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The Best Climbing Gear for Beginners

oharlow — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Before you go into the nearest outdoor retail store and splurge on unnecessary ropes and quickdraws, let’s get down to basics. This is what you really need to start climbing. (And don’t forget to work on your skills, too.)

Shoes

Advanced climbers often buy boulder- or wall-specific shoes. As a beginner, you just want a pair that you can stand to wear, since almost all other climbing shoes prioritize performance over comfort. Here are two styles we like.

La Sportiva Tarantulace ($80)

(Courtesy of La Sportiva)

The has a laced upper that fits precisely to the foot. The aggressive rubber heel is durable and long-lasting, and the midsole is slightly arched but not too severe. Its synthetic leather is soft against your foot, and the tongue’s interior lining helps manage moisture. Another thing that sets this shoe apart is its toe shape: Rather than the sharp-angled toe of most climbing shoes, the Tarantulace has more of a squared silhouette that offers a bit more wiggle room.

Scarpa Origin ($90)

(Courtesy of Scarpa)

Instead of laces, the uses Velcro to create a snug but not punishing fit. A suede upper offers some padding. The toe is slightly curved, which is helpful for digging into smaller footholds, but the shoe still has a relatively flat profile, so it won’t beat up on your foot.

Chalk

There’s really no such thing as beginner’s chalk. If we’re talking budget, sure, some of it is cheap. But it’s better to spend just a little bit extra over the bottom-end options that don’t really work. You do want to figure out whether liquid, block, or loose chalk works best for you. Here are some options.

Metolius Loose Chalk ($4.50 for 4.5 Ounces)

(Courtesy of REI)

This is the . It uses high-quality magnesium carbonate to keep your hands dry while climbing. Though liquid chalk is known to avert sweaty palms for longer, loose chalk is generally more affordable.

FrictionLabs Secret Stuff Chalk Cream ($20 for 75 Milliliters)

(Courtesy of FrictionLabs)

maintains grip and friction for multiple climbs, thanks to ultraconcentrated magnesium carbonate. The cream also naturally kills bacteria on your hand that might make climbing more slippery.

Chalk Bag

Boulderers use a bucket—a large chalk bag kept on the ground to use between tries. When climbing on a wall, you’ll want to use a smaller chalk bag that ties around your waist for reapplying chalk when needed. There’s no need to spend much money here.

Prana Geo Chalk Bag ($22)

(Prana)

has sturdy double belt loops that keep it from moving around your harness, an adjustable drawcord that enables easy access and closure, and a fleece-lined interior.

Organic Lunch Bag Chalk Bucket ($33)

(Courtesy of BJR Climbing Equipment)

is stiff, so it stays open and upright on its own for easy access. There’s also a sturdy closure buckle that prevents chalk from spilling in the back of your car. A big outer pocket stores snacks, climbing tape, or hand salve, and two elastic loops hold the brushes you need to clean lichen or dirt off routes.

Crash Pad for Bouldering

Mad Rock Pad ($160)

(Courtesy of Backcountry)

The uses polyethylene foam to create a five-inch-thick landing. On the trail, it transforms into a backpack, complete with a hipbelt and chest strap, so you can haul your shoes, water bottle, chalk bag, and layers. If that wasn’t enough, it can also be turned into a lounge chair for post-climb beers.

Harness for Rope Climbing

Mammut Ophir 3 Slide ($55)

(Courtesy of Mammut)

The fits a variety of waist sizes and uses well-built but flexible webbed materials, so it’s comfortable to sit in when you’re hanging on belay. The waist and leg loops are easy to adjust, all the materials breath well on hotter days, and the tie-in loop is positioned to avoid chafing. Even better: It’s suited for a variety of climbing types, meaning it’ll work for harder lead and trad climbs as you advance.

Black Diamond Ozone ($55)

(Courtesy of Backcountry)

Like the Ophir 3 Slide, is easy to adjust for beginners who don’t want to fiddle with their gear. At just 10.5 ounces, it’s also super lightweight.

Helmet for Rope Climbing

When choosing a helmet, make sure it’s climbing-specific, fits well, and has an easily adjustable chin strap.

Black Diamond Half Dome ($60)

(Courtesy of Black Diamond)

is both affordable and durable since it’s made with a hybrid of foam and plastic. Large air vents on the sides and in the rear move heat, and the helmet comes with an easy-adjust fit dial. A low-profile clip allows you to secure a headlamp for late nights hiking out.

Petzl Elios ($65)

(Courtesy of Petzl)

The is a popular go-to option for all climbing-related adventures, be it canyoneering, mountaineering, caving, or sport climbing. Its features are similar to the Half Dome: adjustable nape-mounted dial, clips for headlamp, ventilation, and quality composition.

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6 Literary Gems from the Coolest Library in the West

oharlow — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

For nearly 30 years, Jeff Lee and his wife, Ann Martin, have been gathering books—more than 35,000—to fill the shelves of a library that honors the literature, history, and culture of land. They’ll finally unveil the this fall.

The library is housed at the historic Buffalo Peaks Ranch, a former cattle operation in South Park, Colorado. Three years ago, the couple signed a lease to grant ownership of the ranch for the next 95 years. “It captured us with its stunning landscape, but also its history,” Lee says of the ranch, which was built in the 1860s. “You can feel it all around you.”

Since 2008, the Land Library team has raised more than $150,000 through grants and personal investments. The money will primarily go toward renovating one of the ranch’s oldest buildings, the Cook’s House, which will be used for guest lodging. They hope to raise about for that project by the end of the month, and they’ll need to raise about $6 million for all renovations in the coming years. Lee says he’s especially shocked by how many people in their twenties have contributed and shown interest in joining his all-volunteer staff. “That was always a big question for us: And God, we’ve gotten such overwhelming enthusiasm from these young folks.”

(Michael Ciaglo)

The couple was first inspired by , a residential library in Flintshire, North Wales, where visitors can stay overnight, take classes, and explore more than 32,000 books. For the Land Library, Lee and Martin bought about 30,000 books; about 5,000 more were donated. They credit their experiences working at the , in Colorado, for what they believe is a near-perfect repertoire of natural history literature. “We’ve always tried making our collection about the people and the land, but that’s taken us in so many different subject areas,” Lee says. “These are wonderful reads, and we can’t wait to put them on the shelves.”

We asked Lee to pick six of his personal favorites from the vast collection.

‘Jellyfish: A Natural History,’ Lisa-Ann Gershwin

Upon asking Lee for his favorite book in the Land Library collection, there wasn’t a moment of pause before he chose . “It’s a stunningly gorgeous photo book with great text—kind of like a field guide approach to jellyfish across the world,” he says. “It’s one of those books where this feeling comes over you, and you think, ‘Wow! What an amazing, unexpected planet we live on.’”

‘The Wild Places,’ Robert Macfarlane

In , Robert Macfarlane explores the concept of “wild,” searching for any remaining untouched places throughout England, Britain, Wales, and Ireland. He embarks on a series of journeys—climbing, hiking, swimming, and camping through some of the archipelago’s most stunning landscapes. Though Macfarlane eventually alludes to the ghastly destruction of our natural world, he remains unwilling to accept its demise. “He’s just a beautiful writer,” Lee says. “I don’t want to give too much away, but it basically concludes that you can find wild places anywhere you are. You just have to look around you: up at the sky and into the woods.”

‘Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails, and Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness,’ Nathanael Johnson

“This is on our shelves,” says Lee. It’s the story of Johnson and his daughter’s daily journeys through San Francisco. Though Nathanael Johnson’s initial aim is to teach his daughter the name of every tree they pass en route to daycare, the project eventually evolves into a quest of full-blown trivia about the city’s flora and fauna and a reflection on living a more attentive life. The book also becomes a meditation on how nature can shift perspective and how we can find the “wild” all around.

‘The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon,’ Kevin Fedarko

Some called it bravery (others, insanity) when Kenton Grua revamped an old flat-bottomed fishing boat named the Emerald Mile with the intent of racing it down turbulent whitewater flood rapids. In this book, ��ϳԹ�� contributor Kevin Fedarko recreates that 1983 speed record along Grand Canyon’s roaring Colorado River. In the process, he reveals the strange ways that our passions, and the wild places we’re drawn to, reflect who we are at the core. “Fedarko is a born storyteller, and his book is much more than a wild adventure,” says Lee. “It might be in the West that we have.”

‘On Trails: An Exploration,’ Robert Moor

While thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2009, Robert Moor became increasingly curious about the land he was exploring. For the next seven years, he traveled the world, surveying a variety of other trails and asking: how does technology alter the human relationship with nature? What techniques do humans use to dissolve the chaos of wilderness? And how does an individual stay true to their figurative life’s path?

Lee tells me the Land Library already has four copies of . “Our amazing architecture and planning team passes copies around often, liberally quoting the book along the way,” he says. “There’s something about Moor’s writing that just inspires them.”

‘My Green Manifesto: Down the Charles River in Pursuit of a New Environmentalism,’ David Gessner

is “an always surprising, brilliantly written book that challenges us to fall in love with a particular place in our lives and fight like hell to save it,” Lee says. David Gessner’s manifesto is a retelling of a canoe trip down Boston’s Charles River with his friend Dan Driscoll, an energetic, pot-smoking environmentalist who has spent approximately 20 years working to save the infamously toxic river. Throughout the book, Gessner wrestles with the meaning of environmentalism in the modern world. Although he eventually concludes that his friend might never be able to legitimately save the river, Gessner is inspired by the lifelong commitment to at least try.

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