What You Don’t Know About Rock Climbers
For starters, they will compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
This is my last rock climbing trip to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. Not because I have had enough, but because I am getting kicked out of the climbing community. I’ve only been a member here by proxy all along. My daughter discovered rock climbing around age 9, I’ve been on the journey with her ever since. She is 17 now and she drove us to the Gorge today. Although I enjoyed being chauffeured, I quickly realized that I am now expendable. I’m only here as a legal guardian, which means at 18 — I’m an unnecessary drag along.
Climbers are without a doubt a special community and I will miss being a part of it. In the gym, at the crag, and in competition, they come together, to help one another, to share with one another, and to celebrate successful climbs. They have a healthy respect for each other, nature, and safe climbing.
Climbing has been approved as an event for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. This is a great time to get a better understanding of the sport. Here is what you don’t know about rock climbers.
What you don’t know about rock climbers is that they are not supportive of anything dangerous.
Free solo climbers that live on the adrenaline of near death experiences exist, but more often rock climbers are a community of people with an unwavering respect for safety. The community as a whole isn’t as supportive of these free climbers as you might think. They are of course in awe of the accomplishments of the free climbers but fundamentally this isn’t a mode of climbing they want to encourage. The climbing community has a challenge in front of them to balance the publicity brought by the heroics and deaths of these free climbers, versus helping people understand the true nature of the sport and the community. Climbers put their lives in each others hands every time they get on a wall. And kids in this sport are taught a healthy respect for safety.
What you don’t know about rock climbers is that they are collaborative problem solvers.
Climbing a route isn’t about strength alone, each route is also known as a “problem” — a problem they often enjoy solving together. There are multiple approaches to accomplish a route, some easier than others, some moves more suited to one body type than another. And, once you know the beta (information about a climb) your path can be a little easier. As a competitive sport, youth climbers get a chance to preview a route for a few minutes before being sent back to isolation to wait their turn to climb. Even in these competitive situations, these young climbers are so supportive of one another that they often share beta as they preview the wall together.
What you don’t know about rock climbers is that the rope isn’t helping them climb upward — at all.
I am sure that some of you know this, but it astounds me how many do not. Free climbers aside, the traditional way to climb includes a rope tied into a harness and a partner to hold that rope in belay. Belaying a climber is the act of managing the slack in the rope and engaging the break should the climber fall. The rope serves as a safety mechanism to catch any falls and also as a way to repel back down after you send (finish) the route, but the rope does not in any way boost the climber up the wall. Getting up the route is done by the power of the climbers own body, often using the very tips of their fingers and edges of their feet.
What you don’t know about rock climbers is that they are conservationists.
As I said, climbers are a community and they include nature in their community. In watching climbers at a crag you can quite easily discern the real climbers from the want-to-be climbers simply by watching how they care for the crag. The whole “leave it as you found it adage” is followed strictly when you are part of the climbing community. They love nature and seem to truly appreciate the gift of God’s perfectly made playground.
What you don’t know about rock climbing is that climbing like a girl is one of the first things you need to learn to do.
The term “climb like a girl” generally refers to suppressing your instinct to brute force every move and rely heavily on the strength of your arms. Climbing requires you to use your whole body especially your legs. Important to note is that teenage girls are killing it in this sport. Their strength to weight ratio is pretty ideal for climbing and young women are breaking records and sending new routes all over the world — take a look at impressive climbers such as Ashima Shiraishi, Margo Hayes, and others.
What you don’t know about rock climbers is that they are simple people and most of the rock climbing terminology reflects that spirit.
Here is a short list of terms that you might find helpful as you watch the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Send — A send is when you have managed to send yourself all the way up the route.
Flash — A flash is when you have managed to send yourself all the way up the route in a flash (one try).
Project — A route you have identified as just beyond your abilities and you intend to work on segment by segment until you can send it.
Take — A take is when you ask your belayer to take up the rope tight so that you can rest. No chance you will see this in the Olympics or any other climbing competition, this move is for long endurance routes and projects.
Crimp — A type of hold that requires you to crimp you fingers to hold on to it.
Sloper — A type of hold that has a smooth slope. They are often large and would seem easy to hold onto, but holding on to a sloper is akin to palming a basketball with the full weight of your body hanging behind it.
Jug — A good hold for beginners since it is as easy to grab as holding onto a jug.
Heel Hook — A move where you will hook your heel over the hold
I will miss the spirit of the rock climbing community so much that as I made my last hike into the crag, I was double thinking my ability to take up the this sport. What you don’t know about rock climbing is that lots of people climb well into their senior years. Could I? No. The fact is that this sport is my daughter’s from here, not mine. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy it for a time. I am beyond excited to watch rock climbing coverage on the Olympics, and you hope you will check it out and enjoy it too.
