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drew_jones
May 21, 2002, 6:23 PM
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I think that I could consider myself a newborn newbie to climbing. I just started yesterday, and I am looking for some advice on many things. I have a membership in a gym and the owner/instructor is great. Yesterday he helped me, and he pushed me in the bouldering room! I was just wondering how many times I should go a week. I was thinking three, and that is what my instructor told me. I was also wondering if I should buy gear so soon, or if I should rent gear for about a month or so and then buy some gear. Another question related to that is what are some good shoes for a begginner? I think that is all that I can think of right now.
Thank you for your time.
Drew
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nikegirl
May 21, 2002, 6:32 PM
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WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You're in the right place!! Check out the Articles section...
Lots of information...articles on shoes,...helmet, all the stuffs you need to know about stretching.
Good information on climbing terms, too.
Tends to be overwhelming, in the beginning, not understanding what a highball is, or trad...or AHHHHHHHHHH!!! Lots of stuff.
Read up...enjoy. Ask lots of questions...never too many questions. And NEVER a question is dumb.
Welcome!
T
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dustinap
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May 21, 2002, 6:34 PM
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Be careful, climbing can be quite hard on your body.
Start out with what your body tells you, this may be once a week for the first month, or 5 times a week for the first month! More then likely I would say twice a week for the first few weeks, then bump it up alittle and see how your body reacts to it.
Right now I climb alot, and luckily I've never injured myself, except a broken ankle. I had this discussion when my friend felt something go wrong in his arm on Sunday. We had climbed alot, and I said if it were me I'd would stop right now, not climb for a week, then come back. I'd rather take a week off then hurt myself and not climb for a year.
[ This Message was edited by: dustinap on 2002-05-21 11:34 ]
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sharmagod
May 21, 2002, 6:35 PM
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Thanks T!!!Seems like some PEOPLE don't like that last question I posted.I personally don't see anything wrong with it.
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sharmagod
May 21, 2002, 6:43 PM
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If I were you I would hold off on the gear.Rent gear and climb until you know your pretty sure your going to stick with it.As for shoes....a good pair for beginners are the all around shoes.Five Ten Spires are the ones I got.Their pretty decent but yet you may find a better pair.Do some research.Don't just rush to do it.You did post this question though which was not a bad idea.As for climbing.....yeah I would say your thinking pretty good in going 3 days a week.
When I first started off I was hooked and found it hard to take days off.All that did was kill me physically.Injuries, injuries and more injuries.
Only you will know how many days you should take off and when to take it.
Thats all I have to say for now.
Have fun!!!
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cajunclimbere
May 21, 2002, 7:08 PM
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Welcome drew_jones YES If your starting off this is for sure the place to be everybody’s real nice and willing to help I am still sort of a newbie myself there is sooooo much to learn about this great sport. (Try to learn it all) not at once of course. The number one thing is safety safety and then maybe some more safety LEARN SAFTEY. Again welcome and I hope you enjoy this sport some of us call life.
Cilmb Hard But Safe
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drew_jones
May 21, 2002, 10:55 PM
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Thank you a lot for the advice. I will just gauge myself and have a lot of fun!
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starinack
May 21, 2002, 11:34 PM
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you know, I have somewhat of a same question about gears. I would definitely wait on the gears to see if I'd stick with it. But, anybody have any ideas about what if I started climbing outdoors? I think it's harder to get the gears. Am I rite?
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topher
May 21, 2002, 11:58 PM
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AS FOR FOOT WEAR I WOULD RECOMEND GETTING A PAIR OF BOREL DIABLOES. I HAVE THEM, AND REALLY LIKE THEM, THERE ONLY LIKE 97$ CAN, SO THATS NOT TO BAD. AS FOR GEAR, I WOULD WAIT FOR A LITTLE, ONCE YOUR SHURE ITS FOR YOU GO NUTS. ONE WORD OF ADVICE, TRY REAL ROCK FIRST BEFORE YOU BUY LOTS O GEAR. I KNOW PPL THAT STARTED GYM CLIMBING AND THEN WENT TO ROCK AND DIDNT LIKE IT AS MUCH. ANY WAY HAVE FUN AND STAY SAFE
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miagi
May 22, 2002, 12:09 AM
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Three days a week is a good estimate. You can do more or less, but it is all related to how your body reacts to the forces being put against it. If you have no pain and your not sore after 3 days of climbing, why not climb some more. If you climb 2 days and your tendons start to hurt then take a break. Listen to your body, it will tell you how much you should climb.
As for your gear buying: Do you want to bring up climbing as a serious hobby? If you are absolute certain that you are getting into this sport for good, go ahead and buy the gear. It is a waste if your using potential gear money on rentals.
For your shoes - The best "design" you should go for are lace up's. You really don't want slippers as your first shoe because they are painful and new climbers are definitely not adapt to that yet. It is better to be adjusted into lace up's, then slippers. The reason why lace up's are less painful is because you size them with your toes flat opposed to your toes curled in a slipper for a tight fit. As for which brand name of shoe, there are many. The best bet is to just look at price. The best prices on shoes are at http://www.sportextreme. They have shoes that are half off the retail!!!!!!! All the shoes on sport extreme are realtively good choices no matter what you get. They are all brand name
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lmorton
May 22, 2002, 12:47 AM
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let me caution you about how much you climb when you're starting out.
climbing injuries, especially to tendons, take forever to heal. if you experience pain (outside of muscle fatigue and skin soreness) TAKE TIME OFF.
stretching and strengthening are super important. ALWAYS warm up before you climb, and when you do climb, start on an easy route.
as for shoes...5.10 huecos worked well for me. the sportiva mythos are kind of expensive, but also very good. if you know you like climbing, there's no sense in waiting to get gear, at least not a harness and some shoes. hold off buying gear for outdoor climbing (rope, carabiners, slings, etc) until you've gone a few times and somebody who knows the ropes has taught you a thing or two. if you are attentive, you will learn incredibly quickly. if you become addicted to this website, you will learn even more quickly!!!
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mitchal
May 22, 2002, 1:02 AM
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Hi,
the first peice of gear I got was a BD momentum harness.Then I shopped around and found the "Boreal Diablo's" at barabbes.com for a bit over $50.Then all gitout broke loose and I buy more gear all the time.I made sure I wanted to make climbing a definate thing before I started shelling out the deniros.Next thing will be a bigger pack to carry it all in!
Climb as much as your body tells you you can.The advice on this site is the BEST!Look around and do a LOT of research on stuff before you try or buy it.
Welcome to climbing!
Climb Happy,and SAFE,SAFE,SAFE,SAFE,SAFE!!!!!!
Mitch
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stevematthys
May 22, 2002, 2:37 AM
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welcome, have fun and be safe
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rock_climbin_06
May 22, 2002, 9:46 PM
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Hey I think me and you could become good friends! I am a newbie like you. Good luck in the future with the rocks. Its a sport you will love!
-Adam
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drew_jones
May 23, 2002, 1:33 AM
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Hey thanks man!
I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I am hoping to. I am hoping to make this a life long love.
Drew
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bigga
May 26, 2002, 12:44 AM
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Hey,
I also pretty much just started climbing and I want to tell you its addictive. About shoes, you might wanna do what I did.
Go to climbingshoes.com, they only sell 3 types of climbing shoes which are very cheap and excellent for the begginner as they are more comfortable which is quite important for the beginner climber. I bought the kermit which is great. It grips fine, and less scrunchy, though no doubt when I move onto much more technical climbs I will need a tighter fitting shoe...
just some food for thaught
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k2exp2010
May 26, 2002, 1:38 AM
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Welcome to the climbing world!
Going to the gym three times a week is a good frequency. Keep it slow in the beginning and then gradually increase as you feel more comfortable. Eventually get outdoors. You'll want the gym only for rainy and snowy days.
Go to an outdoors-store. Pick a few that fall into your price-range. Here's a tip: you don't need expensive shoes as a beginner doing low-grade routes. Once you have a few lined up, try them on. Choose the one that fits better than the rest. They should fit snug. Your feet should conform to the shape of the shoes and not the other way around. Make sure you are comfortable with the laces, elastic, zipper or velcro. Ask the store about their return policy on their shoes. Trying them on in the store for a few minutes may differ from wearing them for an hour on the rocks.
Stay with us here and let us know how you're doing with the climbing.
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