Climbing

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**Rock climbing**
Climbing History Climbing system Climbing techniques Abseiling Grade (climbing)

Climbing covers a range of recreational, adventurous or sporting activities involving using one's hands and feet to move up the surface of a steep object. Evolving from the pursuit of mountaineering, rock climbing is the scaling of steep rocky surfaces, usually using ropes and other climbing equipment for protection. This is then categorised as either free climbing, i.e., bouldering, free soloing, or rock climbing, (where ropes are used strictly for safety), and aid climbing, where you climb the equipment instead of the rock. In the modern era, indoor climbing allows rock climbing to be practised on artificial walls in a controlled environment, with professional competitions being held at a world cup level. At the other extreme, traditional climbing and ice climbing emphasise self reliance and meeting nature on its own terms.

People have been climbing mountains recreationally since the early 1700s. The use of a rope in mountain climbing started in the mid-1800s in Europe. At this time the rule was the leader (one who climbs first on the rope) - usually a professional guide - must not fall. This was a fairly straightforward rule as the ropes and techniques of the day meant that a lead fall would most likely be fatal. By the early 1900s climbers in Saxony were using ropes in a somewhat more efficient manner - threading them through occasional iron safety rings embedded in the rock - in their attempts to protect dangerous leads.

Contents

1 History of rock climbing
2 Types of climbing
3 Safety
4 Climbing system
5 Techniques
6 Abseiling
7 Grades
8 Access Issues
9 Climbing in popular culture
10 Climbing Clubs
11 See also
12 Sources and notes
13 Further reading

History of rock climbing

Climbing has evolved from the Cliff dwellings of the Anasazis, to the modern day, hundred foot tall artificial climbing walls of the professional climbing circuit. Some of the approaches to Indian cliff dwelling require modern climbing techniques to safely enter. One of the earliest recorded climbs was by Antoine de Ville. His 1492 ascent of Mont Inaccessible, Mont Aiguille was accomplished under orders through the use of techniques developed for sieging castles.

The first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786 is often referred to as the start of mountaineering’s “modern era” it took another century before history documents the use of devices similar to today’s fixed anchors: pitons, bolts and rappel slings. By the 1800's, climbing was developing as a recreational pastime. The equipment of the day consisted mainly of an Alpenstock (a large walking stick with a metal tip), a primitive form of an instep crampon, and a large, thick, and weak rope, being the main tools of climbing.

First appearing around 1900, by 1910, German and Italian climbers had made significant strides in developing special pitons, carabiners, and rope-handling techniques, Circa 1910 was a busy time with the Austrian development of rappelling, Hans Fiechtl replaced the attached ring on pitons with an eye in the body of the piton. (A design used to this day) Otto Herzog was behind the first steel carabiner, specifically made for climbing, Hans Dülferm, known to climbers to this day through the dulferitz technique of rappelling, Willo Welzenbach created the standard numerical rating system for the amount of time typically needed to complete a route (Grades I to VI),

An advocate of Free climbing Paul Preuss,coined the term "artificial aid" to describe the use of mechanical aids to progress up a rock. His rule number four (of six) stated: "The piton is an emergency aid and not the basis of a system of mountaineering." ~1910.

Pitons made their way across the Atlantic to the United States in 1914, when Albert Ellingwood, an American who had climbed while in England, used them to protect a route later known as the “Ellingwood Ledge” on Greyrock in Garden of the Gods Park near Colorado Springs.

Around 1927, Laurent Grivel of France, introduced and sold the first rock drill and expansion bolt.

Fred Pigott's experiments in 1927 with slinging natural chockstones and later machine nuts, for protection at Cloggy in the UK, directly led to the development of the modern Stopper.

Emilio Comici climbing in the Dolomites(1931) was the inventor and proponent of using multi-step aid ladders, solid belays, the use of a trail/tag line, and hanging bivouacs. Pretty much the origin of big wall climbing and techniques. He used them to good purpose with an ascent of the 26 pitch, 4000 foot northwest face of the Civetta. [Bigwalls]

WWII led to the development of inexpensive army surplus pitons, carabiners and the newly invented nylon rope. Nylon ropes were much stronger and less likely to break in a fall. Climbers begin to ascend the more overhanging features at the cliffs.

See the main article for the post war climbing history

Types of climbing

Traditional climbing, or "Trad climbing" uses removable and fixed protection. It stresses staying connected to the origins of climbing and the idea of starting at the bottom and climbing to the top. Trad climbing will always require a certain amount of boldness and danger is accepted as being part of the game.

Sport climbing involves the use of pre-placed bolts for protection. It emphasizes the gymnastic qualities of moving over rock. Danger is to be eliminated as much as possible.

Bouldering is the act of climbing small rocks without a rope. It is the least gear and knowledge-intensive type of rock climbing, though the most demanding in a gymnastic sense. This has led to its popularity with the younger crowd. However, bouldering is not something new to the climbing scene, having been practised in one form or another in France and England since the late 1800s.

Aid climbing involves using equipment to climb the rock instead of hands and feet.

Ice climbing is similar to traditional climbing except on ice-covered slopes or frozen waterfalls. Different equipment and ethical rules apply, however.

Top rope climbing is one of the safer forms of climbing because the safety line is always above the climber.

Indoor climbing is a form of sport climbing that can involve bouldering, top roping, and lead climbing. It can be the safest form of climbing and for most people it will be the easiest way to get started. The climbing is done on a wood and plastic simulation of a rock, often in a dedicated "rock gym". Climbing competitions are held at artificial climbing walls.

Alpine climbing involves rock and ice climbing as a part of mountaineering, usually employing traditional techniques.

Free solo climbing: Solitary climbing on exposed rock without protective gear.

Roped solo climbing: Solitary climbing using ropes, etc. Usually safer than free soloing.

Short (one-pitch) climbs on the Calico Hills, west of Las Vegas, Nevada

Safety

Being safe in climbing is mainly a process of making safe choices and decisions. Gear placements, the type of route, the difficulty of the route are all things that have to be taken into consideration in determining whether a given climber can "safely" attempt a given route.

Climbing system

Techniques

Climbing Techniques can be divided into basic categories. In reality, these techniques apply to all of the forms of climbing

Face climbing:

:Vertical: Smaller hand holds and edging
:Over-hanging: Steep and bigger holds

Slab climbing: low angle smearing (with the sole of your foot)

Crack climbing: Trad style

:Jam crack: Hand or finger size
:Off-widths: Bigger then hand, smaller then body
:Chimneys: Body size crack

Abseiling

Abseiling (Rappelling) is commonly accepted as being one of, if not the most dangerous part of rock climbing. The accident statistics support this view. One of the reasons is that many times on a descent or retreat. People are tired and make mistakes. Another factor is that you are totally relying on your equipment to support your life instead of the normal method of using the rope as a back up to your rock climbing ability.

Given a choice, many long time climbers advise walking down.

Grades

Every continent and many regions have developed their own climbing rating systems. Ratings are a method to communicate or record how difficult a climb was. For any particular area where there are people who have done all the routes many times. The scale can be refined to the point that it is fairly accurate. The apparent difficulty of any climb is going to vary person to person based on the person's strengths relative to the demands of the route. For a person that is very good at pulling on jugs, the 11a jug route will probably seem a little easy, for someone used to small holds, it will seem hard. There are three main type of "difficulty" in a rock climb:

Technical difficulty: How hard the hardest move is.

How sustained the route is: How much stamina you need to "do" the route.

Fear / Danger Factor: How likely it is to get hurt if you fall.

Hiking, Bouldering, Roped climbing, and Aid climbing, all share these factors to one degree or another.

Each country has developed its own system to deal with the above realities. Many systems only deal with one or two of the difficulty factors. Some emphasize the technical difficulty, some the endurance. Any way you look at it they are pretty complicated and very hard to translate from climb to climb, let alone region to region. Many people are trying to place less emphasise on grades in climbing. Look in the main article for details of the various systems, and a comparison chart.

Just for good measure there is one more scale to remember. A scale for how much time a route typically take to complete.

Access Issues

Rock climbing is not necessarily allowed on any given rock formation. The regulations vary from place to place but trespass laws are the most common impediment to climbing. Even where physical access is not an issue, climbing might not be allowed due to public liability concerns. Land owners often ban climbing during particular seasons to protect, for example, nesting birds. There are several organisations devoted to opening up new areas, or protecting access to existing areas, for rock climbing. In the USA, the largest of these is [The Access Fund]. In the UK, an equivalent organisation is the [British Mountaineering Council's] Access and Conservation Trust.

Climbing on buildings and structures ("buildering") without the owner's consent is illegal in most cases.

Climbing on an outdoor climbing wall

Climbing in popular culture

Rock climbing has been featured in many popular movies, such as Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit, but save for a few exceptions (The Eiger Sanction being one example) it is generally given an inaccurate portrayal by Hollywood and much of the popular media. The sport of rock climbing was swept up in the extreme sport craze in the late 1990s which led to images of rock climbers on everything from anti-perspirant and United States Marine Corps commercials, to college promotional materials.

Climbing Clubs

Climbers often belong to Clubs, some of which were started in the very early days of the activity. Clubs are often responsible for the publication of Climbing Guides. Alpine Club lists some of these clubs. In the UK there are several prominant clubs, including:-

Alpine Club (UK) - probably the first Climbing Club.
Climbers' Club - senior club for England and Wales, except the Lake District.
Fell & Rock Climbing Club for the Lake District.
Scottish Mountaineering Club