How To Rock Climb
Rock Climbing is something that you shouldn’t want to attempt to learn by yourself, but if you insist on doing so anyway here are some basic guidelines on what you will need as well as what you’ll need to know, but always be sure to stay safe.
Go to a sports/climbing store and ask a specialist (or bring a friend of yours who’s experienced in this field) their opinion on what basic things are needed in order to begin learning how to rock climb. They will most likely show you Climbing Shoes, a harness, a belay device and of course (granted you’re teaching yourself) some climbing rope.
Once you have all the necessary gear start familiarizing yourself with the harness and Climbing Knots. Animated Climbing Knots is pretty much self-explanatory and is an impressively simplified manual.
For those of you who don’t want to buy a commercially made harness, a Swiss seat rappel harness is the simplest harness one can make from a rope (6-8Ft.X12-16mm) or webbing, and comes in handy when you need to make a rappelling harness on the fly.
(Instructions below)
As a beginner, pace yourself yet keep in mind the guidelines (below), and practice simple routines/techniques thoroughly before moving on to more advanced/complicated ones.
Warm up and stretch. Every climbing session should start with a warm up and a stretching routine. Make sure that you also cool down after your climbing session. Cooling down properly is something that a lot of climbers typically don’t do.
Find a climbing wall. Chances are likely that you have a rock-climbing wall somewhere close to where you live, if you do then practice climbing it 3-4 days a week until you’re comfortable enough with all of the gear to try an outdoor climb.
Keep your hands and fingers in good shape. You should never climb on an injured finger. You are much better to wait until it heals to start climbing again. If you have tendon problems, be sure to use tape to support these tendons. Your goal however should only be to use the tape for a short while so that you can get back to developing finger tendon strength.
Work on your balance. Balance is important in climbing and you should always be working to improve it. Some great methods to increasing balance are to do Yoga, work on a slack line, and practice single legged exercises. Some examples of one-legged exercises are the one legged squat and the lunge.
Keep your climbing time down. Don’t train too frequently. The amount of time you spend out on the rock or in the gym should not exceed four days a week.
Get plenty of rest. Giving your muscles, joints, and tendons time to rest is one of the most important things you can do to stay injury free. Climbers put extremely high demands on their bodies and need time to recover. You should rest at least 3-4 days a week.
Practice lifting w/arms) Practice lifting all your bodyweight with nothing but your arms and eventually your fingertips. It’s a great exercise that will save your ass more than once.
Be prepared. Be sure that your training corresponds with your goals. If you have set some big new goals make sure you train properly so that you don’t injure yourself on routes or boulder problems out of your range.
STAY safe. Always triple check your gear, knots, belay setup, and anchors. Don’t be careless with safety checks; carelessness is a major cause of climbing accidents.
How To Tie A Swiss Seat Rappel Harness
- Find the center of the rope by folding it in half and going to the fold. Place the fold in the centre of your lower back, ends out to either side of your body so that you’re holding an equal length in each hand.
- Cross the halves in front of you so that it wraps around your waist. Pull one side under the other to make a half hitch. Repeat so that the rope turns twice around itself. This will eventually be where the Carabiner is placed and it keeps the rope from pinching down on your testicles (if you have them). Drop both of the free ends so that they dangle in front of you (probably touching the ground).
- Reach around the outside of your legs with both hands and pull the free ends behind you through your legs. Pass each free end up through the portion of the rope wrapped around your waist. The free ends should now be between your body and your ‘belt’.
- Pull down on these as you squat. This is an important step as this is what will tighten your harness. Stand up and squat several times while pulling on the free ends. You should feel it squeeze you between your legs – make sure key parts are not between the rope and your leg.
- For both sides, maintaining tension on the free end, drop it behind your back and pass it behind the length of rope that cups your bum, from back to front. This binds the seat in place. Pull the free end towards your front, along your hips.
- Connect the two ends together using a square knot off-centre to your body. Most right-handed people will place the square knot by their front left hip.
- Make a half hitch with each free end as a keeper knot. Note that the half hitch must pass around both ‘belts’ of rope that now exist.
- Place any excess rope out of the way in a deep left pocket (cargo pants are an asset) if you have one, and if your knot is on the left. Make sure that the rope is in a place that it won’t interfere with your Carabiner during a rappel.
- Your harness is done. Now attach your Carabiner and happy rappelling.
. Helpful Tips .
- When you attach the Carabiner, pass it around both lengths of horizontal rope right in the centre of your body. (The double-twisted section that was tied first, and the second wrap beside the knot) The gate should open from the top with the hinge closest to your body.
- You can also start with the center point of the rope on either of your hips, this will help ensure that there is enough rope left to one or the other sides to make the final knot off center on your body. This is also helpful if your rope is somewhat short.
- Add to your comfort by using 1″ tubular nylon webbing and taking care to lay the flat edges towards you.
- Tie the seat as tightly as you can without cutting off circulation; this will minimize slippage and pinches (especially important for guys).
Some points to be considered before going mountaineering are as follows:
Our kids, "always climbing" Anything in there path
SET #1 For beginners don’t rush for stiff and huge mountains. Test your strength against small altitude hills.
- Learn the basic climbing techniques such as rappelling, belaying, anchor systems, climbing protection, useful climbing knots, basic rope management, and most important, basic wilderness survival.
- Motivation is required to complete this long journey so find what motivates you.
- Examine your physical and mental strengths. Body resistance differs from person to person so avoid comparing yourself with others. You must be also technically sound to make proper use of tools with you. In order to have cardiovascular conditioning, try walking with a weighted backpack, running, biking, swimming, cross-country skiing, and stair climbing. To get strength in your upper-body try push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and indoor climbing.
- Dehydration is the problem most of the mountaineers face during the course of their journey. Carry enough fluids and keep drinking them regularly as this will help you from running into dehydration problems.
- Buy a heart rate monitor to note your heart rate at different altitudes especially if you have a history of fitness and heart problems.
- Try to maintain a constant rate of ascent. You can practice this if you have hills nearby and see that you do at least two days from a week. Practice makes perfect. Improve your stamina by setting new goals to increase your work out.
- Carry an iPod or a portable MP3 player with you to avoid getting bored and to keep your mind busy instead of collecting worries.
SET #2:
Warm up and stretch. Every climbing session should start with a warm up and a stretching routine. Make sure that you also cool down after your climbing session. Cooling down properly is something that a lot of climbers typically don’t do.
Keep your hands and fingers in good shape. You should never climb on an injured finger. You are 
much better to wait until it heals to start climbing again. If you have tendon problems, be sure to use tape to support these tendons. Your goal however should only be to use the tape for a short while so that you can get back to developing finger tendon strength.
Work on your balance. Balance is important in climbing and you should always be working to improve it. Some great methods to increasing balance are to do Yoga, work on a slack line, and practice single legged exercises. Some examples of one-legged exercises are the one legged squat and the lunge.
Keep your climbing time down. Don’t train too frequently. The amount of time you spend out on the rock or in the gym should not exceed four days a week.
Get plenty of rest. Giving your muscles, joints, and tendons time to rest is one of the most important things you can do to stay injury free. Climbers put extremely high demands on their bodies and need time to recover. You should rest at least 3-4 days a week.
Be prepared. Be sure that your training corresponds with your goals. If you have set some big new goals make sure you train properly so that you don’t injure yourself on routes or boulder problems out of your range.
STAY safe. Always triple check your gear, knots, belay setup, and anchors. Don’t be careless with safety checks; carelessness is a major cause of climbing accidents.
Swiss Seat Rappel Harness
- Find the center of the rope by folding it in half and going to the fold. Place the fold in the centre of your lower back, ends out to either side of your body so that you’re holding an equal length in each hand.
- Cross the halves in front of you so that it wraps around your waist. Pull one side under the other to make a half hitch. Repeat so that the rope turns twice
around itself. This will eventually be where the Carabiner is placed and it keeps the rope from pinching down on your testicles (if you have them). Drop both of the free ends so that they dangle in front of you (probably touching the ground). - Reach around the outside of your legs with both hands and pull the free ends behind you through your legs. Pass each free end up through the portion of
the rope wrapped around your waist. The free ends should now be between your body and your ‘belt’. - Pull down on these as you squat. This is an important step as this is what will tighten your harness. Stand up and squat several times while pulling on the free ends. You should feel it squeeze you between your legs – make sure key parts are not between the rope and your leg.
- For both sides, maintaining tension on the free end, drop it behind your back and pass it behind the length of rope that cups your bum, from back to
front. This binds the seat in place. Pull the free end towards your front, along your hips. - Connect the two ends together using a square knot off-centre to your body. Most right-handed people will place the square knot by their front left hip.
- Make a half hitch with each free end as a keeper knot. Note that the half hitch must pass around both ‘belts’ of rope that now exist.
- Place any excess rope out of the way in a deep left pocket (cargo pants are an asset) if you have one, and if your knot is on the left. Make sure that the rope is in a place that it won’t interfere with your carabiner during a rappel.
- Your harness is done. Now attach your carabiner and happy rappelling.
. Helpful Tips .
- When you attach the carabiner, pass it around both lengths of horizontal rope right in the centre of your body. (The double-twisted section that was tied first, and the second wrap beside the knot) The gate should open from the top with the hinge closest to your body.
- You can also start with the center point of the rope on either of your hips, this will help ensure that there is enough rope left to one or the other sides to make the final knot off center on your body. This is also helpful if your rope is somewhat short.
- Add to your comfort by using 1″ tubular nylon webbing and taking care to lay the flat edges towards you.
- Tie the seat as tightly as you can without cutting off circulation; this will minimize slippage and pinches (especially important for the guys).
Keep true to these guidelines, always strive to learn more and in no time you’ll be an expert rock climber! Until then; stay safe and stay happy.
Written by Matt Cromar
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