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An Introduction to Rock Climbing
I am writing as though you (the reader) have never been climbing, yet you have always wondered what it is all about. The main reasons why people do not climb, is that people think it’s either too extreme for them, it’s too complicated (rope work), only super human people do it, their scared of heights or the main one is ‘I’ve not got good upper body strength’. All these reasons are not a good foundation to why you should not try it. When I say try rock climbing, first you need to understand the difference between the categories within climbing.
What is rock climbing?
Rock climbing is split into three different categories:
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1. Bouldering:
Bouldering is undertaken indoors and outdoors, without any ropes and normally you climb only a short distance. Your equipment is a crash pad (very thick foam mat), rock shoes and chalk bag. Normally bouldering starts hard and then get progressively harder than that.
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2. Sport:
Sport climbing is undertaken indoors and outdoors, with ropes and normally you climb as high as the route will take you. Also there are fixed anchors in the wall, which you clip into to make yourself safe as you climb upwards. Your equipment is a harness, helmet, rock shoes, chalk bag, rope, belay device, quickdraws and a sling with a karabiner on it.
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3. Traditional (Trad):
Traditional climbing or Trad for short is the oldest form of climbing as you rock up to a route (route meaning a pathway in the rock, which is where you follow and climb up) and pre-place your gear (pieces of steel that jam into the rock to keep you safe). Then when your at the top the next person takes all the metal work out of the rock, restoring the rock to its normal state. Equipment needed is everything mentioned in sport climbing plus, ‘your gear’ meaning all the items you put into the rock to make yourself safe.
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If you're interested in how to get started, my next post will tell you exactly what you need to know.
(Oh and if you have any questions please comment below)
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