Bouldering and Climbing

[Mutzo Nutzo]

I speak enough French to have one of the cheaper guides - problem is ‘mountain fitness’. I’m tall and gangly so do well at ‘climbing’ mountains in this country but I’ve never had any experience of climbing at proper altitude.

There’s only one way to train to climb mountains and that is to climb mountains.

Get yourself to Snowdonia and climb everything. Increase your pack load each time you go. Your target should be to to be able to walk in the mountains for upto 8 hours at a time carrying a 30kg pack.

When you’re at that level then you know you’re ready (fitness wise) to tackle a big peak.

Other than that Id suggest doing a winter mountaineering course in Scotland that covers use of crampons, ice axes, self arrest, crossing glaciers and crevasse rescue.

Then you’re ready

As for altitude, you’ll never know if it will affect you until it happens and it can affect anyone. Just climb slow and sleep low!

Take time to acclimatise.

 

[Hickson9]

Firstly, for anyone who wants to see what indoor bouldering is about, the British bouldering cup from the weekend is on the BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/54185083

I know one of the climbers, Louis Parkinson, and he is a top, top bloke, plus a ludicrously good boulderer.

So I've done lots of indoor and outdoor bouldering over the last 5 years. Indoors I've done a few V6s. Top tip is get to Font in France as soon as you can. As with all climbing, outdoors is a whole different ball game.

Also done a fair bit of indoor and outdoor sport climbing. There is lots of good sport all over the UK but in particular down in Portland for those of us in the South.

Also done it in Spain a fair bit, in France (Chamonix is great) and in Italy.

Best outdoors grade is a 6C+, I just can't do it enough to break in to the 7s (and will be awful now considering I havent climbed outdoors since going to Mallorca summer 2019).

Also done a bit of (beginners) ice climbing in Italy. It is very cool, and gets you to some beautiful locations.

Started indoor bouldering again the past few weeks and the decline is depressing, but just want to have fun with it and build back up slowly!

 

[Hickson9]

There’s only one way to train to climb mountains and that is to climb mountains.

Get yourself to Snowdonia and climb everything. Increase your pack load each time you go. Your target should be to to be able to walk in the mountains for upto 8 hours at a time carrying a 30kg pack.

When you’re at that level then you know you’re ready (fitness wise) to tackle a big peak.

Other than that Id suggest doing a winter mountaineering course in Scotland that covers use of crampons, ice axes, self arrest, crossing glaciers and crevasse rescue.

Then you’re ready

As for altitude, you’ll never know if it will affect you until it happens and it can affect anyone. Just climb slow and sleep low!

Take time to acclimatise.

I've got friends who did a winter mountaineering course in Scotland and said it was great.

They then did an Alpine course in Chamonix which sounded awesome (I was on the same trip but stuck to hiking and sport) They're intending on doing Mount Blanc at some point now.

 

[Woolverhampton_Blue]

Firstly, for anyone who wants to see what indoor bouldering is about, the British bouldering cup from the weekend is on the BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/54185083

I know one of the climbers, Louis Parkinson, and he is a top, top bloke, plus a ludicrously good boulderer.

So I've done lots of indoor and outdoor bouldering over the last 5 years. Indoors I've done a few V6s. Top tip is get to Font in France as soon as you can. As with all climbing, outdoors is a whole different ball game.

Also done a fair bit of indoor and outdoor sport climbing. There is lots of good sport all over the UK but in particular down in Portland for those of us in the South.

Also done it in Spain a fair bit, in France (Chamonix is great) and in Italy.

Best outdoors grade is a 6C+, I just can't do it enough to break in to the 7s (and will be awful now considering I havent climbed outdoors since going to Mallorca summer 2019).

Also done a bit of (beginners) ice climbing in Italy. It is very cool, and gets you to some beautiful locations.

Started indoor bouldering again the past few weeks and the decline is depressing, but just want to have fun with it and build back up slowly!

Respect for sharing your experience mate.

If you don’t mind - share how you got into climbing in general. Any tips for improving?

I’ve only got one friend who has ice climbed but it’s incredibly dangerous? Wouldn’t attempt it personally.

 

[Woolverhampton_Blue]

I've got friends who did a winter mountaineering course in Scotland and said it was great.

They then did an Alpine course in Chamonix which sounded awesome (I was on the same trip but stuck to hiking and sport) They're intending on doing Mount Blanc at some point now.

Have looked at the winter mountaineering courses. Fairly expensive but no doubt invaluable.

There are two clubs near me who have members performing a wide range of activities. Obviously due to the current situation all activities and meets are suspended.

Found a good site for programmes that aim at getting ‘mountain fit’. Going to start this six week one as best I can.

6 week beginner mountaineering fitness plan

Ali Alami Here's a rough 6 week training plan to get in shape for hiking/mountaineering. This will is a good plan for getting in shape to climb Mt. St. Helen…

www.fitclimb.com

 

[Kurt.]

Through my old job I was lucky enough to meet a young fella named Callum Muskett. One of the nicest, genuinely down to earth lad next door types you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. I knew nothing of him before our first indoor climbing session but he was to be our instructor. After the session another climber asked me if I knew who Callum was , I explained I’d only met him that day, I was advised to google his name, turns out he’s one of if not the best climber in the uk ( or was when we met 3 years ago). If you’re interested google his name and have a look at his stuff, genuinely staggering.

 

[Hickson9]

Respect for sharing your experience mate.

If you don’t mind - share how you got into climbing in general. Any tips for improving?

I’ve only got one friend who has ice climbed but it’s incredibly dangerous? Wouldn’t attempt it personally.

I have a Scottish friend who was in to climbing and a big group of us starting going with him in 2015. My partner and I were both part of that group, have since gotten together and now climb together, which definitely helps with keeping it up. Near enough all of our holidays abroad since 2015 have been climbing focused.

Bouldering indoors is the most accessible (only need chalk and shoes). You can go along and learn by watching and speaking to people. If you go twice a week you will progress quickly. When I am back in Liverpool I have gone to the Climbing Hanger up near Sandhills and it is very decent, and a lovely atmosphere. They've just opened up one in Speke I think as well.

Building up slowly to three times a week is ideal (pre-Covid, we were bouldering 3 times a week and doing sport once a week).

Don't do any campus board training until you have been climbing for a fair while, and when you do it, be sure to have someone there who knows what they are doing. It is very easy to injure yourself.

If you want to get in to sport climbing I'd recommend to anyone doing a paid training afternoon to get the basic skills. Knowing how to belay is key, particularly if the person is climbing lead (that is, they are taking the rope up so are mostly above the protection, where the rope is clipped in). You have to know when to give slack and when to take the rope in, unlike top rope when you just keep taking it in.

Remember for all climbing, outdoors is an entirely different ball game. So take it easy when you start out.

Multi pitching outdoors should only be done if you are experienced, have all of the relevant gear and have the right skills. And first time around, do a route where each stage is way below what you can climb.

Antagonistic training is very important. I use a finger resistance trainer (finger holes and you stretch outwards). Push ups/shoulder presses etc. are also key. Other antagonistic moves can be incorporated as you progress.

The ice climbing I have done was fine. The trainer took up all of the ropes, so we were always on top rope, and a lot of the fundamentals felt the same. Definitely more powerful than a lot of sport climbing though.

 

[Hickson9]

Have looked at the winter mountaineering courses. Fairly expensive but no doubt invaluable.

There are two clubs near me who have members performing a wide range of activities. Obviously due to the current situation all activities and meets are suspended.

Found a good site for programmes that aim at getting ‘mountain fit’. Going to start this six week one as best I can.

6 week beginner mountaineering fitness plan

Ali Alami Here's a rough 6 week training plan to get in shape for hiking/mountaineering. This will is a good plan for getting in shape to climb Mt. St. Helen…

www.fitclimb.com

It is something I haven't yet gotten in to, but it is definitely an expensive thing to try and learn.

My friends have raved about it though. They went up on the glaciers above Chamonix and it sounds like a very different, beautiful, World up there.

 

[Woolly Blue]

How come your Mt Blanc attempts failed? Weather?

Yea, the forecast was reasonable both times, but the weather turned pretty quickly so we had to turn with it and went and did a bit of lower level trekking instead.