Most people’s initial reaction to the idea of rock climbing is pretty much the same as mine was – “No way!”, “I’m afraid of heights” or “I’m not fit enough”. Well I’m here to prove to you that YOU TOO can climb rocks, despite all those excuses, and it will actually help you overcome all of those self-doubts!
Rock climbing is more than just a hobby or a sport for most regular enthusiasts, it becomes a passion, bordering on obsession, where conversations exuding unbridled enthusiasm and filled with terms such as “metres and metres of spine-tingling crack”, “crank”, “crimp” and “dyno” will make you wonder if you need to learn another language to get it. As one climber put it “I think climbers should get credit for just remembering what their jobs are on Monday”.
With a fear of heights so great I’d quake on the Ekka ferris wheel, and a weight-to-strength ratio rather unconducive to hauling my mass up a cliff-face, I ventured with some trepidation down to Kangaroo Point Cliffs to give it a go. We are pretty lucky here in Brisbane, having those magnificent cliffs. Right on the Brisbane river, overlooking the city, and kindly lit up at night by the Brisbane City Council, Kangaroo Point Cliffs are a great spot for workers and students to meet up after hours for a bit of old-fashioned physical exertion that will guarantee a restful night’s sleep.
There are several clubs offering regular climbing nights at the cliffs, and most will supply all the ropes, harnesses, helmets and any equipment you need for your first few climbs. QUT Cliffhangers Club offers memberships to non-students for $100 a year and climbs every Monday and Wednesday nights from 6-9pm. Any one can come along, look for their banner, try a few climbs to see if they like it, then join up later. A quick net search will reveal other clubs available around Australia.
There are also indoor climbing gyms, where all equipment is supplied, including shoe hire, and basic instruction given for around $20 to climb as long as you want. Here the artificial hand and foot holds are bolted to a wall and climbs are colour-coded according to difficulty. If you go along you will need to bring a friend to “belay” you, that is; to hold the end of the rope and to ease it out as you descend.
Climbs are graded up to 30+ depending on their difficulty. A grade 15 climb is very achievable for a first climb and is a good one to aim for. Aim too high and you’ll be discouraged and frustrated, especially until you get the hang of all the different ways the human body can cling to a rock. Aim too low and you’ll never discover what all those funny words they use mean!
Once you’re on the rock is when the fun really begins. Rock climbing is a lot like life, I have found. It’s best to focus on each move at a time, don’t look too far ahead, and never look back. Sometimes it gets really frustrating, as you cling there with no possible place to move to. You grapple around with your hands, cursing the rock for not giving you a decent hand-hold to use, whilst balancing precariously with your toes just held up by the smallest ledge in the rock.
“Where do I go from here?” you shout down to your belayer, the soul you have entrusted with the end of the rope you are hanging from. “Up!” they will reply. You don’t ask that question again. Your sole focus is the puzzle before you, “How do I get out of this?” and your sole reward is the sense of achievement when you find yourself at the top and the buzz that comes with it.
“Woohooo!” what a view from up there! You feel ecstatic, overjoyed and overwhelmed with feelings so good that your fears are long forgotten. And then you get to abseil down. Although climbers say that abseiling is to climbing as reverse parking is to Grand Prix racing, it’s a fun way to end your climb and give those pumped and weary arms a well-earned rest.
Climbing is great. You’ll sweat, you’ll curse, you’ll ache for days, but it’s the good kind of ache that makes you want to run out and spend $200 on a pair of shoes that literally squish your foot a la Chinese binding (because it really is much easier if you’ve got a good pair of climbing shoes) so you can do it all over again. But be warned – rock climbing will make you extremely fit and gorgeous (check out some of the bods!) It also cures insomnia, costs you practically nothing, increases your social life and is highly addictive!
