Outdoor Climbers vs Gymies (my representation of gym to crag)

How can one spot the difference, the short answer is we judge a book by its cover. It is a hard truth that holds up surprisingly well. One may look organized and prepared for a multitude of scenarios in an almost unconscious type of way. While the other almost undoubtedly has a collection of never used items strapped to the outside of their pack. The climber who has spent the last 4 summers slogging to the crag vs the climber who just fired that blue problem in the cave probably have a different view of the word approach. while a majority of the former still have a certain distain for that cursed word. Make no mistake, we are both a unique dimension of the same vertical calling.

I personally found my start amongst the gym crowd, atleast for a brief period before being thrown into the wild world of Rock climbing. Along that Journey I have spent years observing different climbing areas over the course of a season and sometimes multiple seasons. All the while I have been meeting folks, making observations and being somewhat interactive at the crag. Along that path I have noticed a few tell tale signs that differentiate us from our indoor cousins, as well as some of the more subtle quirks that separate us. After all we were all green once, and as our experience grows, so too does our appetite for refining how we operate out in the wilderness or in our plastic playground.

Belay Tags

once a point of pride and stoke, we collected them from various gyms and touted them like trophies. Eventually you will see them for what they really are, plastic clutter that can actually scream the exact opposite of what it was intended for. I have never asked for a belay and then scanned their harness to see if they were “certified” in fact seeing that tag may actually give ammunition to the thought that they are about to get short roped as they make the crux clip. The point being, when we are outside our actions will speak for us, being confident with your gri gri is worth 100x more than that little fluorescent tag dangling off the back of your harness. Take the tag off and stack it next to the countless other cards you refuse to carry in everyday life since you only carry your phone with Apple Pay these days anyway.

TLDR

Ditch em, and allow your skills to speak for themselves.

Packs

Have one, preferably one that fits your days needs inside of it rather than strapped to the outside of it. As you transition to the outdoor realm of rock climbing you will notice things are a lot further than that short approach of parking lot to the front door. There will be a lot more opportunities to get lost and get stuck bashing through trees too, so ask yourself if you would rather have a mesh of dynema and nylon being caught in those branches or just slip right through them with your sleek cragging backpack. The fact is you will get lost on the approach, it has happened to all of us, we all think that goat trail is the actual trail until proven otherwise.

You can ditch the pack at the closest intersection to the descent trail. If you are rappelling then the base of the wall is a good option and signals to others that a party overhead exists and to proceed with caution.

TLDR

Get one, and fill the insides before even thinking about strapping stuff to the outside.

Toes

They want to touch grass, and who can blame them. the outdoors is such a nice place and you should be stoked that you escaped your hamster wheel of the chalk eater ventilation systems for some blue sky, maybe sunshine, or potentially even the random rain squall. I cannot understate how nice it is to have happy feet; and part of that is having shoes that allow for that. When belaying in the gym the ground is smooth and flat, usually even padded, barefeet or sandals is the norm. Outside on the other hand is typically a combination of uneven, slick, muddy or even sharp. I have personally payed the price of being overconfident with sandals and kicked the wall or even stubbed it on tree roots and had to call the climbing day short because my busted toe wont go in my climbing shoe anymore. SO, bring a closed toe shoe, if it has sticky rubber thats a plus, and just be thankful that the next time your foot slips or you trip over a branch in the woods, that it didn’t have any other consequence besides losing your balance for a moment. The trail isn’t always going to be a sidewalk and when the going gets vertical your are going to be relieved that you have a shoe that stays on your foot rather than a flip flop that finally blows a strap and now you are playing hopscotch on your way home.

TLDR

shoes, you want them… trust me. and they are called tennies now.

Clean Harness

A clean harness is a safe harness, and better yet is a fast harness. Once again, we can learn from the pros that have been doing it longer than you and I. If we look at Tommy and Alex, why do we never see 10 meters of cord bundled on their harness, a belay tag and a dozen extra carabiners. The fact of the matter is that climbing with a clean harness keeps you lighter and puts the priortity back on the climbing and not lugging about extra gear that has no application in the next rope length of climbing. Climbing light, is like catching a wave in the most stunning vertical landscapes. Now catch that same wave with 10 extra pounds of gear and your buddies water bottle in your backpack, it just isn’t the same experience. Having a clean harness thats well organized means that you’ve thought out what needs to be there and why. Having an extra of everything and 10 extras of somethings is just overkill. You should meet each day as a learning opportunity of playing lowest common denominator of whats on your harness and why. Your harness is not a trophy of the climbing gear that you’ve acquired so far. Soon you will refine a setup that works for when you are single pitch cragging and another setup on your harness for when you are going out on a multipitch excursion. Remember you don’t need 4 belay devices between you and your partner if you can only ever operate one each.

TLDR

look at a pros harness and ask, why don’t they have all the same things as your harness? A light harness makes for a happy climber.

RISK

The quintessential difference between outdoor and indoor climbing is that one has been developed with safety in mind, while the other leaves safety to the interpretation of the user. Indoors we have clean falls, no overhead hazard, and everything is conveniently spaced from one another to keep things neat and tidy.

When we step outside there is no custodian making sure that the route is clean of debris between uses. Nobody to make sure that jug mid route ins’t going to rip on you, and definitely no one to tell you that decking is a consequence of blowing the clip at the third bolt on that route you have been eyeing up. It is your responsibility to become aware of these details and come up with appropriate strategies to navigate them for you and your climbing partner on that day. As it is with climbing, this can be done a multitude of ways that have there own measure of risk involved.

THE MOST DANGEROUS RISK IS THE ONE THAT YOU FAIL TO IDENTIFY. The world is yours to navigate, and it will benefit you to separate this navigation from your ego.

If you need insights on how to get past some of these hazards or help identifying exactly what hazards are at play, get in touch. Professional instruction is a proven way to expedite your learning outdoors, and help you form healthy habits.