Walking into a Wall
... but Then Going Up It

- by matt kegelman

This article is set up as a chronicle. It is going to take you through the course of a rock climber’s evolution and maturation into the sport. We’ll start small, beginning with the basics of climbing (with a belay and spotter), and then move up to the more challenging types of climbs.

Wall climbing – at an indoor rock climbing wall. This is where you begin. Hands down, it's the easiest place to learn how to rock climb, because you need not worry about the sometimes-harsh elements of nature when your inside, so you a can focus (I can’t imagine trying to concentrate on what my instructor was telling me about how to safely and correctly belay someone’s line if I was wet and cold and my fingers were already numb!). So really, if you’ve never given rock climbing a try your safest, most comfortable bet is to first try it on a wall.

There you can learn (hopefully from an expert instuctor) how to get your harness and rope attached properly. You will first learn some safety basics and the importance of communication in the sport—the climber on the wall/ rock face must tell the person belaying him or her what she wants to do. I remember it was kind of silly, but we still took it seriously when we had to; we had to say, “Ready to climb!” and the belayer responds with a “Go Climb!” or something of that nature... but, in all seriousness, it is a good call by the pioneers of the sport to set up their own language—to rely on a systtem  2-way verbal communication to ensure safety. After all, when you’re climbing up a rock wall more than 2 or 3 stories, if anything were to go wrong... well, we won’t get into that (until my own story).

You just need to know that there is a strict safety protocol and that you should follow it. Right now you might be saying:

So (I’m new to the sport) what on earth is belaying?  (if you are an initiate pleaseskip down to below)

Belaying is the art of taking the slack out of the climber’s rope as she or he ascends the rock wall. In advanced climbing, one can belay his or her own line, but in most forms of the sport you will have someone spotting you as you go up... and this same spotter is also responsible for belaying your rope, essentially making it so the rope follows you the whole way up (that it remains fairly taunt the whole time, so there is not a lot of slack in it). The point of this is so if you loose your grip and fall, the rope, if correctly belayed, will be there right away to catch you, or after a fall of maybe a foot or two; instead of catching you after you’ve already fallen a good distance, which (as you can probably imagine) would be pretty painful as the rope rips and jerks you to a forceful, abrupt stop. See this link for more about belaying.

See this page for my own Personal Story About the Importance of Belaying/ Safety: Let it serve as a warning, don’t lean back until you are sure that your spotter has got you; and tell the person climbing to slow down if you can’t keep up with them as you try to belay their line.

Top rope climbing – The next step in the evolution of a developing rock climber is to go top-rope climbing. This is like wall climbing, in that you always have a rope that is above you, which is securely anchored to the top of the rock face. (An expert climber goes up first, securing his or her own rope at various anchor points along the way, and then they thread everyone else’s ropes through the top anchors * always using more than one anchor, a practice called “using redundant anchor systems.”) When you go top rope climbing for the first time it is of the utmost importance that you are fully aware of how dangerous it can be, and you should also understand that, because of the sure peril you will face if you make a mistake, you should go with a certified and experienced rock climbing guide. Do not attempt this for the first time without professional supervision. They will make sure:

• your harness is secure, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation to your legs
• your ropes are properly tied off—so it won’t come loose if have to you put all your weight on it (if you fall! But, hopefully, that only happens once you reach the top and it’s time to come back down!, but everybody falls once in a while when they go rock climbing, and importantly there is someone there to catch you—that’d be your belayer, who will hopefully have been trained well by the climbing instructor or professional outdoor outfitter as well!)
• all the anchors are perfectly safe and secure in the rock face or at the wall (collectively known as 'protection')
• everyone on the rock wall is following the right safety guidelines (no crossed ropes, the proper knots are being used for each individual purpose—anchors, belays, etc.)

In short, the first time you go top rope climbing is the first time you experience the real deal. Not until you have really gone out there and climbed an actual rock can you say that you’ve really actually gone “Rock climbing.”

Sport Climbing – this is a version of mountain climbing that people can try without having to get too many specified skills down (like placing nuts and cams) or climbing experience beforehand, because when you go Sport Climbing all the rope holes, called bolts (but they are really more like eye-hooks) are already there for your protection. The only difference between top rope climbing and sport climbing is that in sport climbing you are going to be changing your main anchoring point as you go up. In sport climbing, you still have adequate protection because you know that the professional who placed the hammered bolts in the rock-face probably did a good job (at least, they have all been tested by the weight of the climbers who placed them).

Intermediate level—and definitely advanced level—sport climbing usually involves a somewhat intricate process known as Multi-pitch Climbing, where you will be getting to one level, then catching your breath before the next stage is attempted; and you’ll probably switching back and forth between belaying and climbing with a partner (a climb buddy)—so you have to learn both (and know how to tie different kinds of knots so you can tie off your rope and secure your harness to it, but also know how to use a special kind of metal device, which you must feed the rope through in a certain way to allow it work) —so you can belay someone else's line. Knowing the proper techniques and safety guidelines is absolutely vital whenever one is going climbing without a guide. It is vital to your safety to communicate at all times, double check all protection equipment, and before going out on your own, make sure you have at least a few sessions where you are being closely watched by a professional guide (where they aren’t telling you everything that you need to do step by step) who can give you feedback on whether or not you are ready to try the real deal.

Safety Is the Most Important Thing to Remember (Always)

About.com explains it well: “In sport climbing all the protection already exists, placed on the rock face by the first ascent party who drilled holes in the rock, hammered bolts into the holes, and then attached a bolt hanger so a climber could hang a quickdraw and clip a rope into it for protection. This security allows climbers to ascend routes without having to carry and place removable gear. Instead sport climbers can attempt routes harder than their limits, pushing the envelope of the possible.” But author and avid climber/ guide, Stewart Green, also says this about “Your Sport Climbing Safety [:] The falls that a sport climber takes are almost always on reliable fixed protection, which minimizes the risk of injury and death. Of course, as in any type of climbing activity, there are still huge risks and still the fact that climbing is dangerous to life and limb. The potential for accident, injury, and death is always present when sport climbing. Learn all the climbing and rope-handling skills you need to be safe for climbing outside. Don’t rely on information presented here or in any other book or video to be safe. Your safety depends on your sound judgment. Learn the necessary skills for climbing safely in your local climbing gym and by taking lessons from an experienced guide and instructor before venturing outside on your own.”

Now that we’ve completed our transition from amateur climber to a fully experienced rock-a-holic (assume you’ve been sport climbing and followed on many a multi-pitch climbing outing, you’ve taken courses on the equipment and safety and now you’re graduated and you’re ready:), we can more on to more challenge feats of daring in rock climbing!

Continue to Advanced Rock Climbing