Finding a climbing partner is like discovering a hidden gem in a vast landscape. It’s a thrilling journey with many variables to consider. You’ll likely ask yourself a few questions: Do our schedules align? Are we looking for the same thing from climbing? Do they seem like a nice person? And most importantly, are they safe? The excitement of finding that perfect climbing partner is unparalleled.
A climbing partner can either enhance or jeopardize your climbing experience. The wrong partners can flake on you, only want to climb their projects, have no consideration for yours, or, unfortunately, not use the safest tactics. Safety should always be a top priority in climbing partnerships, and choosing your partner wisely is crucial.
The climbing community is a vibrant and tightly-knit group of individuals bonded by a shared passion for the unique sport of climbing. With the influx of new climbers, it can be daunting to decide when to take the leap and climb with someone new. However, remember, you’re not alone in this journey. The community is here to guide and support you. Follow along for the dos and don’ts of finding a climbing partner, and feel the reassuring sense of security that comes from being part of a larger group.
Ask questions!
DO ask how long somebody has been climbing and what their experience level is.
You want to get a feel for somebody’s climbing knowledge before you hop on a route with them at the belay. Ask your new potential partner questions to determine if they’re an excellent fit to climb with.
Some potential questions you can ask:
How long have you been climbing?
Where did you learn how to climb/belay?
What kind of belay device do you use?
How often do you inspect your gear?
If any of their answers don’t sit well with you, there is nothing wrong with not wanting to climb with them. If a 5.12 lead climber is looking for a partner, they won’t ask somebody who just took a belay course to catch them on their project. Pick your partner wisely.
DON’T assume that everybody in the gym knows what they’re doing. Climbing has become extremely popular; many newcomers want to identify with the climbing community. Every climber is part of the climbing community, of course. Still, many people like to portray themselves as experienced climbers even though they have only been bouldering for a few months.
It takes countless hours of practice to understand safe climbing and belaying techniques and how to identify them quickly from the ground. Pairing up with someone after learning their name can lead to avoidable accidents. Take your time choosing somebody to trust your life with!
How to find a climbing partner
- Approach method
The quick and dirty way to find a climbing partner is to approach somebody at the gym and ask if they’d like to climb together! A tip is to observe this climber belaying before you ask, or you could get into a hairy situation. You can learn a lot about a person by watching them belay. If you’re unsure about their experience, ask them about their climbing history and safety practices.
Remember, you can ask the above questions before allowing them to give you a catch. Go with your gut. If you feel something is wrong when asking them about their experience, there is nothing wrong with changing your mind.
- Partner forms
Many climbing gyms have an option to fill out a partner form. Typically, they’ll have a bulletin board posted in a common area where you can seek out potential climbing partners. That is a great way to search for partners without scouring the facility.
A good partner form will include the climber’s name, age, experience level, availability, and even their climbing goals. Don’t see a viable partner on the board at your gym? Fill out a form yourself and stick it up there; maybe somebody else is looking but hasn’t filled out a form yet.
- Online
Finding partners online is great because you can reach a wider audience. Most people are online today, so you have a higher chance of finding somebody to climb with than if you sat in the gym all day.
Also, if you plan to travel to a new climbing area where you don’t know anybody, finding an online partner is your go-to option. Plenty of forums and groups exist to help you find partners.
Use Mountain Project’s Partner Finder! This platform allows you to search for climbing partners based on specific criteria. You can narrow your search by age, location, the grade you climb, and what style of climbing. It’s a great tool to find like-minded climbers in your area.
You can also use Facebook to search for climbing groups nearby! Plenty of gym and outdoor groups are filled with climbers searching for partners.
Reddit is also a great resource! Just post where you’re looking for a partner, and you’ll find people from all over the world.
Here’s a secret: the key to efficient climbing is good footwork, not muscular biceps or massive lats. Anyone looking in on the rock climbing world from the outside wouldn’t pick up the slight difference in foot placement that lets one climber send a boulder and another climber crashing to the pads. But every sport has fundamentals, and footwork is one for rock climbing. Look up information on drills for rock climbing, and half of them will focus on footwork. It is also a critical skill in many other sports, such as avoiding defenders in soccer, executing choreography in dance, and quick direction changes in tennis or badminton. If you inquire into the athletic histories of most climbers in a modern-day climbing gym, you’ll find that many come from athletic backgrounds. Many of them are likely actively engaged in a second or third sport. Ask around in a climbing gym, and whether it’s a soccer league, running, boxing, dancing, or gymnastics, there’s likely a rock climber who also participates in the other sport.
Why discuss the importance of footwork in climbing and mention climbers’ multi-sport nature? Because as a multi-sport athlete, time is of the essence. Amidst all your commitments, being able to improve your footwork for multiple sports simultaneously is a game-changer. If you’re a busy person and a multi-sport athlete, then knowing that rock climbing can improve your footwork for your other sports is fantastic news! Keep reading for a breakdown of how this is possible.
Rock Climbing Can Improve Your Footwork for Other Sports
Hand-Foot Connection and Coordination
Most sports require some degree of hand-foot coordination. Even in a sport like running, seemingly all legs, efficient running form incorporates holding and swinging your arms in specific ways. To ascend a climb efficiently, you must learn to push/pull with your feet and toes while pulling upward with your arms. More often, competition-style boulders go so far as to demand you land your feet on a particular hold or in a specific position (i.e., catching a toe hook) while aiming for a hold with your hands. The more comfortable you become with simultaneously engaging your hands and feet while climbing, the more adept you’ll be at combining movements and mastering your coordination in other areas.
Explosiveness
Rock climbers can perform powerful jump moves, commonly known as dynos. One key to a successful dyno is placing your feet where you can generate explosive power. Think of the long jump in track and field or a jump shot in basketball. Each movement requires you to land your feet in a specific stance before springing out/up, just like you will do when committing to a dyno.
Single-Leg Power
Outside dynos (see the section on explosiveness), climbers rarely move both feet simultaneously. Instead, you must stand up on one foot, which requires single-leg power and a secure foot placement. As the foot holds grow smaller on more challenging climbs, honing in placement and shifting enough weight onto your foot will make or break your send. That’s why pistol and Cossack squats are popular exercises to incorporate into strength training plans for climbers. If you play a sport involving running or sprinting, the single-leg power you develop climbing will transfer over, enhancing your ability to generate and transfer force quickly.
Balance
Because rock climbs most often operate in a one-hand, one-foot movement pattern, the non-active limbs help you balance your center of gravity. The flag and back flag are two climbing-specific moves that require understanding how to actively engage one leg and foot for stability while maneuvering the foot and leg. The most straightforward example of this skill translating outside of rock climbing would be in dance or gymnastics. Think ballerinas spinning continuously on one foot or gymnastics pivoting on the balance beam. Another example is striking a ball in soccer or pivoting around defenders in football or basketball.
You can love rock climbing and other sports, leveraging one to benefit the other. Skilled footwork is a common denominator among athletes from all backgrounds, feeding into the athlete’s ability to balance, generate power, and move explosively or with effortless coordination. Although it may not be apparent initially, rock climbing provides a training ground for those footwork-based abilities, allowing you to fulfill your love for both sports with less training time. If you’ve experienced any transferable skills from rock climbing to other sports, please share the details below (footwork-related or not)!
If rock climbing is a dance on the wall, slab climbing is the Grand Ballet, requiring excellent technique, determination, and bravery.
What defines slab climbing compared to other styles? A slab is a section of wall that is less steep than vertical. Because of the less aggressive wall angle, slab climbs often feature smaller or flatter hands and feet. Learning to pirouette your way up a slab climb is a challenging feat. Still, there are some secrets that professional slab experts like Anna Hazelnutt use to conquer these technical challenges.
Since keeping secrets isn’t very nice, this article will unveil the tricks of the trade. Slab climbing, with its fun, exciting, and creatively and physically engaging nature, is a challenge that every climber can take on, regardless of their level. The key to any good secret lies in simplicity and practicality. The four slab climbing secrets covered here are broken down with easy-to-follow cues to help you execute on the wall. The secrets start with smearing and maximizing rubber contact.
Slab Climbing Tips and Tricks
Maximizing Rubber Contact with the wall when smearing.
Climbing shoes have rubber soles to increase friction between you and the wall. Often, slab boulders or slab sections on routes require you to smear (using only the wall or a volume for your feet instead of a hold) against the wall. At first, standing on the wall with no footholds is intimidating. It may seem impossible. But thanks to the rubber soles and physics concept of friction, it’s possible and more useful than meets the eye.
The two keys to remember are to maximize the contact of your sole with the wall and keep tension in your feet! A mental cue for surface area maximization is “heels down, butt out.” Contrary to other types of climbing where having your hips close to the wall is helpful, you’ll want to push your butt away from the wall so it’s easier to put pressure into the wall with your feet (if you’re into weight training, think of the mechanics of a seated leg press). Dropping your heels increases the contact of the ball of your foot with the all and helps you keep tension. Taking baby steps up the wall is critical to maintaining that tension through your feet. If you try to take a too-big step, your other foot will likely slip.
Next on the list of secret tips is edging and counterbalancing your weight.
Edging
A technique where you place the instep of your foot on a hold so that your toe points perpendicular to the wall and your hip opens. Getting into this position is essential for shifting all your weight over and onto that foot. Many times, slab climbs have inadequate handholds. This forces you to rely heavily on your ability to keep most or all of your weight on your feet. To use a foot edging on hold, you drive your knee past your toes and aim to stand up over your foot. The most evident example of this movement would be a high step. If you’ve successfully shifted your weight into the foot, you should be able to go no-hands.
Counterbalancing
Another trick to dancing up climbs with few handholds. You can use your arms and legs to balance your center of gravity. If you’ve ever watched gymnasts on the balance beam, you’ve seen this in action. In a scenario where there is only one hand and foothold accessible, you can flag (extend) the leg, not standing on hold to keep you from tipping too far in anyone’s direction as you shift on the planted foot to progress through the next section of the climb.
The final secret addresses the advantages of flexibility and strength.
Flexibility and Strength
If you haven’t picked up on it yet, slab climbing relies more on your legs than your arms. Strengthening the hip flexors and quads is essential for high stepping and edging your way through holds. Flexibility in the hamstrings makes opening your hips and controlling leg movements easier. If you lack the range of motion, you may find yourself swinging your leg out/up to the next foothold, generating unwanted momentum that threatens to throw you off the climb. Greater strength and flexibility lend to control and accuracy in movements, which are essential in a style of climbing that favors the tortoise over the hare. Flexible calves also help drop your heels (see ‘Maximizing Rubber Contact with the Wall When Smearing’).
There it is, the slab climbing secrets laid bare. Now, you can confidently tackle technical challenges like a pro. Elevate the dance of scaling slanted boulders by keeping your butt out and heels down, edging on footholds, and counterbalancing your weight like a gymnast on a balance beam. Improve the strength and flexibility of your leg and hip muscles for more controlled movements, embracing the tortoise’s role in the race to the send. Through it all, have fun and be brave. Slab climbing is fun, and a challenge awaits you if you dare to try it!
There are several vital bouldering techniques every beginner can benefit from. Climbing is not just a physical activity, it’s a thrilling journey of joy and self-discovery! It doesn’t matter how often or how hard you climb; it’s about relishing the movement and triumphing over physical and mental challenges.
Whether you’ve been climbing for a while or are excited to start, check out these five critical bouldering techniques every beginner should know. Once put into practice, you’ll climb more efficiently and may even break into that next grade!
5 Key Bouldering Techniques
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Use Your Legs!
As a beginner climber, you may think everybody muscles their way up the wall using their arms. While your grip strength is essential when climbing, it’s not the only factor that helps you get up a boulder problem. A climber who continually campuses (uses only their arms) up a boulder problem will burn out far quicker than if they used their feet.
Consider climbing this way: your hands keep you on the wall, and your legs, the powerhouses of your body, propel you higher. You’ll save tremendous energy and feel the thrill of your own strength when you use them effectively.
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Flagging
Let’s talk about flagging, a nifty technique that can help you balance your weight on the wall. To flag, simply stick out your free foot and press it into the wall. There are several types of flags, each useful in different situations. So, don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you!
Outside Flag: Imagine climbing with two hands on the wall and only a right foothold. Since the left leg isn’t doing anything here, you’ll want to stab it into the wall to keep yourself close and counterbalance your weight as you reach for the next hold.
Inside Flag: This is used when your only foothold is below your body. You’ll step your free foot between your other leg and the wall and press it into the wall when reaching for the next hold.
Doing this instead of swapping feet will make you move more efficiently and quickly—plus, you’ll save some of your energy.
Back Flag: This is common on overhung routes when you only have holds on one side of your body and need to move in the opposite direction. Say your right hand and right foot are on, and you must move left.
Placing your left foot around your right, pushing it into the wall, and leaning to the left creates a balance that helps you stay close to the wall to reach the next handhold.
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Foot Swapping
Sometimes, a boulder problem requires you to swap your feet. You step on a hold with your left foot only to find that you must use your right foot to make the next move. An inside flag might not do the job, so you should be well-versed in practicing this new technique.
To foot swap, hover your free foot over or right next to the foot that’s on the wall. Quickly hop off the foothold and replace it with your other foot when ready. Begin with holding large holds and stepping on a big foothold. The more you practice, the smaller the footholds you can swap on!
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Drop Knee
Now, let’s discuss the drop knee, a technique that can keep your body close to the wall. The further your body sags away from the wall, the more strength it takes to stay on the holds. So, if you need to reach for the next hold but feel you may swing off or need a quick rest to chalk up, try a drop knee. It’s especially useful on overhung routes.
You’ll have one foot higher on the wall than the other to drop knee. Twist the leg of the higher foot toward the wall until your knee is facing downward. That will help you stay close to the wall and reach your next hold.
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Practice!
The last critical bouldering technique beginners should know is that climbing is a journey of continuous improvement. You won’t wake up one day and immediately be able to climb V9, but with each practice, you’re one step closer to your goal. Climbing takes persistence and dedication, but the rewards are worth it.
Practice each of these techniques! As you progress through them, take your practice to more overhung walls and keep trying. Before you know it, you won’t need to think about what technique to use—you’ll automatically do it!
