Rock Climbing
Kadence Buchanan
My friends and I went rock climbing during the summer and it
was the highlight of the entire summer for me. At the start, I
thought to myself, what's the big deal about climbing a bunch
of rocks. I never realized that it could turn out to be such a
satisfying experience.
My friends say that there are several kinds of rock climbing ranging
from recreational climbing to adventurous and sport climbing.
All of them involve the use of one's hands and feet to move up
a steep object. I suppose rock climbing started from the
pursuit of mountaineering since they both involve climbing up a
steep rocky surface wit the use of ropes and other climbing
equipment and protective gear.
After reading up on the topic, I discovered that there are two
basic types of rock climbing. These are free climbing, which
involves the use of ropes and other gear strictly for safety
purposes in case you fall, and aid climbing, which involves
using equipment to create a passage on a piece of rock in order
to be able to move forward.
History tells us that man has been climbing up mountains
strictly for recreational purposes since the 16th century.
Previously, mountain climbers did not use a rope and this
became a regular practice in climbing only in the middle of the
17th century. At that time, mountain climbers usually employed
professional guides to help them in their journey. The role at
the time was that the leader (the guy who climbs up the rope
first) must not fall. The practice of threading ropes through
iron safety rings embedded into the rock began in the early
1900s.
There are several types of climbing. These include Traditional
climbing (or "Trad climbing" which uses removable and fixed
protection); Sport climbing (involves the use of pre-placed
bolts for protection); Bouldering (climbing small rocks without
a rope); Aid climbing (using equipment to climb instead of hands
and feet); Ice climbing (traditional climbing on ice-covered
slopes or frozen waterfalls), Top rope climbing (having a
safety line that is always above the climber); Indoor climbing
(involves bouldering, top roping, and lead climbing); Alpine
climbing (involves rock and ice climbing as a part of
mountaineering); Free solo climbing (solitary climbing on
exposed rock without protective gear) and Roped solo climbing
(solitary climbing using ropes).
About The Author: Kadence Buchanan writes articles for
http://theoutdoorslifestyle.com/
- In addition, Kadence also
writes articles for http://everythingaboutgames.net/ and
http://wonderfulworldoffood.com/
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