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| >Climbing
- how to get started |
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If you would like to start
rock climbing, please note that every year loads of beginners,
as well as very skilled and experienced climbers, are killed
whilst climbing. Don't climb unless you are under the supervision
of a qualified climber. Climb at your own risk.
Good luck.
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To begin with there are two broad categories of climbing:
a) Free climbing and
b) Aid climbing.
Free Climbing: There is a pureness about free climbing
as the climber relies solely on the use of his or her own
skills to ascend a rock face. Equipment can be used, it's
done so strictly for safety reasons (i.e. to offer protection
during a fall).
Aid climbing: this involves the use of equipment
to ascend a rock face, which under normal circumstances
wouldn't be possible to free climb. From an ethical perspective
it is worth pointing out that you should always leave the
rock face in the same condition as we found it.
Climbing has continued to evolve and now we have categories
such as:
- Bouldering (technical, fun, good way to get started)
- Traditional climbing (i.e. 'Trad'), (challenging,
scary, knackering, but great fun)
- Indoor climbing, (safe, great for practice or
introduction to climbing)
- Ice climbing (unpredictable nature of the ice
structures make this inherently riskier than many other
forms of climbing)
- Sport climbing (uses existing fixed gear which
speeds climbing pace, not as risky as some other types
as climbing)
- Alpine climbing (Matterhorn anyone? Strictly
for the advanced climber who is very skilled in rock climbing,
ice climbing, wilderness survival and meteorology)
- Mixed climbing (er... it is what it says it is.
Climbing on mixed terrain, snow, ice, rock...)
We shall deal with each type of climbing in turn, although
priority will be given to the types of climb best suited
to novice and intermediate climbers. As this site develops
we will include more content on advanced level stuff
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| Bouldering |
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Bouldering is perhaps
the purest forms of climbing where the climber stays relatively
close to the ground and does not use ropes or other protection
to climb. Bouldering can be practiced on indoor walls, along
the bottom of a route but perhaps best when performed on
a proper Boulder (which are usually under 12 foot).
A portable crash mat (i.e a bouldering mat) is often used
to protect fallers and the climber should stay within a
height where is safe to fall from without injury. Bouldering
is great fun, requires little in the way of equipment, can
be a very good introduction to the sport of trad climbing,
and provides an ideal way to practice technique and build
strength.
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| Traditional
climbing (Trad climbing) |
| Trad
climbing is damn scary, physically knackering and
extremely challenging so I suppose that's why it continues
to be one of the most popular forms of climbing. Trad climbing
puts the climber in direct contact with the mountain or crag.
Climbing gear is used for protection purposes only (not to
aid climbing) and is designed to be inserted and removed in
such as manner as to not mar the rock face in any way. Obviously
if one of the prime objectives is to leaving the rock face
in the same condition as when nature created it - the fixing
a permanent bolt is not an option so you'll quickly learn
the art of placing gear (or protection) and if you get it
wrong, you won't last long. |
| Indoor
climbing: indoor wall |
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Indoor climbing walls
provide a safe, comfortable climbing environment, which
can be used year round by beginners through to advanced
climbers. Indoor climbing centres continue to gain popularity,
as they are a convenient venue for the provision of climbing
lessons/courses.
Indoor 'competition climbing' is also becoming more popular
as climbers go head to head and compete in a variety of
different disciplines such as: bouldering, speed climbing
and in some instances ice climbing
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| Ice climbing |
| Ice
climbing is inherently riskier than many other
forms of climbing due to the unpredictable nature of the ice
structures they climb. Ice climbers must accept risks of avalanches,
falling ice, and that the ice may be too soft to provide secure
protection for the ice screws, ice hooks and pound-ins. Climbing
frozen waterfalls in sub-zero temperatures with the use of
a couple of ice axes an some crampons may not be everybody's
idea of a fun day out, but is good and dangerous. |
| Sport climbing |
| Sport
climbing is centered around climbing to ones physical
potential. Basically sport routes have fixed protection (i.e
'bolts') already in place, which enables the climber to quickly
snap a rope in, and get on with climbing rather than having
to stop and place removable protection. Making use of the
fixed certainly gear makes sport climbing less risky than
other forms of climbing (such as 'trad climbing') but it does
quicken the climbing pace. Sports climbers are therefore able
to climb more routes in a day than say 'trad climber, and
if you look at it from an 'ease to get started 'perspective,
its requires hardly any gear. I guess I should mention the
bit about fixed gear being uncool because… hmmm… it does permanently
knacker the rock face, and therefore in some parts of the
world its seriously frowned upon, whilst in other parts of
the world its accepted. |
| Alpine
Climbing: "Ahhh…the Matterhorn anyone?" |
| Alpine
climbing is strictly for the advanced climber who
is very skilled in rock climbing, ice climbing, wilderness
survival and meteorology. Alpinists are not only faced with
massive climbs, but they battle against below freezing temperatures,
severe weather conditions, and altitude sickness. Speed is
vital in alpine climbing and the climber can't afford to waste
time since it is necessary to carry a backpack (which zaps
climbing energy), the climbers hands can go numb, and the
weather can deteriorate rapidly. Snow-covered glaciers and
lightening storms can be exceptionally dangerous for the alpine
climber. |
| Mixed climbing |
| Mixed
climbing encompasses climbing routes of mixed terrain
(typically ice, snow and rock) which and can be multi-pitched,
and vary in length (from a short demanding climb through to
an Alpine route of several thousand feet). Mixed climbers
need to be very skilled in traditional climbing techniques,
ice climbing techniques, wilderness survival, and meteorology.
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Getting
started
