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General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Youngsters getting into Climbing 3-Mar-2008 At 5:46:49 PM MrsM10iswhereitsat.

Message

Hello Mr Sabu,

It is a very fine thing that you are doing by introducing the young ones to the noble past-time of climbing.
How is it going these days? Still good I hope.
I have given this some thought, and have come to the conclusion that you need a hook (waving madly at you on the Friday funnies thread Mr hero!), to keep the young ones interested after they have tried the delights of your climbing wall.
You could really engage their adolescent minds long term by letting them know of such post-climbing activities as frequenting the fabulous Chockstone Website.
Why there they can learn charming new climbing vernacular (I swear by it!) words; learn how to ridicule other-state climbers (at least how they spell jamB!); learn the ethical nuances of retrobolting etc. Dare I mention it, they might even get a glimpse of the dark arts of Bouldering, Sport (grid) bolting, Clean-aid climbing (as opposed to bolt pulling in the name of sport?), and let us not forget Trad with all its vagaries from smearing to heel-hooking!!

You could also engage them in peripheral pursuits like climbing Photography (how to say nice things about anniversary shots); and you might even improve their geographical (where is Werribee Gorge again?); engineering (Don’t build a belay like that silly, do it this way!); chemistry (How to degrease your ropes dry-treatment by soaking in petrol!, or maybe is this glue right for bolts in a marine environment); historical (Did milk really climb with Hot Henry?, or maybe Why did Ewbank decide the pommie system of climb classification was less than desirable?); abilities!!!
All this without the further warm’n’fuzzy considerations of taking your beloved family pet to the crags and other such novelty topics.

The world is yours for the giving Mr Sabu and some time in the future you may be stopped in the street by a new generation advocate of climbing who will thank you for it!
Maybe even better is that some time further into the future when your climbing grades are old and ordinary, one of those youngsters may drag you up a marvelously hard climb for your pleasure!!

Kind regards,
MrsM10.