The holidays are upon us, and you don’t want to end up with a pile of socks and ties again. Chances are somebody is nagging you for a wish list, but you’re too focused on training to put one together. Fear not Rock Prodigies, we have assembled the perfect list of stocking stuffers to help take your climbing to the next level. Just forward this URL to Santa and let the elves in his extensive IT department do the rest.

In other news, I’ve uploaded the highly anticipated 2015 Training Calendar to the tools page.  This is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that you can edit to plan and track your training in 2015.  Download it for free here.

$5 or less:

• Protein Bar(s) – For post-workout consumption. We all have our favorite brands and flavors, but it never hurts to try something new from time to time. Some of my favorites are the Chocolate Mint flavored Clif Builder’s Bar, any of the chocolate-based Pure Protein Bars (available at Costco and Walmart), and the Caramel Nut Blast flavored Balance Bars.
• Mechanical Pencil(s) or Pen(s) – You’re not really training unless you’re writing down what you’re doing. For that you need a writing implement. I like the ability to erase what I’ve written, YMMV.
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  Sanding block, cuticle cutters, athletic tape and nail clippers are all must have items. Photo Frederik Marmsater.

  Sanding Block – Keeping your skin tough and smooth will help prevent skin issues that can derail your training AND sending. Daily use of a sanding block is the best way to do that. Get something in the Medium to Fine grit range (100-200 grit).

• Climbing Salve – If you’re one of those lucky honemasters with leather-like hands that are constantly cracking, ask Santa for some Joshua Tree Climbing Salve.
• Athletic Tape – Let’s face it, it’s just a matter of time before you need this. Ideally you’ll only need it to protect your skin from flappers, but it’s always good to have on hand during training in case you feel a connective tissue tweak.
• Nail Clippers – If not for you, do it for the rest of your crew. Nobody wants to hear that fingers-on-a-chalkboard sound every time you slap for a hold in the gym. These things wear out over time, so even if you have a few it might be time to upgrade.
• Music Download Credit(s) – You can never have too many sic beats to get you psyched up to train. Make sure Santa knows what type of device you’re using.
• Duck Tape – Those with a home climbing wall are always in need of fresh patterns to mark their web of boulder problems. Duck Tape brand duct tape is constantly coming out with new patterns to keep your lines distinct. These are available in the paint section of most hardware stores (often in the same aisle as the sanding blocks), or in the party section of Target, etc.
• Wrench – Along the same lines, if you have a home wall, you can never have too many 7/32” and 5/16” Allen Wrenches. Get the clever Multi-Wrench from Metolius and you’ll never have to worry about grabbing the wrong size.
• RCTM Logbook – You can never have too many of these!

$5- 10:

• Stopwatch – Whether timing dead hangs or rest periods between redpoint burns, we all need some kind of stopwatch. There are a lot of options here that come down to personal prefernce, but for indoor training, a timer with a big display like this one can be really useful.
• Brush – Essential for cleaning the playing surface—be it your precious hangboard grips, or the crux crimper on your long term goal route. But don’t rely on whatever manky, plaque-coated, blown out scrubber you find lying in the back of your bathroom drawer, ask Santa for the Lapis Boar’s Hair Brush, the Holy Grail of brushes, coveted by pebble-wrestlers around the world. Shipping is a killer on these guys so it’s best to buy a few at a time, or see if your local climbing gym carries them.
• Chalk – This is another consumable that always seems to run out at the worst time. With a seemingly infinite shelf-life, you can never have too much. If you’ve never experienced the pure joy of chalk in a bottle, now is the time!
• Placebos – Getting sick can completely derail your training cycle. Fortunately placebos are proven to work (as long as you believe in them). So keep the faith and ask Santa for some Airborne or Emergen-C. My PhD friend Chris prefers the Airborne tablets because they pop and fizz like crazy, providing a more convincing placebo effect.  I’ve consumed literally hundreds of these and I can attest that Tropical Emergenc-C is the best-tasting flavor.

$10-20:

• Cuticle Cutters – These are a must have for the Very Serious Climber. Use these to carefully trim away budding flappers (as described on pages 171-2 of the RCTM). Like nail clippers, its critical to have a sharp pair, so if yours are more than a few years old, it’s probably time to re-load.  The Revlon 1/4 Jaw Nippers are wicked sharp, but there are other good options too.  Usually you can find these in the beauty section of your drug or grocery store if you don’t want to pay for shipping.
• Thermometer – OCD training fiends will want to document and track the environmental conditions of training sessions, and perhaps even the ideal sending conditions of your outdoor proj. You can keep it simple (and cheap) with something like this, or for only a few bucks more take it completely over the top with AcuRite’s Digital Humidity and Temperature Monitor.
• Thera-Band – An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and so these stretchy rubber bands provide a lot of value for not a lot of money. These can be used for warming up, rehabbing ailing joints, or training antagonists.
• Mini-Tripod – “Hey, you guys wanna see my video?” – Uncle Rico  A collapsible mini-tripod will allow you to film your project sessions and break down your sequence and effort like the pros do.  Smaller/lighter tripods are more likely to actually make it to the crag, so no need to mortgage the house on a super elaborate rig.
• Trango Trucker Hat – Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Even more important is looking dope as hell while doing it! Channel your inner Teenage Mutant Ninja Gym Boulderer with this fly lid from our stylin friendz at Trango.
• Holds – It’s nice to have options, and climbers with a home wall know you can never have too many holds. Most hold sets are too big (and costly) to qualify as stocking stuffers, but discerning shoppers can find small sets of screw on foot jibs for right around $20.

If you’ve got any other great stocking stuffer ideas, please share in a comment below.  Happy Holidays!