Rockclimbing

I think I have put pictures up before, of the rock climbing walls at Seminar Park. This is the wall that we used for the beginners class. So yes...full story: Rockclimbing class is wonderful! I'm so happy that I find out about these kinds of things through all my supervisors and Japanese friends that know that I want to experience everything I can! The class is free, and after taking 3 classes, we get a certification card that allows us access to all the parks harnesses, ropes, etc. To tell you the truth, I loved this so much that I plan on buying my own harness and shoes. I would have been able to try the wall more if I had my own harness, because there was a line to use the harnesses that they had on hand. And their climbing shoes were a little tight on me.

The class had 23 people in it, and 3 instructors. There was an intermediate and advanced class going on at others walls at the same time, which was a little distracting because they were so amazing! At the end, the wall pictured above was moved!! They have controls that can change the tilt of the wall at 2 different joints, if you will. They made this wall super difficult, and put on a little show for us. And showy it was...they were like flipping their bodies around every which way to make it to the top! I don't think I could ever be that good...but I want to keep working at it!

In theory, the instructors taught us how to tie all our own knots and get it all set up by ourselves. But admittedly there was a language barrier, and I think the instructors just didn't know what to do with that, so they just showed us what to do, and I wasn't able to go through it enough times to remember. I do know that this rockclimbing class didn't use a figure 8...they had some other cool kind of mechanism...but they showed us both, and I got the concept.

This was my first attempt out of three. I couldn't make it past that area a couple feet above my head on my first try...but on my second try (on the right side...) I made it up into the 10th or 11th meter area. The first and second time, fear stopped me from going higher. I mean, I couldn't quite reach, but I wasn't yet comfortable with just GOING FOR it and making a leap of faith. The third try --it was physical strength that stopped me from going any higher. I had already exerted myself in my first 2 attempts. I really need to work out my arm muscles. By the way, I went to the class with my friend Anna, who did much better than me! Go Anna!

Coming down was not as hard as I thought it would be. Turns out that being held On Belay by someone below works just as well as those fair type ones that just take you down slowly. This went a little faster than those fair ones, but felt absolutely safe and secure. Here Anna is coming down in a Top Model pose!

Me! Climbing! Its not as easy as it looks people... Only click on the video above if you really wanna see a white girl struggling. :)