The
rock-climbing world consists of a number of small niches. Consider which aspect
of the sport interests you the most.
Indoor Sport Climbing
This
can be at a climbing gym, sports club or even a home climbing wall. Indoor
walls have artificial hand and foot holds placed in sequence to create routes
of varying difficulty. Route setters can move holds easily, creating an endless
number of fresh, new climbs.
Indoor
sport climbing offers many advantages for getting started:
- A
gym is often convenient—there are hundreds of dedicated climbing gyms and
many more climbing walls in local athletic clubs.
- It
offers a safe, controlled environment to practice.
- It's
not dependent on the weather.
- You
can climb in areas where no outdoor climbing sites are available.
- Handholds
and footholds are clearly visible.
- It
allows you to try the sport with rented gear before investing in your own.
- There
are routes for all levels of ability.
Outdoor Rock Climbing
Outdoor
climbing is not as predictable as indoor climbing, but it comes with a
near-guarantee of scenery, exercise and camaraderie. It can be divided into
several categories.
Bouldering: This requires the least amount of time and gear. Basically, bouldering is close-to-the-ground climbing without a rope, going only as high as you can jump off without risking serious injury. Beginners can traverse (move along the rock horizontally, parallel to the ground), thus working on strength and movement without going high. Bouldering requires only climbing shoes, a crash pad (to cushion your jump or fall off the rock) and perhaps a chalk bag. You can also bring along friends to "spot" you.
Sport climbing: Unlike traditional rock climbing, sport climbing involves the use of protection (bolts) or permanent anchors which are attached to the rock walls. This "clip-and-go" style of climbing allows the leader to progress upwards without the worry of placing protection. A "bolted" climb requires only a rope, quickdraws (described below), shoes and a chalk bag. It refers to routes that have pre-placed anchors and protection where you can attach your rope (just like you would with indoor climbing). Carabiners and quickdraws clip into the anchors and connect your rope to the rock.
Traditional ("trad") climbing: Trad climbing is true adventure. A trad route is one that has few permanent anchors. The lead climber protects himself from a catastrophic fall by placing protection—nuts or camming devices—into fissures in the rock. The second climber removes the protection, and it's then placed again for further pitches. Carabiners and quickdraws are used to connect the rope into the protection.
Lead climbing: Lead climbing is a climbing technique. The lead climber ascends with the rope passing through intermittent anchors that are below them, rather than through a top anchor, as in a top-roped climb. A partner belays from below the lead climber, by feeding out enough rope to allow upward progression without undue slack. As the leader progresses he or she clips the rope into, using a runner and carabiners, intermediate points of protection such as active cams, or passive protection such as nuts; this limits the length of a potential fall. The leader also may clip into pre-placed bolts. Indoor gyms might have short runners pre-attached to fixed anchor points in the wall. Unlike top-rope climbing where the climber is always supported by an anchor located above the climber, lead climbing often has scenarios where the climber will be attached to a point under him or her. In these cases, if the climber were to fall, the distance fallen would be much greater than that of top-rope and this is one of the main reasons lead climbing can be dangerous. The fall factor is the ratio of the height a climbers falls and the length of rope available to absorb the fall. The higher the fall factor, the more force placed on the climber as the ropes decelerates them. The maximum fall factor is 2. It is often advised that climbers who are interested in lead climbing should learn from experienced climbers and participate in training sessions before actually lead climbing on their own.
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