Indoor rock climbing is exciting and fulfilling way to stay fit and healthy, and if done properly can be as safe as any main stream sport. You don’t have to be built like Matt Damon or Angelia Jolie to succeed. What you will need is either an experienced friend or some professional instruction at your local climbing wall. Many indoor climbing walls offer short taster session in climbing, which allow you to decide whether or not the adrenaline fuelled sport is right for you.
If you find that a taste has you hooked then you need to get yourself on a organised introduction to indoor climbing course, these 4 day courses are available at may climbing walls, and often run over a weekend or several evening session. By the end of one of these course you will be able to belay, put a harness on and tie into the climbing rope safely, and deemed experienced enough to climb without instructor supervision.
After this the world of indoor climbing is open to you to explore and develop. Many participants use the climbing wall as a more exciting form of gym, when you consider that climbing can burn around 800 calories per hour, then the benefits of a life in the vertical seem more obvious. As well as roped climbing there is often a wealth of unroped climbing called bouldering, where harder, shorter and more physical climbs allow you to climb without getting more that 8 feet above a thick crash mat.
The final challenge of indoor climbing is lead climbing, where the rope no longer comes from above, and the potential of long falls become possible. For this you will need your own equipment including a climbing rope, on top of this it is advisable to seek further instructions in the form of a learn to lead indoors course, on how to safely belay a lead climber, as well as be made aware of the added risk this involves, and how to avoid them.
Done properly indoor climbing is a safe sport that has participants from 6 to 60+. There are also UK proficency awards for schools, colleges and young children to prusue.
