(AP) Watching climbing at the Paris Olympics makes it seem as if it’s a sport that would be completely out of the question for a weekend athlete. The speed, strength and dexterity with which the competitors scale the walls appear impossible to match.
Think again.
Climbing might look terrifying on television, with and without ropes. Whether it’s watching “Free Solo” or roped climbers making an ascent on one of the world’s highest peaks, one thing is clear: it’s not for the easily queasy. That’s not the climbing we are talking about here.
“Climbing’s a terrific workout from your fingers to your toes and right through your core,” said Eric Horst, who runs the website trainingforclimbing.com. “The beauty of climbing gyms is you have this very controlled setting where anybody can walk in and take a climbing lesson and in the first hour start climbing the walls.”
Recreational climbing doesn’t look much different from what’s being performed in the Olympics. Don’t worry, you won’t have to hang from a hold by your fingertips at a crazy angle – at least at first! Climbing has a level for everyone.
With over 600 climbing gyms in the United States, the opportunity to get started is there. Gyms offer climbing with ropes and without for beginners. Whichever you choose, you can be certain that given a little time you will get a well-rounded workout.
“The advent of indoor climbing walls has changed accessibility, so it’s easier for people to join and take part in the sport” said Nick Draper, professor of sport and exercise science at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. “One of the things that limits people being active is accessibility.”
New climbers can start with bouldering, climbing without ropes on shorter walls up to about 15 feet (4 1/2 meters), with padded floors to cushion their landing when they fall or jump down. Another option is top rope climbing in which the climber is tied into a rope and belayed by a partner. Top rope walls are typically in the 40- to 60-foot range (12–18 meters). More advanced is lead climbing - a climber clips their rope into protection called a quickdraw as they ascend to prevent a long fall - and, of course, there is outdoor climbing on real rock.
