Simple

On Belay?

Rock climbing

IS AWESOME!

Today I arrived at ClimbX an hour early and bouldered around the room because every wall was open and there were only two other people there. It is a lot of fun, challenging, and exciting! I rented a pair of climbing shoes instead of using tennis shoes and they make such a big difference! You can use the inside of your foot, the outside, and the very edge of your toe with these shoes. They make climbing a lot easier and more enjoyable.
By the time class started, my arms were on the verge of becoming Jell-o and my hands and fingers felt stiff and rough. We paired up and began climbing the walls. My partner was really nice and an excellent climber. We did some difficult climbs, with holds that you could barely discern from the wall let alone try to hold onto. But we both made it to the top of every one we tried. The thing that made them easier was that we used whatever color we wanted. A climb gets a rating based on how difficult it is. And each climb has a specific color. For example, on one wall, the climb OrangeX had a rating of about a 5.8 and in order to complete it, you can only use the orange holds to get to the top. When using whatever hold is within reach, it is called rainbow, because you are using all the colors.
I think for the first few weeks I will be climbing rainbow. Hopefully I can master individual colors by the time November rolls around. =)

posted by jessi @ 7:03 PM