These are some pictures (courtesy of Christy, Jared and Gavin) of me at the Climbing competition I went to on March 1st. It was loads of fun.
- A few points on Climbing-
- This type of climbing (without a rope) is called bouldering.
- All the tape marks the route that you take to get to the top, you can only use the holds (Little colored rock shaped things with tape coming off of them) that have the same color tape to get up to the top. Note: This includes foot holds, some think that you can use any holds to place your feet but the tape still applies.
- Using the textured wall as a foot hold to help get up is called smearing.
- Any features on the wall (not holds) that may be used to get to the top are called Arete features. Like an indent in the wall just jutting enough to get the tip of your toe on and push up.
- You start will all limbs off the ground and finish by 'Topping out." this is done by holding the top edge of the wall.
- Spotting is when a person on the ground basically holds out there hands to make sure that if you fall you fall forward and not on your side or head, basically anything to get you to land less horizontal and more vertical with head up. It is encouraged but not required when indoors because you can't get hurt too bad. (I did have a pretty bad experience with this and fell from the top of this indoor bouldering room perfectly horizontal, it knocked the wind out of me especially since I was wearing a belt with a large metal front piece, needless to say I now wear a fabric belt now.)
- A Dino is a move in a climb in which you jump from one position in order to reach the next hold if you 'stick' it you basically hold it while you hang from it because you left the wall entirely for a second in order to do the Dino.
- To Campus is to make a move using only arms, my friends and I call it 'Beast Mastering" we have a little competition to see who can do it best, I currently hold second of five Beast Masters.
- It is rated from easiest to hardest by V0, V1, V2,...V(big #'s) I have only gotten one v5 and usually climb v4's.
- Normal Climbing (with a rope) includes but is probably not limited to:
- Top rope- rope is pre 'set' at top of route so all you need is someone to belay you as you climb so if you fall your weight is supported by the rope strung around the top and held at the bottom by the belayer.
- Sport Climbing or Lead Climbing is when you take the rope up with you and hook it into preplaced attachments along the route.
- Traditional or "Trad" climbing is when you place your own attachments into cracks in the wall and set your rope in them.
- All of these are rated from 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d... it goes a through d on 5.10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and so on up. I have gotten a few 5.11c's.
This was probably my favorite climb next to the orange one below it because it had some really fun moves.
This was a fun and hard climb especially when my feet came off for a minute in the third picture down, luckily the right hand hold was really good.
I did finish this climb just didn't get a picture because the photographers were busy cheering me on.
Thanks guys.
