• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Reviews

2 Equipment

One of the great things about climbing indoors is the minimal amount of equipment required. If you don’t own any kit it’s not a problem; larger facilities often hire out rock boots, harness, helmet, belay device and karabiner. However, you will almost certainly want to accumulate your own kit over time, and the following list gives a few pointers as to what kit may be appropriate for use indoors. Equipment specific to dry tooling is given in Chapter 10.

Rock boots

This is the most important piece of kit and probably the first item you will purchase. It is also one of the most expensive, so buying correctly first time will save you a lot of bother and money.

Although the term ‘boots’ is frequently used, this also covers ‘shoes’ and ‘slippers’. These names generally refer to the difference in the height of fit above or below the ankle, the decision about which to buy being mainly down to personal preference.

This is one piece of kit where a trip down the high street – rather than going for an Internet purchase – will be a good idea. A well-stocked shop and a helpful and knowledgeable assistant are needed, as the myriad makes and types of shoe available will take some time to try on and consider.

Think about the following when trying on rock boots:

• Comfort Do not heed the advice that your shoes should be two or three sizes too small, causing you to hobble around the climbing wall with tears in your eyes. A snug fit without socks is important (make sure that your toenails are short when trying boots on), as this will give you control over foot placement on small holds and edges. If the boot is too large the side will roll off the smallest holds.
• Fit Ensure that there are no gaps around your foot, particularly at the toe and heel sections. A number of shops will have a small section of wall on which you can balance so that you can feel how the boots perform.
• Laces or straps? Boots come with either laces or Velcro straps. The choice is up to you, but unless the fit of the boot is perfect and the Velcro is just being used to hold it in place around your foot, most people find that laces give far more control in making the boot fit well
• Soles All rock boots come with ‘sticky’ rubber soles, and there is little to choose between them in performance.

To sum up: go for a boot (shoe or slipper), that is comfortable when worn, is snug enough to give you control over foot placement, has no gaps inside and secures around your foot efficiently.

Instructor’s note

The use of outdoor footwear is not allowed on many walls. This is primarily for reasons of health and safety, as footwear that has been worn in the street may deposit dirt and bacteria on holds that will later be used by hands. If you are taking a group to a climbing facility check the in-house policy and ensure that you have enough rock boots to go round, or are able to hire them.

Chalk bag

This piece of kit is not essential to start with, but as you progress through the grades you will find it useful to have one with you. The ‘chalk’ (magnesium carbonate) is supplied in block, powder or ball form. A dusting of chalk on your fingers gives a little extra grip and helps to dry up any moisture caused by finger-pad perspiration.

Two types of chalk bag are commonly used:

• Tied around you or clipped to your harness and carried up the route
• A much larger version, left on the ground as a ‘base-camp’ bag, into which you can dip at regular intervals. The advantage of the latter is that, when bouldering (see Chapter 5), you do not keep falling onto a bag tied around your waist with the inevitable result of clouds of chalk being propelled into the atmosphere!

Chalk ‘balls’ – loose chalk contained within a very fine meshed fabric – are often the only form of chalk permitted on many walls. You simply tap or rub your fingers on the fabric to get a coating of chalk. Chalk balls are preferred because they do not create a lot of dust, which is harmful to breathe in and annoying to many users as everything becomes coated in a fine white film.

There is also a resinous substance available that is applied from a bottle to your fingertips; it dries them out, giving a sticky feel. However, the use of this is frowned on at some walls as it can clog up the grain on climbing holds. Climbers generally seem to prefer the feel of chalk, not least because of the therapeutic act of chalking up while hanging off a route, pondering the way ahead.

Harness

Rock boots and chalk bag get you bouldering; a harness will get you climbing. As with boots, there is a bewildering variety of types, shapes, sizes and functions to look at, so the following pointers will hopefully help.

• If the harness is just going to be used indoors, choose one without adjustable leg loops. These are handy if you are going to be venturing outside, as the harness can be adjusted to fit over different thicknesses of clothing. However, indoors you are likely to be wearing thin trousers and perhaps a light fleece, so a high degree of adjustability is not necessary. The leg loops should not be too tight; being able to push your hand comfortably down between the leg loop and your thigh shows that it is about right.
• Choose one with an abseil loop at the front central point. This small very strong piece of sewn tape will be used for belaying from, as well as being a connecting point for abseiling.
• Reasonable padding around the thighs and across the back is a good idea, particularly if you are keen to try to push your grade (in which case you may be taking a bit of ‘flying time’!).
• Although not a prime consideration a few gear loops for carrying gear – belay device, spare karabiner and perhaps a number of extenders – are a good idea. Make sure that these are arranged appropriately to the side and do not get in the way of the front of the harness.

As with boots, a harness purchase requires you to try on a few so that you are happy with the fit. There are slight differences between ladies’ and gents’ harnesses, in particular the distance between the waist belt and the leg loops. Find that shop with the helpful assistant again, and plan to spend a while in there!

Buying a harness for a child

When considering a harness for a child an important consideration comes into play: because children have a different centre of gravity to adults, and because their hips are not always particularly pronounced, there is a concern that they could fall out of a standard sit-harness if they become inverted. The harness could also work its way down over their waist as they climb. Thus, for a child of up to around 10 or 12 years of age a full body harness would be best. These are made specifically with children in mind and are available in a variety of sizes, also being adjustable within those size ranges. The attachment point is usually a tie-in system at chest height, positioned so that the wearer would always end up vertical in the event of a fall.

Another option would be to use a chest harness with a standard sit-harness. The chest harness slips over the shoulders and is linked into the normal tie-on knot, thus creating a system that is impossible to fall out of.

Belay device

This is an essential piece of kit and it is important to think carefully prior to purchase to ensure you buy the best type for your particular climbing style and needs.

Belay devices can be separated into two main categories:

• Those that are reasonably slick and require you to hold the rope strongly to control a fall; and
• Those that are self-locking and which take a little more practice and care in controlling the rope.

All varieties of the first type look fairly similar, and usually consist of a metal plate or bucket shape with two slots, with an attached wire carrying cable. Many have a tapering groove by each slot, which helps to control thinner climbing ropes. The advantage of this type of device is that it works as both an abseil and a belay device, so if you are also going to be climbing out of doors this type would be your most likely choice. Another important factor is that you can provide ‘dynamic’ belaying (see Chapter 6).

The second type is more technical and takes more practice, especially when paying out to a leader. It is also more difficult to provide a dynamic brake when holding a leader fall, as this type is designed to grip the rope when a load is applied. Although it will (usually!) lock off automatically, it is by no means a ‘hands off’ device, and the rope still needs to be carefully managed. Only one rope can be used with a self-locking device, so it is less versatile than a slick belay device.

Some climbers will start their careers by using one of the slick devices, and then progress to a self-locking device. This logical progression allows you to learn the basics of belaying before moving on to more technical pieces of kit. There is also a financial consideration: slick devices cost around a third of the price of the self-locking variety. The use of these various devices is covered in Chapters 7 and 8.

Screwgate karabiners

You will only need a couple of screwgate karabiners, one for your belay device and a spare to use with a sling (see below). The one for your belay device should be a ‘pear-shaped’ or ‘HMS’ screwgate, which has a large curve to its bottom end. This will allow you to use the belay device without the rope jamming (if using a slick device). If you are using a self-locking device, a ‘D’-shaped screw gate is often recommended to ensure that the device sits correctly. For your sling a D-shape karabiner will suffice.

Slings

A sling of 120cm (sometimes called an ‘8-foot’ sling) may be useful. In particular, it can be used to connect you or your belayer to any ground anchor that is available. This can be attached to the abseil loop on your harness by means of a lark’s foot knot (see Chapter 6), with the karabiner on the other end of the sling being clipped in to the anchor.

Rope

At most modern climbing facilities a number of bottom ropes will already be in place. However, you may wish to progress to leading, so owning your own rope would be desirable.

Some manufacturers make specific wall ropes. These come in lengths of 30m or so, with a diameter of 10.5 or 10.2mm, constructed in such a way that they are resilient to the rough handling that a wall rope has to endure. They can be used for both leading and bottom-roping.

Most climbing ropes that are designated as ‘single’ ropes (tested and approved to be used alone without another rope having to be used alongside) can be used at climbing walls.

It is worth understanding the difference between the two main rope types: ‘dynamic’, and ‘static’ or ‘low-stretch’.

• A dynamic rope will stretch for a percentage of its length when loaded, such as when you hold a leader fall. This is a very important property as the rope absorbs energy that would otherwise be transmitted to the leader, who could sustain injury if they stopped falling too quickly.
• A low-stretch rope does not have the elongation properties of a dynamic rope, thus a leader taking a fall onto one of these would almost certainly have a very uncomfortable experience, as well as a chance of sustaining injury.

Only dynamic ropes should be used when in a lead situation.

For all other uses, such as bottom- or top-roping and when rigging abseils, a low-stretch rope would be adequate. Indeed, many in situ bottom ropes at climbing walls will be of the low-stretch variety, as they are more resilient to harsh wear and are cheaper to replace. Having said that, other walls will use dynamic ropes as bottom ropes in case climbers pull them through and lead with them. They are also more comfortable to fall on to, particularly if there is some slack in the system.

If you do not have a rope bag, you may wish to carry your rope in a more conventional manner. This is known as ‘flaking’ the rope, and is a very common way to carry it. The pictures show how it is done, and once finished you will be able to carry the rope under a rucksack lid or in a holdall. To unflake it, remove the loop from the top and unwrap the short coils from around the flakes. Hold on to one end and put the rest of the rope on the floor. Keeping the end to one side, run the rope all the way through until you get to the other end. The climber will tie on to the end of the rope coming out from the top of the pile.

Rope bag

Although not essential – and obviously not needed if you do not have your own rope – a rope bag not only provides a means of carrying the rope but also opens out into a large sheet onto which you can lay your rope when climbing. The advantage is that, once you have led one route and pulled the rope back down, you can simply pick up the sheet and move it to the base of the next climb, which avoids having to drag the rope around on the ground.

Extenders

Some climbing walls have the facility for you to lead routes while placing your own extenders into the bolt hangers that are already in situ. Most walls have the extenders (or ‘quick-draws’), already in position, but having your own may give you the opportunity to climb in quieter sections of the wall at busy times.

Extenders are short lengths of sewn tape with a snapgate karabiner at each end, often one straight gate and one bent gate. The straight gate is always clipped to the bolt; the bent gate is reserved exclusively for use on the rope end of the system. The shape of the gate allows the rope to be clipped in a little easier when making a quick clip during a hard move (you’ll notice that lots of in situ extenders at climbing walls have bent gates on them). Extender length tends to be around 15–20cm, and some climbers like a mix of short and long. My personal preference for indoors is a set 15cm long.

The gates can be either solid or wire in design. The advantage of the wire gates – apart from weighing less – is that the gate is less prone to vibration in the event of a fall, meaning that the karabiner is less likely to be in a ‘gate open’ mode when the weight of a leader comes on to it. This is an important consideration when climbing outside and where the length of a fall could be considerable. However, in a climbing wall environment and with the frequency of good, solid bolt placements, this is not a real concern.

Helmet

Many – I would venture the vast majority – of climbing wall users never use a helmet (unless undertaking a dry tooling session, where they are usually compulsory). The climbing wall environment makes you feel safe and ‘bomb-proof’, so free from danger – or so you think. Falling from a route when leading, swinging across if slipping on a bottom rope, other climbers falling on you and dropping gear on your head… there are many reasons why a helmet is a good idea.

At many walls, where in-house courses are run, participants will be required to wear a helmet while under instruction, and at a number of walls helmets have to be worn at all times by under 18s.

Helmets can often be borrowed or hired from reception desks. If you are thinking about also climbing outdoors then you may want to purchase your own, and could then decide when and when not to wear it.

Helmets are lightweight and comfortable; gone are the days of having something akin to a coal scuttle on your head! However, as heads are different shapes, and helmets will not only sit differently but will feel different to each person, it’s back to that helpful person at the shop again!

Helmets for children

Helmets specifically designed for children are also available and well worth using. Placing an adult’s helmet on a child’s head is not good, because it will not adjust properly and the constant movement of the cradle while climbing will put the wearer off using one for ever. A proper child’s helmet is lightweight, comfortable and has a cradle system that will adjust down to a small head size for a good fit.