EDUCATION
LEARN TO ...
Rock Climb at
CHIMERA CLIMBING
Tell us about the different abilities welcomed at Chimera .
Climbing is for absolutely everyone regardless of starting fitness . If you can climb a ladder , you can climb our beginner routes . You do not need any upper body strength to start , technique is far more important than brute strength . The best thing is the routes are colour coded so it is easy to see where to go and what to try , there ’ s no way to accidentally end up on an advanced route on your first session . So many climbers are scared of heights – an incredible number ! They build up slowly by doing one more move each time , and climb sideways instead of vertically to practice .
What are the different activities you offer ?
We have loads of different courses and classes – from socials to taster sessions , all sorts of kids clubs and birthday parties , and of course we offer advanced workshops as well . We do film nights here and hold competitions and pizza nights too . There ’ s always something going on and everyone is welcome no matter their ability level . That ’ s the great thing about climbing , you can do it together even if you and your friends have different starting levels .
What would you say is the most exciting thing about learning to rock climb ?
The feeling of achievement is hard to beat , climbing higher and higher each time and seeing so much progression . When you begin you have no idea how anyone can climb the harder routes , they look impossible , but after a few sessions you already begin to believe they are within your grasp . Climbing horizontal caves seems utterly impossible until suddenly it isn ’ t , because you realise how much strength you have built up . Then you can take all those skills outside and climb at so many beautiful locations around the world , meeting interesting people from all walks of life along the way .
Have you got any particularly impressive success stories you could tell us about ?
We have kids who have worked their way up to GB trials ! But the best success stories are the people who start off scared of heights and come back a few years later with stories from climbing a hundred-foot route outdoors . We have a climber here who has been climbing huge rock faces in France , dangling hundreds of feet in the air . When she started she used to be too scared to climb more than a couple of feet from the ground . Her progression has been astonishing to watch .
Why should people learn to rock climb this September ?
Because it ’ s a brilliant way to get fit , it ’ s cardio and strength training combined ; but more importantly , it ’ s an incredible way to make new friends . It ’ s also a way of life – it can lead you on worldwide adventures and teach you so much about yourself . You ’ ll build resilience and mental strength , it ’ s a sport where you can really take pride in how you ’ ve achieved and the skills you develop are so useful in the real world too .
CHIMERA CLIMBING ’ S TOP TIPS :
• It doesn ’ t matter what you wear or how fit you are .
• Put your toes on the holds not the middle of your feet – this means you can push through to stand up taller and change direction more easily .
• Push with your legs instead of pulling with your arms – your leg is a bigger muscle !
• The straighter your arms the less tired you ’ ll get .
• If you are worried about the height , climb along instead of up .
www . chimeraclimbing . com chimeraclimbing
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