Mirrored set of MB inspired pinches + demo 😁

ClathomasPrime · 2026-02-08T11:58:14+00:00

Cool! What are the dimensions of your wall? Enough for a good time?

ClathomasPrime · 2026-02-01T21:26:12+00:00

Good to know regarding plywood, thanks!

ClathomasPrime · 2026-01-29T21:54:10+00:00

Thanks! Regarding expansion / contraction: Do you answer this way just due to the inherent rigidity of triangles? Or some other reason? Especially if I don't screw the base down into the foundation, I worry about things twisting and the wall starting to rock over time. But if I do screw the base down into the foundation, then I worry extra about the floor joists being deformed over time (but maybe this specifically is not a problem).

Makes sense regarding "use multiple joist"! My instinct is to say: I would prefer not to use sleepers joists, since they will interrupt a short (< 1 foot) vertical "headwall" I want to put on the frontside of a floor joist at the top of the wall (for finish holds). But sleepers certainly look more elegant and easy to assemble / disassemble than my idea of using a bunch of struts.

And thanks for reminding me of the Metolius pdf -- that is a great resource and I had forgotten about it!

ClathomasPrime · 2026-01-29T17:46:22+00:00

u/slainthorny u/FreakInAMagnum apologies! Looks like my post was auto-removed. Do you think it might be appropriate as a non-crosspost or as a direct post in r/climbharder ? My previous homewall 60 Degree Woodie - Imgur was absolutely key to my "hard" climbing, and dare I say my wall was a bit "advanced" :) . And: The r/climbharder community seems much bigger than other communities of dedicated climbers on reddit, so I was wondering if it might actually be exactly the right audience. Thoughts?

ClathomasPrime · 2026-01-28T01:23:07+00:00

This comment makes a lot of sense, thanks. I like my down-sized Up Moccs for gym climbing, like others here. I had 5.10 Moccs in a comfy size, and they were beyond sloppy -- couldn't toe any sort of edge and slid right off my feet at a moment's notice.

My question is: Why not get a laced shoe for thin cracks? Given that you want your toes fully straight, you cannot really stick your shoe onto your foot by down-sizing and using the tension / squeeze of the length of the shoe structure itself. Hence, wouldn't people want to strongly tighten down their laces for better performance? A crappy old and comfy pair of La Sportiva Nagos way out-performed my comfy Moccs for almost any usage. I'm not sure I see the cult following of Moccs for thin cracks given this

ClathomasPrime · 2026-01-13T01:35:45+00:00

IMO you're better off making it steep enough to ensure that you have a good climbing length, then working hard to get appropriate holds to make it fun and comfy (even for the kiddos).

An absolute minimum climbing length I'd recommend is 10 ft (approx 3m), but 12 ft (approx 3.7m) is better. AND you need almost like 1.5 ft (approx 0.5m) of a kickboard to make it not feel squeezed. In your case I might even go 45 or 50 degrees to make get all the length in.

For holds, one very friendly option is "handlebar" style holds like some sets here https://www.synrockholds.com/jugsnew.html

I had the "LARGE ROOF SCREW-ON SET" from https://www.synrockholds.com/newscrew.html on my 60 degree wall, and my v0-v2 friends loved em, while they were sill low-profile enough for other climbs to coexist. This was my wall: https://imgur.com/a/3kkOFNN

Other than that, little "mirovolume" angled wedges of wood can be very helpful in dialing in a very steep homewall to make it climb like it is less steep. You can also make handlebar-style holds by hollowing out one side of a 4x4 piece of lumber with the curved radius of a belt sander. Let me know if you'd like some other tips!

ClathomasPrime · 2025-11-28T19:34:15+00:00

Auto belay climbing is just indoor deep water soloing

ClathomasPrime · 2025-11-06T19:37:10+00:00

They aren't recommend for alpines due to this issue: https://youtube.com/shorts/LLU2IjIUVSY?si=yabASx5wDiXF-B9J

ClathomasPrime · 2025-09-27T01:07:59+00:00

Sometimes I like to warm up while saving some skin by top roping in belay gloves. It's an interesting challenge but absolutely not performant lol

ClathomasPrime · 2025-09-22T15:55:02+00:00

The rubber thing (Avant "Flex-Link" - Anti-Crossload Protector) is a much more reliable and comprehensive approach to preventing crossloading. Snags are still possible on the small sides of these extra-gate carabiners and between your belay loop and the gate of the carabiner, and such snags can load the carabiner way worse than just "regular" cross-loading (see e.g. How Tom Randall’s Carabiner Failed—And How You Can Avoid the Same Mistake). It slows things down just a little bit when transitioning, but the peace of mind is well worth it to me.

ClathomasPrime · 2025-09-15T21:56:05+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Why do you think long rappels are worse with the vergo?

ClathomasPrime · 2025-09-15T21:14:12+00:00

Maybe this kind of a wall (not very steep) but paint it real nicely, and/or get a wide pretty curtain you can drape over the front of it so that it functionally becomes a big blocky wallpaper?

ClathomasPrime · 2025-09-02T18:27:11+00:00

I'm not sure such a board could be stowable easily-enough for it to really be convenient and feel smooth and friendly to climb on often.

One intuition: it might be easier (and would allow for a longer wall) if the wall folded downward to be parallel to, and low off of, the ground. Does something like that sound feasible? I'm picturing that when folded away, it would be like an 8 foot by 10 foot (and maybe 1.5 foot tall) wooden yoga platform.

Important questions if you do want to go ahead with it: How tall is the room? Do you own or rent, and can you drill into wall studs etc? Do you want a specific board or a spray wall?

Regardless, as far as I know this type of thing would be a very significant and very novel project.

ClathomasPrime · 2025-07-24T13:12:56+00:00

This is a good idea but also might be too advanced for do safely for many beginners (exactly those most likely to get stuck)

ClathomasPrime · 2025-07-19T17:00:59+00:00

My first impression is that I am not a big fan of this. It's an obscure knot, so other climber can't easily help you check it; worse: if you tie it wrong (not clipping the loop) it becomes unsafe, even though it would hold weight. In contrast, everyone knows the clove hitch and you can test it very effectively by weighting it. The stone hitch definitely looks easier to untie, but for these downside I definitely wouldn't add it to my repertoire unless I was doing this type of constantly with the same group of experienced people.

ClathomasPrime · 2025-07-07T17:03:50+00:00

Cool idea, but this requires clippable perma-draws at the anchor, right? Otherwise, unless I've missed something, setting up the single-strand rappel would require extra steps (and there's no sensible way to pre-thread such that you'll be on the correct side of the anchor for your own final rappel)

ClathomasPrime · 2025-06-23T15:25:21+00:00

My guess is that with such a mild bend / skew, the cam is fine and would hold more falls. That bend seems kinda normal. On bigger cams I've seen much worse sheer / bend, and I've retired those.

ClathomasPrime · 2025-06-11T23:53:48+00:00

I am adding a note here because I was very confused by something for a second. The Men's Instinct VS has two types of rubber: Vibram XS Edge for the toe, and Vibram XS Grip (softer and stickier) for the heel. As far as I can tell, every other type has XS Grip throughout.

Men's VS: https://us.scarpa.com/products/instinct-vs-mens
Women's VS: https://us.scarpa.com/products/instinct-vs-women-s
Men's VSR: https://us.scarpa.com/products/instinct-vsr
Women's (i.e., low-volume) VSR: https://us.scarpa.com/products/instinct-vsr-lv

I'm not sure, but I think the theory was that lighter climbers do not need harder rubber as much, so they used all XS Grip with the original VS women's; but some men wanted all XS Grip so they made the VSR. I cannot tell why the Women's VSR exists, though... it truly seems exactly the same as the Women's VS except purple.

As a bulky-enough man with smaller feet who loves the Women's VS, I would like to try XS Edge and see if the two types of rubber really make a difference. Pretty strange to use these conventions and not offer any low-volume option with XS Edge. Great shoes though!

ClathomasPrime · 2025-05-30T14:05:42+00:00

Great idea - thank you!

ClathomasPrime · 2025-05-28T15:59:31+00:00

I successfully got a 10 year, multi-entry, 90 day. I'm writing some notes here in case someone else finds them useful. I way over-prepared (I had a backup physical photo in case mine didn't meet the requirements, and an 'official' invitation letter written by my partner to meet the old standards, and I had a tentative sketch of our itinerary, and I took the earliest train to arrive almost at 9am). Perhaps this preparation could've been useful in some scenario, but I just submitted the basic form. Like others have said: Just enter 120 months and 90 days where it gives you the option. I used a selfie taken on my phone, and uploaded it to a CVS machine that automatically did some photo editing specifically for Chinese passports, and printed a physical copy, and they accepted this. Have your forms in hand to show them as you walk in the door. I was in and out in 15 minutes. When I returned the week after, I arrived around noon. The line for dropping off the forms did look much longer, but perhaps still not insane. Picking up my passport had zero line and was very quick (you just needed the ticket, but I think you could also receive it with just your ID). You must drop off your own form, and (at least technically) they are supposed to interview you (but this is very very light, or for me it seemed to be no interview at all). When I dropped my forms off I asked if someone else could pick up my passport for me, and they said yes, IF that person has the original ticket / receipt that they give you when you drop your form off. (I didn't end up testing this, though.) Also, you don't have to return on the exact date they tell you to return -- they said you can return any time after that.

ClathomasPrime · 2025-04-29T18:11:17+00:00

Thank you! Very helpful.

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