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Climbing is one of those sports that has a devoted following. You are not sort of interested in it. You quickly become a fanatic. With this fanaticism comes a certain language of terms developed by climbers, a language you need to know.
A bivouac is one of those things you will only use when you become an advanced climber. It is a sleeping bad/tent that you use in the middle of a climb when night sets. It hands from the wall and is uncomfortable.
The sewing machine is somewhat of a derisive term that most new climbers experience at one point or another. A climber reaches a certain height that makes them nervous. The leg spasms out of control like a sewing machine needle going up and down.
As with any sport, a bit of practice will help your climbing. For many, this means bouldering. Bouldering is simply climbing on boulders or other surfaces that provide interesting challenges, but are not particularly high and thus fairly safe.
The next step down from a bolt is a camming device. The device is placed in cracks on the climbing surface. The modern version is spring loaded, so it snaps open in the space creating friction and a hold that can support a lot of weight.
If you are going to do some serious ice climbing, your feet are critical. You need to anchor yourself on the ice with your toes, and rigid crampons are the answer. They fit snugly over the bottom of your boot and have spiked toes that anchor into the ice.
As your skills advance, you will advance to top rope climbing. Top rope is a form of climbing where the climb has a rope hanging from the top of the climb down. It allows you to get comfortable moving up vertical surfaces with plenty of safety.
Climbers often have some pretty nasty looking fingers. One reason is a finger technique used that is known as the crimp. The crimp is basically any hold where you transfer all weight to your fingers in the hold. It places a lot of stress on the tendons and joints.
The finger lock is a common, but advanced climbing technique. It is essentially the cramming of multiple fingers in a crack on the climbing surface to create a hold. One has to be careful not to get the fingers stuck in the crack, which can happen given your weight.
The next time someone asks you how many languages you speak, you can now add climbing to the list. Fortunately, this language is easy to learn. Even better, you don’t have to roll your Rs.
Spence Talbots..
.
A bivouac is one of those things you will only use when you become an advanced climber. It is a sleeping bad/tent that you use in the middle of a climb when night sets. It hands from the wall and is uncomfortable.
The sewing machine is somewhat of a derisive term that most new climbers experience at one point or another. A climber reaches a certain height that makes them nervous. The leg spasms out of control like a sewing machine needle going up and down.
As with any sport, a bit of practice will help your climbing. For many, this means bouldering. Bouldering is simply climbing on boulders or other surfaces that provide interesting challenges, but are not particularly high and thus fairly safe.
The next step down from a bolt is a camming device. The device is placed in cracks on the climbing surface. The modern version is spring loaded, so it snaps open in the space creating friction and a hold that can support a lot of weight.
If you are going to do some serious ice climbing, your feet are critical. You need to anchor yourself on the ice with your toes, and rigid crampons are the answer. They fit snugly over the bottom of your boot and have spiked toes that anchor into the ice.
As your skills advance, you will advance to top rope climbing. Top rope is a form of climbing where the climb has a rope hanging from the top of the climb down. It allows you to get comfortable moving up vertical surfaces with plenty of safety.
Climbers often have some pretty nasty looking fingers. One reason is a finger technique used that is known as the crimp. The crimp is basically any hold where you transfer all weight to your fingers in the hold. It places a lot of stress on the tendons and joints.
The finger lock is a common, but advanced climbing technique. It is essentially the cramming of multiple fingers in a crack on the climbing surface to create a hold. One has to be careful not to get the fingers stuck in the crack, which can happen given your weight.
The next time someone asks you how many languages you speak, you can now add climbing to the list. Fortunately, this language is easy to learn. Even better, you don’t have to roll your Rs.
Spence Talbots..
.
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