What Are The Different Types Of Outdoor Rock Climbing?

There are many reasons why you may want to get into outdoor rock climbing; many of these reasons are going to be personal. Outdoor rock climbing is not a spectator sport nor was it a sport for those who do not have the discipline. You will need to make sure you are in good physical condition if you hope to do it properly. You also need to make sure you have the proper upper body strength as well as equipment when outdoor rock climbing. Outdoor rock climbing can be considered a high risk activity mainly because of your risk of falling.

But if you have done your homework then you will be aware of the many different types of safety measures put into place to protect you from falling. In this article I’m going to discuss different types of outdoor rock climbing. Some of them that you may have heard of before while others you may not have. Once you have finished reading the article try to determine which style of outdoor rock climbing you feel will be best suited for you.

The first type of outdoor rock climbing you have is the traditional style.

If you’ve ever watched any type of movie where people are rock climbing than you may have noticed everything was very basic. They were usually connected by a rope, and the climbers were all carrying big packs of highly specialized equipment. Whenever they will climb up a steep mountain or hill they used place wedges or nuts in order to place them into the cracks of the rock as they climbed up.

They connected the rope to these pieces of equipment so that if there were a fall the rope would catch them. This is probably the highest risk for mild outdoor rock climbing and it is one that a lot of people are not suited for. You must make sure you are specially trained before you decide to do this type of outdoor rock climbing.

The second type of outdoor rock climbing is sport climbing.

This is very similar to the style of rock climbing I just mentioned. The only difference is the protective pieces which are designed to catch you if you fall are permanently placed within the rock. The climber or climbers do not have to carry with them any additional protection as they climb up the hill or mountain. This makes the sport safer as well as faster.

The third type of rock climbing is free solo climbing.

This is only for those who are extremely serious and enjoy the thrill more than anything else. With free solo outdoor rock climbing you are climbing up a mountain or hill, but the only difference is there is no rope to protect them from a fall. If you fall you risk being seriously hurt or possibly even killed. You must make sure you are expertly skilled at this before deciding to take part in free solo outdoor rock climbing.

Ice climbing

This is the last type of outdoor rock climbing; the only difference is the rock is glazed over by ice. You will need special equipment in order to scale the surface. Specialized equipment such as hedges and nuts are needed in order to ensure safety.

I also want to give a mention to boulder outdoor climbing; you are not climbing a mountain or hill but the sides of tall buildings and the like. This is commonly done in places that allow such things, but you may have a hard time finding a place should you decide to partake in Boulder outdoor climbing.

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Rock Climbing Outdoors