Benifits and risks of rock climbing?

Question

Benifits and risks of rock climbing?

Answer 1

It is good exercise but can be dangerous!*

Answer 2

Good:

-Sense of achievment: You complete a climb that you didnt think you could do. It is a great feeling and you will just sit there and smile b/c of your accomplishment

-Building a trusting relationship: You will build trusting relationships with the people you climb with. Keep in mind that they literally have your life in their hands and visa versa

-Being outdoors/intouch with nature: If you are climbing outdoors it is usually off of the beaten path so it can be just you and nature. This can instill the realization of the beauty of the world and may get you to ask yourself the impact you are making on this beauty.

-Exercise: You will be working muscles that you never knew you had. Legs, abs, back arms shoulders all get stronger. These muscles are always good to keep in shape for any sort of activity

-Balance: The sport develops balance through different body positioning as you work your way up the rock.

-Unplug: Again b/c you are in the middle of no where, you can become completely unplugged from the outside world. No cellphones or work trying to get a hold of you.

-Variety: There are always places to go and climb. Get bored with your usual climbs, then go somewhere else that has similar difficult levels but different routes

-Traveling: You can travel the world and climb. See amazing places that you never thought you would go before.

-Improved problem solving skills: Climbing is about figureing out how to climb to the top of a route. Sometimes it is straightforward, other times it is a puzzle of body positioning and finding the holds that will allow you to climb the route.

Bad:

-Injury/Death: Even if you are the most careful person in the world and double/triple check everything, there is always still a chance of things going wrong that are beyond your control. This can lead to severe falls. The list of how/why you can get hurt is too long to even begin listing here.

-Unplugged: because you are unplugged and have no cell reception, this can be a bad thing in case someone needs emergency assistance.

Do the risks outweigh the benefits? That is up to you to decide.

Answer 3

I agree with shimmitail

Answer 4

Benefit, it can be fun and you exercise your body.

Risk, you can fall to your death.

Answer 5

I'd say one of the main benefit of rock climbing is the sense of achievement that you gain at the end of a route or the end of the day. I've found the pride that you feel when you've finished a route and look back down or up at it and think 'wow, i did that' is amazing. It's made all the more so if it's an especially gnarly and exposed route, as there are links between levels of adrenaline in your body and how vividly your memory is formed.

It also gives you an excuse, nay, an incentive to get outdoors in the sun or just the fresh air and feels so much more wholesome than say, sitting around watching tv.

It'll send you home with an appetite and a feeling you've earned your bed after a big day out, as the exhaustion is not just physical but mental too.

You can measure how much you've improved as every route is graded, so gives you easily(ish) achievable goals to set.

It gives you a great body, from the sheer muscle power that is required to get better, so you get great arms and abdominal muscles.

You get to start a new collection of gear.

Obviously the main risk is falling to serious injury or death. However, as long as you know what you're doing and don't make silly mistakes or misjudgements, this isn't a big risk until you start really pushing your grade and doing harder routes. And even then this is only when you're leading a route, rather than seconding or top-roping. And even That is when you're leading a badly protected route.

I'm not saying that rock climbing isn't dangerous, mistakes and unforeseeable circumstances will always arise, I'm just saying if you use your head and don't do anything silly then you should be fine.

A good example of this was a couple of weeks ago a climber fell to his death in Les Gaillands in Chamonix Mont Blanc on a nice roadside crag with lots of families sitting around with picnics (i.e. not a far out of reach place up in a mountain), because (it seems, though please someone correct me, I wasn't there!) he might not've checked his knot properly, and this was someone that had been climbing for years. So mistakes could always happen, just pay attention and double check everything.

Other risks are injuries due to over-straining yourself, not warming etc. normal sporting things. Climbers are particularly prone to arthritis in the fingers from the immense strain placed upon them, especially climbers who use crimp holds a lot. But again, train like a proper sportsman instead of a tourist and you should be able to avoid injury.

Oh yeah, and when you're climbing outside, please, Always wear a helmet.

Answer 6

I used to very interested in learning to climb, but the older i got the less enthused I was, because of the danger. It would have to be a beautiful experience though. I would take a class if your interested, that way you now how to stay, well, at least MOSTLY safe.....

Answer 7

benefits, great workout helps balance and flexibility

down side is basically falling, bouldering your not ashigh but without ropes

rock climbing you have a saftey line,then a safty line for the safty line

Answer 8

benefit- if you really love climbing, its a rush and you get to work out differently than you normally would. its a really good way to kind of unwind (for me at least)

risk- okay you will not FALL to your death unless you are free climbing (with no ropes) or you have a really crappy belayer. a lot of rock gyms are top roped (where the rope is attached to the ceiling and a pulley system so there is not belayer.) or you have a professional or someone who has been trained to belay you. the only risk is some bruises and maybe a few scrapes and cuts. nothing life threatening.

in any case, the benefits definitely outweigh the risks

Answer 9

Pretty simple

the benefits - great exercise, gets you out of doors, pushes your own mental limits.

the risks - death being the most obvious, but life always has a death risk. lots of injuries from muscle strains to broken bones and head injuries are common. If  you don't take precautions, are not in good shape, have no training or a large ego you are putting yourself and others at risk.

There are many more unforeseen things that could happen, to many to list here.

You have to remember, you are basically fighting gravity. And in all cases gravity will win if you fall.

If your interested in climbing it is an awesome experience. But it is as awesomely deadly.