INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING

Introduction:

Climbing indoors is just what it sounds like—you simply are climbing indoors instead of climbing outdoors. Simple-sounding, but the term indoor climbing covers from closet and basement “woodies” to enormous and elaborate climbing walls in gyms.

You can build your own course with some plywood and screws, turning a room in your house or a wall in the attic or basement into your own training area. All indoor climbing is basically the same because you are climbing on manufactured holds bolted to plywood.

The plywood in gyms and home gyms alike are attached to a metal or wood frame and holds are bolted or screwed on. The holds can be turned or rotated to any which way desired, to turn a bucket hold into a sloper, or a crimper into an under cling.

The holds can be positioned to make a “route” which can be marked with tape to show which holds can be touched and which ones are off-limits. Textured paint is available to give the wall a sandstone appearance and allow smearing with your climbing shoes.

Routes are usually an arms-width wide and can run to the top of the wall or even traverse the entire length of the wall. A really neat feature of indoor climbing is that a route can be changed to make the climb as easy or as hard as you want it to be; the holds can even be put up to duplicate a tough route you may be working on outside. This allows you to practice inside when the weather turns sour, or if winter affects your neck of the woods.

Climbing gyms are fabulous places to start learning how to climb. Some gyms have classes you can take with qualified and sometimes even certified instructors. Gyms let you practice using climbing gear and learn proper technique in a safe environment.

Most climbing gyms have routes that are top roped, but some have walls you can practice leading on. Leading a route in a gym can be much less nerve-wracking than your first lead outside; there is a big difference between leading a route and top roping the same route.

10 Climbing Tips and Techniques

Becoming a world class climber can take some patience. Use these tips to help you get started on the right foot.

Beginners and experts alike can use these tips to improve their climbing as well as impress the onlookers.

If these tips don’t improve your climbing as much as a least a letter grade, you can send me an angry email.

1. Picture yourself on a ladder when you climb, move from one hold to the next as relaxed as if you were ascending the rungs or steps of a ladder.

2. Avoid over gripping holds with your hands. You will quickly tire your arms out.

3. Use your feet like you would your hands.

4. Trust your feet. You can stand on your legs all day. You don’t hang with your arms all day. Too often people hang on their arms and then fall off, sailing right past a monster ledge they could have had their feet on.

5. Trust your belayer, and focus on climbing. If you are worried your belayer doesn’t have you, find a new belayer you can trust.

6. Concentrate on what is within reach. Sometimes you can use an intermediate hold (a smaller hold between secure holds) to get to a better hold.

7. Climb from the bottom up, not top down. Of course, if you can see the top of the route, look to see if there is a pattern working from the goal down to where you are, but when you start to climb, focus on the climbing at the bottom of the route as you climb up.

8. Climb in an X shape with your hips being the middle of the X. Hang with your arm straight. Your skeleton can take much more of a load than your muscles can. If the heel of your foot is hanging too far down you may notice your leg start to shake like a “sewing machine”. This is very common occurrence, simply apply more weight to your toes so your calf muscle spasm can stop.

9. Fear of heights is normal. Climbing is all about conquering those fears. Time will cure the fear of heights. A good trick is to look down no further than your feet to correctly place them on the best part of the hold.

10. Take your time. Climb like a cat does—quiet, deliberate, and precise. Picture the move, and then execute it. Use all of your limbs, not just two. The lower the angle of the climb, the more time you have, so use it. Make each move as fluid as possible.

I hope this helps you feel more confident as you hit the walls to climb during an upcoming TAG Rock Climbing Event on the 1st Sunday of every month. Take a look at out calendar for more information.

Thanks to "Outdoors with Dave" for help with the great info!