Climbing

Sunčica Hrašćanec

Successful completion - of sport climbing school or school of alpinism is the basic requirement for the safe practicing of this activity. However, you can learn how to climb from a person who finished this school and gained certain experience by climbing several years, but you must be absolutely certain that the person has the completely mastery of sport climbing or alpine climbing techniques before you accept him or her as your teacher. Even after you finish the climbing school or school of alpinism at the beginning of your climbing career always go to climbing trips with someone who has more experience than you until you become sure of yourself. Useful advice from an experienced climber will help you to improve your techniques much quicker and safer.

Safety Equipment:

Although helmet is unpopular among sport climbers, there is always certain possibility head injury (loos rock, climbing several lengths…) so bi sure to put your helmet on. For alpine climbers, helmet is considered to be an obligatory piece of equipment.

Checking the Equipment:

When you are buying or borrowing the equipment, search for a safety standard mark, which guarantees you it has undergone all the necessary testing. Be careful from who you are borrowing your equipment. Carabiner, the device for belaying or any other metal or plastic piece of equipment which fell from a considerable height on a hard surface should be considered unreliable and be discarded. It could contain invisible cracks and fractures which can cause breaking of metal or plastic.

Examine your and your partner’s ability to handle equipment and techniques:

Belayers are known to have caused serious accidents by handling the belaying device incorrectly. Even the most experienced climbers made mistakes, tied the rope incorrectly or failed to pull the sling of the seat harness two times through the buckle. You should always check and recheck these things several times.

Communicate with your partner

Belayer and climber should always know what the other has on his mind. When the climber reaches the anchor, it is vitally important that the belayer knows the climber’s intentions. Will he tie himself down, come down rapel, or continue to climb. If you are climbing several lengths it is useful to bring a radio device.

Gathering information about climbing site

Ask around about the climbing route you plat to climb, its length, level of difficulty, quality of bolts and anchors. Many accidents have happened because the rope was too short and the end of the rope would slip through the belaying device or there would be no anchor at the top or the fastening point would be composed of old bolts.

Trainings

Regularly attend the sport climbing trainings in gyms containing the artificial climbing walls. This will allow you to achieve enough strength and flexibility but the trainings on their own must never be a substitute for climbing natural rock faces but only an additional training. Attend climbing or alpine climbing trips on regular basis, because the necessary experience, knowledge and assurance can only be achieved through regular climbing. If you had a longer pause, and you plan a sport climbing trip, be sure to repeat the belaying techniques, clipping to and refastening to an anchor. For an alpine climbing trip, beside the aforementioned, revise your knowledge of installing rebelays, anchors and rappelling.