There are rock climbers that have enjoyed the sport for years but are now looking for more of a challenge. They may enjoy the actually climb but yearn for some sort of competition. For these climbers, there is sport climbing. Sport climbing is a great deal like rock climbing, however in addition to beating your own records and past accomplishments, you are now racing against another climber. I know what you are thinking. Rock climbing can be a very dangerous sport, why would you want to add further danger by racing? The answer is, sport climbing utilizes more safety precautions, and slightly different equipment than regular rock climbing. The best example of this: in regular climbing, the climber attaches anchors to the rock as they climb - in sport climbing there are permanent anchors attached to the rock face.
Many other protections exist is sport climbing that may not be present during rock climbing, however it also utilizes some of the same safety precautions. The similar precautions include climbing shoes, a helmet, belay and harness. The different equipment includes a different type of rope, and a quickdraw.
Every rock climber knows that they should have a helmet. This will keep them safe if they suffer a fall and will help if they lose their grip on the wall and swing away, and then back towards it. This is especially important when you are racing up a wall as you are more prone to slipping. A chalk bag is a great protection from this. This is a bag kept in the climbers hand to keep them dry and not slippery. Climbing shoes also help by providing more traction for the climber and giving them more strength to grip footholds. They may also have runners to hold equipment during their climb. Possibly the most important safety gear during climbing is the harness. These can come in a few varieties, the basic sit harness the most popular (others include a chest and full body harness). The harness is a belt with loops for the legs to go through. It attaches to the belay and the quickdraw (which I will explain in a moment) and keeps the climber secured to the wall. It also allows the climber to rest by sitting back in the harness and just sort of hanging in place.
In regular climbing a static rope is used to propel the climber. Sport climbing utilizes what is known as a dynamic rope. This type of rope is more stretchable and therefore can handle more stress from the climber. The rope then attaches to a belay device which is a mechanical break for the rope. It allows the rope to be locked off with very little effort. You will also find a quickdraw in sport climbing. A quickdraw is a sling with two carabiners connected by a loop of webbing (which is usually less that a foot in length). It attaches to the bolt anchors and protects the climber on their journey up.
Whether you choose to stick with regular rock climbing, or move on to sport climbing, a great time is almost guaranteed!
Article written by Sydney Garrison
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