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swiftone
Location: NW, Indiana Gender: Male Total Likes: 5 likes
| | | Re: Conquering Your Fear of Heights < Reply # 40 on 9/23/2017 4:49 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | I have seen some very round and large people do work on line. Rappelling is easier obviously because gravity is working for you. Depending on your decent device and diameter of line as well as your weight can dictate how fast you go down. Simple 8s and ATCs were my fav when I was into it big. Larger folks may need a device that creates more friction. It's going up line that can be quite a chore. There is a bit of a work out as well as an art to it. But being at least a bit in shape can help tremendously. Canyoning is a whole different animal. Lol. There is going up going down, crawling, bouldering, etc. Canyoning is not for the couch potato in my opinion. It's has been my experience that when working with climbing gear that the fear is compounded to the novice. Fear of heights as well as trusting your hardware. The learning curve can be quite big when learning climnbing, rappelling, high angle, and canyoning. A very good knowledge in rope work with knots, tension stength, and line care is paramount. As well as understanding how the hardware (carabiners, tie off pints, decent devices, hex nuts, cams, etc) works as well as how and when use different tools in the bag. It's one of those sports where a mistake may cost you your life but knowing that makes any person with half a brain really learn it well before executing the skills on their own. But, it's definitely doable. And can be a lot of fun. It's a trip being suspended a 100 or more feet off of a canyon bottom by a line that is only 8-11mm in diameter.
[last edit 9/23/2017 4:58 PM by swiftone - edited 1 times]
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| Abby Normal
Location: Las Vegas Gender: Female Total Likes: 845 likes
| | | | Re: Conquering Your Fear of Heights < Reply # 42 on 9/24/2017 4:09 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by Dee Ashley
I would love to do something like this! Do you have to be in crazy good shape to do this or can you manage if you can still eek out, say a mile run if you tried really hard (and you're a female)? That's the best comparison I could come up with, lol, since I don't have any experience with this kind of thing. I used to be really athletic, but I'm approaching 40 and my only exercise of late is hiking into a location or maybe hopping the proverbial fence or two. Edit: How hard or complicated is the learning curve for something like this to get to a point where you're (relatively) comfortable in your ability? I'd be afraid I wouldn't be able to climb back out!
| So let me pass along my perspective. Being in great shape and athletic would certainly be a help, but it's not a requirement. I sit at a desk for a living and will be turning 60 in a couple of weeks. I'm not in horrible shape, but I'm not hitting the gym regularly either. (That said, some gym time specifically targeted at cardio, legs, and arms does help. I just have to get back at it.) I can pretty easily do a 100' climb and could double that without needing assistance. There are a couple of things that really help ascending. First is having your climbing gear properly set up. I use what is known as a "Frog" rig for ascending. Having each of the straps the correct length made a big difference in how efficient I can climb. I also use a harness made for caving which has the attachment point much lower than a typical climbing harness. Little things that add up to a good rig. Second is technique. Doing the frog step is easy enough. Doing it efficiently takes practice. Once you get your technique right and find your own climbing pace, it's amazing how far you can climb. Many people suggest taking as large of a "step" as possible each time. For me, I found that taking a shorter step is less strenuous and I can keep a better rhythm going. Here is a website you can go to read through a 10 part tutorial on caving. Caving techniques are much more useful in a mine than are most rock climbing methods. Certainly caving is different than mine exploring, but many of the techniques are the same. http://cavediggers.com/vertical/ Keep in mind that a tutorial like this will not teach you how to rappel or ascend. It will help you understand the methods and techniques, but first hand training is necessary. Your best bet is to find someone qualified to teach you. If there is a local caving grotto near where you live, they usually have folks who are very knowledgeable. Oh yeah, buy yourself a 15' piece of 7mm or 8mm rope and start learning your knots. They are important and you want to be able to tie them without thinking. Early on you probably won't be rigging your own anchors, but you show know all the knots necessary to do so. (chapter 3 in the tutorial is a good starting point). Vertical can be a bit daunting, but it can open up amazing explorations. We get to go places that no one has seen in the last 50 to 75 years. That's what keeps me looking for the next mine to explore. Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. Abby Normal
| "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan |
| blackhawk This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Mission Control Total Likes: 3996 likes
UER newbie
| | | | Re: Conquering Your Fear of Heights < Reply # 43 on 9/24/2017 4:46 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by Abby Normal
So let me pass along my perspective. Being in great shape and athletic would certainly be a help, but it's not a requirement. I sit at a desk for a living and will be turning 60 in a couple of weeks. I'm not in horrible shape, but I'm not hitting the gym regularly either. (That said, some gym time specifically targeted at cardio, legs, and arms does help. I just have to get back at it.) I can pretty easily do a 100' climb and could double that without needing assistance. There are a couple of things that really help ascending. First is having your climbing gear properly set up. I use what is known as a "Frog" rig for ascending. Having each of the straps the correct length made a big difference in how efficient I can climb. I also use a harness made for caving which has the attachment point much lower than a typical climbing harness. Little things that add up to a good rig. Second is technique. Doing the frog step is easy enough. Doing it efficiently takes practice. Once you get your technique right and find your own climbing pace, it's amazing how far you can climb. Many people suggest taking as large of a "step" as possible each time. For me, I found that taking a shorter step is less strenuous and I can keep a better rhythm going.
Here is a website you can go to read through a 10 part tutorial on caving. Caving techniques are much more useful in a mine than are most rock climbing methods. Certainly caving is different than mine exploring, but many of the techniques are the same. http://cavediggers.com/vertical/ Keep in mind that a tutorial like this will not teach you how to rappel or ascend. It will help you understand the methods and techniques, but first hand training is necessary. Your best bet is to find someone qualified to teach you. If there is a local caving grotto near where you live, they usually have folks who are very knowledgeable. Oh yeah, buy yourself a 15' piece of 7mm or 8mm rope and start learning your knots. They are important and you want to be able to tie them without thinking. Early on you probably won't be rigging your own anchors, but you show know all the knots necessary to do so. (chapter 3 in the tutorial is a good starting point). Vertical can be a bit daunting, but it can open up amazing explorations. We get to go places that no one has seen in the last 50 to 75 years. That's what keeps me looking for the next mine to explore.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. Abby Normal
| This has interested me for sometime more for exercise but occasionally it come in handy like for a certain open missile silo... When I did bridge and tank painting, hemp is the only rope we used for the boson's chair drops. It's cheap, easy to grip and easy to inspect; hidden internal damage doesn't happen. It got replaced usually after a season or as wear dictated. We used 3/4 inch Grade A Manila rope and nothing else for critical applications. Is this used by anyone for climbing? If so does techniques for usage differ since it is a thicker rope?
| Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in. |
| Dee Ashley
Location: DFW, Texas Gender: Female Total Likes: 1378 likes
Write something and wait expectantly.
| | | | Re: Conquering Your Fear of Heights < Reply # 47 on 9/28/2017 3:14 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by Abby Normal
So let me pass along my perspective. Being in great shape and athletic would certainly be a help, but it's not a requirement. I sit at a desk for a living and will be turning 60 in a couple of weeks. I'm not in horrible shape, but I'm not hitting the gym regularly either. (That said, some gym time specifically targeted at cardio, legs, and arms does help. I just have to get back at it.) I can pretty easily do a 100' climb and could double that without needing assistance. There are a couple of things that really help ascending. First is having your climbing gear properly set up. I use what is known as a "Frog" rig for ascending. Having each of the straps the correct length made a big difference in how efficient I can climb. I also use a harness made for caving which has the attachment point much lower than a typical climbing harness. Little things that add up to a good rig. Second is technique. Doing the frog step is easy enough. Doing it efficiently takes practice. Once you get your technique right and find your own climbing pace, it's amazing how far you can climb. Many people suggest taking as large of a "step" as possible each time. For me, I found that taking a shorter step is less strenuous and I can keep a better rhythm going.
Here is a website you can go to read through a 10 part tutorial on caving. Caving techniques are much more useful in a mine than are most rock climbing methods. Certainly caving is different than mine exploring, but many of the techniques are the same. http://cavediggers.com/vertical/ Keep in mind that a tutorial like this will not teach you how to rappel or ascend. It will help you understand the methods and techniques, but first hand training is necessary. Your best bet is to find someone qualified to teach you. If there is a local caving grotto near where you live, they usually have folks who are very knowledgeable. Oh yeah, buy yourself a 15' piece of 7mm or 8mm rope and start learning your knots. They are important and you want to be able to tie them without thinking. Early on you probably won't be rigging your own anchors, but you show know all the knots necessary to do so. (chapter 3 in the tutorial is a good starting point). Vertical can be a bit daunting, but it can open up amazing explorations. We get to go places that no one has seen in the last 50 to 75 years. That's what keeps me looking for the next mine to explore.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. Abby Normal
| Thank you for such a detailed response! Half the battle is finding other people that are also interested in this type of thing, and seeing that I live in quite possibly the flattest region in the world, rock climbing is not the most common of activities around here (but certainly alive and well). I've always enjoyed reading your posts. I don't see as many actual cavers on here as I do other types of explores, so you add a cool, unique dimension to these forums, IMO. I'd love to meet up if I'm ever in your area one day. Cheers, Dee
| I wandered till the stars went dim. |
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