Rock Climbing From The Beginning

It’s Friday afternoon. You are sat at work, bored, dreaming of something exciting to do when the weekend finally begins. Well you could do the usual - a bit of weekend telly, or even a swift half (or half a dozen) after work; or you could choose something else. You could choose to leave the mundane metropolis far behind and do something really exciting.

Rock climbing! Me!

OK, maybe you did a bit of climbing at school or Uni’, or only seen it in badly written American films; but is it really something that you can get into and where do you start? Well just keep reading.

Why Climb?

Climbing has mushroomed in popularity in the last few years, especially in its indoor form. Indoor climbing walls are springing up all over the country, and a visit to one of these one evening will show that all sorts of people, young and old, male and female, are taking up the this exciting pastime.

It's is fun for so many reasons. Pulling daring moves way above the ground is exciting. It feels bold and exhilarating and the feeling of achievement when finally pulling yourself over the top of the crag can be far beyond satisfying. There is the mental as well as the physical challenge. Each move is its own little puzzle. Some simple, some dauntingly impossible until a cool head and logical thought provides the answer. There is the social side. Climbing normally requires the combined efforts of at least two people, and each climb is a unique experience that can be shared and enjoyed and reminisced far into the future. On top of all that climbing is a really good excuse to be in the countryside, by the sea, or even in foreign lands enjoying the sun.

Is it safe?

Rock Climbing is commonly classified as a ‘dangerous sport’ and therefore we would first like to reiterate the British Mountaineering Council's statement on this:

'The BMC recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.'

The reality for the beginner is that you are statistically far more at risk of coming to harm whilst driving to the crag than when actually climbing. Modern techniques and equipment have made rock climbing a very safe activity, especially for the beginner as the rope will always be above you. The beauty is that balancing precariously way above the ground on a rock face feels exhilaratingly daring, even though you are safely on the end of a rope, and this provides the buzz.

But don’t you need to be really fit to climb?

All those climbers that you see on telly are really slim and athletic or look like they have just stepped out of a gym! In the real world climbing is far more to do with skill and technique than physical attributes. The good news for the beginner is that you needn’t worry about either, its just about having a go and having fun. You can easily knock off your first VDiff or Severe and feel really good about it without looking like Arnie or some sparrow legged freak.

So how does rock climbing work in practice?

The aim of the game very simply is to get from the bottom to the top of the rock face using only the rock itself. Climbs vary dramatically in difficulty and making your way up through the grades can give a lifetime of new challenges and new achievements.

In its purest form, climbing without a rope is known as soloing. This is only done by those totally confident that they will not become detached from the rock, or by the certifiably insane. Therefore climbers have devised ways to ‘protect’ the climb in such a way that the consequences of becoming detached from the rock face are acceptable.

Toproping

Why not just hang a rope from the top of the cliff? I hear you cry. Well on a beginners rock climbing course this is exactly what will happen. The instructor will hang a rope from the top of the rock face and belay you up the climb.

Toproping is fine but has some drawbacks. It is not possible if the rock face is higher than the length of the rope, and after a while its just not exciting enough. This is where we introduce lead climbing.

Lead Climbing

In lead climbing, both the climber (leader) and the belayer (person who manages the rope as the climber ascends) start off on the ground. At first there is nothing to stop the climber from hitting the ground (apart from the belayer's head). As he climbs he clips the rope to a piece of equipment secured to the rock. Now he would only fall as far as his last piece of protection plus the same distance again plus any amount of slack and stretch in the rope.

There are several ways of forming an attachment between the rope and the rock. Bolts can be permanently drilled into the rock which hold attachments for clipping the bolt to the rock. Bolts are common in many parts of continental Europe and in some parts of the UK.

Many other ways of attaching the rope to the rock are available without needing to alter the rock in any way. One of the most common is with ‘nuts’. These were engineering nuts which would be jammed into cracks in the rock and the rope clipped into strong pieces of string or wire that ran through them. These were developed into specially shaped wedges of metal of differing sizes on wire that now look nothing like engineering nuts and work very effectively.

Other ways of attaching the rope to the rock are available. Here are most of them:

Nuts
Already discussed but will only work where the sides of a crack narrow so that they can be wedged.

Hexes
Larger hexentrically shaped lumps of metal that work in the same way in bigger cracks.

Slings
Can be looped over spikes, threaded through holes, or slung around trees.

Camming Devices
Useful where nuts will not fit. Camming devices such as ‘Friends’ and ‘Camelots’ are comprised of four spring mounted cams which push outwards against the rock to hold it in place. A sharp downwards force such as in the event of a fall will pull the cams even harder against the rock and prevent it from moving.

Now with dynamic ropes that stretch to absorb the impact of a fall, proper sit harnesses and scientifically designed nuts and other equipment to attach the rope to the rock, climbing has become a far safer activity whilst retaining the excitement. As a beginner you will be toproping and seconding, so will always have the rope above you.

Seconding

After the leader has reached the top of the climb, someone needs to climb on the rope leading down to the ground and collect the pieces of protection that have been placed. This is the job of the seconder. Seconding is still fun and exciting and while you are seconding you can make the decision weather you want to try lead climbing. Please do, you will discover a whole new and exciting aspect to rock climbing. Go back to the Diffs and VDiffs that you started seconding on and try leading them. At this grade expect plenty places available for nuts and other protection. Gradually move up through the grades and make your own decision how fast and far you want to progress. Many club members happily hang around the VS grade and are delighted to make the time to help a beginner or two.

How are climbs graded?

In the early days of British rock climbing, climbs were graded according to a description of the their difficulty. Thus a climb could be described as Easy, Moderate or Difficult. This was in the days when the early pioneering climbers climbed in hob nailed boots and tied hessian ropes around their waists. Standards rapidly increased and the grades Very Difficult, Severe, Hard Severe, Very Severe, Hard Very Severe and Extreme were gradually added to the list. Once climbs were being added harder than Extreme climbers gave up on trying to think of suitable descriptions of difficulty and instead resorted to a numerical system (Extreme 1, Extreme 2 etc). At the time of writing the highest grade in Britain is Extreme 10 (E10).

As a beginner the first climb that you will be introduced to may be graded as Diff (Difficult). Don’t be alarmed. Standards and equipment have improved so much since the beginnings of climbing that a Diff is generally considered to be very easy.

The list of British climbing grades now looks as follows:

Easy - Unheard of in modern climbing guides and is generally now a decent path.
Moderate (Mod) - Also may be used as a decent path by the more surefooted.
Difficult (Diff) - A good starting point for the absolute beginner to toprope or second.
Very Difficult (VDiff) - Another good starting point for the beginner. More challenging but certainly achievable.
Severe
Hard Severe (HS)
Very Severe (VS)
Hard Very Severe (HVS)
Extreme (E1, E2, E3 etc.)

OK, I like the sound of rock climbing, how do I get into it?

That’s easy if you can already confidently tie into a harness and can belay. Just find a rock climbing or mountaineering club that suits you. The BMC list all of their affiliated clubs.

If you are not confident about tieing into a harness and belaying then this is not a problem either. There are many courses where you can be taught the basics by an experienced professionals. Contact your local climbing wall to see if they run courses or can put you in contact with people who do. Also several companies run beginners rock climbing courses in the real world outside of the climbing wall. See our links page. After completing a course, go find yourself a club and enjoy.

What equipment do I need?

As with any new interest expect to part with a little bit of money, allthought rock climbing is certainly not the most expensive of passtimes. Courses should be able to provide all the equipment you need, but check first if they can provide climbing boots. After that the following list should get you well on your way.

Harness

Thankfully gone are the early days when climbers simply tied a rope around their waists. In the event of a fall this put too much stress on the spine, so the sit harness was invented. A harness will cost around £50. Of primary importance is to get one that you find comfortable sitting in holding your full weight. Good outdoor shops will have a hanging rope specifically for clipping into a harness so that you can try them out.

Climbing boots

Climbing in trainers or walking boots is not fun. Walking boots will give you no feel for the holds and trainers will just slide around on your feet. What you need is a pair of snugly fitting rock boots.

Climbing boot technology is a wide and complicated area. Different designs, different types of rubber in the soles etc. As a beginner you don’t need to worry about any of this because by the time you have moved up through the grades and realised what makes one type of boot different from another you would have worn out your first pair anyway. This means that you can dive in at the very cheap end, look for the deals, and save pounds. By shopping around you could probably pick up a pair for less than £55.

Our advice on buying climbing boots is to choose a pair that are tight enough not to slide around on your feet as you climb (some outdoor shops have a small climbing wall so that you can try them out) but not stupidly tight so that after one route you are in agony.

Helmet

The purpose of a helmet is simply to protect the contents of your head. How much you value the contents of your head is your decision. You may not be moaned at you if you decide not to use one, but we can certainly advise you where we wouldn’t be seen without one, like most limestone sea cliffs.

There are two types of helmet, the cradle design and the foam design.

The cradle design generally costs around £35. They have a hard plastic outer shell with cradle like straps inside providing a gap between the top of your head and the outer plastic. They generally only provide effective protection from impact from above.

The foam design has a hard outer shell attached directly to a foam inner. They generally provides more protection and tend to be more comfortable. They sell for around £50.

We would recommend the new foam design. This is simply because a helmet is only useful if it is sat on top of your head, and the foam design being more comfortable is more likely to be sat on top of your head rather than discarded in the bottom of your rucksack.

Belay device

To hold someone on a rope you need a belay device, of which there are several designs, and a large screwgate karabiner to connect it to your harness. The same device should enable you to abseil as well. Which belay device you choose (ATC, stitch plate, etc.) is a matter of personal preference. Possibly you will be given the chance to try several during your training at the wall or outdoors. A belay device will cost around £15 and a large screwgate karabiner around £10.

Chalk bag

Climbing being a physical activity promotes perspiration. When that perspiration is through the fingers then grip can be adversely affected. This is combated by having a bag full of chalk clipped onto the back of your harness.

Originally chalk was introduced to assist with the technically more advanced grades. Now chalk bags hang from the back of every harness like a must have fashion accessory. For the lower graded rock climbs that you will initially be introduced to you should not need chalk. If you find that you do need chalk on your VDiff then you have probably gone off route! This means that the outlay of around £11 can be delayed until finances have recovered from buying everything else.

Nut key

A nut key is a useful little tool for maintaining the friendship of your newfound climbing buddies. As their name suggests they are used for unlocking nuts from the cracks in the rock face where they were placed. To second a climb without one could lead you into the unpopular position of trying fruitlessly to yank a nut from the unyielding grip of the rock while your climbing ex-buddy as you can now consider him is freezing his nuts off at the top. Not a bad investment for around £6. You will also need a minicrab to clip it onto your harness.

What climbing calls are used?

Take in!
The climber wants the slack in the rope between himself and the belayer to be pulled back through the belay device.

That’s me!
All of the slack has been taken in and the rope is running tight from the climber to the belayer. The belayer will be able to feel that the rope is tight anyway, but this call is necessary to tell him that the rope has not become caught around something.

Climb when ready!
The climber can be confident that he is now on belay and can climb.

Climbing!
Tells the belayer that the climber has actually started climbing and that he should stop looking at the view and start belaying.

Slack!
The climber wishes there to be more rope between himself and the belayer. He may wish this for a variety of reasons, such as he is not finding the climb scary enough.

Tight!
The climber is tired and wishes to rest on the rope so wants all of the slack as possible taken in.

Safe!
After reaching the top of the climb the climber is happy that he is not in any danger from succumbing to gravity and wants to be taken off belay.

Off Belay!
Telling the climber that he is now not on belay and if he does now decide launch himself into the air then it would be a very bad idea.

Below!!!!
Good climbers will be careful not to knock any rocks onto the their belayer or anyone else below them. If this does happen then the size of the rock that is plummeting downwards can be gauged by the volume of the shout. If the climber finds that he can not suitably express the size of the rock by volume alone then he will naturally prefix the call of ‘below!’ with a suitable expletive.

Climbers have their own language. How can I possibly understand what they are saying?

Climberish has steadily evolved over many years. From the days of hobnail boots and hessian ropes when climbers merely communicated by a series of monotone grunts, their vocabulary has steadily developed into something that almost resembles sophistication. Don’t worry, its easy to pick up the basics. Here is a short glossary to get you started.

Abseil

To slide down a rope. This is normally done using your belay device and is necessary to either reach the bottom of the climb when climbing on sea cliffs or to get down from the top of a cliff when there is no other possible exit or you just can’t be bothered to walk.

Belay v

To belay is to let out or take in the rope as someone is climbing. If belaying from above then you would take in the rope, if from below (while belaying a lead climber) then you would let out the rope.

The rope runs from the person climbing, through the belay device, and into the belayer’s hand. If the rope is pulled at a sharp angle against the device then the rope will not run freely and will become ‘locked off’. This allows the climber to rest on the rope if tired and prevents him from hitting the ground if he becomes detached from the rock face.

Belay n

When belaying above the ground the belayer will wish to attach himself securely to the rock. This is called a belay.

Bouldering

Climbing unroped not far above the ground or better still above a large bouncy mat.

Climber

Indigenous inhabitant of cliffs and craggy outcrops. Most commonly observed during spells of dry, warm weather or bank holiday weekends. Less frequently seen during winter when many may hibernate on internal artificial crags. Usually brightly coloured, and distinctive by their short loud calls.

Crux

The hardest part of a climb.

Deep Water Soloing

Climbing unroped above deep water. This is a relatively new sport. Its a bit of a triathlon starting with regular climbing, then unexpectedly turning into a diving event and finished by a swim back to shore while spitting seaweed.

Double Rope System

Lead climbing can be done with either one or two ropes running from the belayer to the climber. When lead climbing a rope may need to zigzag across the rock face. This will cause drag and become difficult for the climber to pull up with him. An advantage of climbing with two ropes is that this drag can be dramatically reduced. Most people climb using the double rope system.

Karabiners (krabs)

Karabiners are loops of metal with a closable opening (gate) in one side. The rope can be clipped into these in a variety of circumstances. Karabiners are commonly called ‘krabs’ here in Britain.

Leading

See the ‘So how does rock climbing work in practice’ section above.

Nuts

Wedge shaped pieces of metal on a loop of wire which are wedged into cracks in the rock and clipped into the rope with an extender. Sometimes it is not possible to get a nut properly wedged into a crack. An alternative is to use a camming device such as a Friend or a Camelot. This lead to the old climbers adage ‘if you can’t get your nuts into a crack then try using a friend’.

Pitch

If a climb is longer than the length of the climbing rope then it will need to be split into shorter climbs and a belay made at the top of each of these shorter climbs or ‘pitches’.

A pitch may also be a short positive argument made for the purpose of persuading someone to attempt a climb that they are unsure about. The 'pitch' may contain phrases such as 'go on you will love it' and 'its just a one move wonder; so and so lead it'. A successful pitch normally results in the unwitting victim hanging from their fingertips cursing while wishing that they had never listened.

Quickdraws

An extender is a short tough length of material with a karabiner clipped into either end. One karabiner is for clipping onto the nut or other attachment to the rock face. The other karabiner is for clipping into the rope. This is necessary to keep the rope running feely away from the rock face.

Rope

A most important piece of climbing equipment. Climbing rope technology is a complicated and highly advance area, but in general climbing ropes can be be split into several categories.

Dynamic ropes and static ropes

Most climbing ropes are dynamic. This means that they have a certain amount of stretch in them which absorbs the impact of a fall. Without this stretch the force of the fall would be transferred into the climber’s body, which is bad news.

Static ropes do not stretch. They should never be used when leading. They may be used on climbing courses when toproping because it can be frustrating to haul yourself part way up a hard move, only to come off and descend a couple of feet as the rope stretches. A static rope will hold you roughly where you let go of the rock. Static ropes are also used in caving, as it can be an extremely bad idea to be bouncing around in a cave.

Whole ropes and half ropes

When browsing around outdoor shops you may notice that the covering that ceils the ends of the ropes has a ‘1’ or a ‘½’ on it. Ropes marked with a ‘1’ are whole ropes and can be used for lead climbing on their own. Ropes marked with ‘½’ are half ropes and must be used with another half rope in a double rope system when lead climbing.

Seconding

Climbing on the ‘bottom’ or the ‘blunt’ end of the rope as the belayer will be belaying from above. The seconder will usually be the person who has just belayed a leader up a climb and their job now is to do the same climb as the leader, taking out the gear as they go. As placing gear can be considered an art in its own right, getting the damn stuff out can also present its own challenges.

If a two rope system has been used then the person who climbs up the second rope (and therefore the third person to make the climb) is also called a seconder. This gives some indication of how high climbers can count to.

Soloing

Climbing without the security of a rope.

Sport Climbing

Some rock is so compact that cracks where nuts, hexes, cams and other forms of ‘natural’ protection can be placed are not available. This is commonly the case with the limestone found in Southern Spain and the Mediterranean islands for example. In these places bolt protection is being used. Bolts are drilled into the rock at intervals up the climb and end in a ring that can be clipped into by a karabiner. Climbing by this method has become known as sports climbing. Does this method ruin the rock? Well there’s a healthy debate here and its always good to catch some spring or autumn sunshine in warmer climates with a rope and set of quickdraws on a ‘fact finding’ mission.

Toproping

You climb with the rope always above you. You will either be belayed by someone at the top of the climb, or the rope will run through a karabiner and back down to a belayer on the ground.