Anyway, aside from work, Lucy and I have been rock climbing a couple of times each week, swimming, and walking a lot, too! We've even had a bike ride here and there, and a few trips to London, National Trust Properties, and English Heritage Sites! Blimsters!
Climbing's been the main vice, though; it's almost become an obsession! There's this entire mysterious world of language, technique, and even culture to get your head around, but it's a fantastic community, a bit like the fishing community; you know, really friendly, welcoming and helpful. It's a lovely sport to do!
I thought I'd include a quick guide to getting into basic indoor sport-climbing, if anyone's interested:
Step 1: Find a local wall/community. Try http://www.climbfind.com/
Step 2: See if you like it! Do a taster/beginner course. If you like it, this is what you'll need next...
Equipment: (See http://www.bananafingers.co.uk/ or http://www.v12outdoor.com/ for online buys, but I'd advise trying gear first; there's usually a shop at most walls)
We got a discount after we completed a beginner course, so the whole lot of what I'm about to list came to about £120 per person, but the only things we needed each where the harness, shoes, and chalk bag; the other stuff is better shared as only one person can use it at once anyway! You'll need a partner as well for vertical roped-climbs, but for bouldering problems, you'll only need yourself, the shoes, and the chalk.
This is what I splashed the cash on:
Harness - Black Diamond "Blizzard" - My 36" fat-boy waist needed the large, it's a perfectly centered fit.
Rock Shoes - La Sportiva "Katana" - I wear a UK size 10 street shoe, these are a UK 8 rock shoe...
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Carabiner (HMS/Pear shaped, screw-gate) - DMM "Sentinel"
Belay Device - Black Diamond "ATC"
Chalk Bag and ball - La Sportiva "Katana"
Get/make a ground anchor if there's a big weight difference between your partner and yourself, from a short length (we went for 3m) of rope with another pear-shaped, screw gate carabiner tied in at the harness-end with a double figure-eight knot and a double fisherman's stop knot, and fixed to the floor with a more adjustable clove-hitch on a D-shaped carabiner hooked into an anchor point. You should also stick an overhand stop-knot on the end of the loose end.
You'll also need some sensible clothes as anything too tight and un-stretchy will restrict movement, but anything too baggy will get in the way...
How to tie-in and belay:
This information is EVERYWHERE, but I'll stick it here anyway for completeness. Dunno why the ratings are so bad on these vids; I think they do the job even though they're in American instead of English... lol
Go to http://www.animatedknots.com/indexclimbing.php for guides on how to do all the knots described in this post and the video above!
For technique tips, grab a copy of Neil Gresham's "Improve Your Climbing" Masterclass series, and for inspiration, check out Dean Potter or watch "The Sharp End" by Sender Films. That'll show you a LOT more than just indoor climbing, but I mustn't bore you any more!
Indoor sport climbing is just the start, but I think that'll do for now! Go try it, it's great fun!! :)
The dream:
