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climberslacker wrote:I am super jealous of all of you! I want more gear! But they way im getting payed right now, i can afford one cam every 3 weeks, and thats with no other expneses! Good thing im 15 and i can ask for cams and biners for christmas

-Jace

Jace, when I started climbing, ahem! we had to get metal nuts, drill out the thread and pretend they were chocks. At school, I cast my first prussiker from Aluminum, though couldn't use it because it was too weak. The first overhang my brother started to bolt, the bolts were too small, so he inserted wood packing. The climbing store graciously gave us a box of 50 pitons - man we struck gold - until we realised they were as soft as lead. When I went on my first ice, I had no crampons, just my axe. To get our cash we delivered milk all winter, holding glass bottles without gloves.

In recent years, I only winter climb and ascend with only the axe, no rope or crampons when others use both. The lack of gear made us all the better at climbing, and I have never taken a fall - despite many times being in dire peril and scaring the pants off myself. Plenty of time for you to build up the gear, though I would aim at getting a helmet first.

Ray, That is insane, I wish I could be that gnarly! I use you know a rope thats rated, and am building a rack, so I can climb somewhat safely. But I have taken a fall, when i was first learning leading, and havn't since. I did get myself into a sticky situation once when I let my little brother climb this 5.7 crack trad, and he used 3 cams within 3 feet, and so i got to the top little bit and was attempting to stand in an offwidth crack and finding a place for a little baby BD yellow C3.

Scary.

-Jace

Jace, I began to lose my nerve on the rock, some of it was because my buddy 2x fell on me, and other people I climbed with relied on poor belays. My snow, ice work is just modest Alps, but plenty exposed. I learnt early without crampons and where I climb I need to cut many steps - either icy or thick crust. It's actually not very technical, but still I'm quite on the edge and sometimes had to reverse my way out. But I found a system that suits me and thus I can elevate the level without going onto big league stuff.

Sounds like you are doing well. Keep us informed.

climberslacker wrote:I am super jealous of all of you! I want more gear! But they way im getting payed right now, i can afford one cam every 3 weeks, and thats with no other expneses! Good thing im 15 and i can ask for cams and biners for christmas

-Jace

I know exactly how you feel! I'm 16 and buying all my own gear. I've got enough biners, but cams don't come cheap. Now I'm thinking about ice climbing, and the cost of the gear is enough to make me want to kick myself (with crampons on). I think that the hardest part of being a teenage climber, though, is finding people generous enough to share a rope with you. Besides my dad, who moved away a few months ago, I have never climbed with any one person more than twice.

RayMondo wrote:Jace, when I started climbing, ahem! we had to get metal nuts, drill out the thread and pretend they were chocks. At school, I cast my first prussiker from Aluminum, though couldn't use it because it was too weak. The first overhang my brother started to bolt, the bolts were too small, so he inserted wood packing. The climbing store graciously gave us a box of 50 pitons - man we struck gold - until we realised they were as soft as lead. When I went on my first ice, I had no crampons, just my axe. To get our cash we delivered milk all winter, holding glass bottles without gloves.

In recent years, I only winter climb and ascend with only the axe, no rope or crampons when others use both. The lack of gear made us all the better at climbing, and I have never taken a fall - despite many times being in dire peril and scaring the pants off myself. Plenty of time for you to build up the gear, though I would aim at getting a helmet first.

That is a level of danger that I would not have been able to face. That's awesome!

-Mark

TacoDelRio wrote:I'm so lightweight, I don't need a closet.

I was waiting for someone to say that!

Mark,
if you ever come down to Socal, hit me up! I agree with how difficult it is to find a partner when your young. Most people feel like we will just weigh them down, and have to be taught everything, wich, ya I do learn something knew every time I climb, but I am not a liability! The other difficult thing is that I do go with my family, but I lead trad 5.9, and my little brother( the only other person) needs to be pulled up a 5.7. Plus, I go to a prep school, so VERY few people have ever climbed on real rock, and I am the only one in my highschool (probably) who has ever lead. Partners are incredibly difficult to find at age 15, when i cant even drive! T

[/soapbox]

-Jace the partner seaker

shit this thing snowballed. i didnt think this would get 8000 views lol

Check out Matt Segal's gear closet: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en ... -patagonia

way too neat! and he's a dude. sigh... I need to take off 2-3 weekends at least from climbing in order to organize my shit.