Mountain and Rock Climbing – It’s daring, it’s incredible exercise, and it’s always good for a rush of excitement (or for a spectacular view, but only once you get to the top)... When you think about it: There’s really no wonder the sport has become so popular with athletic, adrenaline-driven people! They need to do something extreme and climbing a rock face wall with nothing but a half-inch rope to support you is just the thing for some people. Some people do it without.

After initially earning a reputation for being extremely dangerous, even stupid, rock climbing has made a comeback because of more strict safety practices and the importance that is now placed upon following all guidelines and recommendations as far as securing the ropes and harnesses. People need to be trained first in the basics. You need to know:

• How to safely hook yourself into a harness
• How to tie several different types of knots
• How to belay someone else (keep them from falling if they loose their grip)
• And communicate with other climbers and your spotter/belayer while climbing

Yes, climbers have even invented their own language! Well, not quite, but there are special communications involved!

If you want to take a walk on the wildside, but also know that you are in good hands, consider going to one of many reputiable outdoor outfitters—and they’ll hook you up! Literally: Your safety harness will be hooked up to the rope, and that to the top of rock face!)

You can get some practice first where they are offer simulated rock-climbing walls (both indoors and outdoors versions, see picture below for an outdoor version of a simulated wall) which have courses set up for different difficulty levels. An easier course would offer you lots grips for hands and feet which are not entirely unlike actual rocks, although they are slightly easier to hold on to. The usually use a color code to show you the more difficult tracks that give you less to hold on to—the courses that will make you s-t-r-e-t-c-h !

Rock climbing is a way to challenge yourself physically. You will need to have a lot of upper-body strength, overall coordination and flexibility, as well as good core strength to be good at it. The fun of rock climbing is that it is quite difficult, but also extremely rewarding as when you reach the top of the rock wall, or for the more advanced climbers, the summit of the mount, you can look down and say, “I accomplished something I never have before! I made it to the top of this here mountain!” Getting back down is the easy part, you get to repel and allow yourself to be lowered down by someone else on the ground who can let the slack out of your rope!

Read more about rock climbing basics here

Read about the more advanced versions of rock climbing here