The first attempt at wall climbing is one of mixed emotions. It’s a nerve-jangling wobble between resolve and despair. You remember yourself as a little kid who couldn’t walk up a mall escalator without getting winded. You start cold, then you catch fire. The fear slowly melts away, then you feel the kick of added adrenaline. You are now up to the challenge.
Indoor climbing, or wall climbing, is a form of rock climbing. The earliest artificial climbing wall was the Schurman Rock in Seattle, Washington in 1939. In the United Kingdom, wall climbing started where pieces of rocks were inserted into a corridor wall of the University of Leeds.
Rock climbing, or its milder cousin wall climbing, isn’t exactly heavy sport unless it becomes competitive. It’s a personal dare, to begin with, a full workout of the body and mind to reach a goal or mark and return to the ground. The body energizes itself simultaneously with the mind, working to think up routes and strategies to get to the top.
It’s a very satisfying accomplishment to reach a goal, get over with the challenge, and conquer the initial qualmishness. It is also a great stress reliever after a grueling work burden and energy-sapping school loads.
Wall climbing is now becoming a popular athletics. Many gyms are easily accessible and they have trainers qualified to teach beginners.
Fundamental advice for novices:
Don’t give up. It doesn’t always hurt when you fall. When gripping the holds, keep the arms straight. Invest in the right gear and appropriate shoes. And, relax, take your time. You are your greatest competitor. It also helps that you have done gymnastics, Pilates, or yoga—that way the muscles have been toned and that will give yourself a helpful leg up.
A climbing wall is a wall constructed with grips for the hands and feet and is usually made for indoor climbing, although it may also be installed outdoors. Some walls are made of bricks but they are least preferred because brick walls have less scope for a variety of routes and the hand holds are limited.
Some walls are made of plywood—also known as “Woody”—over a metal frame, with bolted-on plastic hand and foot holds or sometimes spray-coated to a surface similar to rock texture. On most modern walls, a thick multiplex board is used with holes drilled in it.
Some climbing surfaces may also be covered with textured products like concrete paint or polyurethane loaded with sand. Others may also be granite, concrete sprayed onto a wire-mesh, pre-made fiberglass panels, and large trees. A newer design is the rotating climbing wall—a mechanical, mobile wall that revolves like a treadmill.
Boards have different heights and steepness—from horizontal “roofs” to near-vertical “slabs” with a variety of holds attached: “crimps” and “pinches” for small holds, “slopers” for slanted boards, and “jugs” which are large and easy to hold.
It is necessary to be in comfortable gear so that nothing gets in the way of an effortless climb. Athletic clothes have to be of moisture-absorbing fabric. Knee-length baggy pants or tights are preferable. If shorts have to be used, loose-fitting ones with tight Spandex shorts underneath would be comfortable.
And now, for the difficult part. First, check your equipment: harnesses, ropes and belay devices, climbing shoes, and plenty of chalk balls (as opposed to loose chalk) for better grip. Have a thorough second check. Remember, you alone are responsible for your own safety. Remove watch, ring, necklace, and bracelet that may snag the surface features.
Wall climbing is not as dangerous as rock or boulder climbing but a bad fall could result in impairment. Gaze at the towering wall. Take a deep breath. Focus. Each quest needs a bubble, your own “cocoon of concentration.” Rappelling down would be a breeze.
Recently, wall climbing got a bit competitive in an event called “Cirque Du Climb” sponsored by Climb Central at its 750 square meters of wall space in its air-conditioned gym with wall height of 40 feet in Mandaluyong City. The event coincided with an international celebration of Global Climbing Day on August 24, with its theme, “To celebrate the walls that unite us, not divide us.”
Participants to the competition were kids starting at age five, not taller than four feet, tiny ones but took the challenge like turbo-charged gymnasts, their faces making little twitches, smiles, then grimaces.
They have more room to blossom. Others who were more experienced opened with blazing lava, labored away with huffs and puffs, unimpeded by gravity, each one trying to eat the competition, bolstered by the large crowd of overexcited enthusiasts shouting themselves hoarse. “Do it, Johnny!” “You can do it!”
In the end, the competition may be over, but the cheers will echo for a long, long time. And yes, there is a Philippine National Climbing Team for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Photos by Diana B. Noche