“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”
I always used to think rock climbing had a high barrier to entry.
It looks awfully scary to anyone who’s never done it before. How do people learn to climb 50 feet in the air for the first time while trusting their gear and hoping they won’t fall?
In college, I didn’t know anyone who climbed. My friends were into hiking, camping, or search and rescue; they were plenty adventurous and outdoorsy but it didn’t necessarily extend to climbing. Maybe it was because the climbing gym wasn’t close to the main part of grounds (what UVA students call our campus) or where students hung out or lived. Maybe it was because climbing is an expensive luxury for college students.
Now I’m fortunate to have a well-paying full-time job that allows me a lot of money and free time to pursue my hobbies, so I can go (indoor) climbing whenever I feel like it. One of my favorite things to do is to teach and help others get into climbing too.
Are you interested in climbing but have no clue how to start?
The hardest part of learning a new skill is just starting.
First, just try it. Climb a few times to figure out if it’s something you want to get into. You don’t have to commit to a membership to a climbing gym. You don’t even have to buy climbing gear. No pressure, no expectations. I recommend finding a local climbing gym, getting a day pass, renting gear, and taking an introductory bouldering or top roping class.
Bouldering? Top roping? Climbing terms to know.
Bouldering = Climbing on small rock formations or artificial rock walls, known as boulders, without the use of ropes or harnesses. Boulder problems are generally shorter than 20 feet from ground to top.
Top roping = Climbing in which the climber is securely attached to a rope which then passes up, through an anchor system at the top of the climb, and down to a belayer at the foot of the climb.
Belayer = The person on the ground who secures the climber, keeps a close eye on the climber’s progress, and manages the rope so as to catch the climber on the other end in case of a fall.
Belay = To keep a climber from falling too far by using friction on the rope. The system that stops a climber’s fall; it includes the rope, anchors, belay device, and the belayer.
Lead climbing = A more advanced style of roped climbing in which the climber attaches themselves to a length of dynamic rope and ascends a route while periodically attaching protection (quickdraws or traditional protection) to the face of the route and clipping into it. The most important thing for beginners to know about the difference between top roping and lead climbing is that lead climbing can result in bigger falls.
Sport climbing = A form of lead climbing in which most or all of the required protection is provided by permanently installed equipment. This is the kind of lead climbing you’ll most likely see in a climbing gym.
Trad (traditional) climbing = A form of lead climbing which usually requires the lead climber to place removable protection.
Free soloing = Climbing without using any ropes or equipment, relying entirely on the climber’s ability instead. The kind of climbing you saw Alex Honnold doing that catapulted him into international fame. Don’t do this.
Free climbing = Don’t get this confused with free soloing. This just means climbing in which the climber may use climbing equipment and protection to protect against injuries and falls (but not to assist with progress, which would be aid climbing). Free climbing can be bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing, or free soloing.
Beta = Information about a climb.
Crux = The toughest move or sequence of moves on a climb.
On sight = To lead a climb on the first attempt without prior knowledge of the route or moves.
Red point = To lead a climb without falling or putting weight on the rope, regardless of number of attempts.
There are a lot more climbing terms I could go into — such as types of holds (crimp, pinch, sloper, pocket, etc.), climbing techniques (stemming, side pulling, lay-backing, etc.), and rock faces (slab, cave, crack, etc.)— but you can learn those as you go.
Focus on the technique.
For a beginner, you will probably only need to focus on bouldering or top roping initially. I recommend starting with bouldering so you can practice your technique before scaling up a tall wall and not being within earshot of your belayer or friend or teacher who may be trying to talk to you.
Don’t skimp on technique. It may feel satisfying to fling yourself up a wall using all of your strength, but then you burn out very quickly.
Here are some of the techniques I found to be helpful when I started bouldering:
- Study the route before climbing. Before you climb, plan where you are going to place your feet and your hands. Often, the feet are more important.
- Pull differently on different types of holds. To put it simply for the beginner holds: To get the strongest and easiest grip, pull perpendicular to the hold. A cheat: If you see chalk on a part of the hold, that’s probably the part people grab. If you see black rubber marks, that’s probably where people place their feet. Some holds can have both.
- Trust your feet. Yes, your feet can bear your entire weight on those tiny foot chips. A common mistake that I see a lot of beginner climbers make (including myself 2 years ago) is to use the inside edge of the foot near the arch. Don’t use the arch. The toes can bear weight better. Use the inside edge of the foot near the big toe, or the outside edge near the little toe. Watch where you place your feet before moving your eyes back up to hand holds.
- You can smear. Smearing is a climbing technique in which the sole of the shoe, plus proper weight over the feet, provides traction for moving upward. Sometimes your foot doesn’t need a foot hold and can use the wall, as long as you create enough friction.
- Keep your arms straight. In easier climbs, arms should not to used for excessive pulling. To increase your climbing endurance, prevent your arms from getting pumped. Keep your arms straight when you can. Even bending the elbows will tire you out more quickly. However, it’s normal for beginners to feel sore in their forearms after a climbing session. We don’t often get the opportunity to work out our forearms in everyday exercise.
- Don’t climb like you’re climbing a ladder. Don’t always keep your hips squared against the wall. Pivot from one hip closer to the wall to the other as you reach for certain holds — right hip for your right arm to have more reach, and vice versa.
- Use your legs more than your arms. It’s not about using your arms to reach up and pull yourself up to the next hold; it’s about using your feet to step up towards the next hold so that your hand can easily grab it. It should almost feel like you’re getting up from a one-legged-semi-squat. This was hard for me to get in the habit of doing, but it was the most crucial technique that improved my climbing significantly. Climbing may feel like it should just be pull-ups on the wall — but it’s far from that. Practice this (and the two related tips above) on a simple problem over and over again until it’s muscle memory. If you panic, consciously remind yourself of this technique; otherwise you may resort to doing pull-ups on the wall.
- For top roping, obviously it’s important to learn verbal commands, how to tie the knots correctly, how to check your harness and your partner’s harness and belay device, and how to belay. I would highly suggest learning from an instructor. Roped climbing can have serious consequences if done wrongly.
Get a support network.
Climb with a friend. It can be a friend who’s learning to climb just the same as you. It can be a friend who already climbs and can show you the ropes (pun intended). It can be both — the more the merrier.
You can also meet people through meetups or through your local climbing gym. Mine has a Facebook page to connect climbers looking for belay partners.
For me, one of the most fun things about climbing is the community. My group of climbing friends are fun, supportive, friendly, and reliable. Aside from climbing, we watch movies, cook, eat, camp, travel, or ski together. Climbing connected us initially, but now it’s become more than that.
It’s alright to be afraid.
You might think you have a fear of heights. More likely, you have a fear of falling. Either way, it’s a perfectly human instinct to be afraid of something that could put you in danger.
But the amazing thing about climbing is that it pushes you past your fears. It pushes you to accomplish things you previously thought you couldn’t do. It challenges not just your physical capabilities but your mind as well.
It helps to remind yourself that you tied your knots correctly, that your harness is tight, that you have a safe belayer, or that you can come down from the wall whenever you want to. It helps to distract yourself by focusing on solving the problem. Sometimes you just need encouragement from your climbing crew. Sometimes it’s just an off day. Just come back and try again.
You don’t have to climb anything you don’t want to.
To be a better climber, climb more.
You don’t need to be super strong to start climbing. You don’t need to be able to do a pull-up to climb well. You don’t need a strength training regimen. You just need to climb more. Climbing is about getting strong enough and setting goals that are within your strength at the moment.
Climb a lot of routes that are within your range. Climb regularly. You don’t have to climb until failure, but you have to push yourself a little. Climb a few routes beyond your range, within reason of course.
Watch more climbing videos. Watch more climbers. Learn as much as you can from other people. Ask for and accept beta if you need it.
Set goals.
Climbing can also be about dreaming big and working toward loftier goals. But for someone just starting out climbing, I would say the most important goals include: climbing regularly, honing technique, and climbing a grade or two higher.
To climb regularly, you will probably have to join a climbing gym (unless you have access to the outdoors and a great trad teacher). Once you’ve gone to the climbing gym regularly a few times and tried out other climbing gyms in your area, pick the one you like the most. I suggest this so that you avoid the mistake of committing too early to a gym membership if it doesn’t fit into your schedule, or it’s too far from home on weekdays, or your friends don’t climb at that particular gym, or you realize that gym doesn’t have other exercise equipment you need, or you find out you like another gym better. A climbing gym membership isn’t cheap; commit wisely. It ranges from about $115 to $125/month in the NYC area.
You will probably have to buy some climbing equipment. You could start with shoes, chalk, and a harness (if you’re top roping). Beginner friendly shoes are probably around $70, a chalk ball about $5, a chalk bag about $15, and a harness about $50.
Add it all up. Decide if you can truly commit to climbing regularly. Yes? Then go for it!
Set aside a time for it once per week in your schedule. If you get into the habit of climbing regularly every week, then improving technique and climbing harder grades will follow.
When I started climbing, I couldn’t even finish a 5.5 on top rope. Now, I can onsight 5.9s and redpoint 5.10s. I attribute my progress to those goals I set. I try to climb once or twice a week (although admittedly I sometimes take long breaks due to travel and life). I work on my technique so that I don’t waste energy doing anything I shouldn’t be doing. I learn from other climbers. I push myself to climb a little harder each time.
Be safe.
Climbing is not as dangerous of a sport as you may believe. Today’s famous free soloists and extreme alpinists are not representative of most everyday climbers.
But climbing requires practice, planning, cautiousness, practicality, focus, humility. Be safe so that you can continue experiencing the privilege of climbing again and again.
Enjoy it.
Becoming a climber is about being a bit of an explorer. It’s about having a curious mind, a love of problem solving, and positivity. It’s about having fun doing whatever level or style of climbing you choose to pursue. It’s about supporting and helping others in the community. It’s about building a passion for climbing that will keep you coming back for more.
Climbing is not about getting to the top, finishing the route, or climbing better than your friends. It’s about the climb itself. Some people enjoy climbing because they get to solve problems, hang out with friends, learn new things, physically push themselves, feel healthier, or a myriad of other reasons. What are your motivations and inspirations?
Find reasons you want to climb.
What got me into climbing? My personal journey was a little windy. Skip to the end if you don’t want to read about the sitcom that is my life.
When I moved to NYC, I found out about climbing from coworkers. There were three climbing gyms not too far from our office. I mentioned wanting to learn to climb, but unfortunately my longterm SO (I’ll call him C) at the time was unsupportive. In his words, “You’re not strong enough. You’ll have to work out and do pull ups before you can climb.” Little did he and I know that that was far from the truth.
You don’t need to be able to do a pull up to rock climb.
Fast forward half a year. I broke up with C, and I was starting to date again. I went on a first date to the Brooklyn Boulders in Gowanus. (Looking back now, I don’t know how could I trust a stranger to belay me on a first date…) That guy, J, hauled my butt up a 5.5 when I was too tired to finish the route. I wondered whether my ex was right — whether I was too weak to climb. But I credit J with introducing me to climbing. J is still my friend to this day, and his girlfriend since then has introduced me to pole dancing.
Say yes to new experiences, as long as you feel comfortable and safe. You never know where they may lead.
Then I went bouldering with a FWB at Steep Rock in the UES. (I’ll call him Z.) That FWB situation fizzled, but we remained friends. Z was a very encouraging climbing friend who taught me some technique and assured me I was definitely strong enough to climb.
I took my sister bouldering at that same Steep Rock. Unfortunately, her arms (possibly due to some nerve damage from our cheerleading days in high school) suffered after the climbing session. I stayed home with her for a week to take care of her because the pain in her arms prevented her from brushing her hair, picking up a glass of water, turning doorknobs, putting on clothing, or even sleeping through the night. It was a tough pill to swallow, but we knew she wouldn’t be able to climb with me regularly.
It was my best friend from work, R, who became my first regular climbing partner. We started by getting a one month package at the Brooklyn Boulders (this time in Queensbridge), taking an intro to bouldering class, and cheering each other on. It was fun and low pressure — exactly what I needed.
At some point, more friends started climbing with us. One was another FWB who had gotten into climbing very seriously. (I partially credit him, M, for getting us all into climbing because his passion rubbed off on everyone.) Another was M’s roommate and one of my best friends from college. Some of their coworkers. Some of my coworkers. Friends of friends, neighbors, college friends, Tinder dates, significant others. Climbing started to get more fun.
When developing a new hobby, it helps to invite everyone you know to come along. If they get into the same hobby, it becomes even more fun for all of you.
Another FWB in my life, G, inspired me to study climbing. We watched climbing videos. He pointed out important techniques and told me about climbers to follow and books to read. You might be thinking we all hooked up a lot within the climbing community, and you’re not wrong. But we had fun, we kept it casual, we supported each other in all aspects of life, and we stayed connected through climbing. Positive climbing friends like these provided encouragement and inspiration. Funnily enough, all those guys I hooked up with ended up becoming friends in our massive climbing family.
Surround yourself with uplifting friends. Stay away from toxic people who bring you down or make you uncomfortable in any way.
My friends and I eventually switched gyms to the Cliffs at LIC, which is now my favorite climbing gym. We chose it because it has the best (and most) roped climbing routes compared to the other bouldering-heavy gyms in the NYC area. I boulder from time to time, but top roping will always be the style I gravitate toward.
Knowing the sitcom nature of my love life, I intentionally try not to mix romance and climbing. (When M wanted to get serious and to tell our friends, I wanted to go back to being friends to preserve our friendship. We went with my approach.) But I was trying to climb more often, and thus needed more climbing partners, so I asked a new guy I was seeing if he wanted to learn to climb. His answer was an enthusiastic yes. I taught him to climb, a few of my climbing friends accidentally crashed our climbing date, took a liking to him, and asked me to bring him around more. Our relationship has since evolved beyond just belay partners — We’re life partners and share a family membership at that gym now.
Given my supportive partner and the opportunity to top rope more regularly, I tried riskier moves without as much of a fear of falling and hurting myself. I practiced crux moves over and over again until I nailed them. I tried overhanging climbs I would normally not attempt when bouldering. I tried ice climbing. I took a lead climbing class and practiced leading, gathering up the courage to take the lead climbing test. But I’m in no rush to climb 5.12s or sport climb. I’m enjoying the journey.
What are you waiting for?
Have you named your own reasons for wanting to climb? Maybe you want to improve your physical fitness, to find an alternative to boring workouts in the gym, to challenge yourself to overcome your fears, to make new friends, to go outdoors more, to do something that looks cool for your Tinder profile, or all of the above.
Walls are meant for climbing. Go scale some walls!
Sources / Useful Reading
