Rock Climbing Fitness, Injuries and Phobia

who push too hard and climb beyond their level or do not allow adequate rest periods are likely to experience elbow pain
at some point in their climbing life. More serious damage such as tendon tears can occur but are usually associated with
longer-term climbing and the pursuit of difficult ratings. You aren't particularly likely to encounter serious damage early on.
According to Climbing magazine, quoting figures gathered from the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Trauma,
Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, estimates run as high as 82% of all intermediate and advanced climbers
experiencing some form of injury. The good news is that the injuries break down as follows - 40% are sprains and strains,
20% chronic overuse, 12% lacerations and 8% fractures. It gets better. We've emphasized Top Roping as safer than other
climbing disciplines. Only 15.4% of climbing injuries occur during Top Rope climbing. The only discipline with lower
numbers is Free Soloing and you can guess the reason for that. Precious few people free solo and they are more likely to
die rather than get injured if they make a mistake. The point is, your average newbie climber sticking to TR is unlikely to
get hurt in a way that would be considered incapacitating (fractures and the like).

To minimize the potential of injury, always warm up and then stretch focusing on forearms, shoulders, back and legs. Don't
ignore the warm-up component. Stretching cold can actually increase the possibility of injury.

FEAR!
If you've read this far but still have nagging concerns based around a life-long fear of heights, we're not letting you off the
hook that easy. I have the very same problem. It was an effort to overcome that fear that got me into climbing in the first
place. I assumed the best way to conquer the fear was to face it head on. Now in some people the fear of heights is so
grippingly overwhelming that, honestly, perhaps climbing isn't for you. If you find yourself cringing in a corner after
ascending a flight of stairs, we suggest you check out future articles on SCUBA. If, however, like countless thousands you
find yourself feeling a little vertigo at the edge of a cliff or short of breath, I've shared your exact symptoms. I don't think
one ever truly rids themselves of the problem but climbing does wonders to reduce its impact over time.

My most recent encounter with fear came before the climbing even began. We were climbing in a group of mixed skill
levels and opted for top roping as a comfortable style to accommodate everybody's needs. The problem was that the
location we chose didn't offer convenient topside approaches to setup anchors on any of the climbs. Matt and I decided
we'd scramble to the top of an 80' route via a very scary approach and set off excited to get the climb rigged. Just 20 feet
from the top it struck me that I was standing on what amounted to a 8' square platform 60 feet in the air with gusting winds
and nothing to grab hold of if I stumbled. My options were up, down the way we came, a fatal fall to the left and a fatal fall
to the right. Vertigo kicked in leaving me feeling even more precariously situated. I made it up another 5 feet when I could
suddenly go no further. Worse, I didn't think I could turn around and descend, either.

I let Matt know where things stood and told him he'd have to continue on without me. He was clearly not happy about it
but let's face facts, folks - an irrational fear, by it's very nature, is not something you can simply rationalize away. Matt
continued on and I hunkered down to sort out my next move. The first thing I did was go through my climbing routine
which involves deep breathing and visualization. The breathing calmed me marginally. The rational thinking convinced 25%
of my brain that I wasn't going to die up there if I simply relied on the skills I knew as a climber. I considered moving
forward one last time before deciding against it. The last thing I needed was to be completely immobilized by fear at the
very top. I glanced down the way I'd come, took a few last deep breaths and began making my way back down.

As you're reading this you can already guess that I made it. I subsequently climbed that route and a hundred others since
with no repeated problems. Do not let your fear of heights deny you the opportunity to try this sport out. Once you learn
to trust the ropes and gear you'll find their presence virtually eliminates the fear. You may never be able to ascend any
height without being roped in, but that doesn't mean you can never climb!