Rock Climbing Professional Courses: Learn to Rock Climb

Rock climbing comes under the category of extreme sports. It involves the use of your arms, legs and a rope to push yourself up the steep, rocky cliffs. The rope is attached to the cliff with the help of Spring Loaded Cramming Device (SLCD), which in turn, is attached to the climber's harness by carabiners. The life of a climber depends on this equipment and any error in placing or fixing the equipment can prove fatal.

There are two types of rock climbing, namely, free climbing, where no ropes or safety equipment is used for climbing and lead climbing, where the lead outlines the path for others to climb. The lead has the rope around his body and once he reaches the rock formation, other members of his group follow his path.

If you have a passion for extreme sports, then rock climbing is the right sport for you. You will need to practice under a professional guide. There are many rock climbing professional courses that teach you to handle various situations and learn different tricks of the trade. These schools have indoor rock climbing facility, where you are trained to become a rock climber. It is always better to opt for the professional schools, because it is difficult to learn on one's own. Professional guidance will train you to perfect the art of rock climbing, before you venture out on your own.

You should choose your instructor carefully as you will be solely dependent on his skills. Devour all the information you get on rock climbing before and after your first climb. Learn the various intricacies of rock climbing by watching other climbers. You can learn the do's and don't from both the beginners and the experts. If you have difficulty in understanding any climbing technique, do not feel shy to ask questions. Clear your doubts as you never know you might encounter the same problem while venturing on your own.

Do not be in a hurry to scale heights. You should be confident and perfect before you move on to the next level. Understand the basics, build your stamina and polish your skills. When you are outdoors, scaling real heights, you will use your legs to push your body upwards. The arms will help in balancing and positioning your body. When the route is difficult, you may need to hang on to the cliff using your hands and fingers, while trying to solve the complex problem of reaching a smoother route. This is where all your training and strength building exercises at the rock climbing courses come into play.

In the United States, a standard rating system is followed by the climbers, which is used to describe the difficulty level. This system has 6 classes. Class 1 starts with normal hiking, scrambling and then class 5 involves climbing the walls. Class 6 has walls that are extremely smooth and cannot be climbed without the help of climbing aids like ladder. Class 5 is divided into 14 levels as follows:

• 5.0 through 5.4 - It is the beginners level that is as easy as climbing a ladder.
• 5.5 through 5.7 - Intermediate level which requires more skill and is climbable in normal shoes or boots.
• 5.8 through 5.10 - This is the experienced level which requires climbing shoes, experience and a lot of strength.
• 5.11 through 5.12 - This is the expert level. Only the top 10 percent of climbers in the world can handle these routes.
• 5.13 through 5.15 - It is the elite level that can only be handled by the best of the best.

Rock climbing is a sport which gives some people a high adrenaline rush and allows them to test their level of endurance. Rock climbing has an element of danger, which can be somewhat nullified with practice and experience. Always seek professional guidance and buy proper equipments before trying out rock climbing. This is a sport for cool, composed and brave people who do not just use their physical strength, but also their brain power in scaling deadly heights.