I went climbing today for the first time in many years – i used to do it a fair amount but i stopped and became lazy sometime in the past. Today i find myself feeling a little old. Not because i couldnt climb, but because today made me think of Monty Python and the four Yorkshiremen sketch:

Well we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o’clock at night, and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for fourpence every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.

… as time goes on i cant help but think people get softer! the belay technique i cant help but think was a great example of that – they had this 4 step move which is like doing an elaborate dance – its basically a safety technique to ensure that you never take your hands off the safety line – yeah it makes sense and maybe it does improve the safety but i never had any issues with the way i used do do things before – feeding the rope through my hand. In the worse case the person could fall while you had your hand  not tight around the rope and you could burn your fingers – but thats why we wore a glove. On the plus side I was thankful today they didnt make us wear helmets.

Thinking about it we used to do silly things when i was growing up – abseiling backwards and forwards, in various states of undress. With a harness… without a harness (theres a technique for wrapping the rope around you abseiling. Most of the climbing i ever did was in caves and thats a really different experience.

I fell off the wall once today. My fingers dont have the strength they used to and my belly is fatter. That said it was a fun thing to do, and i think i will do it again.

Related articles

• Rock Climbing 101: Safety Checks, Communication, and Proper Belaying Technique (adrenalineromance.com)