Indoor climbingFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indoor climbing is an increasingly popular form of rock climbing performed on artificial structures thatattempt to mimic the experience of outdoor rock.

The proliferation of indoor climbing gyms has increased the accessibility, and thus the popularity, of the sportof climbing. Since environmental conditions (ranging from the structural integrity of the climbing surfaces, toequipment wear, to proper use of equipment) can be more controlled in such a setting, indoor climbing isperhaps a safer and more friendly introduction to the sport. Many rock gyms are settings for birthday partiesand youth teams.

This sense of security has a downside—a new gym climber may head to the cliffs and find they do not haveall of the necessary skills for climbing in a setting without preplaced anchors, and explicit route finding.

The first indoor walls tended to be made primarily of brick leaving little scope for interesting routes, as thesteepness of the wall and variety of the hand holds were somewhat limited.[1] More recently, indoor climbingterrain is constructed of plywood over a metal frame, spray-coated with texture to simulate a rock face.

Indoor climbing has also seen an increase in popularity in areas with rainy climates where climbing outdoorsis sometimes difficult. Besides offering an alternative during inclement weather, many working adults findthat they can get to the gym after work and still climb even though it is too dark outside. In order to improvein any sport, consistent practice is crucial. With the advent of indoor climbing, weather, seasonal difficulties,and busy schedules are less of an obstacle to consistent improvement, and enjoyment of the sport.

Most climbing competitions are held in climbing gyms, making them a part of indoor climbing.

Contents

1 Indoor vs outdoor climbing2 Climbing wall construction3 Equipment4 See also5 References6 External links

Indoor vs outdoor climbing

There are a few differences in techniques, style and equipment between sport climbing outdoors and indoors.Climbing artificial climbing walls, especially indoors is much safer because of controlled environmentalconditions. During indoor climbing holds are easily visible in contrast with natural wall where finding a goodhold or foothold may be a challenge. Climbers on artificial walls are somewhat restricted to the holdsprepared by route setter where on natural walls they can use every slope or crack in the surface of the wall.Some typical rock formations can be difficult to emulate on climbing walls.[2]

Climbing wall construction

Main article: Climbing wall

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The most common construction method involves screwing resin hand holds on to wooden boards. The boardscan be of varying height & steepness (from completely horizontal 'roofs' to not even vertical 'slabs') and havea large variety of holds (such as very small 'crimps,' slanted-surfaced 'slopers,' and 'jugs,' which are oftenlarge and easy to hold) attached. This variety, coupled with the ability for the climbs to be changed byattaching the holds onto the wall differently, has resulted in indoor climbing becoming a very successfulsport.

Equipment

Proper climbing equipment must be used during indoor climbing. [3] Most climbing gyms lend harnesses,ropes and belay devices. Some also lend climbing shoes and chalk bags. Some climbing gyms require use ofchalk socks (vs loose chalk) to reduce chalk dust in the air and chalk spills when a chalk bag is tipped overor stepped on. Reducing chalk in the air helps avoid clogging the ventilation system and reduces the dust thataccumulates on less than vertical surfaces.

See also

Rock-climbing equipment

References^ "Scottish Climbing Wall History" (http://www.mcofs.org.uk/walls-history.asp). Mcofs.org.uk. Retrieved2013-02-03.

1.

^ "What is Indoor Climbing?" (http://www.abc-of-rockclimbing.com/info/indoor-climbing.asp). Abc-of-rockclimbing.com. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2013-02-03.

2.

^ "Equipment" (http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~sedwards/climbing/equipment.html). Alumnus.caltech.edu.Retrieved 2013-02-03.

3.

External links

Climbing Wall Association (http://www.climbingwallindustry.org/) - a 501(c)(06), non-profit, industrytrade association

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Indoor climbing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_climbing

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