The most daring Sport- Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is a dangerous yet thrilling sport. It’s an un-ordinary sport for extra-ordinary people, as the climber should be in a great and well maintained physical as well as mental form. They say “It’s not a pair of hands that hold on to the rope, but a brain with strong nerves”.
Rock climbing requires the climber to be sharp, vigilant and strong. Unfortunately, this charming and attractive sport is not every body’s trade.
Rock climbing is done in a manner that the leader of the team, who is surely an experienced climber, leads the way. The sub-ordinate team-mate belays while staying on-to the ground, the term is known as “Belaying the leader”, or “Belaying”.
Belaying works when one end of the rope is fixed to the harness of the leader using some kind of a loop or knot. As the leader makes progress towards the top of the rock, he fixes bolts, wedges, or stoppers permanently into the surface of the rock, through which the rope passes. The belayer or the team-mate of the climber also wears a harness attached to which is a belay device.
It is important to understand that belaying is a crucial and focal part of the process of rock climbing. As the leader ascends further, he clips the rope with metal bolts digged into the rock. This helps the climber to stay safe and hang in the air if he falls, the belayer standing beneath can easily lock-off the rope with less effort. If the climber falls off the rock, he will not hit the ground as the rope will keep him intact, this way the climber can start off climbing the rock where he left it.
The rope which is used for belaying is made up of special a material which has some stretch in it. In the event of a fall out, the climber is not brought to an immediate and abrupt convulsive stop, which could cause severe injuries.
The responsibilities of the belayer are of very important nature. As the belayer has to understand what his or her partner is doing up there. Belayer has to lock-off the rope with belaying device, if the climber is not moving any further, and when the climber moves up, the belayer has to make sure that enough amount of rope is available to the climber.
If an event of a fall out occurs then it totally depends on the belayer, if he or she responds to the situation accordingly. A belayer has to be pro-active in approach. Belaying can be done by using several belaying techniques, such as, use of belaying devices, Munter hitch, or the primitive method of body belay.
So far, it seems to be an easy and tranquil sport, but the climber who is up on the rock faces great arduousness. As he has to grasp the rock by very narrow and sharp cuts and keep equanimity. A mere mistake can prove to be fatal.
Rock climbing at times, gets the climber in a situation where he or she has to use the creative skills to hold on. Such tricky situations can prove to be catastrophic, if not handled with the right and timely intervention.
To avoid any situation, a climber must get into a position where he or she can grip the vertical hold and place the feet where they can have sufficient leverage. A proper guide book can help one to learn the basic techniques of rock climbing in detail or an instructor would be a really good choice for the beginners.
Chuck Pratt a well known rock climber once said “Writing about climbing is boring, I would rather go climbing”.
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