Climbing Gear For the Future: What’s Your Fantasy?
Hi Steph!
My name is Tom, I’m a Product Design student at Pasadena Art Center College of Design. I’m currently working on a project thats focus is on developing protective gear for the year 2017, in class we were told to pick a sport to design some awesome gear for. I recently got into climbing (about a year ago) and have a huge passion for it (thanks for the inspiration), so naturally I chose climbing as my subject matter. I was wondering if I could pick your brain and ask you a few questions regarding challenges you face, safety measures, and overall hopes for the future of climbing. Hoping to hear from you soon!
Best,
Tom
I thought it would be even better to ask lots of climbers about their fantasy gear, so I asked Tom what he thought about that. He thought it was a great idea, so tell us what you think: add a comment if you have any answers to any/all of his design questions. Personally, my ultimate fantasy gear is a rope that weighs almost nothing but still works like a normal rope (somehow). Oh, and clothing that weighs almost nothing but keeps you at exactly the right body temperature in any conditions….
I’m looking forward to hearing what you guys think. Here are Tom’s questions, and best of luck on the project 🙂 I hope we can help.
Hi Steph,
Thanks for replying back! That sounds like a fantastic idea, and yes it would be very beneficial to the development of my project! I’d love to get feedback from other climbers as well. I have a few questions and I’m looking for more of an opinion than a “right answer” I hope that takes off some pressure, if there was any. (:
1. What is your favorite part of climbing? Why is it your favorite? Is there anything that could make it better?
2. What is your least favorite part about climbing? (could be even something that’s kind of annoying, or you could live without) And why? Is there anything that could improve that?
3. From what you can remember what were some challenges you faced when you first started climbing? And why?
4. What helped you to overcome those challenges? Looking back now, what could’ve helped in overcoming those challenges more successfully?
5. Climbing from what I’ve experienced so far is pretty minimal in terms of gear, but when you do buy gear what helps you choose ? Pure functionality? The design? What matters to you?
and finally, this last question is meant to be fun. be as creative as you want, the skys the limit!
You were commissioned to design climbing gear for the future. You have access to any and all technological advances, what gear would you design for the climbers of the future? Why would it be relevant for them?
Thanks again for all your help Steph! I hope you have fun answering some of these questions! Looking forward to hearing from you (and possibly your blog visitors) soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Tom
High quality boots and rock shoes with absolutely no leather. I love my La Sportivas, but after becoming vegan and especially after watching Earthings, it feels very uncomfortable and shameful to continue to support destruction of innocent animals for leather products, including our beloved boots. It’s not even much of a stretch; the technology is already there.
I agree with you….this is the main reason I’m working with Evolv now. they are using some leather, but getting performance and high quality from synthetic is a high priority for them and we are working on designing some shoes with this goal
I love this idea, I’ve always wondered about gear like this that assist climbers and if they would be willing to change something they’ve been using forever. Do you think they would be willing to try something as new as this?
First of all thanks Steph and everyone else for taking the time to engage in these questions! I love that fact that I can actually design with fellow climbers as opposed to just doing what I think is best, so thanks! I look forward to reading and replying to all your posts, and if it’s ok with Steph I’d love to keep you all updated with my project (:
Tom
I totally agree, it’s often difficult to find the balance between simplicity and functional. As designers we always want to make things look awesome, I’ve come to realize the challenge is designing great gear that doesn’t take away from the sport itself.
do you think the “cool” factor is the only thing that keeps climbers away from the construction-site looking helmets? does it mess with your peripherals as well?
love the band-aid haha, tape’s a good option too maybe (:
That movie inspired my friends to start climbing! love it.
I actually pitched this idea for my project, I think the crash pad is due for some redesigning. A big problem for me is when terrain is uneven, my pad is always at an angle – more prone to spraining my ankles. Is this a problem for you guys? How do you work around that?
agreed.
Alex, love the crash pad idea. I often see climbers just shove their gear in the folds of the pad, and I know that Organic crash pads come with pouches, but something like that would be awesome.
reminds me of the self-inflating sleeping mats that are out there right now. A more durable larger version of this would be great (:
Hey All,
I think an inflatable crash pad would be a revolutionary idea. Imagine being able to roll it up (like a sleeping pad) and throw it in your crag bag! This would save space, improve mobility, and allow you to carry more protection. My only concern would be its durability. This sort of pad would last longer in the sense that it will never bottom out, but is it possible to guarantee that it will never pop? Crash pads, as they are currently constructed, have a 0% failure rate, and unless this pad could guarantee the same reliability, I can’t imagine people using it as their main pad (though it would be great to add extra pro to your main pad). Popping the pad on a fall could mean a broken ankle or worse! And how comfortable would landing on air feel?
Thanks for posting up this thread! This is a very thought provoking discussion!
A very thin crashpad that can cover any rocks or features that make for an awkward landing. I’m imagining the material to be as thin as a yoga mat without sacrificing a solid landing like we get on the crashpads we use today.
That’s really good to hear about you and Evolv. I’ll look out for the new synthetics in the future and be one of the first in line to climb with them. Seemingly small changes like this really aren’t so small; they really do make a difference.
jetpack 🙂
On this note, I’d like to see climbing chalk that goes away on it’s own. It would be great if chalk broke down and disappeared after touching rock.
I would like a system that can be added to climbing wall to generate a adjustable crack for climbing (it can rapidly be changed from a finger crack to an off-width). The system should also permit the placement of nuts and cam, so to do trad climb inside!
a crack machine would be sweet.
Reuseable climbing tape” because I feel so wasteful every time I pull the tape off my hands and throw it away! Even recyclable tape would be a start…
I hear you….. good idea 🙂
If your interested, there is something called Van deer Walls force in physical chemistry. Worth looking up on wikipedia, or on the net in general. It is kind of like a velcro at the molecular level. It’s the reason why geckos can climb upside down and on smooth glass surfaces. Might have applications in the future of climbing is all.
There will always be some resistance in the climbing community to new ideas, but if there are enough people willing to give more advanced tech a go, I can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t succeed.
A pair of fingerless neoprene gloves can work well in wet conditions, haven’t tried it in cold places, though i’m sure it would keep your hands warmer as well. the neoprene seems to stick better to wet than dry rock, for some reason I don’t understand…
Could they make them from titanium or some other metal? Not sure how expensive it would be…
Not sure how you’d go about a self healing rope, though I do love this idea.
I’m thinking that a kevlar sheath would be an immense improvement in rope design..
Love to see ropes become lighter as well, not sure how climbers would react to thinner ropes…might have some trust issues in that direction.
thanks for the interesting ideas Simon !
A crashpad with foam that is fully biodegradable. It would also have backpack straps that are comfortable.
Looking at climbing, I see similar things emerging. We continue to see increasingly complex belay devices that are heavier, more complex, and arguably no better at providing safety (I say this because I believe they encourage lazy belaying). Also, with the increased complexity of these devices, a supremely tired adventurer who is finishing some epic ascent may be more prone to mistakes. So why would I carry some heavy, complex device that adds no more use cases, increases complexity, increases weight, and costs nine times what a simple ATC costs?
I’d like to see more development in the area of safety for solo climbing
Auto belay device used for outdoor lead climbing?!? (Attachable at the base of the route)
That would be pretty amazing..
Van der walls forces are way too small, they can’t even hold gaseous atoms together, let alone a falling climber! They’re just very slight electrostatic attractions between atoms.
Already in use in Hawaii you’re behind in the game