Rock climbing is one of those sports that looks like its a lot of fun but can be rather intimidating on how to get started. After all, these rock jocks use terms that sound foreign, have a whole bunch of gear that only makes sense to them, and can manage to make things look effortless at times. So how does someone who has never climbed before ever hope to join their ranks? Fortunately, Popular Mechanics is here to help us sort it all out.An article posted on the Pop Mech website breaks down what it takes to begin rock climbing. It discusses the various styles of climbing ranging from bouldering, sport, and trad, to options for climbing indoors at the gym. It also tells us exactly what gear we need to buy, and even explains the various rating systems (Yosemite Decimal and V-Scale) that are used to describe how difficult a climbing route (aka a problem) truly is.
Of course, once you've sorted all this out, there is no substitute for simply going out and starting to climb, which is how the story wraps things up. It talks about heading to the gym or crag and just going for it, starting at the bottom and working your way up to the top – or at least as far as you can go at first. It also talks about potentially the scariest part of all, getting back down.
For beginners this is a good guide on how to get started. It doesn't overwhelm readers with a ton of details, but instead offers just enough to encourage them to get going. It helps them sort out the most basic questions that they'll need to begin and then sends them off to actually do it. It doesn't get much simpler than that. In other words, you can't try if you don't ever start and you'll gain experience by doing. That is, after all, the best way to learn just about any new outdoor activity.
Read the whole story here.
