New Year fitness:get adrenaline rush on climbing wall
The climbing wall at Warwick School. |
Almost everyone makes a New Year’s resolution to get fit, but not many actually manage to keep it up long into the spring.
Now a new course running in the evenings at Warwick School may mean some of those new trainers stay out of the wardrobe for good.
Pinnacle Challenge is running two sets of six-week courses for beginners and intermediate climbers at the school’s indoor climbing wall.
Chief climbing instructor Simon Ager believes those who take up the pursuit stick with it – for many reasons.
The first is excitement. Much of the adrenaline of climbing comes from the feeling of conquering difficulties and defying danger, and indoor routes can be made more difficult than the cliffs they imitate.
But camaraderie and trust come as part of this as climbers learn they are reliant on each other.
Mr Ager said: “It is a sport which has some inherent danger but if you learn properly the control and safety is very high.”
He added: “When you get to a climbing wall you notice straight away the atmosphere is superb.
“People come off a route and have a bit of a chat and a bit of banter. The networking and social element is very good.”
Beginners learn how to use their ropes, helmets and harnesses before they tie themselves in and tackle graded routes on the wall.
As learners progress to the intermediate stage they learn ‘lead-climbing’, putting in their own belay points as climbers would on a real rockface.
Looking at some wiry climbers, it may seem as if building strength is the only benefit of hauling yourself up a wall, but each route is also a brisk workout.
Derbyshire cliffs. |
Mr Ager said: “It is an aerobic activity but it doesn’t feel like it.
“It is very good for overall fitness. A lot of climbers don’t do any other exercise.”
Climbing also improves flexibility – Mr Ager says yoga is a good preparation – and tones the stomach and back muscles, but exercise is not the only benefit.
For each climber on the wall, another person is responsible for ‘belaying’ - making sure that if they fall the rope will catch them.
This means the activity is useful in building trust and communication for couples, families and workmates. Mr Ager believes climbing together is similar to learning to dance as a means of building understanding.
He added: “It’s all very well for an instructor to tell people but you can learn a lot just by talking to each other.”
People who start learning to climb indoors may find themselves ready to take on some real cliff-faces, and with them some of the best scenery in the country – in the summer.
And this leads to perhaps the biggest advantage of a climbing wall. Unlike most exercise started in the chilly guilt of January, it is warm.
*Sessions take place on Monday evenings from 8pm to 10pm. A six-week beginners course costs £150. Call 496616 or email info@pinnaclechallenge.co.uk for more information on climbing courses at Warwick School.
