Climbing in Nanjing and Shanghai

[CheshireCat]

Hey,

I'm spending two months in Shanghai and then another year in Nanjing so I'd appreciate any info you might have on rock climbing (especially outdoor) near those two cities. I've already found a nice climbing gym in Shanghai. Also what's the deal with buying climbing gear here? Any different from buying it in Europe? Is there anything I should be extra careful about? My friend is going to buy everything here so we might need some advice here aswell.
Is renting the rope and quickdraws safe? Are the routes equipped according to the standards?
I've been told at the gym that they organise trips to some spots for outdoor climbing, but they cost 1000yuans, which I think is way too expensive, especially since I'm used to climbing without any special guidance.

Thanks alot for any info :)

Best regards

[adam]

All info on outdoor climbing in China can be found here:
http://www.climbdali.com/html/ClimbinginChina/

It's impossible to verify standards. In general, bolt failure in China is rare, but much of the fixed gear is purchased at hardware stores, and anchors can be shoddy. As always, the bolter bears no responsibility and it's important that you use good judgement and to climb with someone who knows the area.

With regard to buying gear, it's not difficult, but if you buy it retail, it will be very expensive. It's possible to get some stuff on Taobao, but if it's anything for which safety is an issue (i.e. other than shoes, chalk, etc.), I would be very nervous, as there are always fakes floating around. We have access to a pretty good selection of gear in Dali, at pretty good prices. (~100RMB for brand-name quickdraws, ~1000rmb for ropes, etc.).

[jack]

[quote="CheshireCat"]Hey,

I'm spending two months in Shanghai and then another year in Nanjing so I'd appreciate any info you might have on rock climbing (especially outdoor) near those two cities. I've already found a nice climbing gym in Shanghai. Also what's the deal with buying climbing gear here? Any different from buying it in Europe? Is there anything I should be extra careful about? My friend is going to buy everything here so we might need some advice here aswell.
Is renting the rope and quickdraws safe? Are the routes equipped according to the standards?
I've been told at the gym that they organise trips to some spots for outdoor climbing, but they cost 1000yuans, which I think is way too expensive, especially since I'm used to climbing without any special guidance.

Thanks alot for any info :)

Best regards[/quote]

Hi Cheshire and first of all many thanks to Climb Dali for getting this BBS up. Although we are usually based in Shanghai we spent the summer in the US Midwest (climbing SD Needles, RRG, Governor Dodge, and of course Devil's Lake) and I found your site from there. Kudos.

For gear, I would buy from a reputable shop with actual climbers. Baozi's place beneath Masterhand at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai is great, as he is a hardcore trad/ice /alpine veteran. Please avoid the wannabe next door, which I suspect is a laundering operation though they do also sell gear. As to online, be careful as the other post mentioned. I bought a pair of Merrill hiking boots on taobao which fell apart from city walking within a few weeks. Renting would be the same deal, but before I lead anything hard on a rented rope I would give it a serious inspection... Same with draws.

There are a few areas around Shanghai/NJ that Climb Dali has detailed very well. My wife and I spend most of our weekends climbing outdoors in the East China area, and are planning to go to Nanjing tomorrow morning (there are like 20 sport routes there) and always like to climb with other people, so feel free to get in touch. My email is jackmarr@gmail.com

Jack