You will need some foot wear, you don't have to run out and get specialist rock climbing boots, they can be bought later once you are sure this is the sport for you. You can start with walking boots, lightweight hill walking boots are good enough for the easier rock climbs you will be doing. Trainers are also acceptable but you will have to remember they will not be too good on muddy paths. If you decide on rock boots you will have to remember that they are worn very tight, so are not the most comfortable shoes in the world, you are best breaking them in slowly, and taking a spare pair of walking boots or trainers to change into would be advisable.

You will also need some rock climbing clothing. On warm days climbers will wear running vests and climbing tights, but you will be alright wearing a T-shirt and stretchy tracksuit bottoms. On colder days a warm tracksuit with a fleece jacket will be suitable. You do need to take extra clothing which is warm and wind proof, also you will need a set of waterproofs. All these things can be bought quite inexpensively at any outward bound, walking or camping shop. You will also need a pair of gloves to stop rope burns for when you are Belaying, but don't wear them for climbing.

It is also worth taking a proper rucksack, so you can carry spare clothing, drinks you will need on the climb and any food you wish to take with you. You should also have a small first aid kit just in case of any small accidents.

Other equipment you will need but maybe able to either rent or borrow, is a harness which is essential for safety, especially good if you are attempting harder climbs. You will also need a helmet, which is essential to protect your head from falling rocks or blows from the rock face when climbing. Helmets come in two types. You can get a standard helmet or the lightweight helmet the choice is up to you.

You will also need ropes, tape slings, karabiners, descendeurs, delay devices, chocks, wires and all sorts of other tools to help you climb but you will learn all about these at your rock climbing lessons or school.

I hope this insight into what you will need if you decide to take up rock climbing has been helpful and informative. If you would like to try rock climbing I would recommend going along to your local rock climbing school or club and giving it a try.

Bouldering is an interesting type of climbing in which climbers climb short walls that are usually about five to seven feet. There are usually three types of bouldering competitions. The first is difficulty, which is when several competitors try to make it to the top of a problem. If several competitors make it to the top, then they would decide by the time-taken. The second type of bouldering competitions is speed climbing in which competitors climb an identical problem and the first one to the top wins. The third and final type of bouldering comps is bouldering. This is when there are a series of boulder problems and competitors must work through them and get as many possible points. There may be a time limit or an attempt limit. If a tie-breaker is needed, then they take the competitor who used the least amount of attempts. Other types of bouldering inclue campusing, which is climbing without your feet, and traversing which is going horizontally on a wall, trying to get from one to another.

Another kind of climbing is top roping/lead climbing. These two types of climbing usually take place in a gym. Both are climbed on a tall wall, usually about thirty feet tall, though they differ in some ways. Top rope climbing is when you have a belayer who uses a harness a belay device, and a carabiniere to “catch” the climber if the climber falls. The climber also wears a harness and the top rope is tied in at the top of the wall. The rope is tied in at the top of the wall. The rope is tied in at the top of the wall so that it almost acts as a pulley so that a lighter person who is belaying is not lifted up by a much heavier climber who falls while climbing on the wall. In lead climbing, the climbers and belayers use the same equipment except that the rope isn't already tied in, so that the rope must be tied into his harness, and as he goes up he must hook the rope into quick draws.

If a climber fell when on a lead climb and correctly hooked his rope into at least one quick draw, he would fall till the rope “catches” on the highest quick draw, while the belayer also “catches” the rope. Lead climbing is also very similar to outdoor climbing. Both top roping and lead climbing use the same process to get down, except that lead climbing uses an extra step. The extra step is that when a climber reaches the top, the climber must put the rope in through this type of quickdraw. After that, (both types) the climber pulls up their feet in to a lay/sitting position and the belayer slowly feeds the rope back through, while the climber walks or bounces down. Both types of climbing also use the same ranking system which is a five. followed by some other number 0-14 currently. The harder the second number is the the harder the climb is. The five represents that equipment (same equipment as described as before).

A final type of climbing is outdoor climbing/solo climbing. Both are climbing in the outdoors except one uses equipment and the other doesn't need any equipment. In outdoor climbing, the climber basically does the same thing as lead climbing except you put your own quickdraws in. In solo climbing you climb on the same height and difficulty climbs as outdoor climbing except with no equipment, therefore making it extremely dangerous. To get down from both types you either must walk down, or rappel down. When a climber rappels, the climber anchors a rope around a tree and hooks in using a harness and slides down to the bottom.

When climbing walls, remember it can be dangerous, but also great fun. Some of these are bouldering, top rope/lead climbing, and outdoor/solo climbing, wether it's climbing on small but complex indoor bouldering walls or gigantic rocky mountain peeks.