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- Nov 1, 2018
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Weighing Climbing Options (A Points Based System)
I've wanted to put some sort of metric to the various climbing methods out there for a long time. The tangent on the pack weight thread regarding spurs and bolts is what spurred this on. It appeared to me that @kyler1945 was under the opinion that spurs and/or bolts moved the "needle" as it were when it comes to climbing but I am not sure what exactly that means, or in what categories it is moving the needle, and at what extent it is moving said needle. I am hoping he will be along to discuss and haggle on points with. I am hoping this will shed some light on the different climbing methods strengths and weaknesses for people that haven't tried some of these methods and help people see the marginal difference in methods
The categories and points are out of 5 and are as follows: weight, bulk, time to climb, safety, cost, noise. Some of these categories are purely factual i.e. weight, cost, bulk (volume); whereas, time to climb, safety, and noise could vary depending on the user's experience. I have experience with all of these climbing methods and they all serve their purpose well. I do think every climbing methods has it's strength and weaknesses; however, I am leaning more towards the general opinion that at the end of the day they average out pretty well, especially if you modify these climbing systems. For example, I find climbing sticks to be noisy; however, you can mitigate noise by taping them and/or purchasing caddy systems to help them not touch on the way up.
These are fast but not hard numbers or information. I through this together as fast as I could and it still took way too long. I would like to discuss the different methods and scores and try to change or solidify scores based on general consensus if possible. Changing the score: If you think a score is inaccurate, please state the climbing method and what you think the score should be and why. If your comment gets lets say 15+ likes for starters (may have to increase/decrease later) I will take that as concurrence from the group and change the score.
There were many assumptions made in this estimate. I will only a few here.
Assumptions
This is just a starting points, so let's see where this goes! This is not an extensive list of climbing methods. It only includes the ones I see as the most popular common.
NOTE: As you pick what is important to you i.e. weight over bulk, or cost over time etc. you should see the score better align with the climbing method that best fits your situation.
I've wanted to put some sort of metric to the various climbing methods out there for a long time. The tangent on the pack weight thread regarding spurs and bolts is what spurred this on. It appeared to me that @kyler1945 was under the opinion that spurs and/or bolts moved the "needle" as it were when it comes to climbing but I am not sure what exactly that means, or in what categories it is moving the needle, and at what extent it is moving said needle. I am hoping he will be along to discuss and haggle on points with. I am hoping this will shed some light on the different climbing methods strengths and weaknesses for people that haven't tried some of these methods and help people see the marginal difference in methods
The categories and points are out of 5 and are as follows: weight, bulk, time to climb, safety, cost, noise. Some of these categories are purely factual i.e. weight, cost, bulk (volume); whereas, time to climb, safety, and noise could vary depending on the user's experience. I have experience with all of these climbing methods and they all serve their purpose well. I do think every climbing methods has it's strength and weaknesses; however, I am leaning more towards the general opinion that at the end of the day they average out pretty well, especially if you modify these climbing systems. For example, I find climbing sticks to be noisy; however, you can mitigate noise by taping them and/or purchasing caddy systems to help them not touch on the way up.
These are fast but not hard numbers or information. I through this together as fast as I could and it still took way too long. I would like to discuss the different methods and scores and try to change or solidify scores based on general consensus if possible. Changing the score: If you think a score is inaccurate, please state the climbing method and what you think the score should be and why. If your comment gets lets say 15+ likes for starters (may have to increase/decrease later) I will take that as concurrence from the group and change the score.
There were many assumptions made in this estimate. I will only a few here.
Assumptions
- Safety score based on general method for being affixed to the tree, i.e. linemans vs. tether, risk of being stuck, risk of falling, risk of falling and getting hooked etc.
- Noise based on out of the box configurations, no adjustment for tape, parachord, or other silencing methods
- Climbing speed of sticks based on 4 sticks, quick connect for premium sticks, standard cam for regular sticks
- Climbing Time for all methods includes includes unpack and pack
- Spurs and bolts not penalized for public land legality or damage to tree
- Ease of use not factored in, all climbing methods are considered reasonably doable by an able bodied person of moderate health, strength, and common sense
- Cost of items based on avg or standard cost from quick google searches, premium options such as aiders, cam cleats, tape, etc. not captured
- DISCLAIMER: safety rating does not suggest or imply that the climbing methods are SAFE, climbing is inherently unsafe and should only be done by trained professionals
- Rope climbing time includes time to use throw ball and set up method. Does not account for a preset.
This is just a starting points, so let's see where this goes! This is not an extensive list of climbing methods. It only includes the ones I see as the most popular common.
NOTE: As you pick what is important to you i.e. weight over bulk, or cost over time etc. you should see the score better align with the climbing method that best fits your situation.
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