How much does Rock Climbing cost?
Other than finger skin, sore limbs, and ruined toes, Rock climbing costs DOLLARS..yes it is very much not a free sport. So I thought I’d list out all the gear I current own and how much each piece cost with links to amazon where you can also purchase the gear!
So here we go:
My first pieces of gear were my harness and shoes:
I have a Mammut Ophir 3 Slide Harness - $54.95
http://www.backcountry.com/mammut-ophir-3-slide-harness-mens
I’ve never had a different harness, so I can’t really compare to other ones..But it works, It gets a little uncomfortable when I’m belaying for a long time or hanging on a route for a while, but besides that, it’s light, stream lined, and makes me feel safe.
I have only ever owned La Sportiva climbing shoes, and I have to say I’ve tried on other shoes and I love me some La Sportiva. I’ve owned 5 Pairs of La Sportivas, 2 of which were the same model (La Sportiva Testarossa)
La Sportiva Testarossa - $175.00
The shoes are VERY tight, as they should be, and have amazing toe grip. Though I went thru 2 pairs of these shoes in about a year, I climb a lot outside and a lot just in general, so I feel like it was just natural wear, not that the shoes were bad.
La Sportiva Tarantulace - $80.00
These were my first pair of climbing shoes, they’re just slightly too big for my foot so these were not my climbing shoes for very long...However they’re extremely comfy as far as climbing shoes go, and the lace up allows you to synch these things down
La Sportiva Miura - $175.00
These are my current climbing shoes and my favorite BY FAR. They have a slight downturn, but not as tight as the Testarossa, they’re a little wider than the testarossa as well which makes them more comfortable to wear for longer periods. Outdoors wise I can stay in them longer, which allows me to climb for longer. Overall I love these shoes.
When you make the jump from gym climbing to outdoor climbing two pieces of gear allow you do climb at almost 60-70% of all climbing outdoors: Rope and Quick Draws.
70m Mammut Serenity Dry rope - $240.00
I have a 70m Mammut Serenity Dry rope. I opted for the 70 meter because my whole “mantra” with rock climbing outside is that I want to climb anything I think is cool looking..wether it be 20 feet or 2000 feet.
Black Diamond Positron Quickdraw - 12cm - $101.70
I have two sets of quick draws, both black diamond..I try to stick to known brands that are universally trusted and Black Diamond is pretty universally trusted in the industry.
I just recently got these..Mainly because they look pretty awesome (Black and Gold) They work like all quick draws and I haven’t had any issues with the gates or runners for the year I’ve owned them.
Black Diamond PosiWire Quickpack, 12cm, Ink Blue/Positron - $65.00
These were my first pair of quick draws, they’re a little loose on the runner (Not sure if it’s just because of how much i’ve used them or not). The gates are in fine condition after about 2 years, no problems so far.
So all in all, I have spent about $891.65 in a span of two years..Now in one big purchase of all the gear it can seem like a lot..but If you bought 1 piece of gear a week that’s roughly $8.60 a week. This is the bare minimum of all the gear I currently own for rock climbing, and it's MAINLY all you will need to climb at a majority of areas. I'll prob do a full gear list later on in the year as Fall comes around.
We split up big purchases for gear into a piece a week usually (Like a quick draw, a runner, or trad piece) which can really minimize the blow from buying it all at once. I will admit I have not done the weekly plan yet, because I space out my purchases with several months in between. Luckily a lot of climbing gear holds your life it it’s hands, so the companies who make it try and make the gear last as long as physically possible. Long story short, you won’t be spending much money on replacing gear.
Mario "Racking Up" for some Trad at Hueco Tanks. A small fraction of Mario's gear in a heap on the ground.