Gear and Equipment for Beginners
Sylvester Stallone might look he’s got the rock under control as he scales the mountain’s open face, sans harness or safety provisions, in the 1993 blockbuster Cliffhanger, but for those climbers who don’t have stunt doubles and multimillion dollar Hollywood budgets, equipment isn’t just a luxury lifeline, it is a necessity. For beginning rock climbers looking to get into the sport, the amount of supplies a lot of climbers carry might come off as intimidating or too expensive to take seriously, leaving rookies wondering, “What do I really need?” Indoor climbing is recommended as a starting point as it avoids a lot of the sports more dangerous, unpredictable aspects and much of the equipment is available for use on site. Take a look at this brief rundown to get familiar with the basic gear and what it’s used for.Just like riding a bike, helmets should be worn at all times, no matter the skill level. Surrounded by hard rock and suspended from tall heights, it’s only logical to protect your most precious organ against a fall. Even without a fall, falling rock or debris is shielded by a helmet, avoiding even less serious risks, like temporary daze, which could make you more susceptible to more serious climbing risks and errors.The harness is the most vital of all equipment as it is worn on your body like tight belt with leg loops, allowing you to be easily suspended from the ground. The harness is attached to ropes and by carabiners, or metal loops with springing gates, to allow fluidity of movement up and down the mountain. Ropes are also run up through belay devices to ensure a climbers safety. A proper belay device maximizes the use of friction against a rope so that even a lighter climber can support a heavier climber were he or she to fall. While one person climbs, another will belay the climber, serving as a spotter more or less. Beginning climbers should be sure that they are belayed by attentive professionals and should not try to belay one another unless under proper supervision.
