So you want to start rock climbing and don’t know where to begin? In this article I will give you the information you need to get started rock climbing.
- Book a course
- Join an online group
- Join a club
- Join a climbing gym
Book A Course
Here’s where I get to plug Wild Summits. We run taster sessions and introduction to rock climbing courses. These are a good way to make sure you enjoy the sport. Over the course of the day you will learn everything from belaying to understanding how climbing protection works.
Join Online Groups
This is how I first started rock climbing. I saw a trailer for First Ascent and my mind was blown. I went home and found a website called climbing.ie which is an online forum for rock climbers in Ireland.
I signed up and put up a post saying that I wanted to get started and was there anyone near by that could help me out. The next day I was contacted by Hugh who was regularly climbing in a near by quarry. The next week I was out on rock for the first time.
If you are on Facebook then there are two groups you should join:
- Irish Climbers
- Colmcille Climbers
BE CAREFUL: Going climbing with some randomer from an online group can go one of two ways a) You meet a life long time climbing amigo B) You meet an idiot that has no idea what they’re doing, pretend they do and almost get you killed.
Join A Club
Look out for clubs that may be around your area. If you’re in university then look into joining a climbing society. The best club around Dublin to join would be The Irish Mountaineering Club.
https://www.irishmountaineeringclub.org/
Join A Climbing Gym
This one is a little trickier and it’s success depends on your personality and confidence. If you join a gym and get to know some people then you can try and see if you can get out climbing with them.
