50 Common Climber Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

The following is an article posted on climbing.com by Laura Snider about 50 common climber mistakes and how you can avoid them.

50 Common Climber Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

I’ve been climbing for more than 15 years, and the mistakes I’ve made cover the gamut. My knot came partly untied while I was climbing at Joshua Tree; I’ve threaded my belay device backward; partway up El Capitan, my partner once completely unclipped me from a belay. Worst, I dropped a dear friend while lowering him off a sport climb in Rifle with a too-short rope. (Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured.) If you’re lucky, like I’ve been, your mistakes result in close calls that help keep you vigilant. If you’re not, the results can be tragic.

Not all errors in climbing are deadly— some may just sour your own or other climbers’ experiences. But if you never learn from your screw-ups—and other people’s—you’ll be slower to improve. In climbing, as in life, bad experiences are the foundation of good judgment. With this in mind, we’ve assembled 50 of the most common mistakes made by climbers everywhere—and suggested how to avoid them—in hopes of speeding your journey toward being a safer, smarter climber.

NEVER-EVER MISTAKES

1. Not double-checking your belay and knots
If you’re belaying, make sure the rope is threaded correctly through the belay device and that the locking carabiners in the system are actually locked. If you’re the climber, double-check your knot. Is it tied correctly? Is it tightened? Threaded through the harness correctly? Is the tail long enough? Check your partner’s knot, too.

REAL LIFE: One famous double-check mistake was Lynn Hill’s accident in Buoux, France, in 1989. When Hill—already a 5.13 climber at the time—weighted the rope at the top of a warm-up climb, her unfinished knot zipped through her harness. She fell 75 feet to the ground but survived. Hill says she got distracted by a conversation and forgot to finish the knot; a bulky pullover hid the error.

2. Not wearing a helmet
Trad climbers wear helmets much more often than sport climbers, but why? You can deck, slam the wall, or flip upside down in sport climbing, and loose rock is always a hazard. Evaluate all the risks before you make a fashion-based decision not to protect your head.

3. More confidence than competence
Push yourself to become a better climber, but understand the risks and assess your ability to mitigate them. The American Alpine Club rates “exceeding abilities” as one of the top causes of accidents.

4. Careless belaying
There are many ways to screw up when belaying. In multi-pitch climbing, slack in your tie-in or an unreliable redirect piece can result in dangerous shock loads. When belaying on the ground, taking your brake hand off the rope (even with an assisted braking device) can quickly lead to a dangerous fall. Another common mistake is standing too far away from the cliff when lead belaying— it’s easy to get dragged across the ground when the climber falls. A big loop of slack lying in the dirt is the lazy, incorrect way to give a “soft catch” belay. Finally, save the crag chat until your climber is safely back on the ground.

5. Failing to knot the end of the rope
You can endlessly debate how to equalize a three-piece anchor, but it’s more common to get seriously hurt being lowered on a sport climb than having an anchor fail on a trad route. If you’re belaying a single-pitch route, tie a knot in the end of the rope, tie it to the rope bag, or tie it yourself. Do it out of habit, not just when you think the rope might not reach. Knotting the end of the ropes is equally important when rappelling. Slipping off the ends of rappel ropes is tragically common, even among very experienced climbers.

The rest of this great list can be see here.

The Gravity Vault was recently featured on Entrepreneur.com in an article titled 5 Ways Tech Is Forever Changing Fitness Franchises. The article was written by Kate Taylor and it discusses how technology is forever changing the industry.

5 Ways Tech Is Forever Changing Fitness Franchises

Walking into a gym or fitness studio, technology isn't usually the first thing you notice. But whether you're in a crowded, big-box gym or a boutique fitness studio, tech is increasingly flexing its muscle, playing a defining role in how fitness franchises are run.

Over the last few years, fitness franchises have boomed. About 54.1 million Americans now belong to a health-club franchise, with membership having grown 6.1 percent over the last five years. Revenues have also climbed at an annual pace of about 5.2 percent and are expected to rise 5.6 percent this year alone, according to market research firm IBISWorld.

With Anytime Fitness snagging the top spot on Entrepreneur's 2014 Franchise 500 and boutique fitness franchises quickly gaining ground, the field is ripe for even more growth. And technology is helping to make that happen. 

From apps to wearable calorie-trackers, the future of fitness franchising is tied to tech. Here are five ways that technology is forever changing the industry.

1. People don't have to talk to people…ever

Looking around a gym, you're sure to see a shocking number of members with their eyes glued to their smartphones. From calorie burning to motivation pushing, there's an app for everything in fitness – and gyms are working to get in on the game. Soon, certain fitness franchises will have apps that are integral to every aspect of your workout.

"Our app keeps evolving," says Retro Fitness CEO and self-described "tech junkie" Eric Casaburi. "We can do silly things [like] ordering your shake from your phone while you're working out… and obvious things like I want to join your gym, I want to find the gym, I want to check in with my phone." Retro Fitness wants to take every aspect of the gym experience and condense it into an app, eventually hoping to allow members to upgrade their membership and book time with personal trainers through the app.

2. Classes can be 'cloned' more easily

One of the biggest challenges fitness franchises face is standardizing quality as they expand. For food chains the recipe for success can be simple: set menus, standardize locations and create a general script for employees. However, in fitness franchises, especially those that focus on studio classes, such standardization is harder to come by.

Instead of relying on individual instructors hundreds of miles away, Barre Bee Fit is able to teach and update instructors using hundreds of videos with choreographed routines over their web portal.

Just training the instructors wasn't enough however: the fitness studio franchise can control every aspect of the classes that allowed it to find success in Chicago. "We developed an iPad application that basically took out human error," says co-CEO and co-founder Ariana Chernin. The app chooses the music, sets the volume of the music and microphone and even controls the lighting in the room. 

"We looked at what makes a great class in the fitness industry. We realized there were several variables, and we wanted to use technology to eliminate those variables," says co-CEO and cofounder Jillian Lorenz.

Read full story here.

A Long Climb With the Right Nutrients

When you are faced with a long climb it is important to make sure your body is properly prepared before you even step foot onto that rock. Thanks to the folks at Climbing Magazine we have some great tips as to how to properly prepare your nutrition for a long climb. Preview the article below or read the full story here.

"Fuel Up"

Proper Nutrition for a Long Climb 

BY: Matthew Kadey, Registered Dietician

Any serious climber knows the intense stress of a sun-up to sun-down climb. To maintain flexibility, power, balance, and muscular endurance, you need good nutrition and hydration before and during your climb. Making smart food and drink choices can help you move quicker, tame those screaming muscles, and achieve better mental focus (read: less risk of injury). Here’s how to fuel the machine.

The Night Before the Climb

If you’re preparing for a full day of climbing, you’ll benefit from a dinner largely based on nutrient- rich carbohydrate foods, such as whole grains, beans, and fruits. This will help assure that your muscle glycogen— the primary fuel source for intense exercise—is fully stocked. Roughly 65 percent of the meal’s calories should be derived from carbs. Also include some lean protein, such as chicken breast or tofu, and healthy fats including avocado or olive oil.

Eat this:

Black bean burgers topped with guacamole with a side of quinoa
Whole wheat pasta with ground, grass-fed beef, red sauce, and salad
Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice

Read full article here.

The Importance of H2O

It is extremely important to properly fuel your body. Thanks to our friends at the American Heart Association we are able to truly understand the benefits of staying hydrated and how it plays a key role in your day. Preview article below or see full story here. 

Staying Hydrated - Staying Healthy

When the temperatures rise, getting enough to drink is important whether you’re playing sports, traveling or just sitting in the sun.

And it’s critical for your heart health.

Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart more easily pump blood through the blood vessels to the muscles. And, it helps the muscles remove waste so that they can work efficiently.

“If you’re well hydrated, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard,” said John Batson, M.D, a sports medicine physician with Lowcountry Spine & Sport in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and an American Heart Association volunteer.

Dehydration can be a serious condition that can lead to problems ranging from swollen feet or a headache to life-threatening illnesses such as heat stroke.

How much water do you need?

What does being well hydrated mean? The amount of water a person needs depends on climatic conditions, clothing worn and exercise intensity and duration, Batson said.

A person who perspires heavily will need to drink more than someone who doesn’t. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, may also mean you need to drink more to avoid over-taxing the heart or other organs. People with cystic fibrosis have high concentrations of sodium in their sweat and also need to use caution to avoid dehydration. And some medications can act as diuretics, causing the body to lose more fluid.

Thirst isn’t the best indicator that you need to drink. “If you get thirsty, you’re already dehydrated,” Batson said.

Batson said the easiest thing to do is pay attention to the color of your urine. Pale and clear means you’re well hydrated. If it’s dark, drink more fluids.

“50 Ways to Find Co-founders”

The Gravity Vault was featured in Inc. on Monday, March 31st, 2014 entitled “50 Ways to Find Co-founders.” The article was written by Inc. Reporter Bill Murphy Jr. and was a list of 50 ways to find a good co-founder. The Gravity Vault was featured as number 18 under “Playing sports together” and included information about how Lucas and Tim developed the basis for their partnership through rock climbing. Check out the full list here or preview below. 

18. Playing sports together

I heard a lot of stories of former teammates working together. Similarly, Lucas Kovalcik and Tim Walsh met through a mutual friend in high school and grew a friendship based on a love of rock climbing. Now they run Gravity Vault, a franchised, indoor rock climbing business.

See full list here.