Climbing and Mountaineering
What to buy first, and the retirement rules nobody reads.
A small section, and the one where getting it wrong has the sharpest consequences.
Buy in this order
- Shoes. Flat, neutral, moderately stiff for a first pair. The aggressively downturned shoes in the shop are for steep sport routes and are painful to stand in, which is what you will be doing while you learn.
- Harness. An all-round one with adjustable leg loops and four gear loops. Alpine and big-wall harnesses solve problems you do not have yet.
- Belay device and locking carabiner, usually bought as a package, which is sensible because the parts are matched.
- Rope, once you climb outside. 9.5 to 10.2mm and 70m rather than 60m, since more sport routes are now pitched for 70 and being 5m short at the top of a route is a bad situation.
Fit notes
A harness sits on your waist above the hips, and you should not be able to pull it down over them. Shoes should be snug with toes flat or slightly curled, tried on late in the day with no socks; leather stretches and synthetic does not.
The retirement rules
This is the part that gets skipped. Soft goods have a service life whether or not you use them:
- Harnesses and ropes have manufacturer guidance measured in years from manufacture even unused, and much less with regular use. Check the maker's figure.
- Retire immediately after a serious fall over an edge, any sheath cut or flat spot, or any chemical contact.
- Buy new. The one category where second-hand is never worth the saving, because you cannot see the history.
Resoling and recalls
A good shoe resoles three or four times for a fraction of replacement cost, and the trick is to resole before the rubber wears through to the rand, after which the repair gets much more expensive.
Recalls in this category are rare and taken seriously: Black Diamond recalled part of its Speed harness line in 2006 over incorrectly threaded buckles that could loosen while climbing. Register products where the maker offers it, and check for notices on anything that has sat in a cupboard.
And the thing that improves your climbing is footwork, not footwear.
Kept current
- How to Pick a Climbing Rope
- Best Climbing Harnesses for Beginner Climbers
- Black Diamond Momentum AL Climbing Harness Package
- Rolling Backpacks