by Lokemun Magar

Created on: July 27, 2010   Last Updated: July 28, 2010

Rock climbing is an exciting sport which can be as simple as scaling a vertical man-made rock wall, or as intricate as climbing the icy rock walls of Mount Everest. Equipment for this sport can be a complicated mess for a beginner at rock climbing. However, having a simple guide to basic rock climbing equipment will help dislodge the confusion in your mind, and start you on a mind-boggling and muscle-straining sport that sends your adrenalin rush everytime you see a wall.

What constitutes basic rock climbing equipment? In basic rock climbing, such as climbing up a training wall, equipment is used for ensuring safety when climbing a wall. When climbing, you will need things to attach other things such as rope guides to the wall, rope connectors, the ropes of course, and things to connect you to the ropes, as well as things to get the ropes mobile on the rock or around you. The repertoire of equipment will include harness, carabiners, chalk and chalk bag, belay devices, protection and the rope.

Before we go into the equipment proper, an inexperienced rock climber would need to know that a pair of shoes for rock climbing is as essential as any piece of equipment, as it is your most important point of contact between the parts of you that support your weight on a rock wall and push you off onto higher ground. Rock climbing shoes have hard soles and toe protection, vital for helping you kick and push off rough wall in the case of a drop. They should wrap round your feet snuggly so that you have good ankle support. Needless to say, as with any footwear for specialised sports, a new pair can easily cost you between 100 and 200 dollars for a really good pair whose sole will be great enough to provide the friction that prevents slipping.

Also indispensable for new climbers is a helmet that will cushion any accidental knocks of your head against the hard and rough wall, or prevent falling rocks from injuring your head. Do not just grab any helmet. Make sure it is made for rock climbing and not any other sport such as motorcycling or skateboarding, although helmets may look somewhat similar. Gloves likewise help you push off or hang onto rock without scratching skin off your hands. Beginners are advised to wear long pants and sleeves, or the same reason that they are advised to wear gloves. Otherwise, if you are a fairly competent climber, you can wear anything, or less if you want to.

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