When I got back to London I booked myself on a beginners rock climbing weekend course in North Wales, near Capel Curig. I didn’t have anyone to teach me or even to belay me so a course seemed the best bet.
I had no specific gear for climbing and was reluctant to invest much money in it immediately so I decided to hire the basics in Wales. I did however buy some climbing shoes. I didn’t really know what sort of features I should be looking for so made my decision largely on a close fit and also comfort (although comfort became relative as most types seemed pretty tight and stiff!). I was advised by the shop assistant to also consider the stiffness of the sole as I was a beginner – I was told I might appreciate some support along the length of the foot and they were right! I ended up buying some red chilis and although many will argue the stiffness inhibits one’s climbing I am still at the stage where the benefit far outweighs the disadvantage.
The course started with a morning learning a few key knots such as the figure of eight and a clove hitch and also belaying. This was followed by an afternoon at a small crag with a height of about 8m.
On the second day we were taken to the Moelwyns and were brought face to face with a multipitch route. This was to be my first multipitch climb and the height suddenly seemed a bit overwhelming. All of us students were seconding at a 3:1 ratio with an instructor leading so as long as everyone did as they were told, there was little real danger. I don’t suffer from vertigo but I did feel fear – not the type I have since felt leading but one of uncertainty.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Beginning
It's been two years and six months since my first attempt at rock climbing. I'm still very much a novice but have, over time, gained a real passion for it. The learning process hasn't been without pain though and I'm still waiting, somewhat impatiently, for a broken ankle to mend - this came about while climbing but I can't blame the rock, only my stupidity! More of that incident later.
My introduction to climbing took place in Arolla, a small town in Switzerland near the border with Italy, on a crag at the roadside just outside the town. It was a single pitch of about 20m in height and I was lucky enough to have been provided with a top rope (in this case, a rope that ran from my harness up to the top of the pitch through a secure anchor and down to my belayer at the foot of the pitch). I can't say what grade the route was as I didn't have any idea about grades at that stage and it didn't occur to me to find out. It seemed to be almost vertical but there were loads of holds and cracks in the rock so it would have been classified at the easy end of the scale. I didn't have climbing shoes so used the trainers I was wearing and to my surprise managed to get myself to the top without disaster. It wasn't an elegant attempt though.
From this short ascent I was immediately captured by what I found to be an intriguing mix of mental and physical challenge. And I liked the need for considered movement rather than sheer speed. This quick conclusion however came after a climb in the relative safety of a top rope on a crag offering plenty of choices of holds which is of course as easy as it gets! Little did I know, from that fairly carefree first go, the demands that climbing could place on one's courage.
I also made my first attempt at a closely related task, retrieving gear - the various pieces of metal placed in the rock by the lead climber to protect their climb which then need to be collected by the climber who follows up using the same rope. This gear can take various forms and with practice is generally easy to take out of the rock but for the novice, it's like extracting teeth, and this is while perching precariously on two tiny little footholds at some height above the ground. Each piece costs upwards of £10 so there is some financial necessity to its removal not to mention an environmental interest. I had some trouble getting to grips with the process but after much frustration I'm pleased to say that I did manage to gather all the pieces that had been placed.
My second climb at the same crag quickly curbed a streak of over-confidence that the moderate success of my first climb had given me. With no forward planning of my climb and as soon as my second foot left the ground it occurred to me that the next move might be out of reach and much to my embarrassment my left leg started to shake quite uncontrollably and very vigorously. So the problem I faced in making the next move was suddenly made a great deal worse by this somewhat annoying and wayward leg. I hadn't experienced this shaking since the age of about ten when I was subjected to the humiliating experience of trying to play the piano on stage. Apparently this leg shaking is quite a common experience amongst climbers but it strikes me as strange that the body's reaction to a precarious move should be to shake to this extent as it is clearly not helping the situation and is surely the quickest way to coming straight off - as has been the case since. This time anyway, I managed to overcome the shaking and struggle to the top before being lowered down thoroughly exhausted. I left the crag slightly wiser but still with the desire to learn to climb.
My introduction to climbing took place in Arolla, a small town in Switzerland near the border with Italy, on a crag at the roadside just outside the town. It was a single pitch of about 20m in height and I was lucky enough to have been provided with a top rope (in this case, a rope that ran from my harness up to the top of the pitch through a secure anchor and down to my belayer at the foot of the pitch). I can't say what grade the route was as I didn't have any idea about grades at that stage and it didn't occur to me to find out. It seemed to be almost vertical but there were loads of holds and cracks in the rock so it would have been classified at the easy end of the scale. I didn't have climbing shoes so used the trainers I was wearing and to my surprise managed to get myself to the top without disaster. It wasn't an elegant attempt though.
From this short ascent I was immediately captured by what I found to be an intriguing mix of mental and physical challenge. And I liked the need for considered movement rather than sheer speed. This quick conclusion however came after a climb in the relative safety of a top rope on a crag offering plenty of choices of holds which is of course as easy as it gets! Little did I know, from that fairly carefree first go, the demands that climbing could place on one's courage.
I also made my first attempt at a closely related task, retrieving gear - the various pieces of metal placed in the rock by the lead climber to protect their climb which then need to be collected by the climber who follows up using the same rope. This gear can take various forms and with practice is generally easy to take out of the rock but for the novice, it's like extracting teeth, and this is while perching precariously on two tiny little footholds at some height above the ground. Each piece costs upwards of £10 so there is some financial necessity to its removal not to mention an environmental interest. I had some trouble getting to grips with the process but after much frustration I'm pleased to say that I did manage to gather all the pieces that had been placed.
My second climb at the same crag quickly curbed a streak of over-confidence that the moderate success of my first climb had given me. With no forward planning of my climb and as soon as my second foot left the ground it occurred to me that the next move might be out of reach and much to my embarrassment my left leg started to shake quite uncontrollably and very vigorously. So the problem I faced in making the next move was suddenly made a great deal worse by this somewhat annoying and wayward leg. I hadn't experienced this shaking since the age of about ten when I was subjected to the humiliating experience of trying to play the piano on stage. Apparently this leg shaking is quite a common experience amongst climbers but it strikes me as strange that the body's reaction to a precarious move should be to shake to this extent as it is clearly not helping the situation and is surely the quickest way to coming straight off - as has been the case since. This time anyway, I managed to overcome the shaking and struggle to the top before being lowered down thoroughly exhausted. I left the crag slightly wiser but still with the desire to learn to climb.
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