Climbing ropes need to be organized to hang freely, without knots. When a rope gets humid or wet, it is important to let it air dry completely and away from the sun to avoid mold.

Climbing carabiners often get dropped or rub up against rock formations when we climb, so it is important we remove debris from them and properly inspect them for damage before or after every use.

Chrome Shelving Works Great for Climbing Gear Storage

Here we have some climbing gear store ideas that can help you in deciding how to organize your own.

Chrome shelving offers the benefit of having adjustable shelving, which is great to store plastic containers, large bags, climbing shoes, boxes and even your chalk bags. Almost everything I have on shelves is inside of a plastic container. Containers protect the shelving and my equipment. They also make it easy to slide items in and out of the shelves, for quick access and storage.

Side hooks, made specifically to be used with the chrome shelving, offers even more storage opportunities. Side hooks, are great to shore pace with one or even two side hooks. They are optional detachable add-on that works great to hang all your gear; harness, carabiners, quickdraws, trad rack and even small water packs you use frequently.

There are many alternatives when choosing the right storage design that works for your equipment. Some people have specially designed closets, others use wood shelving in their garages. The point is, you have options.

What works for some people, may not work well for you. Before you decide what storage equipment to use for your gear, make a list, carefully analyze the space you will need to store it efficiently and leave extra room. Leaving extra room in your design, will make it easier to store additional items once your list of equipment grows.

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The GriGri + (Plus)

The new GriGri Plus comes with great upgrades, such as; two belay settings for top-rope and lead belaying, anti-panic mode and smoother rope management for both belaying and descending.

Mammut Aline Smart Details

The Mammut Alpine Smart has been often criticized for its bulky design, but it comes with great features as well, such as; auto locking mechanism, turns into guide mode for top belay with the smoothest rope feeding yet to be seen, double loops for rappelling and making this device the perfect companion for left handed individuals.

We shall share more information on them once we take them outdoors today and update this post.

UPDATE (4/25/2017):

I took these two devices out for a day of trad climbing and immediately realized how much I obviously prefer the GriGri 2 and the regular tube style ATC, and here is why;

The GriGri + (Plus) Detailed Review

The new GriGri Plus is missing the little lip on the right side that used to hook perfectly on my finger to hold the device in the perfect position to pay out slack to a lead climber. Just holding it on one finger made it easy for me to pay out slack even without having to release or hold the break down, because I would make a cycle curve with the rope in my hand that would allow for the rope to run smoothly.

Petzl has removed this little side curve and replaced it with a slippery nob that is only useful when you need to squeeze the device to unlock it with your thumb and pay out slack. So now we have no choice but to hold the entire device to pay out slack. I am pretty sure there must be some higher purpose for such thing and I hope to find that out in time.

In addition to this change, Petzl also added the Anti-Panic function, which I found to be incredibly helpful in two areas – lowering a climber or descending on a rope (descending a rope was way smoother than with the GriGri 2. I tested the anti-panic mode by pulling on the break handle all the way while lowering and it worked like a charm, stopping my decent immediately.

Also, the GriGri Plus does offer two settings (lead-mode and top-rope) with a little white switch to lock it on either mode. Once locked, there is no way you can unlock this – unless you have a tooth pick or a nut tool. For sport climbers, this won’t work – because they don’t carry nut tools (just saying). So unless you carry a small pocket knife with you while climbing, a nut tool or a tooth pick – do not lock it on either mode.

The Mammut Apline Smart Detailed Review

The Mammut Alpine Smart is another device that will take some adjustment. I normally use extensions off my harness to rappel, and I found this made it very hard to unlock the device since it requires a lot of pressure to be applied to unlock it when is loaded. During my rappel with a single rope, it was a little tricky, but with two ropes it was even more work.

Using an auto-block cord is recommended for descending/rappelling, but I found it to be cumbersome to have two items to unlock during a rappel – so I took the auto-block off and the descent was not as smooth as I had expected. Again, I just tried it with an extension and need to test again rappelling directly off my harness to find out if it makes any difference. I will update this post, once my test has been completed.

One more thing I wanted to point out; as I was standing at the top of a cliff with someone else that had forgotten their ATC to rappel, my instant reaction was to look at my gear loops for a spare when I came to the realization that the only extra piece of equipment I could offer them was the Mammut Apline Smart. This is something that never came to mind before, if I ever needed to share my equipment with someone, the Apline Smart is not a device I could just hand to anyone – because it is very complex to use. Someone who does not fully understand or has used the device before will have a lot of trouble trying to rappel with it.

I tested the device on guide mode to bring up a second and it is definitely way smoother (even with a 10mm rope!) than a Reverso or ATC Guide.

Summary

Just like with any new piece of equipment there is a learning curve and a period of adjustment. With an open mind and lots of practice, I am looking forward to keeping these two devices as part of my regular equipment. If that changes at any point – You will be the first to know. Maybe I will make a video and post it here too.

The post Petzl GriGri Plus and Mammut Alpine Smart appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.

Ancient Tomorrow is a non-fiction 90 minute documentary film that chronicles the trials and tribulations of a young ecovisionary (JJ Yosh) who discovers an ancient technology that might be our only chance for survival.

WATCH: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ancienttom…

Amazon: https://amzn.com/B01KWZT832

DATE AND TIME

Thu, January 26, 2017 | 6:30 PM – 11:30 PM PST

LOCATION

Ahrya Fine Arts Theater
8556 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

NIGHT’S SCHEDULE:

– 6:30 PM – DOORS OPEN – Cocktail Hour & Red Carpet Pictures (FREE BEER and FOOD)
– 7:30 PM – MOVIE Begins
– 9:00 PM – Q and A Panel with Cast and Experts
– 9:30 PM – AFTER PARTY with FREE FOOD and BEER, RAFFLE

TICKET COST
Suggested Donation is $15

Donation includes…
-FREE BEER
-FREE FOOD
-FREE OUTDOOR GEAR SWAG

Plus RAFFLE with Prizes from
CELESTRON, FJALLRAVEN, GRAYL WATER FILTERS, ATLAS SNOW SHOES, GREGORY PACKS, OPTIMIND, SPORTHILL, BIOLITE STOVES, and much much more!

DRESS ATTIRE
SHEEK and TRENDY

The post Ancient Tomorrow, Movie Premier appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.

The overhand knot and figure eight knot on a bight, can be attached to an anchor leg or used to secure the rope.

Tech Video – Overhand knot and figure eight knot on a bight

This video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to qualify as official climbing training. You are responsible to go through the proper education and training programs necessary to obtain skills under the supervision and guidance of a professional and certified instructor.

Outdoor training programs available thru https://rockclimbeveryday.com

The post Overhand and Figure Eight Knot on a Bight appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.

The Stopper Knot is a great backup to other knots. It can be added to the end of the rope, or after another knot to increase security.

This particular knot is most commonly used at the end of the rope;  when setting up to rappel, at the end of the rope on the belay side when climbing top-rope, and at the end of any other finishing knot when building anchors.

We have seen the stopper knot at the end of a figure eight knot when climbers tie in and the tail end is too long. This of course is a bad habit to get into; a figure eight alone is strong enough without a stopper knot.

When you see a stopper knot at the end of the rope, it is usually referred to as “closing the system”. In the event that the rope was ever to be too short, the stopper knot will block the rope from coming out of your belay/rappel device. This particular stopper knot will not work on other devices used for canyoneering, or devices with a wider opening that are different from those used for rock climbing.

Tech Video | Stopper Knot or Double Overhand Knot

This video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to qualify as official climbing training. You are responsible to go through the proper education and training programs necessary to obtain skills under the supervision and guidance of a professional and certified instructor.

Outdoor training programs available thru https://rockclimbeveryday.com

The post How to Tie a Stopper Knot or Double Overhand Knot appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.

Tech Video | Clove Hitch “Handshake” method

This video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to qualify as official climbing training. You are responsible to go through the proper education and training programs necessary to obtain skills under the supervision and guidance of a professional and certified instructor.

Outdoor training programs available thru https://rockclimbeveryday.com

The post Clove hitch “handshake” method appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.

Tech Video | Munter on a carabiner

This video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to qualify as official climbing training. You are responsible to go through the proper education and training programs necessary to obtain skills under the supervision and guidance of a professional and certified instructor.

Outdoor training programs available thru https://rockclimbeveryday.com

The post Munter on a carabiner – easy setup appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.

The Munter Mule is used to secure a munter. It is also used to escape or lock a loaded line in place with the excess rope.

Take a bite of rope from the excess, make a small loop, pass a bite of rope from the same line through the small loop, and finish securing by wrapping that excess around the load line with an over hand knot (or half fisherman’s knot).

Use a larger locking carabiner to allow the hitch to be inverted thru the carabiner when pulled. Make sure to tie off the end of the munter mule snug with an overhand or half fisherman’s knot to avoid it from slipping or coming undone when loaded.

Tech Video | Munter Mule

This video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to qualify as official climbing training. You are responsible to go through the proper education and training programs necessary to obtain skills under the supervision and guidance of a professional and certified instructor.

Outdoor training programs available thru https://rockclimbeveryday.com

The post How to tie a munter mule appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.

The Munter Hitch Knot is often used to descend a rope through a locking carabiner or belay a second in situations when a different device is not available. For example, you accidentally dropped your rappel or belay device.

A larger carabiner is recommended to allow the hitch to invert through the carabiner when pulled. The load end should always be on the carabiner’s spine side (not the gate side).

Learning and practicing this knot can be of essence the day an emergency comes along and you end up at the top of a formation without a belay/rappel device.

Tech Video | Munter Hitch Knot

This video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to qualify as official climbing training. You are responsible to go through the proper education and training programs necessary to obtain skills under the supervision and guidance of a professional and certified instructor.

Outdoor training programs available thru https://rockclimbeveryday.com

The post How to tie a munter hitch knot appeared first on Rock Climb Every Day.