Equipment
Climbing Shoes
Climbing shoes are the most important piece of equipment in rock climbing. There are different shoes for the different levels of climbers. Some shoes are very flat, and those shoes are for beginners. The shoes will progressively get more of an ark and a sharper toe. These shoes are for more advanced climbers.
Climbing harness
The climbing harness is only used while rope climbing. It is used to tie the rope to. There are different harnesses for children. They don’t only go on your legs, but throughout your torso and over the child’s shoulders. There are even harnesses for pregnant women. A pregnancy harness is similar to the child’s harness, but there is a space in the middle for a baby bump.
Belay Device
The belay devise of used while rope belaying. When a climber is climbing ropes, they will have a belayer. The belayer uses this to take away the slack and keep the climber safe.
Terminology
There are so many words climbers will use that seem made up, and I’m here to help you understand them. A climber will say something like, “What is the beta here?” That is them asking what to do. Beta is just the way you did a certain move. Or a climber will say, “That is the crux.” The crux is the hardest part of the climb. A dyno is a dynamic movement or a jump. The climber will let go of the wall with both hands and jump to the next hold. Smearing is when a climber uses the wall as a foothold. Sometimes, the climb will not have a place for your foot, and you will have to smear against the wall. When it comes to finishing the climb, there are many ways to say it. A flash means you finished the climb with no falls or breaks. A “day flash” means you have tried the climb before, but today, it is your first attempt at the climb. If you “top” the climb, it means you made it to the top, but you fall or take a break. And when a climber yells, “Watch me,” it does not mean he wants the belayer to watch what he’s doing, watch me means “I might fall here be ready to catch me”
