Should lead climbing be my next time investment?
Many people have heard about rock climbing, and most likely, have done it too. However most rock climbing you see is a style called top roping. When you rock climb with a top rope, the rope is pulled around a pulley or other anchor, and then returns down to the climber. This is most commonly seen in rock climbing gyms.
Top roping is great, especially for beginners, but when you want to do it in nature its very hard. In order to climb in nature you have two options, free climb, or lead climb. Lead climbing is a very advanced form of climbing that many people fear. In order to lead climb you start with the rope tied to you and your belay and then proceed to climb. When you reach a determined height you “Clip into an anchor that is already there or that you have put there. As you go up you slowly keep clipping in so that you can only fall a selective distance.
Lead climbing would be really cool to be able to do, especially in really cool and remote places of our world. To lead climb you must know how to properly clip in and place secure anchors. Our local gym offers lead climbing classes and due to time I have yet to take one. Lead climbing would take lots of practice and commitment in order to be able to do it in real life, but think about how much it would unlock.
My current debate is whether it is worth the time investment. In Texas we do not have lots of places in nature to climb because we do not have mountains. On the other hand I will be driving soon and know a friend who would like to go on climbing trips with me. Thinking about having the option to drive around more makes me realize how many skills I should develop.
Labels:Climbing, Nature, Woods, Texas