Posted on: April 22nd 2016 | Category:
Luke C from Form 5 tells us about his achievements in climbing and why he is so passionate about it...
On Saturday 5th March I participated in a climbing competition called Blokfest. This was at The Castle Climbing Centre in Stoke Newington. I love climbing because it is a sport I can do either alone or in a team and it uses lots of different skills and muscles. I first started climbing 2 years ago and have now been asked to be in the squad.
There are two kinds of climbing: one is called bouldering and the other is top-roping. Bouldering is without a harness and is where the climber picks a route to get from point A to B across a wall using foot and hand holds on the wall. There are different routes across the wall made up of sequences of different colours. The skill is in assessing your best route from the start to the end in one colour and climbing it with as few attempts as possible and not falling. It is a bit like vertical chess because you have to use your brain to work out the best route and then your body to take you across, involving leaps and contortions of your body to work your way across to get to the top or the end.
Top roping involves wearing a harness and climbing straight up a high wall using holds and you have to pick the best route with as few attempts as possible. The harness is to prevent you falling from a height. Someone has to “belay” you - which means that they support your harness from the ground, so it encourages trust in your team member if you're the one climbing and responsibility if you're the one belaying.
Climbing uses every muscle: arms, legs and core, but also your brain to work out your best route. Sometimes the routes are not obvious and the more advanced you get, the harder the routes.
Blokfest was for climbers from 9 to 16 years old and I managed most climbs and got a good score.
I would recommend climbing to everyone because it helps agility, increases strength and is mentally challenging. It is also a great way to overcome a fear of heights.
Luke
Form 5
