History of Crashpads

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Lydia

Trad climber
Tempe, AZ
Sep 18, 2009 - 07:03pm PT
Urban Climber ran an article in December 2006 about the history of the crashpad (written by John Sherman). Pretty interesting!

http://www.urbanclimbermag.com/themag/currentissue/contents_14/
Captain...or Skully

Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
Sep 18, 2009 - 07:21pm PT
We just guessed that those folks were tired & headed to
favorite napping spots.
Maybe they were? Hey, they're the mattress people. I dunno.
Jingy

Social climber
Flatland, Ca
Sep 18, 2009 - 08:01pm PT
Crashpads started out as squares of carpet, mostly for cleaning off the shoes prior to making a move on the rock.

Gradually, folks stopped bouldering due to ankle injury.

Someone got the bright idea to add foam padding to the carpet, and the crashpad was invented.


Hope this helps
mucci

Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
Sep 18, 2009 - 08:06pm PT
They burn real good
tom woods

Gym climber
Bishop, CA
Sep 18, 2009 - 08:43pm PT
munge asks a good question. Why not earlier? All I can guess is that bouldering was seen as just practice for real climbs back in the day.

I remember a friend that only bouldered back in the day. We called him crazy, as a nick name, we still call him crazy, but I now see where he was coming from.

Taped up couch cushions beat carpet. Pads beat taped up couch cushions, and so the sport goes.
WandaFuca

Gym climber
A survey where 68% preferred this Fuca over others
Sep 18, 2009 - 09:15pm PT
Beware! When you wear a crashpad on your back you are unwittingly inviting impromptu bondage sex.

When they boulder, sport climbers and other prancers have historically been known for intentionally giving a poor spot so they can bugger their defenseless partners, so it was only a matter of time before they and their partners got fed up with the constant carpet burns.

Crashpads became popular because they allow such boulderers to push their partners over, or tortoise™ them, even on the hike in 'n out.

jogill

climber
Colorado
Sep 18, 2009 - 09:36pm PT
Along the lines of but not an answer to the original question, the term "spotting" has interesting origins:

In 1930, a new gymnastics coach at the University of Illinois, Hartley Price, painted 4' diameter white circles on the gymnasium walls, calling them "spots". Gymnasts seeing the "spots" were supposed to think safety and look for those who could assist them through one element or another. Such assistance became known as "spotting".

Peter Haan

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
Sep 18, 2009 - 09:43pm PT
Thanks tons John. Solid.

As far as my original haunt, Indian Rock, we began to use vendors' carpet samples and similar stuff down in the pit back in the late sixties. They were just to so you could get your shoes really clean to do all the nasty micro-edging on the rhyolite.

Peter Haan
Captain...or Skully

Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
Sep 18, 2009 - 10:02pm PT
Tortoise! WooHoo!!!
Ray-J

Social climber
east L.A. vato...
Sep 18, 2009 - 11:35pm PT
What watusi said,

The first practical use "crash pad" I was aware of
Was a decaying mattress called "yabo's mattress"
Underneath Bachar cracker near C4.

Each year it got more rotten and hideous, along with
Varying build up of other ghetto related material.

In the mid 90's retailers were not so sure about
Crash pads, by the late 90's they were "on".

Captain...or Skully

Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
Sep 19, 2009 - 01:10am PT
Don't Tortoise, dude.
Maybe.
WandaFuca

Gym climber
A survey where 68% preferred this Fuca over others
Sep 19, 2009 - 02:33am PT
Watch out Pad People . . .




Don't get Tortoised!™

Captain...or Skully

Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
Sep 19, 2009 - 02:36am PT
Yarrr.
Ye've got me tortoised, JimLad.
Ya scurvy Dog.
Neal Kaptain

Boulder climber
CA
Sep 22, 2009 - 01:32am PT
I was not the first to make sketch pads. John Sherman and others at Hueco Tanks were using them first. I'll send you John's email off-list if you would like.
Curt

Boulder climber
Gilbert, AZ
Sep 22, 2009 - 01:51am PT
Hey Neal,

Good to see you here. How are things? Please send me an email or PM.

Curt
klk

Trad climber
cali
Sep 22, 2009 - 08:05pm PT
Neal K: I was not the first to make sketch pads. John Sherman and others at Hueco Tanks were using them first.

So much for my memories. Heh.
paul roehl

Boulder climber
california
Sep 22, 2009 - 08:13pm PT

Crash pads were no doubt invented at Stony Point where initially we experimented with water bottles, Volkswagen Beetles and small horses as a means of breaking falls.
ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber
bouldering
May 5, 2012 - 12:43pm PT
fsck

climber
May 6, 2012 - 01:08pm PT
lol boudlering is so gay and lame lol too bad mattress people can't climb sick 5.10a on trad gear like we can. amirite?


/circlejerk
BruceAnderson

Social climber
Los Angeles currently St. Antonin, France
May 6, 2012 - 04:56pm PT
I had one of those Jeff Johnson pads back in like 89 perhaps? Earliest ones I can remember that were made specifically for bouldering. It was maybe 2 feet square but it made such a difference...if you were lucky enough to land on it!
Messages 21 - 40 of total 41 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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