrote:
For the person who first asked the question about adding weight while climbing, here are several examples where I have used the tactic, or feel that it would have been beneficial.
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First example
I was working on a bolted sport route, about 90 feet tall with very sustained climbing up to a difficult rest at about 80 feet. Above that is sort of a boulder problem that takes you to a difficult anchor clip. I had tried the route quite a few times, and had the movements pretty wired. I was able to climb very quickly through the sustained part, and felt like I was climbing pretty well. When I first would get to the rest, I wasn’t really pumped, but after a few moments the pump would finally catch up and it was grim. I would milk the rest for about 15 minutes, which was kind of strenuous in its own way. Then, as I would tackle the last 10 feet, it felt like somebody had put a concrete block in my chalkbag. I absolutely could not clip the anchors, and would slither off every time.
Finally, I decided to do the route a couple times with an 11mm rope tied as a trail line to my haul loop. Right off the bat, on the middle section I could tell that I really needed to get forward on my feet a bit more. The rest spot became more strenuous, and the final boulder problem was brutal. After a few tries with the trail line, I was in the same boat as I was before. The following day, I ditched the trail line, and when I hit the rest spot I felt quite a bit better. The last section felt better, and I felt a lot more confident (which was key). I was finally able to clip the anchors.
In reply to:
Second example
I had been doing quite a bit of crack cragging when a friend called and asked if I wanted to do a route on the diamond. The only problem was that he wanted to do it at the beginning of November. Immediately I realized that I was going to have to climb with a small pack to carry water, shoes to walk off, and extra clothes. So, for a couple weeks, I spent some time climbing steep cracks with a pack containing these sorts of items. I definitely feel this was beneficial. ...
