Outdoor Fun with Rock Climbing

Rock-climbing appeals to many people, offering exhilarating challenges and enjoyable physical activity. Not only can you experience a rugged environment in its natural condition, but you can scale heights you may have never dreamed of conquering. With instruction and practice, people of all ages and fitness levels can rock-climb safely.

Styles of Rock-Climbing

What is Rock-Climbing? Allied Climbers of San Diego provides an overview of rock-climbing, including the different types of climbing.
Types of Climbing: The International Rock-Climbing School shows videos and lists descriptions of the most common types of rock-climbing.
Indoor Climbing: The Rise of Bouldering-Only Centers: While many rock-climbers have used indoor climbing walls only as training spaces between taking on mountains, more people are using them without any intention of taking their skills outdoors.
The CWA's Guide to Climbing: The Climbing Wall Association has published a guide for novice climbers.
The Noob's Guide to Rock Climbing: Outside Online provides resources for rock-climbing, including information about different types of climbing.
Climbing Styles: The International Rock Climbing School provides an overview of basic climbing styles.
Mechanical Bolts: The Nuts and Bolts: The American Safe Climbing Association explains how mechanical bolts assist with climbing.

Rock-Climbing Tips and Advice

Stupid Mistakes to Avoid: A rock-climbing club in Australia lists common mistakes that climbers should avoid.
The Basics of Rock-Climbing Safety Tips: This Web page details tips to help climbers stay safe while climbing.
Want to Try Rock-Climbing? Five Tips to Get You Up the Wall: Self magazine offers advice on how to start rock-climbing as well as a few ideas for a motivational playlist.
Rock-Climbing Basics: Five Tips for Every Beginner: The Daily Herald provides information about rock-climbing basics for beginning climbers.
Rock-Climbing is Brutal, Elegant, and a Phenomenal Challenge: The Telegraph looks at the sport of rock-climbing and how to get started. This article also offers a few tips for good places to enjoy an outing.
How to Fall While Lead Climbing: This Web page explains how to fall safely while lead climbing.
Intermediate Moves: Watch videos and read instructions on intermediate climbing moves for the climber gaining experience.

Rock-Climbing Trips and Destinations

Places to Go Rock-Climbing in California: USA Today looks at good places to try out this sport in the Golden State.
Five Reasons to Make a Bouldering Trip to Lander, Wyoming: Explore climbing in Wyoming for a challenging and beautiful location.
Great Places to Rock-Climb: Get some ideas for climbing destinations from Travel + Leisure magazine.
Taos Rock-Climbing: Explore rock-climbing in Taos County, New Mexico, on this Web page.
12 Places to Go Rock-Climbing Before You Die: A Shape magazine slide show explores some great places to climb.
Rock-Climbing and Bouldering: Learn the difference between climbing and bouldering.
Climbing Trips to the Northwest, Yosemite, and Other Areas: The Los Alamos Mountaineers conduct climbing excursions in the Northwest, including Yosemite.

Rock-Climbing Organizations

International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation: The UIAA is a global organization seeking to promote responsible and safe climbing.
New York's LGBTQ Rock-Climbing Organization: This nonprofit climbing organization supports its members as they pursue rock-climbing in New York.
Disabled Sports USA: Disabled climbers receive support and instruction from this sporting organization.
American Alpine Club: This climbing club offers membership benefits such as guidebooks, publications, discounts, and membership connections.
Mazamas: This nonprofit educational climbing organization publishes a monthly newsletter, offers education, and organizes trips.
Santiam Alpine Club: This climbing club, based in Oregon, sponsors education and climbing activities for its members.

Rock Climbing Terms Glossary

Anchor: The anchor is the point where the rock and the rope attached to it meet.
Belay: A belay is a rope attached to a rock or pin, used to secure a climber.
Belayer: A belayer is a person who controls and secures another climber at a belay station.
Boulder: To boulder means to climb on boulders without equipment or ropes. Bouldering is common at the bottom of a climb, at lower heights.
Buttress: A buttress is a part of a rock formation or mountain that juts out from the surrounding rock surface.
Chalk: Chalk is special powder used to absorb moisture on hands to improve a climber's grip.
Clove hitch: A clove hitch is an all-purpose knot, simple to tie and untie, and reasonably secure.
Crag: A crag is a small climbing area with a few climbing routes.
Feet: Feet refer to the individual footholds used by climbers while climbing.
Handle: Indoor climbing walls often have handles or climbing holds for gripping a wall.
Harness: A climber wears a harness made out of nylon and webbing to attach to climbing equipment such as the belay.
Hold: Climbers will find places on rock to grip the surface, called holds.
Pocket: Climbers also use pockets as small handholds for gripping the rock.
Rack: The rack is the equipment that climbers carry and use during a climb.
Rappel: To rappel means to descend down a rope to move down a mountain.
Rating: Climbing areas receive a rating to indicate the degree of difficulty and the risks associated with the climbing location.
Scrambling: Scrambling involves a combination of simple climbing and hiking, generally without ropes.
Slack: During a climb, rope may become taut. If this happens, a climber would request slack.
Sport-climbing: Sport climbing requires additional technical ability and strength for this competitive type of climbing.
Tick marks: Climbers may make chalk tick marks in rock to show the best holds to use.
Top rope: When belaying from a point where the top of the climb is accessible, climbers may place a fixed anchor for the top rope.
Traverse: Climbers moving in a horizontal direction are climbing traverse.