The Art of Rock Climbing

Climbing covers a range of recreational, adventurous or sporting activities involving using one's hands and feet to move up the surface of a steep object. Evolving from the pursuit of mountaineering, rock climbing is the scaling of steep rocky surfaces, usually using ropes and other climbing equipment for protection. Rock climbing can be subdivided into free climbing (where ropes and gear are used strictly for safety in the case of a fall), and aid climbing, where a passage up a piece of rock is engineered by using equipment placed in the rock for upward progress. People have been climbing mountains recreationally since the early 1700s. The use of a rope in mountain climbing started in the mid-1800s in Europe. At this time the rule was the leader (one who climbs first on the rope) - usually a professional guide - must not fall. This was a fairly straightforward rule as the ropes and techniques of the day meant that a lead fall would most likely be fatal. By the early 1900s climbers in Saxony were using ropes in a somewhat more efficient manner - threading them through occasional iron safety rings embedded in the rock - in their attempts to protect dangerous leads. (Wikipedia)

Climbing Techniques, Moves and Implements Types of Climbing Messiah College

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