Trad Climbing is pretty gear intensive, Cams, nuts quickdraws, hexes, nut tools: where to start? The gear market has exploded in the last decade and with so much to go at, its hard to know which gear, and how much of it, to chose. Below, I will explain the difference types of trad climbing gear, and look at putting together a rack.

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Active Protection
Active pro is, simply put, equipment that has moving parts to wedge itself into the crack in order to hold a fall. The obvious example, and most commonly used on a trad rack, is cams. There are a variety of other specialist bfs of kit such as sliders and even Try-Cams which count as active protection/

​Active protection is generally easier and quicker to place and clean and be more versatile in cracks of differing size., 

Karabiners 
SO many types! These come in all shapes and sizes. Screwgate karabiners are what we recommend that you use to secure yourself to anchors.

Quickdraws
Quickdraws are an essential part of any trad rack. This is what we use to link our rope to the protection we have placed. Length is important here, as too short quickdraws will result in a lot of rope drag. We recommend "alpine draws," these are extendable and make a huge difference to rope-drag. 

Slings
Slings are used to extend protection, to put around spikes, sling threads and to equalise belay anchors. the key length is 8ft, these are the most useful and widely used slings in a trad rack. It can useful to have one 16ft sling for building belay anchors. 
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Understanding what sizes of protection to buy, and how one make corresponds with another can be confusing. Below we will lay out an example of a starting rack. I would recommend that once you begin buying kit, to keep the same make of equipment in the same type. By always buying DMM Cams, for example, you can ensure that when you buy different sizes, they fit in well with the rest of your rack. 

Ok, so below I have listed what I consider to be an example starter rack for Trad Climbing:

• 1x set DMM Wallnuts size 1 - 12 
• 1 x set DMM Torque Nuts
• 8 x DMM Spectre 2 Quickdraw (18cm)
• 2 x DMM 11m Dynatec Sling (120cm)
• 1 x DMM 11m Dynatec Sling (240cm)
• 4 x DMM Sentinal Karabiner
• 1 x DMM Bug Belay Plate with DMM Ceros Karabiner
• 1 x DMM Nutbuster

Please note that I have added DMM Torque Nuts above as they are cheaper than Cams. If the budget will stretch, or after a while, I would reccomend DMM Dragon Cams, starting with sizes 1, 2 and 3. Gradually build up the cam rack from there!

If you are planning to climb a lot of multi pitch routes, this would be more suitable:

• 2x set DMM Wallnuts size 1 - 12 
• DMM Dragon Cams Sizes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• 10  x DMM Spectre 2 Quickdraw (18cm)
• 2x "Alpine draws" Made each from 2 x Spectre Karabiners and 1x 8mm Dyntatec sling (30cm)
• 3 x DMM 11m Dynatec Sling (120cm)
• 1 x DMM 11m Dynatec Sling (240cm)
• 6 x DMM Sentinal Karabiner
• 1 x DMM Bug Belay Plate with DMM Ceros Karabiner
• 1 x DMM Nutbuster

NOTE: We are not sponsored by DMM! But truly believe that their hardware is the best in the business. We rely on it both as climbers and as professionals, so believe you can too!

Look out for a post soon on how to rack your new shiny gear on your harness. In the meantime, if you develop any questions regarding the above, please just shoot in the comments or drop us a line :) 
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Sometimes.... they just fitted BETTER in the shop!!

For rock shoes that are just too tight, put them on and take a hot shower. Wear them around the house until they feel like they have stretched.  Stuff with newspaper to dry, and go climbing in them while they are still damp. Afterwards, re-stuff with paper.
You can stretch most shoes a full size using this method, although the amount of stretch depends in part on whether the upper is leather or synthetic and whether the shoe is lined. An unlined leather shoe will stretch more than a lined one, or a synthetic one.
Stretching shoes to this extreme can cause “rand bulge,” where your foot is so crammed in the shoe it presses against the rand, forcing it to bulge out and over the edge of the sole, compromising edging ability.
Not ideal, of course but often a good way to actually make use of those shoes that fitted SO perfectly in the comfort of V12 Outdoors, but after a couple of very painful climbs, just cannot be worn any more...

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One of our Instructors, Charlie, recently took a trip south to escape the British Winter....


As the “coldest winter in 50 years” didn't materialise, and I had lots of free time, I decided to hedge my bets and book a flight to the mountains of the South of France to visit a friend and climb some ice. 

One of the marvellous things about the Climbing Community is that everyone is ashtonishingy friendly and accommodating. I have, on multiple occasions, been invited to stay and climb with people that I've only met once or twice and of course, offered the same. This makes getting away and seeing new places great fun, with the benefit of local knowledge, and keeps the cost down! What's not to like?
In preparing for a trip, packing is an essential part. Unlike heading off to Tenerife where you just need some swimwear and suncream, an outdoor trip is a little more involved. This can be made easier by breaking it down into areas though, just as you would for your normal beach holiday. So instead of swimming stuff, fancy clothes and a walk kit, you need to work out the areas that are important for your trip. As I was heading out for some winter climbing I had the obvious areas of climbing hardwear (ice screws, harness, helmet), clothing (which I break up into head/hands, base layers, warm layers and waterproof layers) and footwear. It's easy to forget the little things, so you need to check through different eventualities, such as taking longer than expected (head torch), injury (first aid) equipment damage (gaffa tape). All of this on top of your usual packing routine and normal things (like socks).
You should have backup plans. I was heading with the intention of ice climbing, but given that I was going to escape the warm UK weather, I went prepared for equally warm European weather, which turned out to be very wise as we ended up sort Climbing as well. 
Having landed at Nice airport, I was met by my friend Marj in her classic battered old French car. Now I was in France! We headed back to her house to be met by her other half, Alex who I was to climb with the next day as she had work! Sorry Marj...
They have such a lovely homely place, with an open fire in the living area, massive comfortable sofas and some pets looking very inquisitively at their new arrival. They are well sorted for their outdoor lifestyle, with the 'shed' (more like an outhouse) that has been fully setup for all their outdoor kit. With ropes, bags, gear, skis and much more all hung out in it's own specific area to dry out and store. It was like a smaller version, but no less organised, than something you'd find in Joe Brown’s or V12. They even had a workshop table which got utilised straight away for converting my Scottish winter tools, all dulled and blunted by numerous battles on the Cairngorm granite, to super sharp Euro ice crushing machines!

After dinner, we did what all sensible people looking to head into the winter mountains should do. Research! Luckily Marj and her partner are French, so we were able to check all the local websites for weather, avalanche risk, local climbing websites and anything else we could get our hands on. Knowledge is power as they say. It's a little bit of a dark art sifting through all the information out there and working out what to trust and what to disregard. Thinking back to home where the BBC give out a weather warning of 'severe snow storms coming' and advise you to stay at home and lock yourself away until spring with some hot coco and a book. Climbers and Mountaineers often rejoice at another's 'poor weather'. This means fresh snow, which is the beginnings of winter activities in the mountains. On the other hand if MWIS or SAIS says 'severe snow storms coming', then we batten down the hatches and get some coco and a good book as this advice really is to be heeded! The real tricky advice to sift through is climbing websites, such as UKClimbing, where people log their recent ascents and post small snippets about conditions. How do you know if this info is from a knowledgeable seasoned mountaineer or professional, or if it is just some chap that's only been out in the mountains for their first time and was lucky not to get avalanched. So he might think it was a great day, in great conditions unaware of having walked on a knifes edge all day and got away with it. This only comes from experience, and knowing what to trust and what not to. There is no shortcut here.
So after trawling round various websites, we worked out which valleys and aspects would be the safest given the conditions and opted for a nice 150m grade IV,5 icefall about an hour and a half north of us. The weather was looking like it was going to be a cold blue sky day. Perfect!

​After an hour's worth of jet pilot driving through the mountain roads by Alex in the old Dacia (definitely the most terrifying part of the trip), we arrived at a small village. We had a final kit check, phoned his mum to let her know where we were going and what time to expect a call later. This is a very important habit to get into, even if you're going on a gentle walk on Kinder in the summer. You never know when you'll sprain your ankle while falling into a bog, killing your phone in the process. Then last thing before we start the hour long walk into the icefall, transceivers on! Any time you're heading into avalanche prone areas, make sure you have one, as well as a shovel and a probe, and of course know how to use them.

​The walk was lovely, albeit through knee deep snow. The Alpine is so beautiful and picturesque,  so different to the UK: the sharp snowlined edges of the mountains; the carpets of pine trees covered in snow; and the sound of water way down in the  valley winding its way past all the old wooden alpine homes scattered about the valley.

​After an hour of trudging through deep snow, we gained sight of our objective for the day. The only problem was the stream we needed to cross to get the start of the route. Given the slightly warm conditions, there wasn't a nice frozen lid to the stream, and just some sloppy snow bridges which Alex kindly suggested I test out first as I was the lightest. Thanks Alex!
The ice was in great condition, but the recent snowfall impeded progress a little. By the time we got to the final pitch we decided the amount of fresh snow sitting at a steep angle wasn't worth the risk, so we set up an Abalokov thread and abseiled back down, via a bolt belay further down. It's always worth scoping out as much of the route as you can before you get on (binoculars are good here). Luckily, we got a great view from the other side of the valley before we started, so we already had a backup plan for when we got to the snowfield at the top incase it was as bad as it looked. Don't be afraid to back off a route if you're not comfortable with it. There are a whole host of skills that once learned weigh nothing, and give you lots of tools and tricks to get yourself out of tricky situations safely.

​Day 2 saw us as a team of 3 going to a much steeper and longer icefall in the next valley along. The walk in was about the same distance, but on a less travelled path and steeper. So we opted to bring the snowshoes after the previous day's snorkeling expedition through the soft snow. But the cold conditions overnight had caused much of the soft snow to consolidate. So it was much firmer and easier to walk on. This was also reassuring as it meant the avalanche risk had also gone down for the day. (Note, this isn't necessarily a hard and fast rule).

​This was a BEAST! The guidebook described it as the same size as the day before, but this was sustained 80 degree ice pretty much all the way, compared to the previous day's ice route which had large sections of 50 degree ice which you could almost run up. Climbing as a three can go one of two ways. Either you're switched on, and you can share all the jobs out between you, and you've got someone to chat to at the belays. Or you end up in a tangle and get really stressed out with all the ropes and slings and gear at belays. Luckily we were the former and had a fantastic day out, with Marj being thrilled to second the whole thing clean. Given that this was the first ice climbing she'd done in over 2 years, this was a great effort! This thing was STEEP!

​There were a couple of interesting sections higher up where we could hear the water running behind the ice against the rock. It was still ok to climb on, but if you kicked, or swung your axe too hard, you went straight through! It was quite unnerving at the belay when the second was hitting the ice, it was just reverberating under your feet. Good job there was a bolt belay.
On the way home we spotted a few avalanche debris fields from the previous few days when the warning had been high. The brief cold snap had consolidated things somewhat, but now it was getting warm again!

​The next few days were far too warm for playing on ice. So I headed for the coast for some bolt clipping. Remember folks, always pack a back up plan!! Packing rock shoes and a chalkbag weighs little, but can turn a write off winter trip into a impromptu sport climbing trip. I managed a day at Chou Chou Place crag, managing some great 30m sport routes.

​This was followed by a great adventurous day out on the amazing Arete du Marseille, overlooking, you guessed it, Marseille. This involved a jump/stretch between a finger of rock and the remaining ridge to the summit. Such an amazing route, and only 5c sport. Get yourselves there. The walk in is pretty spectacular too.

​The last day was the best day. We had planned to do a big alpine route, which we'd wanted to do since the start, but conditions hadn't allowed. But as I'd had so many days in a row doing big walk ins and pulling hard on sport routes, I was absolutely trashed. So instead, we decided to go hard! Opposite the big icefall we did on day 2 was a vertical ice pillar known as Cigare de La Vieille. It is a 20m vertical icicle that touches the floor when it's in condition, which it was, just.
After the walk in from the previous route, we then had a massive slog straight up the hill! The snow started to get pretty dubious and steep, so we opted to go one at a time in case the snow gave way, then the others would have a chance to spot and dig them out... By the time we had got to the icefall we were tired but psyched. It looked awesome!

​After gearing up and giving it a go on the lead, we decided the quality of ice wasn't enough that if we fell off, that an ice screw would hold. The ice was in good condition to climb, but there were quite a few air pockets, meaning the ice screw didn't have much purchase in the ice. So we decided not to risk it, and Alex and I missioned around to get to the top to set up a top rope.

​Once, we had carefully negotiated some further dubious slopes and got to the top, we rigged a top rope and abseiled down the icefall, checking the condition of it on the way down. We had made a wise choice. The higher up ice was more solid to take screws, but very fragile for climbing on. This would have meant that we could have just fallen off without warning before getting to ice that would have safely taken the life saving ice screws. Being a wimp paid off again!!
We had a great afternoon climbing the icefall and mucking about as it was our last day. Many antics were had and much tea was drunk before we finally headed back home for a final night feast!

​I hope you guys manage to get away on adventures soon, be it near or far. As long as you've got good company to have a laugh with, a flask of tea, and let the wimp in you make smart safe decisions, you'll have a great time. Remember, anytime you wimp out of doing something, it just means you've got an opportunity to come back another time for another adventure!! Stay safe folk, and enjoy yourselves.

The mountaineering axe is one of the essential tools for mountaineering. Whether you aspire to long walks in the Scottish Highlands, Beautiful Ridges in WInter or Classic Alpine Routes such as Trois Monts to Mont Blanc, then you need a mountaineering axe. 

What to Look For?

What's it made of?
Although wooden ice axes are retro cool, these should be avoided. They are unlikely to be strong enough to reallytake a battering, and most wooden axes are quite old now. Also avoid the "superlight" ice axes. These rae great for Ski Touring, but are not sufficient for mountaineering. 

How Long?
If you read some old-school mountaineering books they will tell you that an Ice Axe should be long enough to reach your ankle when the head is held in your hand with a straight arm. After these books were written there was also a "trend" to carry very short axes. As a general rule, longer axes are much better for your back (as you have to bend less) but too long and they become cumbersome and in the way. 

Mountaineering axes tend to come in 50cm, 55cm, 60cm and 65cm. Other lengths are available but these are the most common. I am 5' 11'' and carry a 55cm mountaineering axe. I would suggest that this is the most common length. If you are much taller, a 60cm is likely to be more comfortable. 

Rating? 
Axes will come with either a "B" or "T" rating. These stand for Basic and Technical. Essentially, a "T" rated shaft is strong enough to belay from, a "B" rated shaft is not. "B" rated axes should be fine for most hillwalking and trekking. If you are planning some lofty mountaineering goals, a "T" rate axe would be better.

What Shape?
Mountaineering axes are either straight, or have a slight bend. Avoid the Banana shaped shafts of technical climbing axes, as these are much harder to plunge in the snow. 

What Else?
There are lots of other "extras" with axes. Personally, I do not use a leash with my axe as it can get caught on your crampons and see you tripping over an edge! The only exception to this is when cutting steps, as I do not want my axe to fly out of my hand. I carry a leash or sling in my bag for these occasions. 

​Reccomendations?

We love the DMM Raptor and DMM Cirque. These are brilliant Ice Axes with a sensible price! Other good options include the Petzl Summit and Black Diamond Venom. 

So There you have it! Hopefully this has given you a better idea of what is out there. I would suggest the folowing:

If you are after a tool for General Mountaineering and Mountain Walking, then a single Mountaineering axe is for you.

Most Winter Climbers will use a Climbing axe with a Handle and Pommel. This is, realistically, the best suited axe for those operating in the lower to middle grade range (up to Grade Vish).

If you are climbing hard mixed and ice, then an axe with an ergomonic handle may well be for you. 

Like a lot of climbers, I have axes from each of the categories above for various types of climbing, and select the axe I take out based on what is most appropriate for the day's objectives. Personally, I use the Petzl Sum'Tec as my mountaineering axe, the Black Diamond Cobras and the Petzl Nomics for Winter Climbing, and I love them all!!

Be safe this winter! Always think ahead.

​Ryan



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​All Rights Reserved

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​Training for Climbing: Blog 2

Today, we will start with some definitions:

- Strength
- Power
- Aerobic Endurance
- Anaerobic Endurance

Climbers often use "strength" and "power" to mean the same thing, but they are, infact, distinctly different. 

Strength is the force a muscle generates.

Power is strength and speed, or explosive force. For example, moving slowly on small crimps requires strength. Moving quickly to a hold, latching it and holding on requires power.

Aerobic Endurance occurs when your body has a sufficient amount of oxygen to perform. An example of this would be climbing efficiently over easy to moderate terrain. The waste products of this are Carbon Dioxide and Water, both of which are easily expelled when breathing. A high Aerobic threshold is what people commonly refer to as "fitness."

Anaerobic Endurance refers to when there is not enough oxygen present. In this scenario, your body is demanding more oxygen to produce energy than you can provide. An example pf this os when you are sprinting for the top, or desperately pumped. Waste product of this is lactate, better known as "the pump!"

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Training

Today, we will look at training your aerobic system.

Training your aerobic energy system is important as it raises your "aerobic threshold." This is the most intense level of performance that can be sustained by the aerobic process. Essentially, training the aerobic system means that you can go for longer, and ultimately on harder ground, before getting pumped.

The most practical method for training this is climbing for long, sustained periods as close as possible to the aerobic threshold. Training regularly in this way will increase the aerobic zone, or help to prolong the pump. It will also help with grip control (over gripping gets you pumped faster!) and will aid recovery time on route.

So... What?

Sustained climbing at the aerobic threshold. This means climbing at an intensity that is "just before the pump" or at a level where you can sustain a mild pump.
One set of the above consists of continuous climbing for 25-35 minutes. This can be on a bouldering wall, or on a rope. If on a rope, you will need o keep lowering off during the set. This is ok, as long as you get straight back on!
One training session of this should consist of three or four sets of 25-35 minutes of continuous climbing. Try to do this twice a week.

Some things to consider:

You will probably have to vary the difficulty to stay "below the pump."

You need to judge this by feel; not too hard and not too easy. Getting pumped? Too hard. Feeling comfortable? Too easy. You should be breathing heavily after about 10 minutes.

Don't think that you need to stick to routes. Use any holds you want! This is training!



In summary, in order to get fitter for climbing and to prolong the climbing time before the pump sets in, we need to train with prolonged periods of climbing as described above. BUT don't forget to enjoy your climbing! Make sure you go climbing for climbing's sake, and not just for training.

​More Soon!!

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Welcome to our new series on Training for Climbing. In this series of blog posts we will aim to de-mystify the seemingly complicated world of training for climbing. Contrary to popular belief, "just going climbing lots" is not the most effective way to train for, and improve your climbing performance. 

Of course, we have all read the complicated books and articles on training, and for the vast majority, that is where the process ends, as it never seems to be written in a way that is easy to understand. 

By the end of this series, you will understand how to train, and how to write and follow your own training programme.


The first post of this series is about Training Principles. In order to understand how to train, it is important to grasp what works, and why it works.


Training Principles

Specificity: Your training needs to match the needs of the goal for which you are training. You will mostly gain physical adaptations in the systems that are stimulated by training. For example, there is little point in doing a lot of endurance training if your goal is a short, powerful bouldering problem.

Overload: You need to push your body's current capabilities in order to provide a catalyst for physical adaptation.
Essentially, you need to step out of your "comfort zone" and move beyond your routine. For example, if you can perform five pull ups, just doing this will not promote change. You need to increase the training stress by either increasing the number of pull ups, or the resistance. 

Recovery: Recovery is an absolutely essential component of any training programme. It is whilst resting that the muscles repair and our energy supplies are topped up.
It is during this recovery period that our body will adapt to the stimulus provided by training.
Conversely, overtraining and under-recovery can lead to injury and a long time off climbing!

Reversibility: Physical adaptations achieved through training are reversible. Essentially, they can be lost if you stop training. As a general rule, the harder they are to get, the longer it takes for them to go. Regular training is required for progression.

Regularity: Training isn't much use it you only do it once or twice and expect dramatic results. Regular training sessions (at least twice a week) are required for progression.

Progression: As you adapt and improve, the overload should increase. This will ensure consistant and ongoing improvement. 

Variation: Your training must be constantly varied. Your body will adapt to a new load relatively quickly, and therefore progression will halt. Changing up your training routine regularly "keeps your body guessing" and forces it to keep adapting to new training loads.

Individualisation: Everybody is different and will respond differently to training. Therefore, your training programme should be specific to you. Personalising a training programme can be challenging, and requires observation as to what is working and what is not.

Transfer: Transfer refers to transferring the new found skills and performance to the goal-focused arena. For example, if your project is somewhere very hot, it would make sense to conduct so,e of your training in hot temperatures, so as to prepare yourself to perform in this environment. 

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Any good progressive training programme should be put together with the above principles in mind. It is incredibly important to understand the underlying principles before embarking on a training phase, in order to ensure that the maximum progression can be achieved. 

​Next Post Soon!!

Welcome to our new Website and Blog!

You can still see all of our previous blog posts at: http://horizonexpeds.blogspot.co.uk

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