What does it mean to be gumby climbing? Is it the technique? Is it the gears?
As an amateur climber, it only makes sense to cover an interesting climbing slang: gumby.
Gumby is a semi-derogatory term used on beginner climbers who are not familiar with climbing safety practices due to their inexperience. You can tell when someone is a gumby climber for example, the way they wear their harness upside down or wearing climbing shoes into the restroom or more dangerous instances such as putting the belayer rope upside down on a GriGri or Z-clipping a lead route.
This term is more popular in America due to its origins. In certain parts of Asia, we often refer to gumbies climbing as newbie or noob climbers. It does get on my nerves when I see gumby rock climbing but the one thing we must all remember: we were once them. Or still are. And it is also why my name is called the amateur climber as well.
Take this post about gumby rock climbing with a grain of salt. And some sarcasm to understand how did America’s well-loved character became a synonym for laughable climbing material.
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Where Did The Word Gumby Come From?
The actual term “gumby” refers to silly and inexperienced individuals to put it simply in American context. Gumby originated from a clay animation character that starred it its eponymous stop-motion series in the 1950s.
The character, a lop-sided green humanoid, encounters many situations where it acts clumsily resulting in goofy consquences. This term later transformed into what we know of as today, gumby climbing equates to beginner climbers.
10 Traits Of A Gumby Climber
1. Flailing Your Arms And Legs Falling Off A Route
You get to the top of route or further than what you could have imagined. You are amazed at your accomplishment. At the same time, you feel exposed, there is only you and the wall. How do you come down safely?
Coming down doesn’t have to be dramatic as what is portrayed in movie scenes where characters fall. As Alex Honnold would say, “If you are top-roping, you are totally secure the entire time”.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Keep your hands to yourself. If you are on top-rope or auto-belay, keep your hands close to you and kick with your legs off the wall when you are being lowered. You can have your hands on your rope as well.
2. Bouldering With A Harness
If you have ever asked “Do I need a harness for bouldering?”, the answer is no, you do not need a harness (or rope) for bouldering whether indoor or outdoor. The harness can be quite obstructing especially when you are doing routes on a slab wall.
Also, bouldering in a harness not only damages the mats when you fall due to some of its hardy metallic parts, it can restrict your movement as well when you fall.
A worse scenario will be having your belay devices and quickdraws hanging from it while you climb!
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Remove your climbing harness before you begin bouldering.
3. Have Your Entire Equipment Clipped Onto Your Harness
Your harness has 4 gear loops. This does not mean all 4 gear loops need to be utilized to the fullest especially if you are top-roping.
That prusik? Those quickdraws? Multiple belay devices? Your water bottle? A sling?? We know you know stuff, or you are hoping that we are at least impressed by your rack. Chances are, we will be more impressed if you can send that hard project with all the extra weight on your harness.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: You are cooler without the additional weight that is clanking around at your butt.
4. Showing Off Double Dynos On V1 Routes
You enter the gym and spot some new climbers based on their rental climbing shoes. They are recording themselves on a VB and V1 route while getting some cheers from their peers. You, a 2-month climber who is flashing V3 routes, decides to do a fancy double dyno right in front of your awestruck audience.
Yes, we can tell you are showing off. Leave your ego at the door. We are here to learn.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Do the intended beta which I am pretty sure does not involve double dynos. It also looks silly. Instead, cheer the newbie climbers on. You will get brownie points and better friendships than showing off.
5. The Gumby Climber Who Tries To Be Gaston
Continuation from the Double Dyno gumby climber is a personality that is not hard to miss in the climbing gym: the Gaston. No, not the Gaston move in climbing (which we will address in another article). The Gaston who is all about himself, egoistic, and thinks that his chops will appeal to women. And LOUD.
The Gaston will be grunting with every move, making his presence known in the gym as he shows off his gumby climbing. He will think he is cool enough for a V3 overhang and when he does not send, grunts longer and makes a big deal about it to whoever nearest to him.
I sometimes wish gyms will implement a signboard that said “Silence Only”.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Less talking, more climbing.
6. Wearing Climbing Shoes Outside Of The Climbing Area
While this is my absolute pet peeve, there are serious health reasons why climbing shoes should remain on the mats and climbing walls only. Climbing shoes are made out of sticky rubber to help you stay on the wall. When you keep your shoes on to move around different locations, your shoes will pick up dirt, chalk dust, grime, bacteria, germs,…you can name the rest.
Now imagine these shoes going on the holds you are planning to climb. Everything that is on that shoe is now on your hand. Argh! Take those shoes off!
Also, the rubber on the climbing shoes do wear thin quickly and to preserve the shoes as long as possible, it is best to remove them immediately after you are done with a route.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Remove your climbing shoes when you are not climbing.
7. Buying Larger Climbing Shoes
If you are buying a regular shoe, it makes sense to buy a shoe one size up. For climbing, it is the opposite. You want shoes as snug as possible, like a rubber sock on your feet to scale the wall.
Hence, you do not want to be wearing socks with your rubber socks. I often heard complaints from new climbers that the shoes are far too tight and too painful to press on and end up buying a comfortable climbing shoe that you can even walk around easily with.
The rule of thumb is new climbers should wear their shoes from half a size to one full size smaller than their street shoe size.
Eventually your feet will get comfortable with the shape and you may end up buying another shoe that is half size smaller than your current one to smear the wall. I have a friend who is a size US 8 street shoe but wears size US 4 climbing shoes! It blows my mind.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: visit a climbing shoe store and consult with a professional for the best fit. Don’t buy clown-sized shoes. If you do spot a Mad Rock Remora Tokyo Edition pair, give it a try.
8. Climbing Without Climbing Shoes
Another gumby climber from the Double Dyno and Gaston bunch, this person may have walked into the gym, realizing that his or her climbing shoes are at home. To save money, instead of renting shoes, they decide to climb with their feet (or socks) hoping that their friends don’t mind and no one will find out. That is until the gym marshall comes around and gasps in horror at the abomination of the monkeying gumbies climbing.
Climbing without climbing shoes is just as gross as wearing climbing shoes outside of the climbing area, it is a health hazard. Also, why do you want to scrape your skin or pretty socks onto the wall?
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Your number one climbing equipment is your climbing shoes. Use them.
Here’s a guide on what to wear when you go indoor climbing.
9. Asking. For. Take. For. Every. Climb.
It all started with your first climb: you were nervous. You called for take or tight. Your belayer hears you out and reassures you that you are fine. Then, you start climbing more routes on top-rope. You ask for take again. You scale different grades. 6 A. Take. 5 C. Take. 5 A. Take. Your belayer is starting to see that you have a bad habit and it needs to be thrown out of the window.
Truthfully, this is me (hence, the amateur climber). It’s a habit I can’t shake off even on top-rope where the rope is taut. I feel less anxious and knowing that my belayer has my back ONLY when the rope is tight. It gets more difficult as I started lead climbing: I was asking for take on a 5 C slightly overhang lead route on the first clip. Definitely gumby.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Trust your belayer! Or at least find one that you can trust as solid as a rock.
10. Talking About Free Solo
Everyone can agree that Free Solo is a life-changing documentary that makes non-climbers (and climbers) motivated to scale the mountains depicted in the film. And so, with the enthusiasm as tall as El Capitan, the first place rock climbing gumbies will head to is the climbing gym, where they will befriend other climber friends in hopes to impress them with their summary of the award-winning documentary (spoiler: it does not impress them).
Nevertheless, they will become fast friends and will soon be humbled by the artificial walls that await them.
How Not To Be A Gumby Climber: Luckily for you, Alex Honnold himself knows that everyone is trying to be like him (but will never be him) and hence created a course to not be a gumby. And if you enjoy climbing documentaries, you should check out The Wall: Climb For Gold as well.
What Are Climbing Shoes For Gumby Climbers?
Here are a couple of climbing shoes I will recommend so you will NOT become a gumby climber:
1. Black Diamond Momentum
2. ClimbX Rave
3. Scarpa Origin
4. Evolv Elektra
5. Tenaya Tanta
Explore our list of Indoor Climbing Shoes For Beginners
Final Thoughts
As much fun as it is to pinpoint a climbing gumby, take the time to guide them when you do notice one. Some of these practices can be a safety hazard and if not corrected, can result in something far worse than a joke (I am not talking about excessive conversations of Free Solo).
At the end of the day, climbing is a fun activity that everyone can connect with and elevate each other’s skills to be better (and far from a rock climbing gumby).
I hope you enjoyed reading this piece! If you are looking for more tips to avoid being a gumby climber, then check out this list of beginner climber terms to get a head start.
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