Written by:
Kushal Dev Sharma
Just hang on or give up! There is no place for slipping. Push your fingers to keep them together and take a heave to drag your body weight upwards. Steadily, stretch your legs to put enormous strain on your thighs, and then only your shoes literally glue to the rock. Yes, you have moved up a couple of inches, but there is a long way ahead to go. Rock climbing is explicated in one way – either you are in or out.
A well-toned body and a daring mind only can take up such challenges. If you have it then no cliff is beyond your reach, but you have to come up with a systematic approach. In a broad manner, climbing is more than an individual sport.
 |
Though, there are professional climbers, but this sport has a long way to go before emerging as a big one. Of late, rock climbing has earned a decent following, as innumerable budding climbers are taking up this sport to check their levels of endurance and fitness. On the other hand, there are many hopeful climbers who feel a bit apprehensive due to the lack of knowledge. Let’s dig up the details to get going.
1. Get started
It all begins with a strong will to climb and the rest itself follows. Initially, a climber needs to develop his bouldering skills. The most important technique required in climbing is toproping, which is a form of rock climbing where safety for the climber is provided by a rope strung from the top of the cliff and anchored securely via bolts or camming devices.
As the climber ascends the cliff, his partner pulls the other end of rope through a friction device. This action of security providing is called ‘belaying’. If the climber is about to fall, the belayer locks off the friction device and takes his partner’s weight with relative ease.
This technique can be learned in local gyms, where you get basic instructions about different aspects of rock climbing. The basic gears for toproping are climbing harness, climbing shoes, a belaying device, a locking carabiner and a chalk bag. In the beginning, training gyms provide all these gears.
2. Pick up the right gears
Choosing the right gears is the most important thing in rock climbing, as your overall performance and safety depends upon them. Buy the precise climbing shoes, which are tight enough to prevent any slip, but not that tight to make you feel itchy. A carabiner is a pear-shaped locking device which enables lock gating when you create unnatural gaps to climb.
There are all sorts of carabiner available in the market; you can choose the best one as per the extension of your arms. As far as a climbing harness is concerned, you need to buy it if you want to go on further beyond gym climbing. A lighter harness is the most preferred one, as it enables you to climb easily without putting too much strain on your limbs.
3. Techniques
As a learner you begin with toproping. Then you practise locking carabiner technique. All these skills can be mastered in a climbing gym. After that you can try your hand outdoors. Usually, a climber ties one rope with belayer who blocks the rope to make it easier for the climber. This technique depends upon the team work. Hence, you have to rely upon your belayer to master this technique. In other technicalities, you learn to handle descending and belaying techniques.
Enjoy rock climbing by keeping all the safety tips in mind.