Signed up for Rock Climbing!

[stickyvicky]

Like everyone we have had a rough past 2 years, what with Dave's Mom being so sick, my own health issues, Covid, Lockdowns... etc... we work way too hard and need to have some fun! So we signed up for Rock Climbing!

Did a little intro, it was just 30 min of instruction to learn how to "belay" which means how to hold the ropes for your partner to make sure there is no slack in case they fall, and how to help them descend when ready. Then 30 minutes of practice which believe me is enough for the first time! lol... My arms were shaking afterwards! Apparently you use muscles you didn't even know about, lol....

This is a beginner wall here in the corner. Dave secretly filmed it for you... There are 6 levels of climbs here in the beginner section! Once you can do these 6 levels then you take another class, and move to the next section of wall! I think it's a great stress reliever! We are planning on going once a week! They also have cross fit classes at the same place, so I'll be doing that twice a week! I did my first class last night and absolutely loved it! There were only 11 people in the class so we all were very far apart and everyone had lots of space! Nice to feel a little more back to normal!

Here's a little video!

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[CGYMike]

Absolutely awesome!!!!

[George B]

That's fun, I dabbled with it back in the day, although I never really committed myself to it like some of my friends. It's a popular scene around my area, in fact there's a granite cliff formation right in the middle of town that has a handful of multi-pitch routes. I've climbed some of the more moderate pitches a few times.

[stickyvicky]

I wouldn't have a clue how to do it in real life! Florida is flat as a board! We don't even have a hill never mind a mountain anywhere! At the gym all the ropes are already set up for us, I wouldn't know what to do but maybe that is something they will teach us in the future classes......

[Davest]

Good for you both! I hope it is lots of fun and a great workout.

A friend of mine loved rock climbing. It was her life. Almost every vacation or long weekend she took off was flying off somewhere with friends to climb. Unfortunately, two-and-a-half years ago, it was also her death, at 31. She was one of the brightest and most fully alive people I have ever met. I miss her dearly.

Please make sure you always wear a harness and take all safety precautions.

[stickyvicky]

Yikes! Do you know what went wrong?

[Davest]

I have heard different second- or third-hand accounts, so I am not sure. Either she fell just right so that her safety harness didn't help, or she was climbing without equipment (not unusual for someone of her skill level) and just landed the wrong way. I tend to believe it was the latter, as she was very experienced.

[George B]

I wouldn't have a clue how to do it in real life! Florida is flat as a board! We don't even have a hill never mind a mountain anywhere! At the gym all the ropes are already set up for us, I wouldn't know what to do but maybe that is something they will teach us in the future classes......

Learning indoors is a good start, outdoors carries a few additional things you need to learn as well as a potentially a lot of additional equipment. Sometimes routes have existing bolts driven into the rockface that you can tie into, other routes require lead climbers to place anchoring devices as they ascend while being belayed from below.

In the case of a multi-pitch, once a lead climber has reached a safe point to tie in to an anchor, they are able to belay the lower climbers as they ascend. The following climbers remove any anchoring devices on their way up.

[Hornylady9]

Good job Vicky!! U looked great! Glad Rokkerr is doing it with u! I have always wanted to try that but only that type of setup no go looking for a hill or mountain to climb. Maybe one day I will get the chance to try.

Zany

[WalterB]

Oh, come on, Zany. Kilimanjaro awaits,

[lance_s]

I've tried indoor rock climbing a couple of times as a social activity. Never really thought about trying it in earnest.

Am planning to use kayaking as an exercise for an upper body work out.

[stickyvicky]

Yeah it's more just to get us out of the house and away from our computers for a bit!

I don't know if I would ever get to the point of doing it seriously outdoors..... Seems a lot more dangerous!

[George B]

Yeah it's more just to get us out of the house and away from our computers for a bit!

I don't know if I would ever get to the point of doing it seriously outdoors..... Seems a lot more dangerous!

It's like riding a peloton vs riding a real bike, a lot transfers over but you've got more variables to deal with outdoors. Lead climbing is a bit riskier since there's more room to fall, but it's usually not too bad depending on the route. Bouldering, which is climbing lower obstacles typically only a few feet off the ground, is a nice middle ground. Bouldering doesn't use ropes or harnesses typically, instead you've got a foam pad for a softer landing if you fall off.

climbing on real rock gives you a lot more grip versus the gym holds, typically, but this also depends on the type of stone you're climbing on. I've been climbing in Utah, California, Colorado, Oregon and New Hampshire. The sandstone in Utah and Colorado is easy on the hands, granite that you find in California and NH tends to be a bit more jagged and can do a number on your hands, but gives you a much stickier surface.

[WalterB]

I never got that Peloton thing. To me, maybe you're pedaling a bike, but you're still 'sitting still' and just leaning over. In the real world, when you go around a curve, it's gravity and inertia that pull you over where you can 'dig in' to the turn, and you actually feel it. If you're just sitting in one place, you only feel like you're gonna fall over, . If you try to stay straight up? You most likely can't do it.