Inform and Inspire

Welcome to Upstate Bouldering, designed around bouldering in the Upstate region of South Carolina. This website is intended to inform the reader of local spots in SC, Western NC and Northeast GA, as well as a blog of my experiences climbing at these great spots. I hope everyone learns of a new place to climb or is inspired to climb somewhere close to them. If you have any comments, please send me an e-mail.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Do It Yourself Project-Highball Spot Pad/Carpet

Something that is lacking in most newer model crashpads is the great carpet that was characteristic of the 1st generation pads. Nowadays, to save a few bucks, most crashpad manufacturers use the same nylon/cordura on the landing zone as they use in the rest of the shell of the pad...this makes it so much harder to clean your shoes off before that send that needs those critical feet. To remedy this problem, I recommend a quick stop by Lowes or Home Depot and buy a 1-2'x1-2' section of outdoor carpet. I recommend at least a 1'x1' section of carpet and I prefer a 1 1/2'x1 1/2' section...it seems to be cheaper to buy the carpet off of the bigger roll, by the foot, if there isn't a premade carpet in the size you want. If you buy it off the roll, you have enough to chop up a few carpets to leave in your different pads or an extra in your car with your chalk canister:).

What's even better is to find somewhere that sells dense 1" closed cell foam, and buy at least a 1 1/2'x1 1/2' section (I like a 2'x2' section for better coverage) to glue onto the carpet to make an inexpensive highball pad. If you're around the upstate of SC, you can pick up a king mattress sized sheet (7'x7') for about $15 at the Pickens Flea Market on Wednesdays or some weekends. If you're having trouble finding the foam, send me an e-mail and I'll try to send you what you're looking for, for a cheap price. Just use a good spray-on adhesive on the back of the carpet and on the top of the foam pad, stick 'em together, and you've got the best, cheapest, carpeted highball pad you can find! Stack the highball pad on top of, or tuck it into, your crashpad to give you a little extra protection for those taller problems. This is also a cheap alternative for taking a crashpad on an airplane...pack a highball pad (or 2), shoes and chalk in your suitcase and you can always send a few problems wherever you end up travelling!

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