Photo: by
Alessandro
Valli
shoes, mat and chalk, it’s free!
Anyone who enjoys the outdoors
can be easily drawn to climbing,
which can lead to more hobbies
such as mountaineering, walking,
and even other extreme sports like
mountain biking and kayaking.
And with all of these sports
comes a massive community.
Sure, some people think climbers
are a bit crazy, but you can meet
these people, who all share your
interests and passions. Being
part of a climbing community also
helps to build character and to
gain trust in others.
So, why do we climb?
Some would call climbers like
Alex Honnold idiots for risking
their lives by free climbing up
thousands of meters, without a
rope - but you try telling them
that. We all need to break out of
our comfort zones now and then.
Climbing can be dangerous, but
no more than other extreme sports
such as surfing or skateboarding.
And it’s definitely addictive. There
comes an amazing feeling of
accomplishment from climbing
what others see as unclimbable.
To find holds on what appears to
be a completely smooth surface,
and step on nothingness. To jump
on a massive dyno, even when
your brain tells you it’s wrong.
To reach impossible limits. You
start to see a crag, or wall, or
any structure and think: ‘Yeah, I
reckon I could climb that’; you can
actually visualise the moves right
in front of you. You find routes and
moves and holds on what others
see as just ‘a big rock’.
So, perhaps the question
isn’t so much: why do we climb?
It’s more a case of: Why the hell
not?
Photo: by ‘mariachily’
234
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