There are 2 images in this gallery, click a thumbnail to view photos
|
WERC 1: Women and Rock Climbing |
|
|
|
|
Written by Julie Chapman
|
|
Monday, 18 August 2008 |
Who do you think of when you think of a rock climber? Chances are, you envision some guy, tanned, muscles flexed, hauling himself up an impossibly high pinnacle, maybe with rope. Well, WERC is ready to change that perception and show you what women can do in this sport.
Momentum in Sandy, the largest indoor climbing gym in the state teaches a series of classes on a monthly basis: WERC, Women Experience Rock Climbing. Taught by and for women, this instructional series is designed to engage women in the sport of rock climbing, providing the skills, training, and networking support that new and veteran women climbers can use to grow in their climbing experiences.
The first thing a participant learns in WERC, and what every new woman climber should know, is that climbing isn’t about brute, upper body strength, but rather about flexibility, endurance, mental alertness and calm. It requires a proper balance of overall body strength, precision and relaxation, not to mention problem solving. Sorry to rock the boat, but women have this in spades and we make incredible climbers.
To be specific, women tend to approach climbing differently than most novice men. Almost everyone, male and female, think of climbing as something that is done with your arms, but it isn’t because arm muscles wear out too fast. Climbing is really done with the legs: you don’t pull yourself up the wall, you push yourself up the wall. Leg muscles are large, strong and don’t tire nearly as quickly as arms will.
It may be that women, who tend to have less bulky upper body strength than men (though I can carry our 16-month-old for longer than my husband), are almost forced to recognize that their legs must carry the brunt of it if they are going to get anywhere. Just like carrying a baby, the secret is that it’s all in your hips and legs).
Coming to that realization and then letting your arms relax as you hang off your joints, not pulling yourself in tight to the wall, feels a bit counter-intuitive, but is the only way to succeed over time, and women tend to be forced to do it sooner than most men. But a woman’s natural flexibility also adds to her climbing prowess. The fact that we are often more slight and more compact than men means that we find ourselves turning more quickly to our mental abilities to resolve climbing obstacles before us. We can’t necessarily just power through it or hope to gain a few more inches in height, so we resort to finesse — a step every climber must take at some point.
Women will find that with the basic gear — harness, chalk bag, shoes, and someone to belay them — this is a fun, mentally and physically challenging activity. Whether for exercise, recreation, or sport, rock climbing is something every woman should try. You don’t need to be the most fit person in the land, one veteran participant in WERC started climbing to lose baby weight a year ago and has lost 40 pounds. So, whatever your fitness level, whatever your skill level, give it a try — at a gym like Momentum first, in a class like WERC if you can — you’re likely to surprise yourself.
Check out my experience in the class in my other articles, WERC 1: Benefits of Bouldering and WERC 1: “Climb on” with top-roping .
For more information go to www.momentumclimbing.com or www.quarryclimbing.com |
No Comments.
Discuss this item on the forums. (0 posts) |
|
 |
| Currently |
| 39° |
| Partly Cloudy |
|
|
