The Official Crank Climbing Holiday Gift Guide

Sendtember is gone. Rocktober has passed. No Passive Gear November is in its waning days. It’s almost time for Santa to rap down your chimneys and drop off gifts for those of us that brushed our ticks and stayed on trails, and coal for the beta sprayers and bluetooth bumpers.

But what if there’s a climber on your list, be it Secret Santa or extended family, and you’re not one of those that partakes? Perhaps your familiarity with climbing extends as far as Free Solo, that’s ok, we’ve got you covered! Well, at least we’re going to try, most all the suggestions below are for those that boulder. Still, if you need ideas for stocking stuffers, scroll below.

Main Technical Gear:

Don’t. Climbers got a lot of shiny equipment they use, from a variety of price points that ranges from single carabiner, to rope, to crash pad, to Sprinter Van. Unless you’re one of those maniacs with “December to Remember” Car-Bow cash to burn, we recommend against buying things in this category unless you know the person very very well. Truth is, chances are your recipient has bought themselves the stuff they want and has strong opinions. This largely includes technical textiles like trousers and shells.

Caveat to this item – if you’re a parent trying to nurture your child’s new interest or hobby, buying them their first crash pad or a basic harness is completely acceptable, and there are myriad guides out there for those (but we do like the Mad Rock Mad Pad as a budget friendly way to get started). The little buggers ought to be appreciative of anything they get, and you’ll be keeping them safe.

Shoes:

DON’T. On top of the preferences named above, even the shoes that fit right don’t fit right. If it’s for a partner or child, an “IOU One Pair of Shoes of Your Choice” certificate is as close as you can get to being an acceptable gift.

Secondary Technical Gear:

Ehhh, probably don’t. When people solicit the internet for gift ideas, I see a lot of “buy them a chalkbag\chalkbucket!”. Like the above, chances are they already have one (or in my case a dozen). Kneebar pads or hand jammies are a nice option for someone who doesn’t already have one in their quiver. That said, there’s a lot of gear that the average boulderer could use but might not think of, but can use. Chalk brushes are great (please please buy the boar’s hair stuff and not the nylon bristles), and if you really want to make the outdoor climber happy, the Pamo Pole Brush attachment is great, and there are other alternatives on the market – anything that attaches to a painters pole is a plus. Battery powered LED spotlights are also great for those of us chasing the conditions into the night, whether they run on AAs or on a rechargeable system they already own – Bonus points to this Harbor Freight model that doubles as a power pack.

We still haven’t come around to the Makita Fan meme that bouldering has become – some people swear by them, but we still think its weird. What we have come around to is tiny leaf blowers (AKA Shop Blowers). They’re great for those climbing in under-loved wooded areas where those pine needles and leaves congregate on that one hold you need at the very top.

Oh, and beanies. Every boulderer needs an arsenal of beanies. Those are cool.

Consumables:

There are a lot of consumable products out there that even if you go astray, they won’t be stuck with. Some people have strong opinions on chalk, but most of those that have bought into the hype would be excited to see a bag of Friction Labs (I’m partial to Metolius\Mammut\Black Diamond\J-Tree myself, but I’m also partial to the McRib, sooooo). Post-climbing care is also a great place to get that stocking stuffer fix. A few of our favorites:

Training

Some of us like to get SWOLE. Or just, like, climb better than we do now. If you have the feeling your recipient is looking to get a little more out of themselves, there are a lot of options. We’d avoid hangboards (they can be tough to mount, chances are they already have one), but a smaller portable grip block (like those by our friends at Tension), or even a warm-up board like this one offered by Metolius – they are available at many price points, shop around. Beyond the actual equipment, there are dozens of books on climbing for training, but one that’s stood out recently is Beastmaking – it’s the book we’d have written if we were smart enough. For those really getting into it, Power Company and Lattice both offer great training plans from mild to wild, and PDF to in-depth (a gift certificate to let them choose their own adventure is advised).

Books

Books are a great way to show someone you’re trying to engage with their interests without running as high a risk of buying something they’re never ever going to use (well, unless they’re illiterate I suppose). For the route climbers out there who are very interested in history, “The 9th Grade” by David Chabre is a gorgeously composed book that goes into the nitty gritty of the last few decades. On the bouldering side of things, Bernd Zangrel’s “Bouldering” is a fun coffee-table book with essays and profiles of some of the sport’s best. For those new to the fold, the Third Edition (make sure its the Third Edition!) of Better Bouldering by John Sherman is packed with great instruction and tips. Guidebooks to their dream crag, or local, are always a hit, we prefer paper to digital, and in the digital space we prefer publishers GunksApp and NextAscent.

Other Kitsch Stuff:

There’s not shortage of stuff that has entered the market due to the boom in popularity of climbing. Some of it might be legit, but some of it strikes us as… weird at best. We recommend against these all until further notice (maybe we’re wrong).

  • Pinch\climbing hold mugs – I too love hot coffee in my lap
  • The BoulderBall – I don’t even know
  • GRAVITYBoard – “Never grip it the same way twice!”….. that’s bad
  • ZigZag Pads – I’ve never had a velcro pad stay together and I find their athletes insufferable.

So there you have it, a handful of gift ideas for that pebble-wrestler on your list.