Rock Climbing; How to Get Started

HOW TO GET STARTED

Climbing is a complex sport; it has the potential to be deadly if done wrong, it is difficult to find mentors. The evolution of climbing gyms has made it easier to practice in addition to giving climbers a place to meet up and form communities. Since this is the case many people have grabbed a pair of shoes and a harness and jumped into the world of climbing with both feet.

However, if your skill and progression lead you to climbing outside and up the side of steep rock faces then your technical skills become essential to your safety and survival. While many choose to learn from their friend’s safety is the number one priority when dealing with rock climbing; that being said we feel that you should enroll in a class with a professional. The easiest way to learn the necessary skills as well as skills commonly associated with rock climbing would be to take an introductory course at one of your local climbing gyms. If you’d like to learn out in the field, you can look to sign up for similar courses taught by local guides which can be found at your local gym.

INDOOR VS. OUTDOOR

The first indoor climbing gym opened in Seattle in 1987. Now just 30 years later there are over 430 climbing gyms across the nation, with over 50 going up in the coming year. Areas like Denver have as many as ten, many filled to capacity. Climbers are a small community mostly adult men but are driving a climbing revolution that has brought this new sport to the masses.

The climbing gym has developed its own culture and climbing inside or “pulling on plastic” as they often to refer to it is vastly different then climbing outdoors. Many argue that it is much safer then climbing outdoors. There is clearly a much higher level of convenience associated with indoor climbing vs outdoor climbing. The gym would also serve as a social hub for climbers making the experience a more engaging and fulfilling activity. The downside of using a gym is that you would have to pay for a membership to do so, there are often discounts given though for those signing up for larger amounts of time at once.

Outdoor climbing takes place outside on boulders, cliffs, and in mountains; anywhere where these is solid rock, climbers can be found. Each different type of rock has a different style to it, experienced climbers will be able to speak to the styles as well as strategies for conquering each. Granite, sandstone, limestone, basalt, and conglomerate blends all handle differently and have unique features associated with them whether it be overhanging jugs, or technical slabs, or even splitter cracks.