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Post by jetjackson on May 10, 2016 15:03:56 GMT -7
Couldn't find anything on this topic, so thought I would start a thread.
Curious as to which sites/apps people use to track their ticks, their training, and their general climbing.
Personally, I have been using 8a.nu, thecrag.com, for my tick-list. I like that 8a.nu gives you a score, and ranks you against other climbers - which appeals to my competitive nature, although it isn't for everyone. thecrag.com gives you a 'performance grade', and tracks it quarterly, it doesn't rank you against others on climbing performance, but it does rank you on karma, which is really just a measure of how much you contribute to the site. Both of those sites have most crags and climbs listed, and it's pretty easy to add new climbs if necessary.
I use google spreadsheets to plan and log my training and performance on arc/hangboard etc. - I find that being able to access google spreadsheets from anywhere is really helpful. I can use the ipad, my phone, or the computer to log in anywhere.
I don't use any apps, but I keep seeing a lot of ads lately for climbing tracker apps. There is one called 'whipper', that has a pedometer, and claims to be able to track a wide range of stats, height climbed, number of falls, incline of climb etc. It was overfunded on indiegogo, so it seems pretty popular - although I don't know how many of the benefits of that app will actually happen. Wearables fitness trackers often claim things like being able to measure body temp and heart rate, but in reality it doesn't work very well. I think they started it with the intention that you would never have to log training or climbing again. I like that idea in a way, it could be cool if it has GPS and then links in to a site like thecrag, and auto-records your sends based on your GPS position, ascension, and whether or not you fell. It could also work in well with the moon board, by tracking body movement over the same problems, and comparing different styles etc. - but I think that is taking it pretty far.
There is also the myclimb app - but I have done less research on that.
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Post by MarkAnderson on May 10, 2016 15:56:32 GMT -7
Excel spreadsheet.
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Post by erick on May 11, 2016 11:29:30 GMT -7
I just started using Mountain project and an excel spreadsheet for tracking my ticks. RCTM logbook for everything else. I would be interested in using a fitness tracking app/watch for fun but couldn't see myself buying one.
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Post by scojo on May 11, 2016 12:12:13 GMT -7
Google Sheets for hangboard/weights logging - can access it from my phone (when I'm at the gym) as well as on a computer. For tick/todo list I use Mountain Project.
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Post by jetjackson on May 11, 2016 21:29:46 GMT -7
I didn't even realise that Mountain Project had a tick list function.
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nate
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by nate on May 12, 2016 7:37:36 GMT -7
Google sheets (and some paper) for training logs and ticks, but I also will give a star rating on MP for things I've climbed.
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Post by jetjackson on May 12, 2016 7:49:51 GMT -7
Sounds like everyone is loving google sheets.
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LeeH
New Member
Posts: 9
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Post by LeeH on May 12, 2016 11:19:57 GMT -7
I love mountain project's tick list. I like the tick breakdown (get to it by clicking on your user name at the top and then on "Your Page"), which shows just how short and wobbly my climbing pyramid is. Sometimes it seems like I'm the only one making ticks in NM, and for routes I use to warmup it looks like I'm spamming the ticklist for the route.
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Post by jetjackson on May 12, 2016 15:38:08 GMT -7
I love mountain project's tick list. I like the tick breakdown (get to it by clicking on your user name at the top and then on "Your Page"), which shows just how short and wobbly my climbing pyramid is. Sometimes it seems like I'm the only one making ticks in NM, and for routes I use to warmup it looks like I'm spamming the ticklist for the route. Nice, I checked it out. Have you seen the tick lists on 8a and thecrag? Thecrag is the most advanced I've seen. I know a lot of people on here love the analytics in spreadsheets. - www.thecrag.com/climber/jacksonallan - that's my tick list on thecrag. Below is my tick list on 8a.nu
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Post by MarkAnderson on May 12, 2016 19:38:37 GMT -7
I would be wary of 8a's "trend". That is based on totally arbitrary point increments created by a well-intentioned-yet-uninformed Swede with a few screws loose. The idea that Y number of sends at one grade (or in one style) are superior to X number of sends at a higher grade, or vice versa, is totally subjective. Lot's of suckers have decided to plan their climbing careers around this fallacy, traversing the countryside in search of the 10* hardest routes they can just barely do in a year** (when their time might best be spent focusing on the 1, 5, 20, or 50 hardest routes they can do).
I can see how it's comforting for the numbers-obsessed to run everything through a complicated formula, but it's no more accurate at measuring improvement or self-satisfaction than simply tracking your hardest single tick each year. The fact that it's relatively complex simply makes it easier to manipulate. Eventually, inevitably, every metric drives behavior. And so you see people scheming ways to eek a few more 8a.nu points out of the same strength and fitness each year, when you could be focused on improving. At least if you're tracking hardest send, it gets a lot harder to game the system.
*Another arbitrary number **An arbitrary time period
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Post by jetjackson on May 13, 2016 7:13:51 GMT -7
That's true - 8a is very arbitrary, and I can see how it's an issue if you get caught up on it and try to plan your life around it. Personally, I can't say that I have really been pushed to try and game the 8a system - but then I'm not at the top competing for sponsorship $$ etc. Considering it though, aren't all sports made up of rules that were set by arbitrary decisions?
Who decided that 100m was a good distance for the 100m sprint? Who decided that a shot put should weight x amount, or that a javelin should be x length? Those sports are given relevance because they have a following, and a group of deluded humans spurred on by their competitive nature, decided to follow the arbitrarily set rules.
Yes, agreed that Jens is a bit of a nut, who made some arbitrary decisions to develop a numeric score that tries to reflect a climbers ability in at least one way. It's only relevant because so many people, including some very high profile climbers, use it.
In respect to chasing the hardest send - I think that can also be gamed, to a degree, by focusing on only climbing routes of your specific strengths, and finding routes that are reportedly soft for the grade. I don't see how that would really be any less difficult to game than the 8a score, until you're climbing 5.14 and upwards.
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Post by scojo on May 23, 2016 14:51:31 GMT -7
The nice thing about Mountain Project's ticklist is that most routes are already contributed to the site. But you can't split it up into onsight, flash, redpoint.
I just checked out thecrag. It seems to have most of the classic routes in my area (Boulder), but not everything. However, it's easy enough to contribute whatever routes you want yourself, so I don't mind that too much.
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Post by aikibujin on May 24, 2016 5:58:16 GMT -7
Have you seen the tick lists on 8a and thecrag? Thecrag is the most advanced I've seen. I know a lot of people on here love the analytics in spreadsheets. I used thecrag for many years, but I never realized they have such a cool analyze page! I just looked at mine... so I've climbed 5.8 vertical miles based on the routes I've logged on thecrag. Pretty cool! But if I do the calculation in my spreadsheet, that number is actually closer to 11 vertical miles. And that's the problem with thecrag or MP, the route information is never 100% complete, especially when you start to travel to other parts of the world.
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Post by jetjackson on May 24, 2016 7:47:00 GMT -7
That's true, they do make it easy to add that though, and you get karma points...
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Post by Charlie S on May 24, 2016 18:47:58 GMT -7
The nice thing about Mountain Project's ticklist is that most routes are already contributed to the site. But you can't split it up into onsight, flash, redpoint. They just recently changed that. I use MP to track my ticks while at the crag, and then I enter that data into my Access database. So, I use MS Access queued up with MS Excel. Allows for some pretty detailed analysis if you can figure out the SQL to make the numbers play right (and I'm more than willing to share that with you). I use a GPS-enabled heart rate monitor. If nothing else, it's provided some interesting information as far as actual energy expenditure. For instance, a 50ft 5.8 burns like 60 calories. Hmm, better not go celebrating. But 50 minutes of thrutching (read: hanging) my way up a 100ft 5.13a burns closer to 500. I should at least pay some credence to recovery. Apps: IntervalTimer for hangboarding (completely customizable) MoonClimbing (a pretty sweet app to check on Moon Board problems during the power phase; however, the desktop/laptop version of the website is better) Mountain Project for tracking stuff at the crag Theodolite for measuring rock angles
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