Sports climbing

[Safe-Keeper]

Anyone else hooked on sports climbing?

Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22JRruftFrk) is an introduction to what the heck I'm talking about. Other two main types of sports climbing are bouldering (climbing without a rope or harness, most often outdoors, with a crash mat below you), and top rope climbing (like lead climbing, but with the rope hanging in the ceiling so you don't have to clip it into quick draws along the way).

First tried it a month ago, and while I'm not as passionately hooked as I am on kayaking, I definitely want to keep doing it:).

Don't own any gear yet, but topping my wish list are a crash mat and climbing shoes:). EDIT: Own a couple books, though, an introductory book I'm hugely satisfied with, and an outdated (2000) overview of routes. Wouldn't you know it, just a few weeks after I bought it a new, completely-up-to-date 2009 version was released:p.

[Fincuan]

Aye, bring it on :yeah:

All flavors go for me: Rock(roped and bouldering), ice and mountains. Indoors is more of a training method for me nowadays, but still good fun.

One tip: Start saving already, you'll need it :)

[AVGWarhawk]

I'm into Sports Not Getting Hurt. :D I rock climbed once with helmet and harness. I was not sure of the purpose at the time and still not sure.:hmmm: I never went again -shrug-

[Safe-Keeper]

Aye, I, too, have found that outdoors is far more fun than indoors. Great feeling of achievement to finally make it all the way up a route you've planned for yourself.

Only I can't climb very far outdoors, I'll need a crash mat and belayer for that. Also, as I don't have ropes or a harness (except from if I rent them), I have to seek out a gym (we fortunately have several) for high climbs.

Only advice I have for other aspiring climbers is make sure you learn from someone who knows his or her stuff, or take a certified course, like I did (I took a 10 hour course to get a climbing license, which is required in Norway to climb in gyms and rent gear).

[Fincuan]

The hell you're doing indoors in Norway? You've got fricking mountains there! :D

One way to find out where the border between Finland and Norway goes in the north if to look at the hills: If it looks like a mountain it's on the Norvegian side, if it looks just like another hill it's in Finland.

edit: Damn, I sound like Dowly now

[Safe-Keeper]

The hell you're doing indoors in Norway? You've got fricking mountains there! :DWell, as I said:O:, I lack the equipment to do serious climbing outdoors. I'm going to buy a crash mat really soon, though, which should increase my vertical range a bit;). I'm still playing it really safe, though.

But yeah, we have lots of fantastic cliffs and whatnot that can be used for climbing.

[OneToughHerring]

I used to go to an indoor climbing place some time ago. It's surprisingly challenging, one needs to have strong fingers and 'learn' the wall. I found out that I'm really not a spider-type personality.

The main reason I went there was a female who was an instructor there, she had nice knockers. :yeah::DL

[Safe-Keeper]

Aye, surprising number of females doing this, it seems to me. And yes, it's surprising how much thinking goes into the sport. I thought it was just a matter of climbing, but often find myself staring at the wall, trying to plan a 'method of attack'.

[porphy]

Mountains is a blast! Welcome to the vertical world.

Crash pad and rock shoes is a great way to start. You will get strong quickly and then freak out when lead climbing higher and longer routes... :D

I just bought myself some more rock climbing gear, and then it started to rain for days... Planing to get it all scratched up in a few days though.

Also planing to go to Norway this summer. Damn, you have all the good stuff over there as Fincuan said. Planing to see Romsdalen and the Troll-wall (no, not climbing it...) Will also do a bit more mountaineering style stuff in Dovrefjell.

And I'm of course planing my comeback to high altitude mountaineering in 2010. Exactly how and where is a bit unclear, but the training regime is on track, more or less... and I have all the gear and clothing to take on most things.

Outdoors is fun. Climbing and mountaineering is a whole world to explore with good friends for years to come of ones life. Safty is the rule, but at least I have found that it is pretty much self regulating... the dangers are mostly obvious, although there is a lot to learn at the same time. ;)

cheers porphy

[Safe-Keeper]

Hehe, I've climbed a ten meter wall to the top already, and lead climbed a good portion of the length. But as far as I know, the longest outdoor routes are 40 meters or even longer than that, so yes, I've probably got a good deal of freaking-out to do still.

Outdoors is fun. Climbing and mountaineering is a whole world to explore with good friends for years to come of ones life. Safty is the rule, but at least I have found that it is pretty much self regulating... the dangers are mostly obvious, although there is a lot to learn at the same time. ;)I've been playing it safe so far, and I have this friend (who got me into climbing) whom I'll try to get to climb with me, so that I have a bouldering belayer :) .

[porphy]

Hehe, I've climbed a ten meter wall to the top already, and lead climbed a good portion of the length. But as far as I know, the longest outdoor routes are 40 meters or even longer than that, so yes, I've probably got a good deal of freaking-out to do still.

I've been playing it safe so far, and I have this friend (who got me into climbing) whom I'll try to get to climb with me, so that I have a bouldering belayer :) .

Good stuff. Everyone freaks out sooner or later, the trick is to freak out in a somewhat controlled manner... climbing can be a real mind game.

I can still remember falling of one of my first lead climbs. Not a very difficult route, but I got stuck in a place and couldn't move up or down (my mind told me) and there was no place for protection where I was. Suddenly the protection I had put in below looked very questionable from above... After some useless tries to get out of this tight spot, my legs finally started to shake violently. It was then just a question of how long I was going to suffer the knowledge of the inevitable fall that was going to happen. I'm happy to say the second protection did stay in place after the first one pulled out. That was not a controlled freak out, and it felt like I overdosed on adrenaline afterwards! The coffee from my shaking cup was all over the place... but I had also experienced that the safety system did work!

40 meters can be a long route, it certainly will tax some muscle endurance and call for good technique, if it is a bit more difficult. But hey, in Norway you have 900m+ routes! I would really like to do a long multi pitch route one day, but I'm not there yet when it comes to rock climbing. I'm better at slogging up steep snow slopes at altitude with a pack I guess. :yep:

[Safe-Keeper]

Almost fell last time I lead climbed, almost at the very top of the route. Went down to the last quick draw (see the introductory vid in my OP) and hung there for a moment, feeling my heart beating a good deal faster than usual. After some rest, I looked up, saw the last quick draw about a 100-150 cm (5 or 6 feet) above me, and decided I'd finish the route. Told my belayer I was ready, reached for a grip, felt my inability to hold onto it in my adrenaline state, and asked to be lowered down.

[Safe-Keeper]

:DL!

Guess who lives an hour's train ride away from Voss, the host of annual Ekstremsportveko, which in turn is the largest extreme sports event in the world?

This Friday, I shall get on a train, get off an hour later, and spend the day watching pros from around the world do bouldering:)!


Web Site (http://ekstremsportveko.com/)
Climbing Portion (http://ekstremsportveko.com/?page=9&PHPSESSID=269130ff4b7c177fde807cdc742ee1f6)

Not even SUBMAN1's trolling can ruin this awesomeness:O: