Adventurous Rock Climbing

Even though rock climbing was an essential part of the Victorian age mountaineering in the Alps, it is often believed that this sport began in the last quarter of the nineteenth century in different parts of Europe. This sport grew slowly from an alpine requirement to a separate athletic activity.Today, it is a sport that is becoming more and more popular every year as more and more people take it up. Many are starting to introduce their children to rock climbing at a very early age. It is a very difficult sport and takes a while to be fully mastered.

Rock climbing is a physically and mentally challenging sport. Knowledge of proper climbing techniques and usage of specialized climbing equipment is essential as it can be a dangerous sport. So a person who wants to take up this sport needs to do a lot of research before starting.Due to the wide variety and range of rock formations around the world, rock climbing has been divided into several different styles. Some of them are - Aid, Traditional, Sport, Bouldering, Free climbing, Free soloing, Solo aid, Indoor, Scrambling, Deep Water Soloing, Mixed climbing, Rope soloing, Simul climbing, Top roping.

Rock Climbing

It is very important to use the right gear for each style as each of the above styles has a different requirement due to the different terrains each one uses. The terrains range from very extreme and dangerous to terrains that amateurs would use.Some of the more important gear one needs for this adventure are rope, cord, webbing, carabiners, quickdraws, harnesses, belay devices, rappel devices, figure eight, rescue eight, rappel rack, ascenders, slings, daisy chain, protection devices, nuts, hexes, spring loaded camming devices, tricams, grip savers, fingerboards, campus boards, bachar ladder, specialised clothing, climbing shoes, belay gloves, helmet, tape, haul bag, gear sling, bouldering mat, chalk, chalk bag, resin, nut tool and rope bag. But the equipment you use depends on the type of rock climbing you will be undertaking.

There is some criticism directed towards rock climbing due to several reasons. One of these is environmental concerns that many have due to the fact that while climbing soil erosion, chalk accumulation, littering, abandoned bolts and ropes, human excrement, introduction of foreign plants through seeds on shoes and clothing, and damage to native plant species does occur. But many climbers today adhere to minimal impact and no trace practices to limit their trace on the environment.All in all rock climbing is a very interesting sport which everyone should give a try. It helps to keep a person healthy in many ways both physically and mentally due to the harsh conditions one is in while climbing and also while preparing for the climb.So go ahead, do your research and start climbing today.