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Speaking The Language Of Rock Climbers |
By:
Spence Talbots |
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Speaking the Language of Rock Climbers
by Spence Talbots
Climbing is one of those sports that has a devoted following. You are not sort of interested in it. You quickly become a fanatic. With this fanaticism comes a certain language of terms developed by climbers, a language you need to know.
As you might guess, there are different types of climbing. Sport climbing is a version that allows for the perfection of technique without a lot of the steps that slow a climb down. Bolts are pre-placed, so you do not need to place them.
The sewing machine is somewhat of a derisive term that most new climbers experience at one point or another. A climber reaches a certain height that makes them nervous. The leg spasms out of control like a sewing machine needle going up and down.
Rock climbing is obvious subject to the weather and the time you have to get out to a particular spot. Given our busy lives, it is little surprise indoor rock climbing has become huge. Climbing gyms offer indoor walls you can climb and work on your technique.
The next step down from a bolt is a camming device. The device is placed in cracks on the climbing surface. The modern version is spring loaded, so it snaps open in the space creating friction and a hold that can support a lot of weight.
If you are going to do some serious ice climbing, your feet are critical. You need to anchor yourself on the ice with your toes, and rigid crampons are the answer. They fit snugly over the bottom of your boot and have spiked toes that anchor into the ice.
What do rock climbers do during the winter? They either fly somewhere warm to climb or go ice climbing. If you ice climb, you need to know what crampons are. They are spikes that strap onto the bottom of your boots and can be used to anchor yourself.
Frog in the headlights is a slang term used for a climber that freezes when they look down from a high climb and get intimidated. Their eyes get big like a frog and they freeze like a deer in the headlights of a car.
Once you finish a climb, you need to get down. This process is known as rappelling. Ironically, a lot of people get hurt rappelling, particularly the first couple times they do it. It should be a controlled descent completed by running a rope through a friction device on your belt.
These terms and explanations represent the basics of rock climbing. Every area and group of climbers has their own expressions for various moves, routes and what have you. Just jump on in and you will pick it up quickly.
Rock Climbing Journas from NomadJournals.com make great fathers day gifts. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article53846.html |
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