{"id":1928,"date":"2012-08-31T09:42:10","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T17:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/?p=1928"},"modified":"2012-09-05T10:41:21","modified_gmt":"2012-09-05T18:41:21","slug":"how-to-get-started-in-rock-climbing-rockgrrlcom-10-year-anniversary-series-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/how-to-get-started-in-rock-climbing-rockgrrlcom-10-year-anniversary-series-post\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Started in Rock Climbing &#8211; Rockgrrl.com 10 Year Anniversary Series Post"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I recently realized that not only is Rockgrrl.com 10 years old this year, but I started climbing over 20 years ago! It made me think back on when and how I started and how it might have changed since then.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1940\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1940\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-1940\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/how-to-get-started-in-rock-climbing-rockgrrlcom-10-year-anniversary-series-post\/img_1095\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1940\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/how-to-get-started-in-rock-climbing-rockgrrlcom-10-year-anniversary-series-post\/img_1095\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?fit=640%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon PowerShot A80&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Yippee! On Top of Balance Rock&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1105887383&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;7.8125&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.002&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Yippee! On Top of Balance Rock&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"On top of Balance Rock\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Yippee! On Top of Balance Rock&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;On top of Balance Rock&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?fit=640%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-1940\" title=\"On top of Balance Rock\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"On top of Balance Rock\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?resize=280%2C280&amp;ssl=1 280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?resize=180%2C180&amp;ssl=1 180w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/img_1095.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On top of Balance Rock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I started asking climbers how they got started. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A friend asked me to go bouldering in a gym and I said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSure!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d this was from a climber who started climbing recently. Another climber said he started by getting into mountaineering, then going rock climbing with a friend and eventually taking a class. He started in the early 90s. Other answers from climbers who had been climbing five years or less included taking classes, scrambling around on one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own and seeing if they could do it, having a boyfriend take them out, having a lover take them out, and having a girlfriend teach them.<\/p>\n<p>My own rock climbing story began with a slight fear of heights and a class I took at a university which was held at a rock formation I had wondered about for years. I took the beginning class, got hooked, took another class, made friends&#8230; and the rest is history as the saying goes.<\/p>\n<p>So what are your choices today?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1. You can take a class indoors or out<\/li>\n<li>2. You can hire a guide<\/li>\n<li>3. You can have a mentor \/ friend teach you<\/li>\n<li>4. You can teach yourself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For many folks just starting out I would recommend the first two options. Taking a class is a great way to just see if climbing is for you. Classes or guided instruction also usually offer equipment rental which is better than buying gear before you know if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll love climbing or what kind of equipment is best for you. Formal instruction is offered in a variety of ways: through a climbing gym, through outdoor equipment stores, through schools, and through climbing or adventure guiding companies. Instruction can be held indoors or out, as single or multiday outings. While a class in a gym is convenient, I think learning outdoors in nature is still a great way to learn.<\/p>\n<p>When researching your options, find out if instructors are accredited with the American Mountain Guides Assocation (AMGA)<a href=\"http:\/\/amga.com\/\"> <\/a><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/amga.com\/\">http<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/amga.com\/\">:\/\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/amga.com\/\">amga<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/amga.com\/\">.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/amga.com\/\">com<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/amga.com\/\">\/<\/a><\/span><\/span> This association certifies guides and climbing instructors and is the United States\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 representative to the 21-member International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), the international governing body responsible for guiding standards and education around the world. If an instructor is certified with the AMGA I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d personally give that class priority, especially for higher level classes.<\/p>\n<p>There are a <a href=\"http:\/\/astore.amazon.com\/rockgrrl-20?_encoding=UTF8&amp;node=6\">number of books available about rock climbing and mountaineering<\/a>, and on the internet these days you can gain not only information about rock climbing in general but also find local recommendations for classes, guides or mentors in your area. One warning though, if you do read about climbing before taking your class, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take the information in the books (and especially on the internet) as the final word. Climbing has evolved over the years and is continuously evolving and your instructor may have more up to date information.<\/p>\n<p>If you are lucky enough to have a friend or find a mentor who is willing to teach you, keep in mind the above information. Also, realize that you are putting your life in your friend\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands and what that kind of responsibility could mean to your friendship.<\/p>\n<p>As far as option 4 goes, for the brand new climber, I would advise against it. I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fine thing to research climbing on one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own but when it comes to actual practice, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s best to first do it with someone who knows what he or she is doing and who can advise you on what gear to rent or borrow.<\/p>\n<p>With so many options for a beginner climber these days, I think It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be hard to beat a class or guided experience for the best and safest introduction to the sport.<\/p>\n<p>Still interested in giving climbing a try? Go forth and research your local options (or take a plunge and book a vacation with an accredited and well reviewed guide). But remember, climbing is an inherently dangerous sport. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not always like how TV specials or Citibank commercials show you, but it should be something that you try with an eye towards fun AND awareness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I recently realized that not only is Rockgrrl.com 10 years old this year, but I started climbing over 20 years ago! It made me think back on when and how I started and how it might have changed since then. I started asking climbers how they got started. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A friend asked me to go bouldering&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[15,102],"tags":[151,303,302],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa1ZbT-v6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2540,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/re-entry\/","url_meta":{"origin":1928,"position":0},"title":"Re-entry","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"December 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I looked at the route before me, and put my hands on the rock. I didn't really see the next hold, but I lifted off anyway. I knew right away I wasn't doing it right but I couldn't remember the sequence. I tried something and fell. I couldn't believe it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/topics\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/19665415_10154939283241359_5248776041463035638_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":225,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2009\/04\/how-to-marry-a-climber\/","url_meta":{"origin":1928,"position":1},"title":"How to Marry a Climber","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"April 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"What's the foremost question on a climber's brain? Right, \"How do I land one of these hunks\/babes?\" I thought I'd write a guide to answer that question. Step 1. Become a climber on your own Step 2. Get a boyfriend\/girlfriend. If they are already a climber skip to Step 4.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/topics\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Choose your climber carefully, they need to be able to catch you","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/04\/510877051_wsa5t-o.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1102,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2010\/04\/joshua-tree-weekends\/","url_meta":{"origin":1928,"position":2},"title":"Joshua Tree Weekends","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"April 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This spring I've been heading out to Joshua Tree for more weekend only trips than ever before. So far it's turned out great and we've been able to climb with different groups of friends (and crash their campsites). I'm not caught up in terms of posting pics but here's a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Climbing Trips&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Climbing Trips","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/topics\/climbingtrip\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2456,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/climbing-access-at-williamson-rock-possible-hope-if-we-act-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":1928,"position":3},"title":"Climbing Access at Williamson Rock, Possible Hope if We Act Now","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"January 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Williamson Rock, Angeles National Forest will always be a special place to me. It's where I did my first sport lead, and home to many fond memories of enjoying the wilderness, fresh air, and the company of friends. It's also been closed since 2005, due to concerns over habitat for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Climbing Trips&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Climbing Trips","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/topics\/climbingtrip\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1955,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/climbing-legend-john-long\/","url_meta":{"origin":1928,"position":4},"title":"Unexpectedly Meeting Climbing Legend John Long","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"October 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"John Long once emailed me about Rockgrrl.com. He said he liked the site and complimented me on some photos of Malibu Creek State Park. Once I got over the shock that a climbing legend\u00c2\u00a0and influential climbing author had found my website and bothered to email me, I wrote him back\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Los Angeles County&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Los Angeles County","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/topics\/los-angeles-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My photo of John Long climbing at Malibu Creek. K is belaying","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/img_4795.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1598,"url":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/interview-with-randy-vogel-of-joshua-tree-guide-books\/","url_meta":{"origin":1928,"position":5},"title":"Interview with Randy Vogel &#8211; On Joshua Tree Rock Climbing Guidebooks, Ratings and More","author":"Eileen Ringwald","date":"March 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"If you've been climbing in Joshua Tree National Park, you've probably seen Randy Vogel's work, for decades his Joshua Tree Guides have been the number one source for route beta for climbers there. His first guide, Joshua Tree Rock Climbing Guide printed in 1986 was a hefty tome, and its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/topics\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/rgadmin\/rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/rv-1-224x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1928"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1944,"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928\/revisions\/1944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rockgrrl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}