Climbing

I started this blog to document my attempts to try and spend more time outside in the hope that it might inspire some other people to do the same. It’s ironic then that I have taken a sport, invented as a means of outdoor exploration, and started participating in an indoor version of it.

I moved house six months ago, and until recently, I still hadn’t found a gym to train at. That’s until I found out about indoor climbing, or particularly bouldering. The art of climbing on set coloured holds up a 4.5m wall, whilst trying to problem solve where to put your hands and feet without falling off. It’s almost like a vertical game of twister where the consequence of failure is falling to the crash mat below.

I’m still running regularly and playing football, but need to add strength work or upper body exercise. Climbing seems to fit perfectly. Something new and exciting to get stuck into, and each session is like a full body workout, testing muscles I wasn’t even aware I had.

My climbing experience is limited to the few times I’ve had to scramble my way up a mountain, having bitten off a bit more than I could chew. As a long-time sufferer of vertigo, there have been times I’ve found myself in a position where a small slip and I could be tumbling to my death. As someone with big hands and feet (and confidence in neither of them) I’m usually stuck to the side of a crag, 3 points of contact at all times, whilst others walk by.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I found myself climbing down the west side of Parkhouse Hill alone. Within meters of leaving the top, I was down on my hands and feet, trying to find a failproof way of descending 20m or so without a fall. I had to find small crevices and holds for my hands, and feet, and hope that I would not slip. This is all relative to my own ability and fears of course, because a father and son just walked down it after me. Hopefully, a bit of practice on a vertical wall will give me more confidence when it matters.

So why indoor bouldering then? Well, simply for the reason it’s closer and more easily accessible. I’m hoping to go once a week at least, and long drives and dependence on weather aren’t always the best ingredients for consistency. But also, with time will come the ability to climb better, and when that happens, perhaps this hobby can take me back outdoors to some actual boulders to climb.