10 Sport Climbing Essentials

Get Out and Clip Some Bolts!

Staff Member George Neiley at the Red River Gorge in KY So maybe you started climbing in the gym and you're ready to take your newly acquired skills and psych out onto some real rock. Maybe you're a seasoned trad climber and you'd like to gear up to hit your local sport crag. Or maybe you've done some sport leads using friends' gear and you want to build your own rack. Regardless of the circumstance, there are some crucial pieces of gear that every climber should have in his or her sport rack. Here at the Outdoor Gear Exchange/GearX.com we've selected 10 essential items that you need to have a safe and enjoyable sport climbing experience! 1) Quickdraws

Petzl Spirit Express Quickdraws Sport routes have a fixed line of bolts drilled into the rock to protect the route and a set of fixed anchors at the top, so sport climbers just need a rack of quickdraws —two non-locking carabiners connected by a sewn sling— to protect a route. Quickdraws typically come in two lengths; a short version that is 10 to 12 cm long and a long version between 15 and 18 cm long. Shorter draws are lighter and less bulky on your harness and are good for straight forward routes, while longer draws reduce rope drag and are great for meandering routes or overhung cliffs. A set of draws made up of a mixture of the two lengths gives you the option to use long or short draws depending on the character of a route. Typically, you need a draw for every bolt on a route, two for the anchors, and an additional two or three in case you need more in a tricky situation. On average, 12 to 16 draws will be enough for many sport crags. However it is important to look at the areas that you will usually climb at and determine how many you need to bring along. Petzl Spirit Express Quickdraws are a super lightweight, with a wide dogbone for easy handling and a rubber piece on the rope end so that the carabiner stays in place when clipping the rope. The Spirit Express draws come in 12 or 17 cm lengths. Shop our entire selection of quickdraws!

Petzl Grigri 2 2) Petzl Grigri For extra safe belaying, bring a Petzl Grigri with you to the crag. A Grigri has an assisted braking function that pinches the rope under weight. A climber uses classic belay technique to pay out rope and stop a fall, while the Grigri adds increased friction for safety and control. For lead-belaying on a sport route, a Grigri is an excellent choice. During a lead-fall, the shock weighting of the rope that occurs activates the camming mechanism in the device. Since falls can occur frequently while sport climbing, it is ideal to have an assisted braking device for security and to lessen the fatigue on a belayer from repeatedly catching falls.

Black Diamond Vapor Helmet 3) Helmet Many sport climbers don't wear helmets and their use is certainly optional. However, with today's ultralight helmets like the Petzl Sirocco and Black Diamond Vapor, the old complaints that helmets are too bulky, heavy or hot to wear when climbing hard appear increasingly unfounded. Helmets shield against rockfall that can occur even at sport crags, as well as protect your head if you were to end up inverted from a fall with the rope behind your leg or clip your foot on outcropping rock. The Black Diamond Vapor weighs just 7 ounces and features a breathable, low-profile design that ensures that you'll likely take your shirt off sooner than your helmet for that redpoint attempt. Shop all climbing helmets!

Mammut Neon Gear Crag Bag 5) A Crag Bag or Rope Bag At a sport crag, climbers have the unique opportunity to climb a route, clean it, then move a few yards away and set up another climb fairly quickly. Using a rope bag, usually resembling a simple duffel bag with a rope tarp inside that can be deployed quickly, or a crag bag, which is a utilitarian pack made to hold a rack of draws, shoes a rope and a few accessories, sport climbers can get gear from the car to the cliff easily. The Mammut Neon Gear Crag Bag is a perfect choice for sport climbers. Featuring organizational gear loops and specialized pockets for shoes and a chalk bag, as well as an integrated rope bag, the Neon Gear has everything you need to set up your favorite warm-up and then quickly jump onto the 4 star route down the wall as soon as it opens up. Shop all crag bags and rope bags!

PrAna Chalk Bag 7) Chalk Bag and chalk Every climber needs a chalk bag. Chalk dries moisture from your hands and gives you a secure grip on holds. Chalk bags are a simple item, but look for one that has a waist belt, a draw cord so that you don't lose your chalk when you throw your chalk bag into your climbing pack, as well as a soft and comfortable inner lining. PrAna's basic chalk bag with a belt has everything that you need. You can fill it up with some Metolius Super Chalk and you'll be ready to go! Shop chalk bags and chalk!

8) Stick Clip On hard sport routes, it's nice to give yourself the piece of mind that you wont deck before you clip the first bolt. A stick clip allows you to place your first quickdraw, with the rope already clipped to it, before you leave the ground. Using an extension pole and a specially designed attachment to hold your quickdraw you can ensure that you stay safe on difficult routes.

Arc'teryx S-220 Harness 9) A Sport Harness While all climbing harnesses are primarily designed to distribute wait and catch you when you fall, many harnesses are specifically designed for the unique needs of different types of climbers. Sport climbing does not require a climber to hang heavy gear from his or her harness sport specific harnesses are built with minimalist design features like fewer gear loops. Also, since many sport routes are single pitch and don't require hanging all day in a harness, sport harnesses have thinner leg loops and waist belts. Eliminating unneeded features from a harness makes it much lighter and allows sport climbers to push harder. While an all-around harness will still work well for sport climbing, a sport-specific harness is a perfect option for someone who primarily hits the gym or a local sport crag rather than trad routes, big walls or alpine ice. The Arc'teryx S-220 harness is one of the lightest sport harnesses on the market at just 7.9 ounces and combines super thin construction and minimalist design with a superb fit. Shop our selection of harnesses

La Sportiva Miura VS 10) Down-turned, High-Performance Climbing Shoes Some of the most unique and hardest sport climbing routes in the country, like those at the Red River Gorge or on the Waimea crag in at Rumney, are very steep or overhung and require aggressive, down-turned climbing shoes with a pointed toe. This style of shoe keeps your feet from cutting on overhung sections and allows you to utilize toe hooks. A good option for sport climbing is a velcro closure shoe, which makes them easy to remove while belaying or to move to a different route. The La Sportiva Miura VS shoes are one of the best technical climbing shoes and feature a performance fit and a down-turned shape. The Miura VS is a great do it all shoe that also works well for gym climbing or bouldering. La Sportiva also makes a women's specific version of the Miura VS . Shop our selection of climbing shoes!

Staff Member Ethan Garceau at the Red River Gorge in KY Shop our entire selection of climbing gear here at GearX.com!