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When rapping off, make sure the rope is connected to the anchor correctly and going through your rap device correctly before disconnecting yourself from the anchor. Its easy to miss things when youre tired. lock your biners. Backups are nice too.

Have fun. It's the best advice out there.

No matter how sleep deprived you are from getting up early or getting in late, don't get too hyped up on caffiene (sp) without food to go with it. You'll shake yourself right off the wall.
-Peace Out

Caffine such as is colas coffee and tea lower iron count, iron carries oxygen in blood, oxygen prevents lactic acid burn...... so drink LOTS of water.

"there are only three sports motor racing mountain climbing and bull fighting all the rest are only games" Hemmingway

Dont ever let go..climb till you fall..

Please change your catch phrase. With the state of our youth being what it is today, do we really need another phrase out there that can be misconstrued in it's meaning. "Your Climbing.com GET HIGH!" Certinly you guys could be a bit more creative.

Here's a bit of advice: Find the your most comfortable position to belay before your leader leaves the ground. There's nothing worse then reaching the crux of a climb and looking down to see your belay turning over rocks, changing songs on his IPOD or cleaning the dust off his sunglassses. Always remember that you hold a life in your hands and that they call it "THE CRUX" for a reason.

Bit of advice 2: Don't be a knucle head!

The_Shoe, "Building fire proof bridges since 1975"

In most cases, this tip will help you avoid tagging a second line when setting up a long (100ft+) top rope. It's easy once you've gotten the technique down, so don't be intimidated by the number of steps.

1. Climb the route and set up the TR anchor as usual.

2. When finished with the anchor, lower down, cleaning necessary gear and/or clipping YOUR end of the rope into directionals.

3. When the belayer gets NEAR the end of the rope, clip into a nearby bolt or piece of pro. Call for a small amount of slack and weight the bolt/pro. IMPORTANT: YOUR BELAYER MUST MUST MUST BE AWARE OF THE ROPE END SO THEY DON'T LOWER YOU OFF OF IT!

4. While still on belay, clove hitch a locking biner to the belayer's side of the rope and attach it to your belay loop. Lock it. Now you're clipped into the TR anchor on a long loop AND the nearby bolt/pro. Your belayer can take you off belay.

5. Pull the belayer's end of the rope through all the biners below you and toss it back down to him/her. This is an important step as it allows the knot connecting the two ropes together to pass upward without running into gear. This is also where you might run into trouble if the belayer can't be seen, is situated below features that will snag your rope, or is in any other way blocked from a straight throw from you. THINK ABOUT THE THROW BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THIS TECHNIQUE.

6. Have your belayer tie the ropes together. He or she should put you back on belay on the second line and get ready to step back to take in as much slack as possible and lower you down. IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOUR BELAYER IS COMPLETELY COMPETENT IN TYING ROPES TOGETHER FOR A TWO-ROPE SYSTEM.

7. Once you're certain that you're back on belay, unclip the locking biner from the belayer's side of the rope, allow your belayer to take up the slack by stepping away from the cliff. Once they're ready to lower you again, remove the pro/draw from the rock.

8. Down you go.

If I were an artist and could post an illustration, I'm sure that would make understanding this tip easier. Alas, neither is possible. Use your wonderful imagination.

Unraveling the Breaking Strengths of trad Protection

How strong does your climbing gear and its relative holding ability need to be to keep you attached to the rock and prevent you from plummeting to the ground? To answer this question you will need an understanding of gear strength ratings and the basic dynamics of fall factors…in other words - Climbing Physics 101

Stamped on most of your climbing gear is a number followed by “kN”. Do you know what that means and how it might relate to your climbing? Let’s start by defining kN. This symbol stands for “kilo Newton” and is a measure of force in the metric system. In the English system, the measure of force is designated in pounds. I weigh about 180 pounds. If I put on a huge wall rack of 44 pounds (a total of 224 lbs), I would weigh about 1 kN. We will use a climber of that weight in our discussion.

In climbing, force is generated by the pull of gravity on a mass. Most carabiners are rated to break above 20 kN. That means it would take 20 climbers hanging statically from one carabiner before it would break. But in climbing, we are rarely interested in what a static strength is. We are interested in the strength and holding power during a fall.

To discover this, we need to understand the term “fall factor”. Fall factor is the ratio of the distance the falling leader plummets, to the amount of rope between the belayer and the leader. The fall factor can range from a minimum of close to 0.0 to a maximum of 2.0. A factor 2.0 fall can only occur when the belayer is off the ground. One way for this to happen is when a leader falls before placing any gear. If he has climbed 10 feet (rope distance between belayer and leader) and falls, he will fall 20 feet. 20 feet divided by 10 feet equals a fall factor of 2.0. Another example would be when a leader falls 10 feet above his last piece of protection and is 100 feet up from the belayer. 10 feet divided by 100 feet equals a fall factor of 0.1.

Now, the impact force on the top piece of protection (or the belay anchor if no protection is in) is roughly proportional to the fall factor (these details are too complicated for climbing physics 101). As a rough approximation, a fall factor between 1.0 and 2.0 requires anchor strengths above 12 kN; fall factors between 0.2 and 1.0 require anchor strengths between 7 kN and 12 kN; fall factors less than 0.2 may result in forces as low as 3 kN (1).

Let’s tie the impact force to climbing gear. I see five categories of “placed” climbing protection: bomber, solid, adequate, marginal and inadequate. These are similar to the UIAA Safety Commission publicized strength bands of climbing equipment. Study the categories below to see where the gear on your rack falls (no pun intended). It is assumed that the climber has the knowledge to properly use/place the gear. It is also assumed that the belayer is using a friction device of some sort, i.e. munter hitch, figure 8, ATC, etc., or allowing for body movement when using a clamping device like a Gri-Gri.

BOMBER

Strength Rating: Greater than 20 kN
Gear: Most modern bolts, closed and/or locking gate carabiners
Use: Belay anchors and lead protection

SOLID

Strength Rating: 12 to 20 kN
Gear: Most cams and nuts
Use: Belay anchor and lead protection (assuming a dynamic belay system)

ADEQUATE

Strength Rating: 7 to 12 kN
Gear: Small cams and nuts, open gate carabineers
Use: Equalized belay anchor and protection with fall factor less than 1

MARGINAL

Strength Rating: 3 to 7 kN
Gear: Micro cams and nuts, larger pieces partial in
Use:Not suitable for belay anchor and protection with fall factor less than 0.2

INDEQUATE

Strength Rating: Less than 3 kN
Gear: Specialized aid aear, aluminum rappel rings, ice climbing gear
Use: Not suited for belay anchor, protect benign falls, body weight aid

REMEMBER THESE WHILE CLIMBING!

#1 When starting a pitch, place gear often to keep the fall factor low and thereby reduce the chance of gear breaking or being pulled out of the rock. Failure here will exponentially increase the impact force on lower gear.

#2 An open gate carabiner reduces the strength of the protection to breaking in moderate falls. Watch for gear placements that may force the biner open when loaded, i.e. the side of a crack. Also, make sure the gate snaps closed and is not hanging up on the wire of a nut or webbing of a runner.

#3 When gear becomes marginal, try to down climb below a piece before weight is taken instead of taking a short fall. In a sense your piece will become an aid piece that should hold you. If you don’t, you risking that a short fall may pull or break the piece.

The Mental Game

You've fallen off this route a million times. You approach the crux. Your heart starts pounding like a troll trying to bite that puny human's head off. You arms seem to go jelly. You reach for that bad hold, you know what’s coming next, you try to stick it but your grip fails and you fall. And this will happen again and again because it's messing with your head.

All of us have experienced mind games when working on hard projects. After many failed attempts on a project, it is certain that doubt enters the mind. Questions fill the head as you climb and that is where it all starts to go wrong.

We have to always remember that no matter who we are, beginners or pros, accomplishing our projects IS POSSIBLE. A healthy level of optimism is essentially the difference between sending it or giving up. Many of us reject hard climbs because the guide book prints out a high grade that we have never attempted before. And even if we do try it out, failure after failure turns an open mind into a frustrated one.

STOP. Breath. Believe.

The clichéd phrase "you can do anything you set your mind to" is more than just an overused line. It is a fact.

Who cares if we fall a hundred or a million more times? Just believing that we CAN and WILL send out projects brings about the possibility of reality as opposed to giving up and never knowing the outcome.

So never give up!

Badash already said it, but I think it needs to be said again. Have fun!! Once you get too far into the grades/comp drama, it gets to be too much.

Also, when you fall, dont kick your legs around too much. They could get behind your rope and flip you.

Dont TR through fixed anchors!

I would have to say, "Be here now!" Listen to what you body tells you, not your head. Climbing is a moving meditation and will speak to you if you listen.
As for newer-comers, always double check you gear and knots, listen and learn. Ask a lot of questions and repeat everything more than twice.
KEEP IT SIMPLE

When starting young kids climbing, make it a point to make it fun. Kids, especially young ones, love to play and can't grasp some of the intensity that adults bring to the rock. When starting a child climbing indoors or outdoors, don't focus on getting to the top. We often play games where the goal is a certain hold or touching a certain color that is only part way to the top. As children continue to get to their "top," they gain confidence and the muscle memory that helps them go higher in the future.

Probably the one thing that has helped me more than any other is something I learned from watching Ron Kauk move effortlessly over difficult rock. Climbing is about movement. Body position is the key to sending.

After you spot the holds you're moving to, instead of looking for the available footholds, quickly decide the position thats most efficient for that hold. Oftentimes passing up a big foot that puts you in an awkward position, and instead using a smaller foot that keeps you comfortable, will enable you to hold on longer...

Dance... don't fight.

Heres a tip specifically for crack climbers...

ALWAYS carry an extra pair of shoestrings in your pack. After wearing through two pairs of shoestrings on one trip to Vedauwoo (those OW roofs are hell on laces), I learned my lesson. Nothing is worse than having to tie broken laces together to get your shoes half tight.

Here's a quick and easy tip.
Get a cheap compass, the type that's about 1/2" wide and is made to fit on a wrist watch band. Trim off the plastic that holds it to the watch band. Then duct tape the compass to your helmet. Get one of those cheap keychain LED lights, preferrable one with a sliding switch that you don't have to constantly squeeze it. Remove the keyring, and duct tape that to your helmet as well.

These two things will help a lot when you top out in the dark and need to find your way back down. If you're not sure of the directions down from the top, then put a small map in a ziplock baggie and duct tape that to your helmet as well.

For the people they lives in cold places the seasons suppose to finish soon but we dont want stop actully when i go climb in the cold day because friction is awesome but my fingers freeze i put a handwarmer in my chalk bag DRY AND HOT sound good for my tips

For one day..CLIMB WITHOUT SHOES!!that's wonderful...feel everything with your naked feet...that's absolutely great!!!
..only if the weather is hot...

My tip would be to take up the practice of hatha yoga and to perform yoga stretches as part of your warm-up routine for climbing. Yoga not only helps with flexibility but also warms-up your muscles and helps you focus on climbing.

A number of years ago I took a bad bouldering fall and broke my leg above the ankle. After I had the cast off and was going through physical therapy a friend invited me to go to party to meet someone who could help me regain flexibility in my ankle. That person turned out to be none other than the "First Lady of Yoga", Lilias Folan, star of the PBS series, Lilias, Yoga, & You. Although I had practiced some yoga from books before, I learned a lot more taking lessons and fairly quickly regained back full flexibility in my ankle. It probably helped that Lilias had worked with both the Cincinnati Reds & Bengals so she was familiar with sports injuries.

If it wasn't for yoga, I don't think I would be climbing as well as I do at the ripe old age of 51!

I think one of the best things you can do is eat a good breakfast. I am not saying eat a ton of food, but maybe some fruit, a couple eggs, some toast or hashbrowns. Something for your body to eat. I know so many people who don't want to eat or eat so little it makes little differnce. I used to be one of them. It made a lot of difference when I started eating a little breakfast.
Also, for younger climbers stretch out your fingers regularly. When you are driving, on off days. You may not feel it now but as you get older I believe you will benefit from it.

Dont purchase cheap water bottles if you are going to climb with them... The plastic loops snap and a liter of water could easily take someone out.

The next time you start projecting a route, have a reward for yourself in mind you'll give yourself after redpointing it. Doing this keeps me motivated and makes me work harder to sending routes. You can also motivate your climbing partners by offering dinner or free beers etc if they send their projects.

When you go climbing with a superior partner and as he's leading the pitches he makes comments such as " your really gonna like this " and then laughs, basically translates to - YOUR SCREWED.

Dont talk when you are tying your knot.

oh... and pop rocks and red bull.... yeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh.

- #1 rule to live by - double back your harness
- when rappeling back it up with a friction knot
- for beginning climbers - don't overlook the power of good footwork (it isn't all in your arms)

Climbing is all mental: If your not feeling it, take as much time off as you will need to get back into your flow-

Remember that saftey is the most important thing. Sure, its not fun to do all your saftey checks and take the necessary precautions, but you can't have fun climbing when your in the hospital. Also, don't skimp on gear or learning how to use it. It can and will save your life, but only if you use it properly. Spend the extra money and take a few classes if your just starting out.

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but I believe it is definitely the first thought that comes to mind before climbing. STRETCH!!! Save yourself and your muscles a lot of trouble and be sure to properly warm up before hitting the rock. I know the contest is already over, but I though I would throw in my 2 cents anyway.

Relax and really be sensitive to the nuances of your own body mechanics. Everyone moves differently; everyone thinks differently. This is your own personal experience with the rock. Feel the energy and feed off it.

Keep some band-aids, small tubes of neosporin and crazy glue in your shirt or pants pocket for easy access mid route. Seal up them 'flappers right away and move on to next pitch.

OK, I'm way behind the 8-ball, but here's one... Use a battery powered toothbrush to clean holds. The bristle heads are replaceable, they only cost about $4, and they save on scraped knuckles.
Cheers!

I too am behind, however you might find my suggesting a little intriguing...and odd.

I once heard somewhere that pure climbing would be like so: soloing alone, without chalk, shoes, or a rope (heck, even without clothes) in total darkness. I know this isn't going to win any contest, but I want you guys to think about it. If you ever find a deep-water climbing spot or a nice crag in the middle of nowhere, get up the courage to leave behind the things you really don't need and just give the 'pure climbing' theory a try. Sarah mentioned climbing without shoes (I climb without them more often than with) so think of this as a test. See how much you can leave behind, how natural you can make the climbing. Live a little on the wild side. You might find that you can leave behind your stress, too.

does climbing naked out of a cold lake in the dark, up a slippery boulder count? I know the moves blindfolded since I've done this many many times in the dark on the same skinny dip diving boulder.