That’s right, I’m the guy who really got into climbing and tries to get anyone I can to come along with me…even if they do lack the upper body strength (Although the need for loads of upper body strength is a misconception). But in all seriousness, climbing is brilliant! I have been climbing pretty solidly for about a year now, trying to get to my center at least 2 but often 3 times per week. I mainly stick to indoor bouldering but have done some indoor top roping and, in the past, have done outdoor top roping too. At my current level of bouldering I would place myself at about a V4-V5 standard, however, when I started out I was probably at about V2-V3 level.
Before I go any further, here is a quick break down of a couple of the main types of climbing:
Top roping – This is probably the form of climbing the general public might be most familiar with and is probably what pops to mind when someone says ‘rock climbing’ to you. Top roping, or top rope climbing, is when an anchor is created at the top of the climb with the rope looped through it. The climber is then on one end of the rope while someone belays from the other. Like (nearly) any form of climbing, this can be done indoors any outdoors, with indoors generally being the more accessable and requiring less equipment.
Leading – Leading, or ‘trad’, is another form of rope climbing but there is no top anchor. Instead, the climber attaches into anchor points along the climb. When indoors, these points are pre-set and no extra equipment is needed. However, outdoor leading requires the climber to carry equipment that can be jammed into cracks in the rock and create a place to attach the rope. Again, the belayer is on the other end keeping the climber safe. I would consider this a more advanced form of climbing. As a climber, you have to be stable and confident enough to clip yourself in as you go along, and belaying is more complicated as well.
Bouldering – This is the form of climbing involving no rope and only a crash mat to help protect you when/if you fall. While this might sound ridiculous indoor centers have a legal wall height limit which restricts climbs to 4 meters. Furthermore, 1+ foot thick crash mats are placed around the climbs to offer the most protection from a fall. Of course, outdoors there is no restirction on height but personal mats can still be used, which most keen boulderes own. Normally a couple stacked on top of each other and placed in the right position will help in the event of a fall, but only up to a certain height.
This is not a full list of all the types of climbing out there but it isn’t a bad start and these are the ones I am most interested in.
As I said at the start, bouldering is my go to at the moment and that is mostly due to accessability and time. I feel that any ropes climbing takes longer and it always requires someone to be stood at the bottom belaying. There are auto belay systems but not all centers have these and the ones that do may only have a couple. I find bouldering to be more intense and there is more variety. I often describe bouldering like doing a puzzle with your whole body. Harder routes normally require more thinking about how to position yourself and where/how to grip on a hold rather than simpy just requiring more strength. Of course, the same could be said for ropes climbing, but the strength require tends to be more endurance based with the difficulty being created by the length of the climbs. There are definately technical moves in rope climbing and I don’t want to make it sound as if it is any easier than bouldering (believe me, it isn’t), I just have a preference for bouldering. I think mainly because it feels like there is more freedom due to the lack of rope holding you to the wall. There also seems to be a more immidiate sense of achievement because of the shorter climbs.
So why should you have a go at climbing and what is it that is attracting so many people at the moment?
I will start by saying, climbing really is a great sport to get involved with, regardless of whether that is with or without rope, indoor or outdoor. It provides a great all body workout, building core, upper and lower body strength. It helps with balance, co-ordination and sability. And it improves self confidence and self belief. I have known people to have a fear of heights and conquer that fear through climbing. It is a brilliant mix of a mental and physical workout which is ever changing with the climbs you do. Remember the feeling you had as a kid when you wanted to climb something? It could have been a tree, over a wall of even onto the sofa? What an amazing feeling it was when we finally mastered the art of making our way to the top of something. And once we had mastered one thing to climb, we would look for the next bigger and harder challenge. That to me is the base enjoyment from climbing, and especially bouldering. It’s like a playground for adults where there is a whole area dedicated to satisfy the childish need to climb to a higher place.
Whats more, the climbing community are, in general, a really great community of poeple. Rarely have I been to a center by myself where I haven’t just started speaking to someone. Normally the conversation starts with something like “yeah…that move is a pain in the ass…I’ve seen someone do it this way…” or “nice one! I’ve been working on this one myself, any tips?” Just the common interest of climbing and discussing different ideas about one climb can start friendships that lasts every time you go back. It’s great because people are genuinly interested and supportive of other peoples progression in climbing. That is because the only person you compete against is yourself so there is no want to beat someone else.
I feel like I could go on about climbing for much longer but believe me, there will be pleanty more climbing related posts coming up in the future. For now, I will finish there but I hope this could be the start of some inspiration for someone to give this great sport a go.
Just Love Challenges 