Many climbers enjoy the safety of using pre-placed bolts. But once a climber moves beyond sport climbing, into extreme rock climbing, he or she takes advanced or remote routes and learns to make their own path up the sheer rock wall. Stamina, strength and control are vital to mastering this sport. Climbers use a rating system to describe the difficulty of different routes. The expert level means only 10% of climbers in the world can handle these routes. The elite level means the route can only be handled by the best of the best. And even the best take a few falls along the way. Otherwise, the way down is rappelling, a controlled descent down a rope.
As a rock climber, you will need strong fingers, strong arms and strong legs as well as the right equipment. Often when rock climbing, the cracks are too small to get your toes into and the only way keep moving upwards is to sink your fingertips into the cracks, use opposing pressure and force yourself up. Strength does not always equal success. The key is balance. You need a plan and even need to know how to rest and regroup, so you can keep going.
