Rock Climbing Blog by Derek Rippe
Equipment
The Future of Auto-Belay Systems?
Jan 6th
About a year ago, Sportrock was forced to remove their MSA Redpoint™ Descenders due to a “Stop Use” notice and subsequent massive recall that followed a couple of accidents in Australia and Malaysia. That seemed like a pretty big inconvenience for everyone at the gym, but I think most people assumed it was nothing more than a temporary setback and took it in stride.
I had all but forgotten about the issue until I saw this update today: Massive Product Recall Rocks Auto-Belay Industry.
Much to my surprise, MSA has pulled out of the auto-belay scene entirely. After failing to replicate the problems being reported, and being unable to create a solution for a problem they couldn’t duplicate, MSA decided to cut its losses and abandon the climbing community.
What I find particularly frustrating about this situation is that it would appear MSA had very little to do with the accidents that occurred, and that they were forced to walk away from their auto-belay systems as a result of a few negligent owners who chose not to abide by the recommended maintenance and service schedule for the Redpoint™ Descenders.
On the plus side, it looks like there may be some encouraging technology on the horizon utilizing a magnetic system (similar to systems used in roller coasters) to create an auto-belay device that is safe and reliable, although I don’t see these coming to my local gym anytime soon.
Personally, I miss the auto-belay systems at the gym (even though I always felt a little uneasy using them). Being able to climb by yourself was convenient, especially if you found yourself at the gym without a belay partner.
I will be interesting to see where the future of auto-belay devices goes. I think the need for auto-belay systems will continue to grow as rock climbing becomes a popular alternative to traditional forms to exercise.
Feel The Force: The Scarpa Force Climbing Shoe
Oct 17th
I have always, and I mean ALWAYS, wanted a pair of velcro climbing shoes. I’d seen climbers at the gym with them and it seemed so convenient and efficient. But the selection of shoes at the local outdoor store was limited, and I refuse to buy shoes without trying them on first.
On my prior visit to EMS for climbing shoes, when I finally landed on the La Sportiva Nago shoe, I tried on every shoe they had available. When it came to the shoes without laces, I had the same problem with every brand (available): there was too much room in the toebox when the shoe fit comfortably, and when I sized down enough to actually fill the toebox, the shoes hurt too much.
When the time came to get the Nago’s resoled, I decided to head back over to EMS and pick up a second pair of shoes (Why EMS? Because I get 15% off with my Sportrock membership). The selection hadn’t changed much, except for two shoes: the Scarpa Techno and the Scarpa Force.
When I first slipped the shoe on, I noticed something different – there wasn’t a lot of space above my toes in the toebox (very much unlike every La Sportiva, 5.10 and Evolv velcro shoe I tried). I sized down to a EU 41 / US 8 and I KNEW this was the shoe I would be walking out of the store with. A snug fit with no hotspots or pressure points, which was surprising seeing my toes were curled and scrunched up in the toebox. But it just felt right.
That was almost a year ago, and the Scarpa Force is still my primary climbing shoe for the gym and the crag. The shoe is fully synthetic, so you don’t get the stretch that you would with a leather shoe. As a result, the fit is almost exactly the same as it was the day I purchased them, except the shoe is more molded to the shape of my feet (you can see the bumps from the knuckles of my toes in the top of the toebox – click the image to view a larger version).
Perhaps my favorite aspect of this shoe is the power it allows me to place to the toebox. I can toe-in and edge on some of the smallest of features, without a lot of bend at the joints where my toes meet the ball of my foot. Picture a ballerina standing on her toes – I can do that in these shoes (although not for very long!). The support in the toebox is unsurpassed, especially for how comfortable the shoe remains.
The Scarpa Force has proven a more-than-capable shoe for both route climbing and bouldering. It has served me well on V6 and V7 problems in the gym, and 5.11 and 5.12 routes both indoors and out.
I have had only one complaint about this shoe. The rubber has a bad habit of pulling away from the upper material (Suede/Lorica®), as you might be able to see in the picture of my dirty shoes above. A little bit of superglue usually fixes this (and when Rock & Resole resoled them a few months ago they patched them up a bit as well). It’s not really a big deal to me, but it started happening only a few weeks after owning the shoe, which kind of surprised me. Perhaps it is a design flaw, or perhaps it is because I’m cramming my fat foot into a shoe that is probably a half or full size smaller than it should be!
So if you’ve struggled with the fitment of other brands of climbing shoes, particularly with how much space you have in the toebox, check out the Scarpa Force sometime. You might find yourself surprised at how different, and comfortable, the fit actually is, while providing great climbing support.
At $130, the Scarpa Force runs in the upper price range of climbing shoes available, but I think you’ll find them to be well-worth the investment, as you’ll have them for years to come.
Ugly Doll Chalk Bag
Jan 5th
Was looking at my Google Analytics account this morning, which led me to typing in a few search terms in Google to see how this site was showing up. Stumbled upon a blog of a woman who “designs, drafts and tests fashion patterns”, and her latest blog entry was about an Ugly Doll Chalk Bag she made for one of her kids – pretty awesome!
Bentgate.com Summer Sale
May 6th
Thanks to Facebook ads, I discovered that bentgate.com is having themselves a little summer sale. Now thru May 20th they are offering 15% – 30% off items throughout the store. Might not be a bad time to pick up those little extras you’ve had your eye on, or replace that equipment that may be nearing the end of its life.
http://www.bentgate.com/summersale.html
Santa Claus Came To Town… And He Brought Shoes!
Dec 27th
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I spent about 4 hours over the course of two days at the local Eastern Mountain Sports store trying on climbing shoes. My tired 5.10 Spires needed to be replaced with something a little more modern with a little more toe and a little less suck. After trying on every shoe, I ended up choosing the La Sportiva Nago.
Of course, I then had to wait a month to actually get the shoes, as they were a Christmas present from my parents. After a month of patiently waiting and growing ever more frustrated with my 5.10s, Christmas morning finally arrived. Sportrock was closed Christmas day, so there wasn’t much I could do with them that morning (unless I wanted to mark up the walls at my parent’s house climbing on doorways and banisters, but I knew better), but the much anticipated day had finally arrived.
Paracord Survival Bracelets
Dec 13th
A friend of mine sent me an email earlier this week with a Gizmodo link to these Paracord Survival Bracelets made by Tough Gear, Inc. They have a pretty slick idea with these bracelets – they are made out 15 to 20 feet of 550# paracord (rated up to 550 lbs.), that can be unraveled and put to use in any emergency (or non-emergency) situation.
“What do I do with it after I use it?” you may ask. Well, you can send what is left back to Tough Gear, Inc., along with your story, and they remanufacture it for you free of charge!
How to make a Chalk Bag
Dec 7th
I was browsing around the internet this morning looking for odds-and-ends climbing sites with interesting content, when I stumbled upon a site where a climber documented how to make your own chalk bag. I read through the step-by-step guide and the end result was really quite nice. Â While I already have a great chalk bag, I would really like to make my own now, and this seems like a great project for a rainy day. Â Click the image below to visit Donn Morrison’s step-by-step guide to making your own chalk bag.
Air Traffic Control, this is Black Diamond
Dec 2nd
Made a quick stop at EMS after work this evening to pick up an ATC and locking carabiner. Ended up going with the Black Diamond Big Air Package, as it came with both pieces of equipment for a reasonable price of $29.50 (before my 15% Sportrock discount!). There are several types of ATCs available these days; Black Diamond alone has four, each with varying features depending on the type of climbing you are doing. The most basic model (aptly named “ATC”) is the one I am most familiar with and will suit me just well for indoor climbing at Sportrock. As I get more advanced, and start doing outdoor and higher profile climbs, I may need to upgrade to a different model, such as the ATC-XP.
Purple 5.10s
Nov 30th
I’ve been due in for a new pair of climbing shoes for a while now – my old school Five Tens (you remember the purple 5.10s) had little edge left, and the grip was less than ideal. Since I’ve gotten back into climbing on a regular basis over at the Sportrock Sterling location, I decided to go ahead and look at my options and see what today’s technology has brought to the table in the realm of climbing shoes.
Discussions