Gear Obsession

So today I climbed a huge Walnut, 60ft straight up. Boy was I ever glad that I had my wrench, my foot ascender, and my HAAS. It made things super easy. I love all those new tools. Seriously. Eight years ago I would have tried footlocking up there and I would have been totally winded by the time I made it (even after taking a couple breaks on the way up). Footlocking sucks.

The point of my article was that if you are a crap climber with regular gear, then you will be a crap climber with all of the best gear. And I am writing this for new recruits to help show them that focusing on gear is a misuse of their time and resources - at least at first. Most of the comments that I have seen on this thread have been based on other people's comments. I am starting to wonder how many people actually clicked through and read the article. I only cut and pasted a couple paragraphs on the forum to get this discussion started because I don't feel that forums are the best format for long-form content. Beneath those couple paragraphs was a link to the entire article. If you don't want to read it, that's fine, really. But what is the point in commenting on something that you haven't read? How does that move the discussion forward?

Here is the link to the article if anyone wants to read it: EducatedClimber.com/gear-obsession

Peace.
 
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You posed a few questions. people respondeded
Gear is essential. and can make or break a climber or potential climber. great or otherwise.
I can tell the tree industry is very slow to change. Tools used, long used in other rope access industries are new in ours.
mb you should reread or even rewrite the article.
seems a bit biased.
 
Muggs said:
So today I climbed a huge Walnut, 60ft straight up. Boy was I ever glad that I had my wrench, my foot ascender, and my HAAS. It made things super easy. I love all those new tools. Seriously. Eight years ago I would have tried footlocking up there and I would have been totally winded by the time I made it (even after taking a couple breaks on the way up). Footlocking sucks.

The point of my article was that if you are a crap climber with regular gear, then you will be a crap climber with all of the best gear. And I am writing this for new recruits to help show them that focusing on gear is a misuse of their time and resources - at least at first. Most of the comments that I have seen on this thread have been based on other people's comments. I am starting to wonder how many people actually clicked through and read the article. I only cut and pasted a couple paragraphs on the forum to get this discussion started because I don't feel that forums are the best format for long-form content. Beneath those couple paragraphs was a link to the entire article. If you don't want to read it, that's fine, really. But what is the point in commenting on something that you haven't read? How does that move the discussion forward?

Here is the link to the article if anyone wants to read it: EducatedClimber.com/gear-obsession

Peace.
Click to expand...

The premise is exactly correct, and I have often caught myself making things far more complicated than they needed to be.

I don't know how to tell someone that they should be using the same basic, physically demanding, and antiquated techniques that I both started with and only very rarely use today, and only begrudgingly then. Airtime is almost everything. Airtime at work is so much more valuable than screwing around on your own. The goals to accomplish are all built in and the motivations are all clear. It is hard to train yourself with that level of consistency.
I have had a lot of issues trying to imbue spatial awareness and the ability to see straight lines and hinge points everywhere... you addressed a couple of things that I really feel I should look into, but kit=/=skill really seems overstated considering that gear+skill=absolutely anything.
That crane picture is also priceless.
 
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