Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Climbing, But Were Afraid To Ask

[rydra_wong]

This is a post where you can ask all the questions you're always wanted to ask about climbing, whether you've already started or are just beginning to think about maybe possibly kind of giving this a try.

Or maybe you've been climbing for decades, and have always wondered about that one thing, and by now it would be OMG TOO EMBARASSING to admit you don't know.

No topics are off-limit, no questions too clueless, so let rip and get answers from demi-n00bs experienced climbers.

Comments

[pellucid]

I'll bite on this one!

1) Because climbing is a matter of every individual's strength to weight ratio, there's no ideal climbing body (nor is there any body type that would prevent someone from being able to climb). The most elite climbers do tend to be very lean, but let's face it: most of us will never be elite climbers. And there are plenty of overweight people who climb well and more importantly, enjoy it. As [Unknown site tag] said in her recent post, you really only need to be able to climb a ladder to start climbing: can you use your feet to step up while also holding on, balancing, and pulling with your hands?

Heavier people need to develop more muscle than lighter people as they improve on the climbing: you have to be able to move your own body weight up the wall, and it takes more strength to move 250 pounds than 150, for instance. But heavier people DO develop that muscle more quickly because they ARE moving more weight up the wall. I've got around 40-50 pounds on my climbing partner. We climb at about the same level. In order to do that, I've got more muscle than she does because there's more of me to haul up the wall, but I've developed that muscle from climbing, and it's effective.

2) It depends. If you're climbing at a level where you're hanging your whole body weight on a single finger or two, then hand/finger strength matters a lot. If you're just starting out, though, you'll mostly be using big jug holds that are easy to grab with your whole hand--that requires a lot less hand/finger strength. As with all the other kinds of strength needed for climbing, hand and finger strength develops with practice. As you move from easier routes to more difficult ones that require more/different kinds of strength, you'll start to develop that strength.

3) If you have knee problems, I'd recommend mostly doing toprope rather than bouldering. Bouldering is climbing without ropes on short walls: you don't go very high, but if you fall off you fall to the ground, and if you get to the top of a problem that you can't downclimb (if you're too tired, for instance) or climb over the top of the wall (not all bouldering walls allow this), you have to jump. You're jumping/falling onto thick pads, but there's still room to tweak a knee, especially if they're already weak.

Toprope, on the other hand, is climbing a taller route with a rope and a harness and a belayer. The rope is secured at the top of the route (hence the name), and if your belayer is doing his/her job, you'll never fall: if you let go of the wall, the rope will hold you right where you are. Then the belayer will let you down gently when you're done. I can't think of any way that toproping would strain your knees.

I hope you decide to give climbing a try! It's great fun, and like Rydra says, it really is possible for almost anyone. No, not everyone is going to be able to do the hard stuff (not immediately and for most of us not ever), but there's great fun to be had at all levels.

[hivesofactivity]

Thank you. I really like the thought that there is pleasure and achievement to be had, even when you are at the very early stages.

[rydra_wong]

Very much so! I started off as the Worst Climber Ever (I struggled hideously on the routes that they keep for the induction course and 8-year-olds having birthday parties), and still fell hopelessly in love with it and had a great time teaching myself to climb.

It does help if you find somewhere with good route-setters, who put imagination into the problems at all levels.