Hi everyone, I just wondered if anyone has any advice on basic kit needed for solo climbing. I have shoes, etc but I’m not wanting to buy loads of things I don’t need just yet. Obviously I need to get a rope, so recommendations on thickness and length for outdoor use would be really handy. cheers
Do you mean roped solo, like top rope solo (TRS)? If so then be aware this required lots of experience to do it safely.
If your looking to people to climb with, and learn, as per your other post, the I would recommend joining a club. Avon Mountaineering Club is close you you, and they meet most weekends and during the week, with people of all abilities.
To be honest roped soloing is something you learn once you have the hang of 'normal' climbing. You'd be better off finding people to climb with at your local climbing wall or here first. 😀
In reply to Steve Claw: thanks for the advice, I’m not really one for larger groups of people but I’ll try and find someone who doesn’t mind my inexperience for a climb
In reply to deacondeacon: i go to a local climbing wall occasionally, but people seem to be buddied up already, or solely into indoor climbing of which I’m not such a fan. I think it’s maybe too many people, who knows.
In reply to Steve Claw: I’ll have a look into it and see how far away it is from me. Thanks for the advice. sometimes I just fancy going off by myself, and there’s a place 10 minutes from my house so I thought it might be fun to go after work sometimes for an hour. But maybe I’ll hold off until I get some more experience.
Is there any bouldering near you? If not you might be able to just do the starts of routes and climb back down/jump or do low level traverses. Probably worth investing in a bouldering mat if you are planning on doing this. Solo bouldering after work on a pleasant evening is one of life's pleasures.
In reply to pete3685: yeah I know lol, when I climb indoors I end up down climbing but that’s mainly because I pretty much crap myself at the thought of letting go. 😩
In reply to tjdodd: fairy caves are local to me, so I could just try some low level stuff there but getting a crash mat is probably a wise idea for me, I don’t know of any close bouldering spots.
> yeah I know lol, when I climb indoors I end up down climbing but that’s mainly because I pretty much crap myself at the thought of letting go. 😩
In which case op rope soloing is not for you. If you want to go out alone you'll need to go bouldering - if you already own shoes and chalk all you'll need to buy is a pad.
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