Beginner’s Guide to Indoor Climbing: How to Get Started
Climbing is all over the place these days. As a new olympic discipline it has finally reached a number of potential climbers. Those new climbers are often overwhelmed as where to begin when starting climbing. This quick guide is here to help. If you're curious to try it out or uncertain if climbing is the right sport for you, this article will help you out!
What is indoor climbing?
- Indoor climbing (or gym climbing) was of course born from climbing outdoors on actual rocks when climbers were looking for a way to train climbing-specific movements during wet and cold seasons. As long ago as the mid- to late 1900s was when the first wooden contraptions in basements and garages were set up to help climbers build strength from home.
- Since then much has changed and often the Olympic training centers are not too much different from a climbing gym around your corner: Plastic holds and other man-made features are screwed to a wall by routesetters with the intention of creating a (color coded) route for climbers to climb to the top. Even more reason to try out climbing in such a professional environment!
Types of indoor climbing
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BOULDERING
Bouldering (named for the boulders on which it originated) is climbing that stays relatively close to the ground. Indoor bouldering walls range from around 8-15 feet tall. Bouldering takes place over thick padding that cushions the impact of a fall.Boulder problems often focus on short sequences of powerful moves. Some gyms may only have bouldering walls, without any taller roped walls.
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TOPROPING
Toprope walls are too tall to rely on mats. Instead, climbers are protected by ropes.They tie one end of the rope to a climbing harness around their waist, and their partner secures the other end to their own harness to form a belay. As the climber moves up the wall, they create some slack in the rope and the belayer takes out slack from their end while keeping the rope secure to their harness. When the climber is ready to come down, the belayer uses the belay device to gently lower the climber back down.
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LEAD CLIMBING
Some other walls are dedicated to lead climbing. Unlike toproping, in lead climbing the rope starts at the bottom of the climb. The climber and belayer tie in as usual, but the climber must clip the rope to regularly spaced carabiners (quickdraws) on the wall as they climb. If the climber falls, the last quickdraw they clipped will protect them from hitting the ground. Lead climbing takes some extra training for both climber and belayer.
In a gym, it’s usually easiest to start with toproping then learn to
lead climb once you’re comfortable on the wall. If you're afraid (or
sceptic) of the heights, you can stick to bouldering. All you need is
equipment you can rent at the gym:
Climbing shoes, a chalk bag and if
you're toproping additionally a climbing harness and a
belay device. In a gym class you can learn how to use
the belay device, tie the mandatory knot and belay your partner
safely.
I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun once you try it!