Climbing - Outside booklet, ebooks

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Climbing Outside
Contents
1
Risks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
2
Clubs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
3
Young Climbers
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
4
The Environment
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
4
5
History and Ethics
. . . . . . . . . . .
6
6
Grades
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
7
Bouldering
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
8
Leading Indoors
. . . . . . . . . . . .
11
9
Sport Climbing
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
10
Traditional Climbing
. . . . . . .
12
11
Abseiling
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
Cover photo:
Clipping a camming device, Stanage
Photo – Alex Messenger
•
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•
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•
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•
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•
Discounts on gear,
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•
Worldwide
‘information service’
Acknowledgements
Produced by Jon Garside BMC/MLTE Training
Ofﬁcer with support from members of the Training
Advisory Group. Funded by Sport England
A number of people were very generous in
contributing to this booklet: British Mountain Guide
Steve Long gave us free access to the text in his
First Moves series, the Bouldering section was
adapted from Simon Panton’s North Wales
Bouldering guide (Northern Soul, 2004), and
Barbara Jones contributed to the conservation
issues in that section.
A number of diagrams
have been taken from
MLTUK’s book
Rock
Climbing – Essential
Skills & Techniques
by British Mountain
Guide Libby Peter.
Join today
www.thebmc.co.uk
To purchase a copy
now please contact
the BMC on
0870 010 4878.
Many wall users
wanting to climb
on real rock
would like to
develop their
existing skills.
If that sounds like
you, then read on!
Britain is often referred to as the home
of adventure climbing, and renowned
for the incredible variety of rock types
available on such a small island.
Our cliffs may not be the tallest, but they present many new challenges not
experienced indoors, forcing the climber to adopt very different climbing styles.
Slabs require a very balanced approach; cracks require jamming with ﬁngers,
hands, ﬁsts or even arms; steep overhanging cliffs can be very energy sapping but
with good footwork and inventive body positions a lot of weight is taken off the
arms. Different rock types present different hazards: cliffs are being continually
eroded by the elements and some rock types are ‘more stable’ than others. This can
present a real danger of experiencing loose rock or even snapping holds, so helmets
are a very worthwhile investment.
Britain is a world-class venue for sea-cliff climbing, but just getting to the bottom
of a route may involve an abseil or tide dependent approach. Our mountains have
many soaring cliffs, but a change in the weather can present real difﬁculties to the
unprepared. With this variety comes venues that are very novice friendly, perfect
for learning new skills before venturing into more challenging arenas.
Our cliffs are a ﬁnite resource and the BMC is heavily involved in securing
access to them for climbers and mountaineers. You need to be aware of seasonal
or permanent restrictions that are in place to protect nesting birds and other animal
and plant species. The sport of rock climbing has been evolving for over 100 years,
and even though a ‘rule-book’ does not exist, there are many different ethics that
have developed through time which allow the sport to continue in a sustainable way.
This booklet is intended to provide guidance for the indoor climber who wants to
venture outside. There is an emphasis on ensuring that these ﬁrst trips are done
safely, but of equal importance is knowledge of the sport and the environment
in which you climb.
Happy climbing.
BMC CEO
1
Remote adventurous climbing, Scafell
Photo – Jon Garside
1
Risks
The BMC recognises that climbing
and mountaineering are activities with
a danger of personal injury or death.
Participants in these activities should
be aware of and accept these risks
and be responsible for their own
actions and involvement
An important part of making the transition
to climbing outside is developing the art of
balancing the skills you have available,
against the challenges provided by the
environment. That the sport involves risk is
obvious to all, and this is an integral part of
the activity. It is important for each individual
to identify a personally acceptable level of
risk.
Minimising risks boils down to having the
right level of skill and experience relative to
the difﬁculty and seriousness of a given route.
On a climbing wall different routes present
a fairly equal level of risk, irrespective of their
difﬁculty. When climbing outside this is not the
case, and the potential level of risk to which a
climber is exposed does not equate to a
route’s difﬁculty. This is one of the biggest
differences an indoor climber must understand
when climbing outside. Sustaining an injury on
an easy sea cliff climb is likely to be more
serious than having an accident at a roadside
crag, and generally the amount of ‘safety’ or
‘danger’ involved comes from the climber,
not the rock.
We all have varied perceptions of what risk
is and experience taking risks in different
ways. When starting out choose the easiest
routes available so that you are (hopefully!)
still smiling when you ﬁnish them. In this way
you ﬁnd your limit by working up to it and so
build a clear picture of the
perceived
and
actual
risks involved. Accidents often happen
when people confuse these two very different
concepts.
Managing risk: high runner placement protecting
leader Photo – Jon Garside
Imagine walking around at the top of a cliff
where a slip over the edge could be fatal –
the actual risk – but one can feel safe as the
terrain is ﬂat – the perceived risk. Climbing
a difﬁcult route with a top rope is very safe –
the actual risk – (assuming the anchor is good,
the belayer is paying attention etc) but the
difﬁculty of the climb can induce a lot of fear –
the perceived risk. Ask yourself lots of ‘what if’
questions, and in this way you can be objective
about the risks to which you are exposed.
Because experienced climbers strive very
hard to know their own limitations, the sport
enjoys remarkably low accident rates.
Incidents that make the headlines often involve
individuals operating in environments for
which they were ill-prepared, and this can give
a somewhat skewed impression of the dangers
involved in the sport.
Accidents can happen due to circumstances
over which the climber has no control, such as
rockfall, and in these events ﬁrst aid training
can make all the difference. As an absolute
minimum all climbers should be familiar with
2
Climbing Outside
2
Clubs
Venturing outside can present problems if you have
no regular partners to climb with. The BMC has over
350 afﬁliated clubs throughout the country ranging in
size from over 1000 to under 10. Joining a club will
give you access to a wealth of experienced people
who can help develop your climbing skills. Some clubs
offer introductory sessions and there is also the
possibility of a pool of loan gear, shared travel,
arranged trips at weekends and hut accommodation.
All of which make getting started much easier.
A list of climbing clubs is available at
www.thebmc.co.uk, and a club near you can
be easily located. All will welcome new
members, but some are better equipped to
cater for beginners and young people, so talk
to them and ﬁnd out before joining. There is
guidance for BMC afﬁliated clubs on
welcoming new members and introducing
novices, as well as practical events such as
seminars and lecture series.
Enjoy adventure at any age
Photo – Jon Garside
3
Young Climbers
basic emergency procedures, as outside help
will always take time to arrive. Climbers should
be especially aware that many serious
accidents involve head injuries, and that
wearing a helmet has on many occasions
saved someone from more serious injury or
death.
Hopefully it is obvious that your ﬁrst outdoor
climbs should be very much within your ability,
without any unnecessary complications. It
would be foolhardy to choose a weather
dependent long mountain route with a
complicated descent as your ﬁrst climb!
Think about the type of route you are
embarking on. An easy slab may provide
fewer runner placements than an overhanging
crack, and so a leader may be more likely to
sustain an injury falling off the former than the
latter – it’s not the falling off that’s the problem,
it’s the hitting something on the way down
that’s going to hurt!
Don’t just consider the grade when
choosing climbs, identify your strengths and
weaknesses and pick routes accordingly.
Climbing is part of our childhood: scaling trees,
sneaking over walls, exploring rock pools, stepping-
stone games – so you’re already a natural! Having
opportunities to develop your skills further is often
the biggest obstacle.
Youth Participation Statement:
Parents and young participants should
be aware that climbing, hill walking
and mountaineering are activities
with a danger of personal injury or
death. Parents and participants
in these activities should be aware
of and accept these risks and be
responsible for their own involvement.
Young Climbers
3
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Climbing - Outside booklet, ebooks

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