Intro to Sport Climbing ft. Hard is Easy

[@wilmertoorn2773]

They're the heros we don't deserve, but the heros the climbing world needs. Solid content. God speed to you both.

[@asipofstoke]

The collab everyone has been waiting for. You have both inspired thousands of people, and i suspect this video will become a staple for all beginner climbers!

[@leftcoastbeard]

This this this ^^^

[@washa84]

100% true ❤

[@imacarrot6570]

Good to see you two together.

[@johnathongilbert9389]

YES MORE OF THIS!!!! You two together have saved me more times from mistakes on the wall than I can count

[@johnarinehart]

It feels wrong to have this kind of quality content basically for "free". You two are heroes in this community, thank you so much for all the work you put in those videos!

[@fire_n_ice1984]

Kids have it so easy nowadays. Us old folk had limited amount of how to books and climbing magazines. Now, you all have 4k high definition audio step by step how to climb videos. Also, have access to videos of the most cutting-edge, boundary pushing accomplishments. You know what is possible and where to push it further. I fugging love it!

[@d4.vr0s]

My favorite climbing KZbinrs are doing a collaboration? What a great day. You guys are awesome and have taught me more about climbing and gear than anyone else. It's a miracle to me that this content is available for free. Thank you so much and please keep sharing your knowledge with the climbing community and also with people new to climbing.

[@curtiss4981]

Thanks! It's amazing that we have access to this video for free!!

[@googoogjoob7]

I watched hours of y’all’s channels three years ago when I started climbing… as a beginner, this about sums all of it up lol great job. Really appreciate all the work y’all put into this!

[@Ljoyist]

Might I be bold enough to add, when trying a knot to shorten the tail, it's important to keep it as close as possible to the original figure 8, wouldn't want to clip into the resulting loop from tying too far out. Love all the content both of you put out, got me through my first years of climbing unscathed and unafraid.

[@HenriqueM44]

2 of the best climbing informative video makers together! Such a great idea! Congrats. You guys are awesome! Huge fan. Thanks for all the videos in yours respectively channels. You are very important to spread (safety) the sport. Wish you a long partnership! From Brazil.

[@PSnGa]

You and Hard is Easy are my two fav climbing info sources. This was a fantastic collab!! Thank you both for an excellent, speedy beginner tutorial. Homerun!!

[@37MKE]

Hi Ryan, Just wanted to let you know that we climb successfully our first big wall in Greenland last summer thanks to your video. Most grateful, hope you keep the channel for long 🙏🏼

[@HowNOT2]

Wow! Congrats!

[@JustinMayfield]

You did well at 35:00. This was the same scenario for how Lynn Hill fell. She started her knot, then realized she needed her shoes. She then forgot to finish the knot and neither party verified the system. Always complete the safety checklist, every single time.

[@aspzx]

Same thing happened to me. I started tying the knot, noticed my shoes were untied, tied my shoes and then forgot to finish the knot. Luckily for me the rope just slid out of my haress after climbing about 2 metres which my belayer obviously noticed straight away. Now I make sure I'm not distracted by anything when tying in whether it be talking to a friend, inspecting the route or whatever.

[@jonfryan3986]

Thanks

[@TomMuhleman]

Ryan, having watched all your videos over the years, and as a climber, I gotta tell you, this is one of your best videos. You have done so much for the climbing community over the years that I just wanted to say thanks! I’ve seen you climb at this little crag many times and have always wondered where it is? Could you let me know? Thanks.

[@Techniv]

Great collab. As an experienced climber I can say it's a very good and exhaustive introduction. On the belay exemple, around 54:50n I don't like to much that you grab your Grigri full hand. For a beginner without the good reflexes, it can lead to hang on the Grigri on a stressful fall and blocking the can open. Same thing with the tunnel method to raise the hand when you take slack. I think it's a more advanced method that can lead to release the rope it your not careful enough. I prefer to show the 2 hands grab to the newbees that is universal for all kind of ATC. You certainly not doing this on purpose, but I think it's not the best exemple. Thank you for your fantastic work.

[@kiwimilkshake7948]

i have learned so much information about gear, safety and climbing etiquette from both of you guys over the years. this video illustrates most things people need to know about sport climbing and its nuances so well !! everyone can learn at least something from this video and its a perfect addition to the community. proud of you guys and will be psyched if there'll be another collab.

[@dnt4tw466]

I love both of your channels, perfect cooperation ! This will be THE video I send to people seriously interested in climbing.

[@lazaraza]

Thanks!

[@EvanWisheropp]

Hey fellas, this is great. Keep it up! Wonderful. Also, thanks for including my guidebook!! What a lovely surprise :)

[@scribbles51]

Man what a great collab that offers a snapshot of years of videos and data from two phenomenal channels.. Here's hoping there are some aspiring climbers that find this and fall deep into the rabbit hall of technique and gear. Two great resources.

[@StephaneDubois-ie3tb]

Amazing my two favorite climbing "youtuber" together! Thank you for all your content, nice collab

[@szabolcskiraly6323]

Best collab since CoVid. Thank you guys, stay safe, healthy and keep on sending 😊

[@aroimicaraffu]

oh yes! I did not know that I need that colab in my life. Awesome Guys!

[@bufforpington1750]

Sending this video to so many people. Thank you!

[@nicholasanderson1124]

Man Ryan, hats off to you and the team! You certainly go above and beyond! Thank you for all your great content!! I’ve been watching all the time more recently in the last year and am working through your content. The more I watch the more impressed I am with your analytical mind and your character. I wanted to thank you for all that you do, your videos are so inspiring!

[@plwadodveeefdv]

hats on please

[@nicholasanderson1124]

@ 😂🥳🤪

[@michaelfischer5032]

Sweet video! A nice refresher for all of the pieces that make up the "lead climbing" puzzle! I did find the Mock lead demonstration at 34:30 to be a bit confusing, and I could imagine someone trying to follow step-by-step might be dangerously mislead by the idea of just tying the other end of the rope into the harness.

[@isaacjamesbaker]

Love how you guys take it to the basics in this video. Will be really helpful for new sport climbers.

[@Intermernet]

Absolute legendary work guys. I could pull out a couple of criticisms and points of debate, but nothing important. This is some A-Grade, life-saving stuff that I wish existed 35 years ago. You probably covered prevention of 99.99% or more of the stuff that can cause injuries or death. I'm gonna recommend this video to every new climber I meet who wants to progress to the outdoors.

[@sqrt_root]

One thing on the black diamond quicklock. It is supposed to be used with the big side through your belay loop and the small side in the grigri, there is a small chance of sideloading otherwise. It is. a bit strange, but in the manual.

[@dwrink9]

The video he made with hard is easy was very interesting

[@RockClimberAlex]

Just wanted to thank you and Ben for all the content you created for sport climbing, hopefully it brings more people to it, it's a beautiful sport. And it's a shame that most people go through this life without getting even close to their limit, in any physical aspect, let alone climbing.

[@arborsamurai]

Excellent! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 🙏

[@VGMO17]

Can't thank you two enough for teaching us newbs and making climbing an approachable sport. You guys are the opposite of gate keepers

[@TomHumphries-gk6qf]

Brilliant collaboration!! Top video 💪🙏❤️🤪 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@AndyMcCavish]

My 2 favorite climbing channels in the same place at the same time, maybe one day I'll climb more than a couple of flights of stairs 🙂.....

[@coldyan]

Thank you Ryan and Ben for this awesome video, and for free?? that's just crazy

[@ianrwin]

10:29 or the thing that my helmet is good for, which is when I inevitably stand up and mash my head into a rock mid route

[@chaintuts]

You guys always make super informative stuff. Nice work!

[@climbingtaiwan]

That's 200hrs of editing right there. I'm sure a lot of footage to sort through, B-roll takes to get, and juggling what to toss in a video that is already 1hr long but could easily be hours long. Nice work, and to those involved too!

[@stefanomorandi7150]

thank you Ryan for always stressing the importance of properly cleaning anchors and tying stopper knots... so many accidents, including fatalities, are related to these 2. i wish you talked a bit about bailing before the anchor (since you mentioned so much) but maybe its in for another video? anyway a good intro resource for sure

[@mdrgn79]

Thanks for making this, it’s a goldmine of information.

[@porth5165]

For someone beginning their journey into sport climbing, I recommend acquiring gear in the following order: 1. Climbing shoes 2. Harness 3. Helmet 4. Belay device 5. Personal anchor system 6. Quickdraws 7. Anchor system 8. Rope If you're climbing with a group, items 2-8 and especially 4-8 are more likely to be available as spares to borrow.

[@TheUncleRuckus]

Love these collab videos Ryan! 👍👍

[@Samyah93]

The collab I’ve been waiting for!

[@beauxgaloo9621]

I can’t wait to start climbing!

[@mcclunky3093]

Some thoughts on pros not wearing helmets: Many of the routes we see pros climbing on the internet are steep, relatively blank, and have been thoroughly cleaned, making the risk of falling rock or swinging head first into the wall much lower than what an average person climbs on. There is undoubtedly a macho culture around not wanting to look dorky in a helmet, although in my experience this has been changing for the better. No one is ready for the bouldering with a helmet conversation though 🤠

[@HowNOT2]

Wow. That's funny. I've never thought of why boulders don't wear helmets lol. Makes a lot of sense to wear one!

[@butsoftwhatblight]

do you think bouldering might need a different kind of helmet bc the most likely type of forces (falling on your head vs piercing by a rock) are different?

[@aspzx]

@@HowNOT2 You should check out the video "Better Bouldering Tips by John Sherman - Highballing". If wearing a helmet to highball is fine for John Sherman it should be fine for anyone.

[@sarahzubrin3560]

Unfortunately the majority of bouldering head injuries would actually be the fall itself. Your brain will hit the skull on the impact of the fall, a helmet will be very minimal protection for this type of force on the brain. Bouldering does include the inherent risk of hitting your head on a rock, this type of fall wearing a helmet reduces the risk of TBI by 85%. I have never seen a boulderer hit their head in this manner, I have seen many falls indoor and outdoor that cause the rebound effect on the skull. In short, you are more at risk of the internal concussive factor and less at risk of an external strike to the skull. The risk benefit analysis would assume that you not at any increased risk for wearing a helmet. Rock fall is significantly less of a factor in bouldering typically the top of the rock is visible. Inverting due to rope entanglement and striking the back of your head on a boulder problem is also not a factor. The conversation about helmets while bouldering is a non starter as it would potentially reduce 5% of head injuries. This is just a false sense of protection.... Highballing (15 ft+) might be a different exploration as you may strike your head on the rock during a fall. Many factors to explore.

[@plwadodveeefdv]

@@sarahzubrin3560 if the risk of one type of injury is higher, might as well not protect yourself from the other right?

[@JirkaSoukup]

I love you guys! You made me I want to go climbing imediatelly ❤

[@daveaver]

Awesome- all involved with this video.

[@greenbimoon]

Awesome production, tack so mycket

[@Borsti78]

Thanks for this video, your work and expertise 🙂

[@bobibiboo]

There's one thing that could be addedabout falling: You should train yourself how to fall and how to catch as a belayer. Best is in the gym. Start by falling once you completed the route. Warning your belayer prior to the fall. Then, once you are comfortable and have the permission of the gym, skip the last draw on the wall before completing the route. This will give you confidence when falling from above a draw en reduce the urge of clipping when the draw is above you head. This way you can pratice how you will come back into the wall, avoid grabbing the rope and reduce the fear of falling. The belayer will learn how much loose in the system equals to roughly where the climber will fall, how to take the fall more softly, how he/she will be pulled into the wall, etc. The gym give perfect conditions for this training. Unlike the crag where lower grades often mean big ledges, high angle slabs and big boulders, which aren't suitable for fall training.

[@NovaVelvet-c5i]

This collab is awesome!

[@mikecux804]

Tolles, kurzweiliges Video. Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland

[@jonathanandrade176]

Such a great video this should be mandatory watching for anyone getting gym membership.

[@plwadodveeefdv]

why, they're all bouldering 😂

[@gianlucabaldin2593]

This is a bible video for sport climbing, thanks dudes, super work! 🥰 My two cents on a potentially misleading video fragment for any beginner out there watches the video: at 59:25 Ryan says "rings or quicklinks" passing the rope inside non locking-carabiners - this is a demonstration, in real life scenario you have to actually pass the rope in CLOSED systems like rings, closed quicklinks or locking carabiners (if in place), NOT passing the rope (and rappel later) through two open carabiner like in the video, because in rare cases they can be both potentially open and lead the climber to death

[@matankedar7050]

Not sure if this video makes me wanna learn how to lead climb more, or less! haha great, comprehensive educational video, from which I take - just go with someone who has been doing this for a long time. (I've been climbing for a couple of years, but only bouldering).

[@DebraWilderMeditation]

I love using guides. Small price is worth climbing harder grades knowing I won’t end up dead or broken legs or wasted trip out when belayer gets overly medicated again.

[@timbartlebaugh9915]

Yes! The collab that all us climbing nerds wanted!

[@dragade101]

@12:28 Shoe Guide: Think of shoes into groups of approach, macro and micro movements. 1) Approach shoes are usually highly situational. They look like a boot but are neither a hiking boot nor a climbing shoe. Skip this unless you know what you are getting. Aka avoid at all costs. 2) Macro Movement: this covers from lace up trad/traditional shoes to moderately aggressive velcro shoes. I like velcro indoors cause you can be easy in and easy out. Outdoors, I want to wear something for several hours and will pick a laceable pair. 2b) Moccasin or Slip-on only: these are specific and probably should be thought as custom only. Do they fit you like a glove? If not, don’t get them. 3) Micro movement: often these are bouldering shoes. Highly aggressive or very pointy shoes. This group makes for a great indoor shoe. Sometimes they have a mild camber to foot-violating camber (arch). These are NOT your first pair. Unlike a sports/hyper car you never take to the track; these climbing shoes, you should have experience and understanding what you want from the next pair of shoes. [Fitment notes: leather stretches more than synthetic. Both will adjust as you wear them. Apart from casting your foot and placing the 1:1 replica in the shoes, it takes time to break them in. Laces vs velcro: laces let you have quite a bit of control to how the shoe confirms to your foot. Velcro, even with 2 or 3 straps, they take a bit of experience to be popping them on and off with ease. There should be at least 2 velcro straps that you can adjust separately. I could imagine more feet would be happier in a laced pair but some choose to compromise for velcro to have speed of in and out action. Women’s shoes tend to have a smaller heel. Men’s shoes could be slightly wider per a given length of shoe. If you try on a few styles from one brand and not liking the fit: try another brand. To me, brandX rarely fits me where brandY, their 40.0 EU usually fits. I’m a sample size of one: pay attention to EU sizes. You want the true shoe length and not a manufacturer who is trying to calculate men’s vs women’s shoe sizing. Maybe you don’t need to be told this but women’s vs men’s lengths is a construct. Learn a standard that makes sense. Try on shoes before your commit to them. Best to find a company that lets you lightly test shoes. Have clean feet. Wear thin socks. Don’t use chalk. This is mainly to get your weight fully into the toe box and see how the heel fits.]

[@popolalasusububu]

very concentrated knowledge. thank you

[@argon408]

Hard is Easy x Hownot2?! Found HowNot2 from a Hard is easy video years ago. Nice to see y’all do a collab!

[@MrProphetius]

Nothing to ad. Great.

[@adamgallimore8905]

Just want to point out, at 32:14 Ryan says to make sure the TR draws are clipped opposite and opposed, but when he actually clips the rope the draw gates are facing the same direction. I assume this was corrected off-camera but I wanted to point it out.

[@userunknown2771]

These two combined. Fantastic

[@ivanmunoz2522]

Nice Job, Good explanation!

[@Mgreco0419]

Don’t have the time to watch now but liking it just because of the collab.

[@TheMotlias]

I found my climbing buddies at a singles social meetup at a climbing gym, didn't end up dating any of them but made lots of friends and one of them taught the rest of us how to lead climb

[@Pyromaniac2450]

So happy to see this collab

[@joshsactiveadventures5611]

Great video guys!

[@umountable]

Yesterday i thought: that would be a collab that would make a lot of sense. today it happened. hillarous :D

[@DuBCraft21]

Having now taught a number of people how to top rope and lead climb in a gym setting, I would really like to emphasize that you really need to go with someone who knows what they are doing the first time. Probably 70-80% of people are able to pick this stuff up quickly and easily from a video like this, but that other 20-30% of people will need focused hands on attention by someone who knows their shit in order to be safe. In particular lead belaying requires far more fine motor control than most people really register to do it well and there are a lot of minor details that were left out of this video (likely for runtime. If it was truely complete, it'd be 10 times as long) that are very important. Ultimately, this video on its own does not have enough information in it to even tell you what you don't know (again, by its nature. It is a great video for the introduction it is trying to be), so if you have a proven track record of being able to learn stuff on the Internet, spend a bunch more time learning, else go make a friend or higher someone to teach you in person so they can give you feed back on what you are doing well and what you need to improve on.

[@Lyrainthevalley]

Would be really awesome if you managed to find a British expat climber to do a video on double/half rope technique as used by British trad climbers. I've only ever trad climbed using double ropes and to my mind it offers a ton of advantages beyond simply reducing rope drag on wandering routes (without the extra fall length that extending draws would add to the system). In many situations (basically if you can alternate ropes from piece to piece) it lets you clip overhead without increasing your fall length; you can protect followers from swing potential on traverses; it makes it super easy to climb as a group of three (each follower ties into one half rope, leader ties into both); you can make most efficient use of the rope length you would be carrying anyway for rappels in a single rope system; you're not f'ed if something cuts one of your ropes. There's a lot of things you gain for the price of an extra rope and learning a (pretty simple honestly) modified belay technique

[@Pedro_desgracadao]

it's the most awesome collab in the fucking history of youtube

[@vintagemetal]

Great collab you guys!

[@mathiassireb]

can you make a video like this about multipitches???

[@exnhelo3517]

Love the bloopers

[@jonfryan3986]

Two fabulous lads… would be absolutely welcome to Ireland any time for a climb. Ive popped ye a cupla quid to show support for the mighty displays of inspiration intelligence instruction Jon in Dublin

[@getstrongto7c2]

Hi, Ben, if you watch the last video from howNOT2 and then see how Tommy uses the belay device incorrectly with neither hand on the brake rope, then the task here would actually be a completely different one.

[@HowNOT2]

He has a video coming out with his party trick of showing things slipping or failing! I'm looking forward to it.

[@filmbenjamin]

MY 2 FAVORITE CLIMBING CHANNELS!!!!!!!!!

[@columnardrop7219]

Love the redwood burl guidebook 😂

[@crimpchimp]

Small German lesson: Kern = Core ; Mantel = Sheath ;)

[@Rock_Appreciator]

What if you can't finish a sport route & there's no way to get to the anchor up top and rappel down to collect gear? Do you leave the quick draw you're rappelling down on there? Had that happen once and ended up having to use a tree like 20ft away from the cliff's edge to rap down and grab my last piece of gear. If that wasn't there I have no idea how I would've gotten that gear back.

[@johngo6283]

Yes, typically you do have to leave gear behind. Think about it has a small penalty you have to pay for ambition exceeding ability.

[@CrowMagnumMan2024]

Great video !!! Thanks a million guys......I discovered HowNOT2 through Ben and you guys are my favorite climbing channels........I have a question that seems like only you will have an answer for.......one of the common canyoneering rope retrieval methods is to attach the rope at the middle marker up at the anchor and then rappel down both ropes............how much does this method increase the strength of the rope, taking into consideration that the weakest point is at the anchor ?? Would really appreciate this info.......!!!

[@MrTravis789]

Double safety checks, we love to see it.

[@will1603]

Maybe they're named dogbones after dogbone tensile testing samples? Which do actually look like dogbones

[@hannibal3143]

Finally! This collab was inevitable

[@jemetaldesign]

Brilliant video! What PAS are you using in this video with the yellow strap?

[@pargeterw]

At 32:51 you can see that you clipped one of the toprope quickdraws twisted, so that the gates aren't opposite & opposed as you rightly described is a requirement! It might be worth adding a disclaimer about this if you can, since this is specifically targeted at beginners?

[@johtso1]

Might be worth a mention of climbing clubs as a way to find people to climb with

[@timonix2]

@13:30 My shoes are the most comfortable shoes that have ever been made. For 5 minutes. They really go from fitting perfectly, being an extension of myself.. To.. I hate myself why do I do this. But.. You can take them off and put them on again to get another 5 minutes of pleasure.

[@finnthefrog4354]

ofc this releases a day after i come home from my trip from sport climbing in spain

[@welshbikepackingadventures]

So interesting!

[@SogarCCHC]

Love you guys! I would love to see you debating on something that you disagree on. With the knowledge of you two have the content would be maybe too much for a video form but ...

[@baylormustaine983]

So. Me and my buddy want to do some outdoor climbing. I can climb 5.12 indoors on lead. Do you think we would be fine outdoors or should we find someone to take us to a crag.

[@axemurdereriamnot]

@hownot2 32:41 Your rope-end carabiners on your quickdraws are NOT opposite and opposed; this is a potentially unsafe anchor configuration if the climber climbs above the quickdraws.

[@physicalgraffiti18]

YES he like flips it weird as he clips the rope and then the biners turn to face the same way

[@emmanuelecontrerasdongo3997]

Amazing

[@spencanelli]

Ryan, I love that shirt! Will you be selling it sometime?

[@apeiron1984]

what a combo.

[@wsextreme]

Where is this at?