RRC Archives

What are the lowest temps you guys will climb at?

Climbed in weather that was high of 22 degrees but completely sunny in January, and it was manageable with some cold weather siege tactics. Any colder or any less sunshine would have been rough.

That sounds about right. Sun and aspect of the cliff make a big difference.

tbh I asked because I want to climb this weekend but it's gonna be 45 degrees and I'm kind of a wuss.

Kind of? If you aren't climbing when it's 45, you ARE a wuss!

Gonna find a sunny wall so my fingers are less likely to go numb. That's my plan right now.

45 is pretty miserable. Better off going to the gym

anything below 60 is just not worth it, unless you just plan to hike or something.

This actually brings up a fairly interesting topic. What kind of techniques do others use in cold temps (less than say 40 degrees). For me, its always been:

1. choose route you want to try
2. climb until you numb out - usually around bolt 2 or 3
3. hang until fingers thaw - usually painful as hell
4. bolt to bolt the rest of route until warmth finally hits
5. lower and rest no more than 5 to 10 minutes
6. try to send, battling numbing out the whole way by putting hands on neck and back

I've also tried hot rocks in chalk bag, climbing as fast as possible, running for 10 minutes before climbing, slapping hands together before climbing, and not climbing at all. With the last one being the only tried and true way to not numb out. Any tricks out there I've missed over the years?

Cold beer in hand?