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Reddit mentions of Climbing Anchors (How To Climb Series)

Sentiment score: 15
Reddit mentions: 29

We found 29 Reddit mentions of Climbing Anchors (How To Climb Series). Here are the top ones.

Climbing Anchors (How To Climb Series)
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Author: John Long, Bob GainesISBN#: 9780762782079Publisher: Falcon GuidesPublication Date: 2013Jacket: paperback
Specs:
ColorOne Color
Height9.25 Inches
Length7.5 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJuly 2013
SizeOne Size
Weight0.0771617917 Pounds
Width0.563 Inches

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Found 29 comments on Climbing Anchors (How To Climb Series):

u/danesgod · 13 pointsr/climbing

FOTH hills is great and all. But honestly, I got more out of John Long's Anchors book for learning trad placements and anchor building. FOTH is so dense and there is a lot of info in there that is irrelevant for trad climbing (alpine/mountaineering/survival stuff).

If it were me, I'd look at Climbing Anchors first, FOTH second.

u/[deleted] · 12 pointsr/climbing

Since someone else is already doing the standard /r/climbing YERGONNADIE and assuming you are a moron, I'll give this a shot.

Your first purchase should be a book by John Long called Climbing Anchors. It's cheap and relatively short - you can get through it in an afternoon then keep it around as a reference.

After that, you'll have a very good idea of what products you'll need in order to rig a toprope, so I'll give you some guidance re: product differentiation.

You'll need locking carabiners, and they'll have some small variation in strength ratings. For top roping, these differences are irrelevant. The shape of the biners is important though - those huge screw-gates that are the size of your whole hand can be nice for belaying, but they are a total waste when it comes to rigging a toprope. Outdoorgearlab did a nice writeup on choosing lockers, I'll leave the rest up to you.

Even for top rope, I wouldn't buy a static line to climb on. Some people prefer it because they can also use it to rope-solo/jumar, and it's perfectly safe so long as you are diligent about keeping very little slack in the line, but it's much less versatile. You can't use it for sport climbing or trad, where a fall on a static line can pretty easily snap your spine. Get yourself a nice 60m dynamic line - anything 9.8mm in diameter and up will do nicely, anything above 10.2 will last for a long time.

For the anchor itself, it really depends on what's available at your local crag. Of course you'll need some 7mm accessory cord and some nylon slings to rig everything up, but nobody can tell you what you'll need in order to rig up a safe belay above any given pitch.

You'll need to read John Long, practice building and yanking out anchors on the ground, and really overbuild your anchors as you are starting out. Especially if you are placing gear, you'll make some mistakes and you don't want anyone to get hurt as a result. Placing five pieces of pro in the morning and coming back at the end of the day to find that two of them pulled out is a good lesson. Placing two and finding that you screwed both up is a very bad day.

u/0bsidian · 11 pointsr/climbing

Building anchors isn't rocket science, but it does hold a couple of important considerations (and why watching a video isn't going to be sufficient):

  • There are a multitude of ways you can build a strong anchor and many more ways to mess it up. Messing it up obviously carries a high consequence. A video can't teach you all the right and wrong ways to build an anchor.
  • Building anchors is not a strictly procedural process like cleaning a sport route where you can watch a video and follow steps 1 to 10 and it'll be 99% the same everywhere you go. Building anchors requires an understanding of concepts, not procedures (because what you encounter for an anchor placement will vary) - such as what qualifies as a bomber anchor, how to ensure you have redundancy throughout the entire anchor, limitations of gear, etc.

    Should you take a class? Maybe if you want some hands-on experience. I would suggest that you do your share of the reading first, you might not need the class, or if do take one you'll have a better understanding of what is being taught and be able to ask thoughtful questions.

    Some reading:

  • Anchors in Earnest (PDF)
  • Trad Anchors (4 parts) and Top Rope Anchors
  • Climbing Anchors (book: John Long, Bob Gaines)
  • For fun you can check out Jive-Ass Anchors for what not to do (sadly no new updates).
u/milesup · 6 pointsr/climbing

Rock Warrior's Way (https://warriorsway.com/the-rock-warriors-way-mental-training-for-climbers-2/)

If you're interested in trad climbing: Climbing Anchors by John Long (https://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Anchors-Climb-John-Long/dp/0762782072)

Training for the New Alpinism (http://www.patagonia.com/product/training-for-the-new-alpinism/BK695.html)

Freedom of the Hills is rad, but I've found a little broad and hard to read continuously. For climbing technique, I've found YouTube videos a little more useful, I mostly use books for safety and mental techniques, though I've heard good things about the Crack Climber's Technique Manual (https://www.fixedpin.com/products/the-crack-climbers-technique-manual)

And if you're looking for something that's more of a fun read, I'd really recommend Valley Walls (https://www.amazon.com/Valley-Walls-Memoir-Climbing-Yosemite/dp/1930238630)

u/anamericanclassic · 5 pointsr/climbing

Make friends at your gym and go out with them. Or hire a guide.

Also, read a lot of books. John Long's anchor book is a great start.

u/hemingwaysbeard · 4 pointsr/climbing

I've done this exact class. There is a lot of practical anchor building esp. with natural anchors (all feet on the ground).

I found it to be okay. Afterwords, I needed to go find other information that was not covered for the type of climbing I want to do.

The course covers: Top Rope Anchors and the basics of knots. Using natural anchors.
The cover does not cover: TRAD anchors (well at least). Gear placement.

Its good to hear this information from an experienced guide. But alot is their preference on building anchors. So much of it you need to reteach yourself for what you will actually use regularly. I found self teaching to be a more worthwhile investment for my time.

TL;DR I found this John Long book to be more helpful than the REI course. (but thats just one man's opinion)

u/damnination333 · 4 pointsr/climbing

Video. Mostly focuses on trad anchors, but the same concepts apply to sport anchors.

Book.

u/wristrule · 3 pointsr/climbing

The easiest way to find a friend who knows what's up and who is willing to take you out a bunch of times and teach you. Then you can start to purchase gear and do it on your own a bit.

You can ask around on Mountain Project forums or at the gym for people who would be interested in taking you out if you don't know anyone. If you go that route then a positive, open to new experiences attitude, an understanding of LNT and respecting the outdoors, and a six pack of beer generally go a long way.

Reading a book like John Long's Anchors is a good way to begin to learn, but probably not sufficient on its own.

If you can't find someone to teach you then many gyms offer classes on various topics. Start with a leading and lead belay class. Then move on to an anchors course. There's lots to learn and it's your life and safety at stake so take it slow.

u/dustyrhod3s · 3 pointsr/climbing

Here is what I use for bolted TR anchors:

http://www.seekingexposure.com/meet-the-quad-anchor/

This covers way more than just bolted TR anchors, but if you're really serious about getting information: http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Anchors-Climb-John-Long/dp/0762782072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451675328&sr=8-2&keywords=anchor+building

Also, 50' is twice as much as you need. 20-25' is enough.

u/machsmit · 3 pointsr/climbing

seconding /u/traddad's comment/recommendations. Another good resource is John Long's anchor book -- the last chapter has some good examples for rigging top belays (and it's a good anchor resource in general)

u/disinterestedMarmot · 3 pointsr/WildernessBackpacking

TRAAAAAAAIN!

Basically, if you want to climb mountains, you need to be fit. A weak person with the best gear and training money can buy is rolling the dice. A strong person with minimal gear and training is rolling loaded dice. A well trained person can move faster to avoid weather, is more resilient to heat and cold, can exert themselves for longer on minimal food, and can help their partner when their partner can't help themselves. Remember: fatigue makes cowards of us all.

Of course, you generally want to be strong and smart and well equipped. But the first thing to do is train. It's pretty simple right now - what you really need to do is build up your cardiovascular and slow-twitch muscle base - which means you need to go hiking a lot. Go backpacking or peakbagging on the weekends - or day hikes if you have constraints. During your day-to-day, walk and stand as much as possible. Go for a long run at least once a week, but keep a relatively low heart rate (if you have to open your mouth to breathe, you are going too fast). Do some core work, too - weightlifting or yoga are both quite good for this. For a far more complete description of how to train for hiking and mountaineering, I suggest picking up a copy of Training for the New Alpinism.

As for technical skills and knowledge - well, you can bag easy peaks with a minimal amount, but here's a list of skills that will get you started, in approximate order from least to most advanced:

Backpacking
You said you'd done day hikes before - have you been backpacking? If not, this is a crucial first step. There is a ton of information online, and it isn't terribly difficult or dangerous, so you should be able to learn on your own. Here is a pretty good gear list to get you started. Also, make sure you learn and abide by LNT.

Wilderness First Aid
This is obviously good to know if you plan on tackling difficult or remote peaks. While there are many resources online (and you could get a decent overview simply by going through the requirements for the Boy Scouts' First Aid Merit Badge, this is one of the few things where I recommend paying for professional instruction. Getting a wilderness first aid certification can be very informative if you don't already have the knowledge.

Light/Ultralight Backpacking
Lighter packs move faster. Moving faster is safer. Learn to pare down the weight of your backpack to the bare minimum. This can be accomplished mostly by improvising gear out of common lightweight items, or simply going without - though it is possible to spend quite a bit of money to shave those last few ounces. /r/ultralight is a good source, as is backpackinglight.

Sport Climbing
If you want to tackle mountains with technical climbing, you need to know how to climb. While you might find yourself under the wing of a crusty old mountaineer who will be having none of those sissy-ass bolts, the fact is that the easiest and most common path to learning technical climbing these days starts in the climbing gym and at the sport crag. Unfortunately, this is where things can start getting expensive. In order to start learning how to climb, you'll need a pair of rock shoes at the very least to boulder. In order to start roped climbing, you'll need a harness and a belay device. In order to be a fully fledged sport climber, you'll need a rope (70m is the new standard, get that) and around 12 quickdraws; I also recommend a helmet.

As far as actually learning, there are a number of routes you can take. The most common is to get a rock gym membership. This is probably the best way, since it will expose you to the greatest number of potential climbing partners and increase your movements skills as fast as possible. Just hanging around the gym is usually enough to make a few friends to get outside with, and then they can teach you how to set anchors and lead sport. Unfortunately, gym memberships are expensive and there aren't too many rock gyms in Wyoming. Another option is to find some sort of social club for climbing in your area - I'm sure there are quite a few in your area if you poke around a bit. You'll be able to make friends and learn skills, but you'll be limited since the only practice you'll get will be on sporadic weekends. A third option is to try to teach yourself - the others are easier, but this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I suggest picking up a copy of Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills if you choose to go this route. Just remember to double-check everything, because if you mess up, you could die. A final option, and the one I suggest least, is to hire someone to teach you. This is very expensive, and although most guides provide excellent instruction, I feel that most people are taught better by learning from peers and making their own judgements on what to and not to do, based on reason and evidence.

Skiing, Snowshoeing, and Avalanche Certification
Mountains have snow. You need to navigate that snow. Learning to ski and snowshoe is fairly straightforward, but learning how not to die in an avalanche is rather difficult. Again, pay for a course.

Trad Climbing
Sport climbing familiarizes you with the fundamentals of movement on rock, belaying, and climbing above your protection. Traditional, or "trad" climbing, teaches you to place your own protection. You'll need a set of nuts (DMM makes some good ones), about 10 alpine draws, and a set of cams (cha-ching!). Once again, you can try to find some friends to teach you, teach yourself (pick up either Long's or Luebben's book), or hire someone to teach you.

Finally, don't fall into the "couple trap". I assume you're going to want your boyfriend to join you when you go out - that's great! But don't let your boyfriend be your one and only partner. For one thing, you'll severely limit the amount of knowledge you'll be able to absorb. For another, you'll be limited in when you'll be able to get out to when you are both able to - while backpacking and bagging easy peaks on your own is fine, pushing yourself solo is not suggested. And finally, it just won't be as fun - joining a community of people who you literally trust with your life is truly fantastic, and the relationships you build climbing mountains are really as important as the climbs themselves.

u/spellstrike · 2 pointsr/climbing

start reading though these resources a dozen times:

1 multipitchclimbing.com

2 anchors intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SkCojauHto

3 WC crack school: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W99gN54wLQ&list=PLIC0Jb1OCf4cTyLvpiGN9KNZGfqCpHB4D


Then get some DMM alloy offset nuts 7-11 and go around the base of the crag practicing placements.

long's book is good too: https://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Anchors-Climb-John-Long/dp/0762782072

u/Riot101 · 2 pointsr/climbing

How to top rope by Bob Gains is good if you are starting out.
http://www.amazon.com/Toproping-How-To-Climb-Series/dp/0762770325

He also has a book on anchors and setting other pro if you are interested in working on leading.
http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Anchors-How-Climb-Series/dp/0762782072/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

John long is also a great author as u/jdevver suggested.

u/DanielPedberg · 2 pointsr/climbing

I think taking the winter to prepare yourself is a great idea if you don't know of anyone who can take you, or don't want to spend the money on instruction (right now that is). For $30 and some shipping you can have almost all the book knowledge you need.

Read Climbing Anchors by John Long. This is a great way to start understanding climbing anchor theory and some of the broader details of materials and protection.

Read the AMGA's Single Pitch Instructor Manual. It has more info than you need to know, but the knots and anchor systems are extremely valuable.

u/forrScience · 2 pointsr/climbing

OP if you haven't already, I highly suggest reading climbing anchors falcon guide https://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Anchors-Climb-John-Long/dp/0762782072, if you're into gear and the knots, ect, its a fantastic read. i've read it cover to cover twice.

u/CaptainUltimate28 · 2 pointsr/climbing

No problem! I had a some great friends who had a lot of patience with me, who were just as adventurous as me, and I spent a lot of time reading John Long's [Climbing Anchors] (http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Anchors-How-Climb-Series/dp/0762782072).

Just remember, good judgement is the result of having survived bad judgment.

u/climber666 · 2 pointsr/tradclimbing

Here's a couple of books that i found useful when learning. For the cost of your class, you could buy some gear. I bought my rack and went out and started leading the easiest things i could find. I asked my partners to look at my placements and didn't climb anything where i wasn't at ease fiddling with my placements. After a season of this, i spent a day with a small group climbing with a guide and a pro climber. It was really useful then to have someone evaluate my placements and look at my technique. In short, spend the money on a rack. Get out and play with it.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Rock-Climb-5th-Series/dp/0762755342/ref=pd_sim_b_2/191-6286848-7768056

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762782072/ref=pd_sim_b_1

These two will get you started. Once you're comfortable with your gear and are starting to think about multi-pitch climbing, it's a really good idea to read this one as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Self-Rescue-Improvising-Mountaineers/dp/089886772X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395103810&sr=1-3&keywords=self+rescue+for+climbers

There are many books out there on these topics. I've read the three above and can vouch for their quality. When looking for the Jon Long books, be sure to get the latest edition.

u/ja1484 · 2 pointsr/itookapicture

Honestly, they're more likely to check out driving to/from the climb than from climbing itself.

When properly trained and performed, climbing is extremely safe (minimally dangerous?) and encourages good habits (problem solving, improvisation, calm demeanor) and provides inexpensive leisure that contributes to physical fitness and health.

Let me suggest, however, some required reading:

  • First

  • Second

  • Third

  • Fourth

  • Fifth

  • If looking to broaden horizons beyond just rock climbing, This is a good start. There are many good texts, particularly those published by The Mountaineers Books that go in depth on Ice Climbing, Snowfield and Glacier travel, and Alpine Climbing techniques.


    Once familiar with the theory and application of these texts, mentorship and apprenticeship in the field by competent parties is recommended. Reading and doing are different skills.
u/huffalump1 · 1 pointr/climbing

For specifics, definitely pick up a copy of Climbing Anchors. Nice explanations, illustrations, and examples. It's a must-have.

u/jbnj451 · 1 pointr/climbing

Here are the best resources I've found. I will say this though: Find a solid climbing mentor to teach you all the safety basics (belaying, knots, anchors, etc.). I've only been climbing a little over a year, and I've seen some of the dumbest/craziest stuff outside already. It's good to read books and watch videos, but always have someone who knows that they're doing to check and double check that you're safe. Ask lots of questions--you only have one life and you don't want to die (or kill/hurt someone) from a dumb mistake that could be prevented.

u/universal_klister · 1 pointr/climbing

Hiya Michnation.

Assuming you have the usual shoes, harness, belay device, etc...

You will need a rope, quickdraws, some cord/slings/webbing, and a handful of carabiners.

More importantly you should probably check out Freedom and Anchors.

These two books have taught generations of climbers how to climb. A huge part of climbing outside is being comfortable and confident in your own skills. My personal opinion is that you will become a better climber through a lot of time spent learning techniques and practicing them, than if you spend money on a couple guided days. But thats IMO.

u/HylianWalrus · -7 pointsr/climbing

Look mate, there's no arguing that lowering directly off fixed gear is just lazy and inconsiderate. Set up an anchor and play right.

I'm not sure if you have ever been out of the gym, but when you climb outside there is more at stake than just your own safety. You should try going outside, but please keep in mind etiquette as it is what will keep our routes sustained for years to come.

I would recommend reading this book. It will give you a good understanding as to how to properly set up anchors.

It even gets into placing your own pro, but you can skip over that if that's a little much for you.