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The rock and wall

Posted on 11 June 2014

 Why do I climb?

There would be too many answers to this question, but I climb because I love it! To me climbing is one sport where you can challenge yourself, get fit, meet new people, travel the world and connect with nature ( when you climb outdoors). I enjoy climbing as it gives me the chance to relax and forget about the everyday stress.

Who can climb, you may ask. Well, anyone from age 3 to 70+ really…

Let me give you some inside info about Rock Climbing. It is considered as an extreme and dangerous sport, there are different styles of climbing, (I will mention a couple later) as well as many different levels. So it is really down to your abilities and experience to minimize the risk of an injury.

I would say that Bouldering and Sport Climbing are the most popular styles of Rock Climbing.

Bouldering is a great form of exercise where you incorporate not only the whole body but also your brain as some of the routes can be a real puzzle! It’s a form of climbing where rope is not required; all you need is climbing shoes, chalk for indoors. Boulders are usually up to 10m tall, indoor centres have padded landing area, if you are bouldering outdoors; you need to take a crash pad with you. Having a crash pad doesn’t guarantee a safe landing, so be extra careful when falling down, otherwise you risk an injury.
      From my own experience, I find it very relaxing; allowing me to forget about everyday stresses. It’s a great way to tone up and socialise with other climbers, who can also give you tips and advice on different routes. Bouldering provides a much more intense challenge than traditional roped climbing as it is focused on short moves emphasising the power, strength and dynamics.  
      Each boulder, whether it is in outdoors or in a climbing centre has its own grade (difficulty); the most common rating system is HUECO (USA) with the range from V0 to V16, or Font, the (French) system is from 4 to 8C+.

Sport climbing on another hand is a style of climbing with the use of a rope, harness, quickdraws to attach to the bolts - a fixed protection on the wall or rock. Sport climbing routes are usually much longer, anywhere from 10/12m to 55+m for a single pitch or 100+ for a multipitch. It needs two of you, one to climb the other to belay.
Sport climbing combines more bouldering problems together. Every route has a crux – the most difficult part of the route, usually this gives the route its difficulty grade. Similar as in bouldering there are different types of rating systems, most common in Europe is the French rating system.

 Below you can find some photos from my last climbing trip in Kalymnos (Greece).

I have started a project called www.therockandwall.com, my aim is to create a climbing community and a place where climbers can find all the relevant information when they are planning a climbing trip. Take a look and if you are interested in climbing become a part of the Rock and Wall Community.

If you have more questions or thinking whether to try it or not, or if you are not sure about something, visit the BMC FAQ page https://www.thebmc.co.uk/beginner-climber-faqs?s=2

Created by: Ivan

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