My climbing bug was born out of taking a beginner class with Austin Rock Gym. I had climbed a few times before with my old roommate Hong, but for some reason I wasn't into it then. It conflicted too much with my schedule and mass building workouts. Then, for some reason in October last year, I decided I'd give it a shot again, and I wanted to do it right. So, I looked into some guided sessions, classes and gym memberships. The South Austin Rock Gym offered a Climbing 101 class and an Adult Training Program.After careful consideration of all the options, including price, convenience, follow up, and content/instruction (and talking to Russell, the main instructor at ARG), I decided to enroll in the Rock Climbing 101 class. It's offered at the beginning of every month, meets once a week on Monday nights 7-9pm, and includes a one month rock gym membership so that you can go in and practice what you learned. Note, it only "makes" if there is enough interest (usually they need at least 3-4 people to conduct it; otherwise, it's postponed to the next month. There's supposedly a max of 8; only one instructor.)
Anatomy of a Beginner Climbing Class
Getting Outfitted
During the actual class sessions, you're covered for climbing harness and shoe rentals, but during your own practice time you'll have to rent. (I'd recommend just going to REI and buying your own shoes. For beginners, I'd recommend something that fits comfortably but a somewhat snug, like the Evolv Defys. Different shoes fit different feet, so try them all on. Don't worry or splurge too much, you'll end up buying another pair down the line in 6-9 months anyways if you take to climbing regularly)
The Instructor
Russell is the man if you're green to climbing, want to have a solid foundation, and really want to get juiced about it (btw, he's the long haired dude hanging off the above photo). He is the one teaching the 101 class right now. He is 100% energy and enthusiasm for climbing and for teaching. He wants you to excell and the energy in the class starts out high, and maintains for the entire month. It is incredibly fun, and he works with the class really well. I actually had bought a couple of books and had read a lot about climbing before joining the class... so I thought I'd know most of it in this beginner class. But, to my surprise and satisfaction, there was a lot of stuff I didn't get to before, and some I just have to be exposed to in real life to truly get it ingrained. Where ever you decide to go, it's a nice plus to meet your instructor before signing up just to get a feel for them.
Vocabulary
The class starts out with an intro to the crazy climbing vernacular. You go over all the terms you need to know about holds (e.g. crimps, gastons, slopers, underclings, jugs, etc), body positioning (edging, toeing in, drop knees, knee bars, etc), and tie-in and belay techniques. It then progresses into actual practicing of belaying, then body positions, straight arms, etc. Each class builds on the next, with a homework practice assignments to hone technique or ingrain the theory which you do between the next class, such as practicing traversing and matching hands or practicing precise foot placement. In the last class, you get a taste of twist locks, using momentum, dynamic movements (dynos), and some other beginner-intermediate stuff to think about as you decide what's next for you.
I highly recommend this class for anyone wanting to get a good foundation to start and who hasn't had much experience climbing or is not as familiar with the terms and body positions. Though, this is a beginner class, I had been in a gym as well as outdoors a few times before and had read the first few chapters of a couple of climbing books. I still found this class to be super worth it. Plus, I made some friends that I could climb with and belay me. One of my climbing partners, Charles, I met in that class and we've climbed together, been down to Mexico, and may even try some mountaineering (Colorado 14'ers), which he is really into.
If you have been climbing for more than a month or two already and very comfortable with tieing in, belaying, and body positions, this may be a little remedial. The next step would be to take a lead class after a couple of months of climbing if you want to get on the sharp end of the rope. Some folks will be slower or faster at this step, and for some, just top roping (where you risk falling the least) is fine. Alternatively, to learn to lead (and clean), find a good teacher you can trust to teach you and walk it through with you again and again before trying it live. Which brings us to...
Find Experience to Learn from
The next thing I'd recommend once you have a decent understanding of terminology, tieing-in, belaying, and have some climbing either indoor or outdoor... find more experienced people to climb with. I'm a member of the Yahoo ClimbingBuddies group, from whom I was introduced to outdoor climbing and have learned a lot from guys like Brenton, Joel and Karl, as well as most of the other incredibly friendly members, like Chris, Neil, Jen, and Russ. I've also learned from a great new friend and self-described climbing addict, Di (and her great Crew*), thanks to Captain Morgan (who you can frequently see flying between far reaching bouldering holds at SARG ;)
*Annette, Anthony, Ana, Kit, David, Jason
Other companies/classes out there: (Coming soon..)
The Instructor
Russell is the man if you're green to climbing, want to have a solid foundation, and really want to get juiced about it (btw, he's the long haired dude hanging off the above photo). He is the one teaching the 101 class right now. He is 100% energy and enthusiasm for climbing and for teaching. He wants you to excell and the energy in the class starts out high, and maintains for the entire month. It is incredibly fun, and he works with the class really well. I actually had bought a couple of books and had read a lot about climbing before joining the class... so I thought I'd know most of it in this beginner class. But, to my surprise and satisfaction, there was a lot of stuff I didn't get to before, and some I just have to be exposed to in real life to truly get it ingrained. Where ever you decide to go, it's a nice plus to meet your instructor before signing up just to get a feel for them.
Vocabulary
The class starts out with an intro to the crazy climbing vernacular. You go over all the terms you need to know about holds (e.g. crimps, gastons, slopers, underclings, jugs, etc), body positioning (edging, toeing in, drop knees, knee bars, etc), and tie-in and belay techniques. It then progresses into actual practicing of belaying, then body positions, straight arms, etc. Each class builds on the next, with a homework practice assignments to hone technique or ingrain the theory which you do between the next class, such as practicing traversing and matching hands or practicing precise foot placement. In the last class, you get a taste of twist locks, using momentum, dynamic movements (dynos), and some other beginner-intermediate stuff to think about as you decide what's next for you.
I highly recommend this class for anyone wanting to get a good foundation to start and who hasn't had much experience climbing or is not as familiar with the terms and body positions. Though, this is a beginner class, I had been in a gym as well as outdoors a few times before and had read the first few chapters of a couple of climbing books. I still found this class to be super worth it. Plus, I made some friends that I could climb with and belay me. One of my climbing partners, Charles, I met in that class and we've climbed together, been down to Mexico, and may even try some mountaineering (Colorado 14'ers), which he is really into.
If you have been climbing for more than a month or two already and very comfortable with tieing in, belaying, and body positions, this may be a little remedial. The next step would be to take a lead class after a couple of months of climbing if you want to get on the sharp end of the rope. Some folks will be slower or faster at this step, and for some, just top roping (where you risk falling the least) is fine. Alternatively, to learn to lead (and clean), find a good teacher you can trust to teach you and walk it through with you again and again before trying it live. Which brings us to...
Find Experience to Learn from
The next thing I'd recommend once you have a decent understanding of terminology, tieing-in, belaying, and have some climbing either indoor or outdoor... find more experienced people to climb with. I'm a member of the Yahoo ClimbingBuddies group, from whom I was introduced to outdoor climbing and have learned a lot from guys like Brenton, Joel and Karl, as well as most of the other incredibly friendly members, like Chris, Neil, Jen, and Russ. I've also learned from a great new friend and self-described climbing addict, Di (and her great Crew*), thanks to Captain Morgan (who you can frequently see flying between far reaching bouldering holds at SARG ;)
*Annette, Anthony, Ana, Kit, David, Jason
Other companies/classes out there: (Coming soon..)
