Climbing Gear

Rock Climbing Gear
By Roz Curtis

Rock climbing is an extreme sport which uses different gear to ensure a safe and efficient climb. It is important to know what type of climbing activity to pursue to be able to buy necessary equipment to use.

Climbing Ropes

They are essential safety equipment used in rock climbing and are made from braided nylon fibers. It is important to check the quality and construction of this rock climbing gear to see its strength can hold a person’s weight. Two type of climbing ropes are used: the dynamic and static rope. Dynamic ones are able to stretch under tension, especially during a fall. Static ropes do not have that flexibility, but are used in cases where a rope needs to be firm under tension, such as during rappelling.

Climbing Harnesses

They provide security and support for climbers. A typical harness used in climbing has a sewn nylon belt placed on the waist, and a pair of leg loops for the thighs. The support of the harness is directed towards the climber’s legs, making it comfortable for climbers during hang-ins.

Climbing carabiners

These rock climbing gear are constantly used. Carabiners are rings made of solid aluminium with a spring loaded gate to allow opening, and have different variations and designs. Most carabiners are inexpensive, strong, and versatile. It is important to be reminded that a climbing carabiner is safe until its gate is opened.

Active Protection: Spring-Loaded Camming Devices

A spring loaded camming device (SLCD) consists of a stem with an axle at one end holding four spiral-shaped spring-loaded cams. Climbers use this rock climbing gear to have a mechanism to retract the cams and place it in an area pointing down. It is then released which allows the mechanism to spring back against the rock making it more secure.

Passive Protection: Slings, Hexes, Nuts, Tricams

Passive protection uses different rock climbing gear which can be placed securely with no moving parts. Slings, hexes, nuts, and tricams have different specific uses. Generally they are lightweight, and are wedged into cracks of rock with difficulty in removing from one section, but easy to remove in another.

Climbing Helmets

Helmets are essential for protection in any type of climbing activity. These rock climbing gear are made from different kinds of materials such as plastic or fiberglass, and have an inner shell made of foam or a harness system. They should not be tight, but comfortable and have an adjustable chin strap. It should provide proper ventilation, and consider placing importance in choosing the right weight for your needs.

Roz Curtis has been practicing rock climbing for five years and writes articles for ABC-of-RockClimbing. Feel free to become a part of their community.

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Making Sure You Have the Right Climbing Ropes
By Victor Epand

Many climbers are hard on climbing ropes, but they do not try to be it is just the way it turns out, especially with all the climbing that they do in different areas. You may clean your ropes and use a rope bag to keep them out of the dirt and rocks, but some times it is hard to keep them dry, but still your ropes end up becoming pretty worn out. When a climber looks down at their blackened palms, then you know that your ropes are telling you that they need to be washed. Many climbers can not figure out what it is that they do that is so hard on them, but it does put them in a great position to search for new ropes to purchase.

There are a lot of ropes on the market these days and depending on what kind of climbing you are going to be doing that is the key to choosing the correct rope. The New England Ropes G-50 10.5mm 50 meter are the maxim climbing rope, which are made in New England, who keeps the prices of their ropes down by offering the rope with limited options. The G-50 has a very supple feel to it and feeds through the belay device very well and there are no frills to this rope.

This rope can be used to top-rope, rappel, and to lead sport and trad pitches. This rope is ideally suited for beginning climbers. Beginners are going to be doing mostly top-roping, rappelling, working a route, and this rope would suit all of those needs. New England also offers the G-50 in a 60 meter configuration that will be called the G-60.

Another great rope on the market today is the Blue Water Lightning Pro 60 meters Double Dry, so when it comes to ropes thin is in, and the Blue Water Lightning Pro is one of the thinnest ropes on the market. The Lightning Pro lives up to its name as well being the lightest single rope on the market at 9.6 mm and weighing in at less than fifty-eight grams per meter. The Lightning Pro is a great rope and is initially meant for alpine climbing at the extremes, it is also being used by top sport climbers for hard red points.

Clipping the quick draws on a sport route was very smooth and the Double Dry treatment and low profile lets it feed through the biners with little resistance, not to mention keeping the rope from getting soaked. This rope handles really well while climbing and while belaying. The Lightning Pro is offered in two colors, as well as a bi-color where the rope changes weave patterns at the midpoint, and in 50, 60, 70 meter configurations.

Another rope is the Sterling 10.2 mm 60 meter Dry Rope, which is a nice compromise of strength and weight. The Sterling 10.2 mm rope is a good all-around climbing rope and this rope is at home on sport routes, trad routes, ice climbing, top-roping, basically whatever you can throw at it. This rope was nice to climb with and handled well in the protection and the belay devices. The better braid technology that this rope has gives it a tight weave to the sheath, which makes the rope feel very secure and makes it resistance to wear. The DryCore treatment is applied to every fiber to control the absorption of water, but this rope has a little bit of a tendency to twist, which comes in 50, 55, 60, and 70 meter lengths as well as custom lengths.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for sweatpants, sweatshirts, outdoor gear, sports clothing, and model motorcycles. Click here when you want to find sweatpants, sweatshirts, climbing ropes.

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