Rock Climbing Essay

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He pulled himself up and took his final step to the top of the mountain just in time as the dazzling sun broke over the horizon. Roman Emperor Hadrian had just introduced the world to the sport of rock climbing in 121 A.D. by climbing Mount Etna (Aleksey 1). For a long time, rock climbing’s history all traced back to mountaineering and was only seen as a part of training to improve and to practice skills for mountain climbing expeditions (MaxLifestyle International Inc. 1). “In the 1920’s, it gradually became known in the United States as an essential factor in mountain climbing” (1). Finally, in the 1950s, rock climbing became its own sport (1). This began to open doors for the sport, and it began to be divided into different styles and types (1). It opened a gate-way to a new rating and grading system for the difficulties of the climbs and challenged people to find the best gear for the job. It continues today to be an ever-growing popular sport that gains the interest of more and more people looking for a fun and challenging sport every day. Within the following research paper, the sport of rock climbing will be scrutinized by studying the various types of rock climbing performed indoors and outdoors, the essential techniques needed to climb correctly and safely, and the physical, mental, and social benefits of rock climbing.
Rock climbing can be defined as “a sport that can be done on plywood climbing structures, or done outdoors on cliffs thousands of feet high” (Brian 1). First, rock climbing will be looked at by how it works indoors and what types of climbing are generally associated with indoor rock climbing. Indoor climbing is unique because it does not use actual rock like outdoors, but uses artificial rock shapes tha...

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...and the physical, mental, and social benefits of rock climbing. In the first point, the types of rock climbing were broken down into indoor and outdoor climbing and then further discussed. After knowing what could be done with rock climbing, the second section covered basic techniques needed for climbing, through everything from the rating system, to equipment, safety precautions, body positions, and partner skills. Finally, it explained how rock climbing can be beneficial to a person’s lifestyle by physically, mentally, and socially strengthening the climber. Now, almost 1,900 years after Roman Emperor Hadrian first climbed to the top of Mount Etna, people are still enjoying the ever-growing sport of rock climbing. As Alex Lowe, a professional rock climber and climbing award winner says, “The best climber is the one having the most fun” (Rock Climbing For Life 4).

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