RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLIMBING EQUIPMENT

 

Recommendations for gear is subjective, however, there are a number of questions each year on what kind of gear should you buy so this guide is to steer you in the right direction. While the choice of gear may be subjective there are some mistakes that should be avoided.  What we do in the AMC is called "trad" (traditional) climbing and gear for other types of climbing (gym, bouldering, sport, aid) may not be appropriate for use and you don't want to rely on the salesperson in the local REI  or gym who may climb 5.11s in the rock gym but has never been on a  multi-pitch route.  You should bring you personal climbing gear that you use in the gym (harness, belay device, locking biner, shoes). Extra gear required for the Intermediate class is noted.   If you want to go on to the Intermediate classes  you can discuss specific brands/models of gear with instructors beforehand.

  

HARNESS (required for both Beginner and Intermediate Class)

 

I recommend a harness with a belay loop and gear loops.  Fit is the most important criteria.  Adjustable leg loops are recommended if you plan on ice climbing. The Black Diamond Momentum harness is a good buy at around fifty bucks.

 

SHOES (required for both Beginner and Intermediate Class)

1) You should buy a pair of fairly stiff  lasted "all around" shoes that feel COMFORTABLE. Don’t get them too tight.  The shoe should fit snugly and your toe should lie flat in the shoe and not be curled up. You will not climb harder with your toes torqued into a painful bend.  In fact you may climb worse because all you are thinking about is getting the damn shoes off.  And you will avoid hammer toe, black toenails and other unpleasantries after years of climbing.

2)  Don’t listen to anyone about what brand/model to get.  The three most important things are fit, fit, and fit.  Different people have different shaped feet and different manufacturers cut their shoes differently; Scarpa are cut narrow, 5/10 cut wide, etc. Go to a climbing shop and try-on lots of different brands/models. Buy the shoes that fit you and are designed for the type of climbing you do.

3)  Don’t worry about what kind of rubber the shoe uses.  There have been several independent tests done by the climbing magazine and they found no discernable difference in “stickiness” between types of rubber on climbing shoes.  The only thing they found was some rubber is softer than others and wears out faster.  Some shoes have thinner rubber especially at the mid sole and conform to your foot better and this is mistaken for better stickiness.

4)  Don’t listen to the salesperson in the outdoor shop/climbing shop/rock gym.  They may have been climbing for a few months in the gym and they are an “expert.” You are the expert on how they fit.

CARABINEERS (BINERS) (required for both Beginner and Intermediate Class)

 

 You will need one pear-shaped locking biner for belaying and two smaller general purpose locking biners.  Recommend getting  screwgate biners and not autolocking biners.  It is helpful to have locking biners that do not have a notch in the gate that can get snagged on webbing, etc. The Petzl Attaché (left), the Black Diamond PearLock (center), and Metolious Element (right) fit this criteria.

 

BELAY DEVICE (required for both Beginner and Intermediate Class)

 

There are a slew of different belay devices on the market. While any tuber style belay device is acceptable the ones with "teeth" have been shown to hold falls better e.g. Black Diamond ATC-XP.  If you plan on going on to lead you can buy a belay device that will serve the function of belaying a second from above.  The ATC-XP-Guide is a common one.  Others are te DMM Pivot and Petzl Reverso.  A better option is a Petzl GriGri but not as a beginner first belay device. If you are already familar with the Petzl GriGri and can competently lead belay with it than it is fine to use that but you will also need a tube style device (e.g. ATC) for rapelling. We do not use Figure 8 belay devices because they are too dynamic and do not lock off with enough force.

 

 6mm SLINGS (for Autoblock and Prusik hitches) (required for both Beginner and Intermediate Class and will be provided)

 

 This is a 6mm nylon cord tied in a loop with a double fisherman's knot. It is used in the Beginner Class as an autoblock and in the Intermediate Class as a Prusik. For the Prusik you need two lengths of 6mm nylon accessory cord. One should be 65 inches long and the other 50 inches long. These should be nylon (Perlon) cord and not high-tech, high-strength cords like Spectra, Gemini, or Vectra which are too stiff.   You can buy pre-made 6mm loops like the one below but it is less expensive and just as good to make your own.  We will show you in the class how to tie them in a loop using a double-fisherman knot.

 

SLINGS/RUNNERS (required for both the Beginner and Intermediate Class)

 

 Get one 2 ft and one 4 ft sewn slings. These can be nylon (left) or the thin Spectra/Dyneema slings (right).

  

 NUT-CLEANING TOOL (required for Intermediate Class)

 

Any kind but the ones with the built in biner are handy for clipping. 

 

HELMET (required for trips but we will provide them for classes if you don't have one)

 

The AMC provides the helmets for the classes so you won't need one right away. When you do buy one I recommend any lightweight model by Petzl or Black Diamond.  Helmets are required to be worn while climbing with the AMC.

 

HEADLAMP (required for trips)

 

Headlamps are required for the climbing trips.  Sooner or later you' ll need it.  Just try to hike off Cannon cliff in the dark without one.  Any new lightweight LED headlamp by Black Diamond or Petzl are fine.

CHALK BAG

 

 While any bag will work this is your one and only chance at making a fashion statement with climbing gear.

 

ROPE

 

You won't need a rope unless you want to venture out on your own after the classes.  You can buy a class rope and the end of the course at half the price the AMC paid for it.  If you get your own I recommend a 9.5mm to 10mm x 60-meter non-dry rope for top-roping and seconding. If you plan on ice climbing right away then buy a dry rope. When you start leading you'll want to upgrade ropes and then you can read the reviews in climbing magazines or talk to experienced climbers.  

 

GEAR TO SET UP TOP ROPES

 

At some point (after the classes and after you're thoroughly addicted) you'll probably want to set-up some top ropes using stout trees and for this you'll need some anchor material.  There are a couple of options: Webbing is one choice but a bad one as it takes forever to equalize   Go with a static rope.  It should be 100 feet of 7/16" static line.  You will be instructed on how to use this in the classes. Top-rope set-up.

 

WHERE TO BUY YOUR ROCK CLIMBING EQUIPMENT:

 

There is a listing of local shops on www.climbri.org . The Rock Spot climbing gym offers a 15 percent discount to AMC class members.

 

 ANYTHING ELSE?

The Rock Climbing AMGA Single Pitch Manual is what we base instruction on.  You can get one online or in climbing shops/gyms. Also most local climbing is in Connecticut so you may want. Rock Climbing Connecticut 2nd ed. by David Fasulo.