Climbing Gear: Active Protection vs. Passive Protection

Last Updated on: 23rd January 2024, 01:41 pm Chances are you’ve heard someone talk about sandbagging climbing routes. Something like: It’s a sandbagged 5.9. It’s rated 5.11a, but it’s totally sandbagged. I remember that route. It’s a sandbag, for sure. But what is the sandbagging meaning? It doesn’t matter if you saw it in a…

Last Updated on: 23rd January 2024, 01:35 pm For anyone that’s been climbing for a while, you know that one of the worst parts is the smell of the shoes. Mine have got so bad that just handling them to take them off between climbs leaves my hands wreaking of stinky foot. Unfortunately, there’s no…

Last Updated on: 23rd January 2024, 01:41 pm Slab climbing is polarizing among climbers. The majority of folks I climb with hate it. After all, slabs often equal rough falls, bad holds, and lots of run out between clips. Other climbers love it for the technical, balancy style of climbing that slabs require. Regardless of…

Last Updated on: 23rd January 2024, 01:42 pm If you pick up any guidebook to pretty much any climbing area, the chances are good that you’ll see the word “dihedral” used to describe a climb or part of one. So what is a dihedral, exactly? What is a dihedral? A dihedral is a cliff feature…