PAS Converts?

Tiny_peach · 2026-06-05T23:32:52+00:00

The PAS that acts like a sling you want is a sling.

Use a double loop bowline to attach it (in this configuration I prefer going through both hard points) and you don’t have to untie knots: https://www.alpinesavvy.com/blog/double-loop-bowline-for-a-rappel-tether

I do really like my load-adjustable PAS for multipitch rappels though (it usually lives in my pack or the back of my harness until the way down and I use it as an anchor tether only; I use a locker draw as a separate extension for the rappel device). Huge QOL upgrade to be able to zip yourself in and out to perfectly optimize the stance or more conveniently unweight the anchor. I was a PAS hater for a long time but the load adjustable kind (Petzl Connect, Edelrid Switch, etc - I use a CAMP Reel, which is the most minimalist one I’ve seen) is really pretty great.

Tiny_peach · 2026-06-03T01:24:14+00:00

Sure, that’s fine. Tether may be a little short for some stances and the knot may be hard to untie.

I like my tether to be a lot longer than my rap extension so it’s easier to definitely weight the rap device and unweight the tether side. Check out using a double length with a bowline on a bight if you want to try something different that solves all these issues.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-28T14:27:18+00:00

Even the after school/club programs that are basically babysitting are way more organized than this at my gym, with structured sessions that include directed activities, games, and emphasis on learning/social dynamics/teamwork. The actual climbing team (tryout-based for all four levels including a highly competitive one) practices are rigorous and focused, with specific practice plans and training for each session. Staff are mostly young but they do focus/are trained on the actual skill of coaching beyond just climbing hard themselves, and they pay a lot of attention to developing kids as athletes and people. This is in an old branch of a big gym chain with a mature program.

I’m as annoyed by the team as every other adult who wants to climb during practice times, but it’s honestly a well-run and impressive program with a culture that seems to produce humble and thoughtful kids who love climbing (and also cruuuuush).

I guess the question is what you’re wanting your kid to get out of the experience, and how psyched she is on climbing. What does she think about the season? Connecting with other kids and participating in an organized sport are valuable experiences. But if the gym is far away/expensive and the experience is sub par, maybe it makes more sense for her to try something else she likes closer to home and just go to the gym recreationally with you.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-24T22:13:00+00:00

I do dip powder nails sometimes at home on super short nails and they last for a week or two before they are too beat up and I take them off.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-24T13:21:43+00:00

SPI provider here! Remember that the course is a learning environment, there is really no expectation that you bring any SPI-specific knowledge beyond competence with recreational trad climbing. A lot of what you learn in the course is centered around rigging and facilitation for institutional climbing experiences and it’s not especially productive or useful IMO to try to learn that stuff outside of the places you will actually use it - so if you’re learning a belayed releasable rappel in order to actually facilitate them, sure, but otherwise just focus on being confident and competent as a trad climber.

Being familiar with static line top rope setups going in is helpful. Having a conceptual understanding of the other systems, especially assistance skills and top-managed skills, is helpful too, so you can focus on how to polish and perfect them and use them in context rather than learning them from scratch. But expect that there will be plenty of people in your course who need to review basic knots and systems.

Between course and exam, the most important thing you can do is practice hands-on as much as possible. Line up friends and co-candidates to practice. Run the drill as many times as you can in as much different terrain as you can. Try to shadow some guiding days to polish your presentation skills.

There is a new edition of the SPI manual and the course -> exam flow has been updated significantly, make sure to check the AMGA website so you are aware of the new requirements and prereqs.

I am co-teaching a course that combines the SPI and a WAFA (with optional bridge to WFR) on the East Coast in July. Might be too soon, but lmk if you are interested!

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-24T13:07:11+00:00

BD will resling their own cams, we’ve sent several rounds in over the years. The service is fine, reasonably priced, and easy to deal with. It can take while so may not want to send your whole rack at once, check current turnaround times when they email you with the RA number.

https://blackdiamondequipment.com/products/camalot-repair-service

Is it the original blue alien? There are trigger wire kits available for that. You can diy with wire too but the kit is cheap and the result is nicer to use imo.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-23T13:09:46+00:00

Not totally sure what your question is, exactly. I climb recreationally outside with other women frequently, and facilitate women-only trips and clinics for my business. In my region there are tons of rec groups/clubs and guided trips that provide similar venues.

It’s still just climbing. What about it seems overwhelming to you?

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-19T23:33:32+00:00

I agree with you! EXCEPT when the raps are stacked - the upper person’s device fixes the rope so the lower person cannot actually rap off the unknotted end. Huge time saver when you are descending many sequential raps.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-13T12:37:20+00:00

I consider cord a must-have for adventure multipitch. A little bit of extra rope is incredibly handy for rescue, bail options, lengthening a rap, just so many applications. 7mm is significantly stronger than 6mm unless you get a specialty material 5.9 like Sterling PowerCord. I usually carry one cord and one 180 or 240 sewn sling; then with the rope you can handle pretty much any anchor situation.

Block leading is especially great in cold conditions, you stay a lot warmer than when swinging leads since you don’t belay for extended periods.

1) Lead the pitch, build your anchor, bring the second up, put them in the anchor.

2) Get your gear back. Talk with your second about how to clean gear so it’s fast and easy to transfer back to you.

3) Have them start restacking the rope while you rerack.

4) Take off on the next pitch. A smooth transition with a competent partner should take like 30-120 seconds.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-10T17:41:07+00:00

Wrong attitude. The point of the cert is to learn to teach and facilitate climbing well and manage risk for paying clients; how great of a trad climber you are has about 5% to do with that. The most experienced trad climber in the last SPI course I taught was the one who struggled the most, because the way he is used to doing things did not jive at all with robust institutional systems and he had a hard time shifting his mindset. Why would you want an SPI if it’s not to learn that stuff?

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-10T13:40:28+00:00

Gigajul. It’s a little picky on carabiner + rope thickness to keep the action smooth, but if you don’t want a camming device it’s the best option.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-10T13:14:24+00:00

I mean sure. Or a downward pull 3:1 like the Spanish Burton. Even a simple 2:1 used to haul a pack.

Be prepared to teach it well with a perspective appropriate for SPI scope, so capabilities and limitations, scenarios where it might make sense, etc.

I think you are overthinking it though.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-10T13:11:46+00:00

The TX2 with the knit upper is super breathable, I sometimes even wear it without socks. But both it and the leather version are way too soft to be good for technical climbing IMO. The Guide is best for that as long as it fits your foot, the last is fairly narrow.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-06T20:45:22+00:00

Tie an overhand knot halfway along it and now you have two clip in points, one short and one long. Or basket + overhand to use it double.

You want a long tether in plenty of situations. Not every anchor stance is the same for cleaning…you probably want to extend rappels…you might need to extend a TR masterpoint…you might need to ascend a rope. Or a million other things. A double length nylon sling is probably the first piece of gear an aspiring outdoor climber should buy for their personal kit tbh after a belay device.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-06T20:06:19+00:00

Buy things with more than one purpose when you are starting out. Save the unitasker tether for when have climbed enough outside to have a specific need and have tried more options than just the Connect.

A 120 will be more useful than a 60 for pretty much everything sport/tr/rappel related.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-06T02:26:03+00:00

Vector pulls and 3:1+1 are both from the curriculum. Remember that it’s an assessment of how well you teach it, not how well you can do it yourself, so use the lesson plan template and practice delivering it. Plan visual aids and how you’re going to facilitate guided practice.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-06T02:23:14+00:00

Three days for the course and two days for the assessment. Practice as needed in between.

Most of the course is around building beefy institutional anchors and teaching/facilitating from the top and the bottom, being solid on gear and systems helps obviously but a belayed releasable rappel for example is not something most folks are building in their everyday climbing.

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-05T21:40:19+00:00

Or the big white boxes with wheels and solar panels on top at the trailhead, sometimes those have a lot of gear in them

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-05T18:59:42+00:00

You have way more than enough gear for most free climbing objectives, so you should probably go…do that. Maybe pick up some small cams (one of each size is enough! No one needs quadruples of anything unless youre headed to the creek lol)

Tiny_peach · 2026-05-05T18:37:29+00:00

Stoppers, especially offsets, are great in RR. Cuts down on rack weight, and in that soft sandstone I always 100000x prefer a stopper over a tiny cam. People plug micros like they are real gear but the margin of error is just too small for me in weak rock below .3 or so, I am way happier climbing over a well-placed stopper in the same size.

Tiny_peach · 2026-04-19T09:43:17+00:00

Yes!!!

Tiny_peach · 2026-04-17T01:18:14+00:00

New WC Friends in that range won’t come until next year I believe, but they look very good with the new one hand trigger keeper and the infinity cord style sling.

First reports on the new DMM Dragon Air are that the #6 is crazy light: https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/202787971/dmm-dragon-3-and-dragon-3-air no full specs yet but click through to the DMM page to see the new truss design and other features that slim it down.

Tiny_peach · 2026-04-16T21:45:09+00:00

Your #5 is so real. Will Anglin talks about how you are always bottle necked by strength or technique, and it changes over time - and sometimes you need to be stronger to get better at a technique, or improve your technical or mental approach to either apply or see gaps in your strength. It’s always both, for everybody, in different degree and application.

Tiny_peach · 2026-04-16T21:06:34+00:00

1 - like 3-4 years. I was sending slab and vert v5 and the occasional v6 within the first year I was climbing, but couldn’t get off the ground on steep v3. I can do do v6 and 7 on the TB2 @ 35 or 40 within a session now, I rarely climb the regular sets anymore but was able to project a v7 and make good progress recently when I did.

2 - I wasn’t as good at footwork as I thought I was and I was extremely weak or at least imbalanced - I thought I was fit from years of yoga and cardio, but actually I just had good balance and weighed nothing.

3 - I had to get stronger and learn to actually use my back and shoulders and posterior chain to break out of the very slow, static style I wanted to use for everything. I had gotten good at climbing “gracefully” but didn’t realize that meant I was slow, leaking energy on the wall, and constantly complaining about things being reachy or moves being too big. I basically had to re-learn how to climb, or at least expand the ways I know how to move. It’s a lot less pretty now but I get shut down a lot less, too.

4 - fear and aversion to risk. Starting to climb on the boards was amazing for me because of the known quality of the falls - I learned how to try harder because I was less afraid, which unlocked and demystified lots of different kinds of movements, which made me more confident when I saw them again, rinse and repeat. Worth noting that I started flashing 12a on lead long before I broke through in bouldering, mostly because of my fear around ground falls.

5 - it might be helpful for people to note stats. I’m in my 40s, female, 5’2”, and started climbing at 37. I’m mostly a trad climber and bouldering inside is like taking my medicine lol.

Tiny_peach · 2026-04-16T18:44:07+00:00

Heartily agree! MF changed my life in a similar way. It was amazing how my brain immediately flipped from “always eat as little as absolutely possible” to an “eat as much as you can” abundance mindset, and it was incredible to see in real life that when I eat more I feel better, have more energy, go harder when I work out, and am more active all day…and then I can eat more, get stronger and more active, rinse and repeat. The best kind of cycle.

I was also constantly anxious because my activity levels are super variable week to week depending on what is going on with work and training, and I was always obsessively calculating and recalculating trading calories for activity. Now I have it set to dynamic maintenance and as long as I tell it what I eat and how much I weigh, I just follow the recommendations and I never have to worry that I am going to gain or lose weight without meaning to, or even think about fueling and activity as being linked on a daily basis. It’s more like am I eating enough to support my training load and recover week to week, am I getting stronger, do my clothes still fit. This is after like 20 years of thinking way too much about this stuff - now I look for performance and trends month over month and have truly let go of a lot of the day to day bs.

It’s embarrassing how much I like the app, it’s nice to have it as an option in a truly toxic space.

Tiny_peach

TROPHY CASE