Adventures in India

Please note that this is not intended to be a stand alone guide, but background reading for those venturing into rock climbing as an activity for the first time. Simply put, rock climbing is climbing rock, but knowing techniques developed through the collective experience of many climbers over the centuries helps us to become better climbers faster.

This is presented as a series of points o­n various subjects to keep in mind when out climbing, and even more so when you are a beginner.

Preparations for climbing

These cover a large number of things.

• On the fitness front, exercises that help you stretch, pull your weight, improve balance, stamina, are all welcome, but not essential in the beginning stages, and as you develop, you will be able to figure out the o­nes that help you the most. The idea is to have a reasonable amount of fitness that allows you to move freely and exert yourself without collapsing.


• On the clothing front, it is crucial to wear clothes that allow your limbs the full range of movement they are capable of, as when you are o­n the rock, you will not have the spare hands needed to hitch your trousers to lift your leg higher.


• Full sleeves and trousers are good for beginners who would prefer not to sport uncomfortable scratches as evidence of their inexperience. As your experience grows, its fine to move to shorts and other clothing o­n climbs where you don't risk too much bruising from accidents.


• Shoes are a must. The best and the most ideal would be specialized climbing shoes, but I can see how beginners may not invest in them until they are more sure of their interest and ability. In that case, most shoes that fit snugly, and don't have very thick soles suit the purpose. Rubber soles work very well.


• CUT your nails. The number of beginners tearing nails in their desperate attempts to hang o­n to unforgiving rock is good enough reason not to try it yourself. Its a fairly common thing if you don't have neatly trimmed nails, and has the potential to put your hand out of commission not just for climbing, but a lot of other regular actions like writing apart from being painful.


• Bring along a cap, a water bottle, and some band-aid. It proves useful.

When climbing

• Please use that cap and bottle when not actively climbing


• Keep long hair tied safely so that it doesn't get into your eyes at crucial times, or trail around to get caught in any equipment


• Never climb without adequate instruction and safety precautions


• Follow procedures according to instructions and don't guess where you are not sure - asking is the better option


• Don't litter.


• Be alert to your surroundings and attentive to instructions at all times


• Respect the experience of your instructors and follow advice o­n capabilities and technique

Technique

• Use your hands and feet for climbing and avoid contact of other areas with the rock.


• Follow the three point technique, until you understand your abilities better. This means out of the four points of two hands and two feet, three must be supporting your body stably while the fourth is progressing to a new hold.


• Avoid using your elbows and knees for support, as they will decrease the firmness of the grip of your hands and feet by bringing a levering movement away from the rock.


• Using elbows and knees is also a bad idea because the lack of a joint between them and the body means lesser flexibility in boving the body with their wupport.


• When holding a hand hold, use all the fingers you can fit o­n the hold for maximum strength and stability


• When using foot holds, use your toes as far as possible, and use as much area of the hold to stand o­n, as possible.


• The straighter you stand o­n a foot, the better the grip gets.


• Keep moving to avoid fatigue


• Plan your route before hand, so that you spend less time o­n the rock planning your next move and exhausting your strength.


• Avoid overreaching, as it restricts your body movement and makes the next move difficult.


• Keep enough distance between the rock and your body to be able to see footholds and handholds you are planning to progress to


• Keep your weight o­n your feet as far as possible and use your hands for balance more than pulling your body up. Your feet are stronger than your hands.

General Wisdom

• Good grip is more in the foot than the shoe.


• A good climber is not known by heavily scratched limbs.


• Using your arms to pull yourself up constantly may look impressive, but is not optimum use of your strength.


• Never climb up without knowing how you are going to come down


• Fancy stunts work better in films and cautious calculations contribute better to success in real climbs


• Know your instructors and equipment before trusting them. Ask what you don't know. It always works better than investigating causes of an accident later.


• Never knowingly risk your safety. If you live, you can always return and conquer the face.