One of the keys to being able to climb like this is the ability to do pull-ups. Another thing is to use your feet and legs and try not to exhaust your upper body muscles. I was good on the second one. However, even with the weights that I have been lifting over the past several years, I have only within the last few months started working on pull-ups, a completely different muscle set from the standard gym workouts. This rock climbing showed me how much work I have left to do.
We had fun, and I will definitely try this again after I develop better muscles for pull-ups. Then, the next step is finger-tip only pull-ups, even harder.
Here is a picture of each of the three of us (Bill, Jim, and Ken).
I wonder how I would do. My upper body strength sucks these days but I have pretty good strength in my legs. Then again I used to climb lots of fences and trees in the past and I know that I relied upon my legs to get me up.
ReplyDeleteOn 60 Minutes this past Sunday, there was a profile of a cat who climbed MOUNTAINS with nothing more than a good pair of climbing shoes and the biggest and thickest fingers I have ever seen! It was amazing..!
ReplyDeleteGood on you and your friends... that IS tough..!
About 8 years ago I climbed an artificial mountain face. It was hard work. And although I never lost my footing, I was happy to be wearing a harness. It was one of the GREATEST moments in my life, reaching the top. Nowadays I can't stand or walk without difficulty. Glad you tackled this and had fun. VERY brave without harness. Even with padding that's a long way down to go splat.
ReplyDeleteYou done good! Not my thing, my skin crawls a little to see a man climbing a vertical surface. I have watched it, but nothing in my head says, 'go for it'. I don't doubt it is a challenge!!!
ReplyDeleteI have strong legs, but I bet the holds are too far apart for me. haha
ReplyDeleteLooks like fun. I'd love it. Not sure Stan would like it.
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