Rock This!

I gulped down another deep breath and inched my foot upward onto a dime-sized feature on the rock. Where was my next handhold? I groped the rock with tired arms as if blind. My legs started to shake. Sweat trickled off my brow and into my eye, stinging, and I looked down.

Glorious granite swept away underneath me like a wave into the treetops more than 600 feet below. The wind whipped by and a hawk circled almost within arm’s reach. My rope arched downward toward my partner, some 100 feet away. I had not been able to secure my rope or myself for some time now, and a fall would mean certain serious injury.

Agony and Ecstasy
I have been rock climbing for almost 10 years and this was one of those familiar moments when the best and worst of the sport collide in one instant of fear and exhilaration. I smiled at the irony of my predicament. Why was I here? And much more importantly, how could I get out of here? Answering the first question was easy.

Climbing is the definition of adventure. It forces you to face your greatest fears and doubts head-on, and to overcome them. It teaches you to focus, and instills a sense of confidence you can translate into other sports and the rest of your life. Climbing builds partnerships and its intensity forces a powerful bond between you and your climbing friends. Its graceful and dance-like movements are beautifully physical. Most every sport in the world will build your fitness toward becoming a better rock climber, and likewise climbing is great cross-training for the gamut of endurance and team sports. Upper-body strength is obviously its focus, but midbody and leg strength are also vastly improved through climbing and climbing exercises.

It’s a no-brainer to recommend climbing to every athlete looking for variety and adventure. The days I spend climbing are invariably my most memorable. Afterwards I feel refreshed, accomplished, and tired—the essential post-workout sensations. And there’s nothing like recounting epic stories among a group of climbing friends to relive the old experiences. Remember the time we lost our way in the middle of the cliff and didn’t get back to our car until 3 A.M.? How about that stunning sunset, painting Yosemite Falls a golden yellow, viewed from our 300-foot-high perch across the valley? And I’ll never forget the first day my friends took me climbing. The stories go on.

Leap of Faith
Enough evangelism, though. I’ve got more a pressing predicament to attend to. A few feet above me I could make out a large ledge, but it was two difficult moves away. I could try to climb down and risk a fall, reversing the dangerous moves that had challenged me thus far, or I could push on. I stepped upward and out of my comfort zone. My fingers wrapped tightly around a ripple in the rock roughly the size of a pencil, and I could feel the slippery sweat soaking through the chalk on my hands. My feet stretched out and to the left, bracing against something so small I doubted it was really there. My forearms flared, bearing almost all my weight, and I instantly accepted the fact that I could not make it to that next big hold. Feeling committed, I belched a half scream and made a desperate lunge toward that ledge. My hand reached the huge secure hold just as my feet cut loose from the rock below me, swinging out into space. I did it, and in the process lived one more good story for the campfire that night.

 

Getting started: Learning the Ropes

Climbing is as much a craft as a sport, and there’s a lot to learn before you head out on your own. Start slowly and get expert advice. The best place to learn is an indoor gym where you can rent the proper shoes and equipment, and experiment in a safe and controlled setting. Instructors are usually available to give lessons or even just a belay so you can climb the higher walls. (A belay refers to the system in which a rope is used to protect you against falling.) Climbing gyms are increasingly popular and you can often find one in large or even midsized cities. Check the phone book, or ask at your local climbing or camping supply store. If you have friends who climb, and you’re itching to be outdoors, go with them to a beginners’ cliff to learn the ropes. Start on something easy, and get comfortable with heights and relying on a rope to protect your fall. When you start climbing, think about your moves in advance. Find your next handhold before you let go of the one you’re holding onto. Think about conserving energy by weighting your feet and not your hands, and hanging straight-armed with your bones rather than on flexed muscles. Warm up slowly to prevent tendinitis and other injuries. Where to Climb Once you know the basics and are ready to go, there are thousands of climbing areas around the country. Local outdoor shops sell guidebooks to many of these areas, and the staff at your local climbing gym are also excellent resources for advice on where to go, as well as guide services to take you there. Other good resources are Climbing and Rock & Ice magazines. On the Web go to www.climbing.com , or www.rockandice.com. For more information on hiring guides, check with your local shop or the ranger station near a climbing area. Back-page classified advertisements in both of the above-mentioned magazines also contain a good listing of guide companies. Gear Like many other sports, it’s easy to spend thousands of dollars on gear, but to get started you really don’t need much. Buy a pair of climbing shoes specially fitted with sticky rubber to help you cling to the rock. Then you’ll need a harness and chalk bag. (Gymnastics chalk helps keep your hands dry so you can hold on.) This basic package will cost roughly $225, and get you out climbing with a partner who already owns a rope and the other necessary gear.

Climbing Terms
Aid Climbing:	Rock climbing in which gear is used to help ascend a cliff. For example, a pin is placed on the rock and the climber stands on it to reach higher.
Belay (verb):	To protect a climber from falling to the ground. A partner holds the rope tight when weighted by passing it through a friction device. This allows disproportionate weights, like the force of a fall, to be easily held by a belayer on a rope.
Belay (noun):	A staging ground from which a partner belays his or her climber. This can be between pitches on the cliff or on the ground.
Bouldering:	Climbing without a rope not far from the ground, usually on boulders.
Free-climbing:	Rock climbing “naturally” using a rope in case of a fall only, but not using gear to actually climb.
Harness:	A waist- and leg-support system worn by climbers. The rope is tied into this harness.
Pitch:	Climbing-route section, usually one rope length in distance. A 400-foot cliff might be five pitches of climbing.
Soloing:	Rock climbing without the aid or protection of any gear or ropes. Not recommended.