Our Best Tips for Rock Climbing

Whether you’re trying out one of the gorgeous climbing areas in North Carolina or working in a climbing gym close to home, rock climbing is an exhilarating experience. Climbers challenge their ability to concentrate, their patience, and their physical strength, so a successful climb is something to celebrate. Like any complex activity, there’s a lot to learn about rock climbing. We think these tips may help you focus on the essentials:

Different Types of Climbing

In a good climbing gym, you’ll usually find three types of climbing available:

• Bouldering, where you stay at a relatively low height and climb without a rope or harness. A crash pad sits below the wall to cushion any falls.
• Top-rope climbing with a rope secured to your harness. The rope then runs up through an overhead anchor and back down to your belayer.
• Lead climbing, also with a rope and harness. Here the climber clips the rope into a series of quickdraws on the wall while the belayer handles the free end from the floor.

Climbing Techniques

Reaching the top of a climb takes more than strength and stamina. You’ll best be able to tackle this challenge if you’ve learned about the techniques climbers use in a successful climb. Find out how to choose hand and foot holds, how close to stay to the wall, and how to handle a fall by practicing at a climbing gym before setting out to scale the nearest cliff.

Pre-climb Preparation

It should go without saying that warming up and stretching before beginning a climb is a good idea, but not every climber heeds this advice. Those who don’t, pay for it later with pulled muscles. And learn how to preview and read your route before taking step one up the wall. You don’t want to find out you went the wrong way when you’re 20 feet up.

Partner Trust

One of the most important decisions climbers make is their choice of climbing partner. You need someone with patience to spare, a steady temperament, and a long attention span. Although The Ultimate Climbing gym offers auto belays, it’s good to find a climbing gym that offers belaying instruction for you and your partner, so everyone knows what they are doing.

Finally, relax. Over-tensed muscles tire quickly. Take your time and have fun! 

Next time you’re ready to climb and take action on these tips, try The Ultimate Climbing Gym in Greensboro.  Feel free to come as a group or a single climber.  It’s a very welcoming local climbing community and we’d love for you to be a part of it.

How Rock Climbing is the Best Team Building (contact Tumblebees for your next corporate event!)

Over the past couple of decades, team building programs have helped thousands of businesses reach their goals. You may have heard or read about corporations that send groups of employees off to specialized training programs in the wilderness, but did you know that you can still achieve the same results right here at home? You don’t need to invest thousands of dollars in team building. As a local business based in Greensboro, the Ultimate Climbing Gym is available to help.

Taking Risks

The premise of team building is to encourage risk taking in an environment where team members have each others’ backs. Solving the problems set for the team requires working together, often in a physical way, where everyone must pitch in to reach a solution. This responsibility towards other team members encourages bonding and team reliance, which should continue once the team is back at work.

Climbing Teamwork

In a climbing gym, the teams are small. In fact, they consist of just two people: the climber and the belayer. The job of the climber is self-explanatory, but belaying is the job of keeping the climber from falling. The two must work together as a team to minimize risks in order to achieve a successful climb. As the climber ascends the wall, he must relay instructions to the person on the ground doing the belaying. Meanwhile, the belayer must pay attention to the climber and be alert for any problems that may arise. By the end of the session, belayer and climber will be proud of their teamwork and accomplishments.

Facilities

The Ultimate Climbing Gym is suitable for corporate groups and small businesses. We treat everyone alike. With advance notice our climbing space, which includes a 40-foot-tall lead climbing area and 16 top ropes, is available seven days a week. We set routes for all abilities and skill levels. In addition, we have a private room where your team can meet before or after the climbing experience to address concerns and discuss results while they’re still fresh in everyone’s minds.

Let us know what you want from your team building exercise and we’ll do our best to help you achieve it.