For a while I didn’t like teaching the learn to climb classes at Cornell because I felt like I didn’t really have anything to teach.
That said, I’m stupid because this is all you really need to know when you’re first learning to climb:
- Safety
You should be able to put on a harness and know you did it right. You should understand the safety systems even if you can’t set them up yourself (ie: tying knots, where the rope goes, etc). - Use your feet.
Everyone goes into it thinking rock climbing is all pull ups and upper body strength. I always say: “think of it like climbing a ladder. You don’t do pull ups to get up a ladder, you walk up and use your hands to keep you steady. Do exactly that while you rock climb and you’re off to a good start.”
I guess I have at least two things to teach, then.
