Get into Extreme Zone: - Climbing
Climbing in the Extreme Zone is hard work, demanding, technical, physical but the harder the work the more rewarding climbing can be. That wonderful sense of achievement as you arrive at the top after sweating, grunting and swearing your way up the rock (or ice) face.
You are going to need some serious kit, some good solid training and heaps of experience. If you've never climbed before, you'll probably need to work your way up from some basic climbs to enable you to have the skills and knowledge you'll need for extreme climbs. Even if you are going with highly experienced climbers you will need to understand and have practiced the fundementals of climbing first.
There are plenty of climbing clubs and instructors out there that can guide you and teach you what you need to know. As you progress from easier climbs to challenging to extreme, you'll learn how to adapt your basic skills and use them in a variety of ways depending on the technicalities of the climb. Climbing extreme routes requires a lot of kit and the knowledge of how to use it safely and appropriately.
Climbing is physically hard, so good all round fitness is essential. There are special workouts, and physical training aids specifically designed to assist climbers- such as building hand strength.
Climbing is also mentally hard, having to think your way up a route, choosing holds, selecting what safety equipment to use where and when. All this at the same time as physically exerting yourself.
There are plenty of routes that are well known and have some safety equipment already fixed in place. These routes are easier to tackle as you can read advice from others that have undertaken them.
However, there are plenty of rarely explored routes, or climbs that no one has ever climbed before. You'll need to be able to prepare for these climbs by using your knowledge and experience to understand what challenges a route will present to you, and how to overcome them.
It is quite easy to research and find the sort of route that you want to attempt, asking other climbers who know particular areas can be really useful.
Climbing can involve a lot of kit, although you can borrow/hire kit, most climbers will put together their own 'rack' of kit.
Depending on the type of climb or the route you're taking you can select the particular items from your rack that you might need.
It is common practice to make kit with small tags of electrical tape so if you share kit on a trip you can identify yours at the end.
If you don't know how to use a particular item, ask another climber to show you or attend a training course. Don't use anything you are not fully trained to use.
Once you're trained and well kitted out you'll be ready to take on some wonderful climbing routes and get that buzz of excitement as you make your way to the top!