Alta Climbing is an incredibly diverse activity. It can range from bouldering at your local outdoor scenerios to summiting an 8,000-meter high peak half way around the world.
Regardless of the destination, climbing requires a set of skills and techniques that can be learned from mountaineers of all ages and backgrounds. From gritstone to slate and gabbro, I built a wider climbing vocabulary and became conscious that different rock types demand different patterns of movement.
Stemming, also known as bridging or stepping, is a type of momentum-based climbing technique that involves pressing outward on opposing rock faces with your feet and hands. This counterforce creates friction and takes the pressure off your limbs, which allows you to take short rests without compromising a secure position. This technique is especially useful in narrow sections of rock such as dihedrals and chimneys. Depending on the shape of the corner, it may be necessary to switch from one stemming position to another as you climb. For example, a chimney with two wide sides may require a back-step on one side to bridge the gap.
Many advanced climbers use a combination of techniques, including stemming, to scale steep walls. These techniques are essential to overcoming challenging routes. They allow you to conserve energy while climbing and make your movements more efficient. Stemming and other forms of dynamic climbing are usually more effective than static reach moves. However, there are times when a static climb can be better for getting feel out a small hold or to place gear.
It’s important to practice both dynamic and static climbing to develop your balance and movement skills. It’s also helpful to sign up for climbing classes and hone your techniques. Consistent climbing over time will help engrain fundamental movements, like stemming, into an instinctive and natural part of your climbing. In addition, be sure to practice exercises that target the pushing muscles used in stemming, such as the triceps, calves and small outer hips. Doing these types of exercises can help you build the strength to do a variety of climbing techniques, including stemming, crack climbing and slab climbing.
Flagging
Flagging is a climbing technique that allows climbers to reach further on a wall, stay balanced on the wall, and save energy for the rest of their route. It is one of the first climbing techniques that beginner climbers learn. It can be challenging to get used to, but once mastered, it can improve your climbing experience and help you push your climbs further.
Flagging involves using a foot to counterbalance your weight as you reach for holds on the wall. It also prevents the climber from swinging, a movement known as “barn dooring,” which can pull their center of gravity away from the wall and cause them to lose balance. It is an essential technique for rock climbing, as it helps the climber to remain in control over their feet and legs, and reduces the amount of dynamic movement required to make a move up the wall.
Climbers can perform two types of flagging: an outside flag, which involves extending the foot out to the side, and an inside flag, which involves passing the free foot through the space between the climbing shoes. In addition, the climber can also use their back flag to move their body weight more forward in relation to their feet, which allows them to reach further on a wall.
When practicing flagging, it is important to avoid a common mistake by extending the leg too far or pushing off with the knees. This can lead to the climber losing control of their leg position, which can cause them to fall off the wall or over-extend themselves. Additionally, it is important to remember to use the flagging foot to actively push against the wall rather than relying solely on pulling.
Belaying
A belayer is a partner who supports the climber by feeding them rope and catching their falls while lead climbing. Belayers must be very attentive to their climbers and have a solid grasp of the commands that help them communicate, as well as understand how to operate their specific belay device. Those who are new to belaying will often take a belay class at their local gym before taking on the role on their own.
Belaying involves a lot of little movements, so it’s important to practice and perfect your technique. If you don’t get these moves down, a potential fall can be disastrous. For example, if the belayer doesn’t pay out enough slack, the climber could free-fall the distance of their last piece of protection and hit the ground with a force that can injure or kill them.
In the early days of climbing, belayers relied on a hand-over-hand method to belay their leader as they climbed up. This was a dangerous and labor intensive way to climb and, combined with other limited techniques and equipment, led to many leader falls that ended in catastrophe.
With modern equipment and improved belay techniques, the leader can be belayed with confidence that they will be caught should they fall. This allows leaders to push into more difficult terrain and provides a much higher level of security.
The belay device creates tension in the rope that pulls on the brake strand and stops the climber when they fall. The belayer must know how to correctly operate their belay device and understand the manufacturer’s recommendations for proper use. This is why it’s best to have a backup belay, or a second belayer, that can double-check each other’s systems before beginning the climb.
Ropes
All climbing ropes start out as thin nylon strands. They are woven together to form a thicker line that is dynamically strong (it moves and stretches when weighted). This strength is a result of how the strands are spun and not just how many there are. Different types of ropes are designed for specific applications. For example, some are made to be static – meaning they have no stretch and so cannot absorb large shocks. These are used for fixed ropes, caving and rescue work. Others have limited stretch and can provide some protection from falls. These are usually called semi-static or dynamic ropes. Most rock climbers use dynamic ropes which are very strong yet also have some stretch to help them absorb a fall or to clip in to the next piece of protection on a sport route.
Another way to categorize ropes is by their UIAA fall rating. This number is a lab test which determines how much energy the rope can absorb in a harsh fall scenario. The number is determined by dropping a heavy weight over a very long length of rope. It’s nearly impossible to duplicate this test in real-life, but it does give you a good idea of how well a rope will perform in a fall.
There are other factors that affect the performance of a rope, such as how dry it is. When ropes are wet they lose a significant amount of their force-absorbing capability. They can also freeze if they’re wet in cold conditions. To maximise a rope’s performance, it should be dry-treated prior to each use. This treatment makes the rope less prone to abrasion and cuts on rough rock, and it’s a requirement for all alpine and ice climbers.
Equipment
As with many sports, climbing is an activity that requires equipment to maximize performance and safety. Whether you’re new to the sport and seeking to get geared up or a veteran looking to upgrade your gear, School Specialty offers all the essentials.
Climbers need a good pair of climbing shoes that fit properly (check out our guide on How To Buy Climbing Shoes) as well as a chalk bag to carry the chalk, which helps absorb perspiration from the climber’s hands and improve grip. A harness is another important piece of equipment for rock climbing, and it’s a good idea to examine the harness regularly for damage or wear.
Depending on the discipline, other equipment may be required. For example, bouldering is a form of rock climbing that doesn’t use a rope and typically takes place in indoor gyms with thick crash mat floors and routes no higher than 15 feet. Bouldering can be dangerous, however, so most boulderers wear a helmet designed specifically for climbing.
In sport climbing, which is done on rock walls with fixed metal bolts, the climber ‘clips’ into these protection points to keep from falling. This style of climbing is done both indoors and outdoors. In trad climbing, the climber places pieces of protection (like nuts and cams) into cracks and features on the wall to protect against a fall, instead of using fixed bolts.
For trad and lead climbing, a belay device is necessary to help the climber feed her rope, catch her falls and lower her down once she’s done with the route. The most common types of belay devices are tube-style and assisted-braking.