School of Hard Rocks: A climber ascends the south peak of Seneca Rocks, W.Va. Photo: Massey Teel
From the gear and terminology to the fear factor, learning to climb can be intimidating. But the payoff is huge. Here is some crucial info to help you rock your first rock climb.
Top rope: The climbing rope is run through a fixed anchor point above the route, allowing the climber to send shorter routes without any extra protection on the wall.
Sport: Fixed protection is bolted into the rock wall, allowing climbers to clip into bolts as they send a route.
Traditional: Artificial protection (cams and wedges) is placed in grooves and cracks on the rock wall as the lead climber sends a route. The second climber then “cleans” or removes the protection as he follows up the route. Trad climbing is the most prevalent form of climbing in the Southeast.
Anchor: The point where the rope is attached to the rock. Anchors are typically trees or bolts.
Belay: To secure a climber with a rope to minimize a fall. In a top rope scenario, the climber, anchor, and belayer form three points of contact with the rope.
Crux: The most difficult section of a climb.
Gripped: Overcome with fear and fatigue in the middle of a climb.
Lead climbing: To climb a route from the bottom up, placing artificial protection, or clipping into permanently placed bolts, along the way.
Multi-pitch: A long route that demands traditional protection placement. Each pitch of the climb must be shorter than a single length of rope (50 meters).
Protection: “Pro” for short, anchors placed by a lead climber to secure a climb.
First, forget everything you think you know about rock climbing. Here are two common misconceptions dispelled:
1. Climbing is dangerous: Sure, you’re hundreds of feet off the ground strapped to a rock wall, but climbing is far safer than most non-climbers realize. According to a study released in 2008 by the American Alpine Club, climbers suffer fewer accidents than snowboards, skiers, and sledders.
“Knowledge is power,” says Swis Stockton, owner of Granite Arches, a service that guides beginners all over the Southeast. “A lot of beginners are scared to fall because they don’t realize the equipment is built for that very thing. If the ropes and harnesses are cared for, they’re much safer than most beginners think.
2. Climbing is about upper body strength: Sylvester Stallone made climbing looking brutally hard in Cliffhanger, but it’s not really about bulging biceps and huge “lats.”
“Climbing is about leg presses, not pull ups,” Stockton says. “Good climbers think about their foot placement first, moving from one foothold to the next, using their hands just for balance.”
Practice your footwork in the gym. Find a low-angled wall built for kids and try to traverse it using only your feet. If you can, keep your hands on your hips.
The Yosemite Decimal System is used to rate the difficulty of a climbing route. Any route that demands technical climbing (the use of ropes for protection) is class 5. The number after 5 signifies an increase in difficulty. Climbs rated 5.10 and harder also have a letter (a,b,c,d) denoting further difficulty. The hardest routes in the world are currently graded 5.15b, though climbers continue to push the limits on routes previously thought “unclimbable.”
Most people today begin their climbing careers in a climbing gym. The safe environment with padded floors and air conditioning can be welcoming. But here’s another reason you should pack on the gym time, whether you’re a beginner or pro: footwork.
“You have to concentrate on your foot work when you’re climbing a gym route,” says Daniel Luke, owner of Stone Summit. “Outside, everything’s a foot hold. Inside, you have limited holds for your feet on any given route, so you have to get the footwork down before you can send.”
A lot of beginners think bouldering will be easier simply because the rocks are smaller and you’ll have less distance to fall if something goes wrong. But top roping is actually the most beginner-friendly form of rock climbing. The anchor point is set above the route, so there’s little chance you’ll fall more than a foot if you slip, and a good teacher can use the rope as a pulley, helping you surpass a particularly tough move in the route.
“Top roping a route takes endurance, but bouldering is more power-centric,” says Daniel Luke of Stone Summit, the largest indoor climbing gym in the country. “The commitment level in boulder moves can be more intimidating, and the moves themselves can be more difficult.”
Sunset Rock, Tennessee: This dramatic cliff line sits on Lookout Mountain just outside of downtown Chattanooga. Routes can be 80 feet long with plenty of top roping for beginners. The crag is sacred to climbers. Be on your best behavior.
New River Gorge, West Virginia: This climbing mecca has some of the hardest routes in the Mountain State, but also great beginner options with good top access and killer views.
Sandrock, Alabama: On the southern end of Lookout Mountain, Sandrock features massive boulders stretching 60 feet high, many of which have fixed anchors for top roping.