Climbs around the World

In this post I'll talk briefly about some interesting climbs around the world. The great thing about rock climbing is you can do it just about anywhere. The only limit is your own ability. There are infinite climbing routes for any skill level. Just find a rock face and plot a route and you have yourself a problem. Here are some famous climbs around the world.

Hanshelleren Cave in Flatanger, Norway

Hanshelleren Cave is home to what is often regarded as the most difficult climb in the world. Named (unsurprisingly) Project Hard, it was set by Adam Ondra (pictured above) over the course of 4 years. The climb stretches over 150 feet and was given the rating 5.15d. The previous hardest route was 5.15c which may not seem too different, but it's basically the equivalent of taking 30 seconds off the marathon world record.

Fontainebleau, France

Fontainebleau is considered one of the best bouldering spots in the world. There are plenty of low rock faces which means plenty of possibilities for routes. If you're looking for a bouldering holiday, this is a perfect place to go.



Sources:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2238561/adam-ondra-climbs-hardest-route-world
http://conquerthecrux.com/top-5-bouldering-spots-in-the-world/

Bouldering

So this will be the first of my blogs talking about the different types of rock climbing. I'm going to start with my personal favourite, the one that got me interested in rock climbing as a whole - bouldering. Bouldering is quite a bit different from other types of rock climbing as there is very little equipment required. You could technically do it with no equipment at all. With bouldering there are no ropes, no harnesses and no belays. Falls are more serious because they actually have consequences - no ropes to catch you, if you fall you really fall.




That being said, it isn't actually as dangerous as I've made it seem. Bouldering climbs (or problems) are never as high as traditional rock climbing problems. And typically crash mats are used to cushion. the fall. It is more dangerous than most other types of rock climbing - crash mats won't help much if you fall from fifteen feet onto your neck - but that shouldn't discourage you considering the sport. I've been bouldering for 2 years and I'm yet to sustain any serious injuries.
So what do you need to actually start bouldering? It's almost certainly the cheapest type of rock climbing to get into. You can got to a climbing gym get a membership. From there you can rent climbing shoes and chalk and the crash mats are already all set out. If you want to boulder outside you'll need a crash mat and your own shoes and chalk. But there's nothing stopping you from going out in your bare feet and finding an interesting rock to climb.












Video from YouTube :
Eric Karlsson Bouldering

Equipment

In this blog I'll go over all of the equipment you'll need to get started in the different types of rock climbing. I'll start with the basic requirements- Shoes and chalk. If you want to get into any type of rock climbing, these are the two most basic pieces of kit you'll need.
The shoes are extremely important for helping your feet grip the rock. They should be very tight fitting- any space at the toes will make it difficult to stay on small footholds. Scarpa, Evolv and Red Chili are some brands of climbing shoes.

 Chalk is invaluable to climbers as it quickly dries out sweaty hands. A climbers worst nightmare is sweaty hands causing a slip mid way through a difficult problem. Chalk bags allow climbers to dry  out their hands mid way through a climb, preventing this problem.

The next few pieces of equipment I'll mention are for specific types of climbing. While the last two are used in almost every type, these ones are more specific.
Harness: Harnesses are used whenever ropes are. They attach the climber to the ropes to prevent falls. They are extremely important for climbs involving heights.

Carabiner: Carabiners used alongside harnesses. They attach the ropes to the harness.

Crash mat: Crash mats are primarily for bouldering. Since ropes aren't used, the crash mat prevents injury.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog with the extremely interesting title of "Geography of Rock Climbing". So what do I know about rock climbing that I could contribute to society? Very little actually. I've been climbing (well, bouldering if you want to be technical) for a few years now but I've come to realise that I don't know all that much about the sport. So this blog isn't just a way to educate others about the sport, it's also an excuse to learn more about origin and development of the sport myself. Will it be boring? Probably. I'm not a very interesting person. But hey, maybe I'll start to enjoy myself and become Blogger famous. And maybe I'll come up with a more interesting name for the blog. But most likely I'll forget I ever started this and just leave it gathering dust. We'll see how long it lasts.


So over the course of this blog I'll be talking about different types of rock climbing, equipment needed for each type, how to get started and maybe some of my own experiences too if I've completely run out of ideas. Hope you enjoy!

Picture from Wikipedia