Some Climbing Jargon and the Phrase of the Day
Great climbing at Reimer's Ranch this weekend. I went with Carlos, a guy from Cuba. We started with easy routes and worked our way to more difficult ones, leading 5.6 to 5.9 climbs by the end of the day. I also climbed my first 5.11! For those of you outside the climbing world, routes are rated in level of difficulty from 5.0 to 5.14+, with 5.6 being the first level where you actually "climb". Anything below it is just steep hiking. A 5.9 is a respectable climb that anyone should be able to do after a couple of months of regularly visiting the gym. Anything above that begins to get more technical, so my first 5.11 is a nice accomplishment!.
"Leading" means to climb the route with the rope below you, and as you gain distance from the ground you clip yourself to bolts that have been drilled on the rock (there is another way but I'll keep it simple). When you get to the top, there should be two "anchors" through which you clip the rope. Once you've done that you can simply sit on your harness and your "belayer" (the person below at the other end of the rope) can lower you down. Now the route is set up for other climbers to "Top Rope" it, in other words they won't have to worry about clipping on the bolts as they're going up, because the top of the rope is already threaded and they are safe from falling. Top roping is therefore easier than lead climbing, and the latter requires more skill, more training, and a greater risk of falling. (Greater risk of falling doesn't mean "falling to your death", it simply means you might fall a few times on your way up, but as you lock yourself onto the bolts drilled on the wall they will catch your fall. It's just not as "clean" a fall as when you are top roping, because you might swing a bit as the rope stops you from hitting the ground).
Rock Climbing is a pretty safe sport as long as you exercise caution and follow the rules. Expect a few minor bruises and scratches every now and then, all in exchange for a lot of fun and an amazing sense of accomplishment (you're really competing against yourself, and every time you get on the rock you can really see how you're progressing).
I leave you now with the phrase of the day, pronounced by a fellow climber as he was half way up a 5.9 route with three people below cheering him up. We were all telling the guy: "Come on, you can do it! Get up there! Nice Move!"...all he managed to say before falling and deciding to take a brake was:
"The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak". I should stamp that on a T-Shirt and wear it when I go climbing.
"Leading" means to climb the route with the rope below you, and as you gain distance from the ground you clip yourself to bolts that have been drilled on the rock (there is another way but I'll keep it simple). When you get to the top, there should be two "anchors" through which you clip the rope. Once you've done that you can simply sit on your harness and your "belayer" (the person below at the other end of the rope) can lower you down. Now the route is set up for other climbers to "Top Rope" it, in other words they won't have to worry about clipping on the bolts as they're going up, because the top of the rope is already threaded and they are safe from falling. Top roping is therefore easier than lead climbing, and the latter requires more skill, more training, and a greater risk of falling. (Greater risk of falling doesn't mean "falling to your death", it simply means you might fall a few times on your way up, but as you lock yourself onto the bolts drilled on the wall they will catch your fall. It's just not as "clean" a fall as when you are top roping, because you might swing a bit as the rope stops you from hitting the ground).
Rock Climbing is a pretty safe sport as long as you exercise caution and follow the rules. Expect a few minor bruises and scratches every now and then, all in exchange for a lot of fun and an amazing sense of accomplishment (you're really competing against yourself, and every time you get on the rock you can really see how you're progressing).
I leave you now with the phrase of the day, pronounced by a fellow climber as he was half way up a 5.9 route with three people below cheering him up. We were all telling the guy: "Come on, you can do it! Get up there! Nice Move!"...all he managed to say before falling and deciding to take a brake was:
"The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak". I should stamp that on a T-Shirt and wear it when I go climbing.
posted by Juan Pablo at 1:07 PM
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