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kadoj26
Mar 28, 2001, 6:52 PM
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Registered: Dec 24, 2000
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Frist which state do you live in? Second have you tried going to a local climbing gym? The Gym I think will be your best place to look.
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fiend
Aug 28, 2001, 2:07 AM
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Registered: May 25, 2001
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Here is a good way to get your child/ren into climbing.
Step 1. Supervised climbing. Have your child climb in a top rope situation (ie. a climb that has the rope anchors preset at the top of the climb.) This can most easily be accomlished at a gym but can also be applied for outdoor climbing. Here are two ways this can be achieved.
a) Your child/ren can be enrolled in a climbing group/class in which a trained person will take care of all of the childs safety needs, including: holding the ropes, putting on harness properly, tying into the rope. Most gyms will offer some sort of birthday party or kids climb which will cover the aforementioned.
b) You can take a lesson and then be responsible for your own child's safety.
The benefits of b) are that you are not restricted to the two or three hours that the gym sets a side. Also most gyms will ask for a minimum number of children to fill out a group, raising the cost considerably. For generally the same price as a kid's group you can pay for a day pass which is valid for the entire day, allowing you to choose when to come in and how little or long you'd like to stay.
Step 2. Make sure your child actually enjoys climbing enough to pursue it. What often happens is that a child will climb for the first time and absolutely love it. Subsequent trips to the gym will reveal that climbing is hard, and the learning/ability curve steeper than anticipated. Be sure that your child is willing to stick with it before purchasing the necessary equipment and stick with rentals in the beginning.
Step 3. Purchasing gear This is all your child needs to start climbing.
An adjustable harness.
That's it, everything else is optional. I would definitely not go farther than shoes and a chalk bag though. Remember that shoes should be reasonably snug and are a lot of money to spend if they will be outgrown fairly fast. Check for used shoes on sale, such as in our Used Gear forum, or even gear swaps with other parents. Do not let over-zealous store employees try to fatten their comission by selling you a lot of fancy new gear. I bought a small set of quick draws from a parent who had brought his son to the gym once, and then gone to a not-so-reputable store asking what gear he needed to outfit his 13year old son to climb in the gym. The employee sold him 5 sets of draws with useless long slings, costing aprox. $90. These were totally useless and the child would not have been able to use them for several years, and even ended up giving up climbing within the month anyways.
Step 4. Advanced learning. Once your child has been climbing for a while and depending on his age, responsibility level, and the rules of your local gym, your child can learn to belay, tie in, etc. You must be honest with yourself. Very few children younger than 13 are responsible enough to hold the ropes. Make sure that your child is ready for this kind of responsibility. Done properly, this is one of the safest sports there is, but you have to realize that, done incorrectly, someones life is at stake.
I would recommend learning to climb yourself. It will give you a shared interest and activity which can last for a long time. I am 22 years old and have been climbing with my mother for the last 7years. We actually just got back from a week long climbing trip last night and she climbs more than I do now
Also, I assumed that you had little or no climbing knowledge and if there are any terms I have used that you did not understand then please refer to our Climbing Dictionary
-mark
[ This Message was edited by: fiend on 2001-08-27 19:09 ]
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catga86
Aug 28, 2001, 2:42 AM
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Registered: Aug 19, 2001
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Hey, I am 14 and at my gym that I go to there is a club where 8-16 year olds go every Sat. for 4 hours. The first 2 hours you learn technique, and then the second part is supervised climbing. Your child will learn how to belay and make friends.
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pianomahnn
Aug 28, 2001, 7:49 AM
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Registered: Feb 17, 2001
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cyb_pnk...I like how you capitalized LADY.
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philclark
Sep 7, 2001, 3:13 AM
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Registered: Feb 4, 2001
Posts: 38
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check out a local climbing gym
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