#MountainDiaries #Series day 2
Soon we were introduced to artificial wall climbing. I had heard about it and thought it was a skill that is needed in mountaineering. But clearly I wasn’t exposed enough. Turns out in addition to being an essential skill in mountaineering, it is a stand alone sport as well. The 15.5 m climbing wall at NIM was the venue for the Asia Cup held in 2004.
One of the instructors gave us a demo. He moved with ease and elegance, shifting weight and casually reaching for chalk powder with one of his hands once in a while and reaching the top of the wall in under 5 mins. So much so that he made it seem quite simple and doable. Jaws dropped, hands clapped.
We were just told one golden rule- maintaining three point contact with the wall and were told to get started. Everyone got to putting on their harness, was roped up and excited to begin. Then came the reality check. The first few holds were easy to use. As one went higher, holds got trickier and different body positions had to be tried out and changed, balance maintained, multiple instructions being shouted by other participants had to be deciphered, till one had the strength to be on the wall.
It was quite challenging but definitely fun. After a few attempts we got better and went for bouldering. The practice walls for bouldering are not that high so one does not need a harness and ropes. The inclines were steeper though which meant it was easier to fall off and a lot more difficult to keep the body straight and close to the wall. Charmed by the high climbing walls, not a lot of people came to the bouldering wall and that gave some of us more time to practice on them and get a hang. The kick of finally being able to pull off some of the routes was totally worth all the falling and pain.
At the end, I was exhausted and to be honest, also a bit defeated. There was one particular wall which I got a chance to try after a long wait and I just couldn’t pull up my body. I and some others were left wondering if we had come to the right place, if this was really for us. To top it off, my request to the instructor for letting me try again was met by a cold- ‘You are not fast enough, maybe next time.’ Ouch. I was just glad I had my shades on, my eyes would have given away the rage and pain I felt in that moment. I had to remind myself that it was just the first lesson, that I could learn and get better, what was I here for?
It was only after multiple attempts I understood that it was crucial to zoom-out and plan the route before attempting the climb - I couldn’t waste precious energy and time figuring out from scratch once I was on the wall. Like any sport, physical strength wasn’t the only thing needed. Second, I had to keep moving, the longer I stayed in one particular position, the faster fatigue set in. Third and most importantly, I could strategise all I wanted to crack the problem, but unless I tried some moves, failed and practiced again, it was just in my head.
Read more: Day 1: Mountaineering Course Series
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I have done rock climbing here a few times as a sport. It was loads of fun. The harness made me feel safe. But when I tried bouldering, it wasn’t as easy since I had no harness.