5 Reasons Not to Climb

There is an intense focus we experience when we climb, one that is hard to compare with anything else. Being in that zone, feeling the texture of the rock under my fingertips and listening to my feet as they take my weight. Ten minutes later I am sat with my feet over the cliff, looking out to sea and buzzing from what I have just done.

The photograph above is by After The Send.

My name is Tim, and I am a rock climber and the founder of Boulder Shack. I want to explain why the reasons you have not taken up climbing can be what keeps you climbing for years, once you have started. These are the most common reasons people give for talking themselves out of it.

1. "I don't have anyone to climb with."

You may have lots of friends, but none who want to try climbing with you. This is the main barrier for a lot of people, and it is the easiest to solve. Climbers are a sociable bunch. I often see somebody arrive at a wall on their own and be climbing with the regulars five minutes later. At a bouldering gym you do not need a partner at all, and our social climbing nights are there for people who would like to meet some.

2. "I don't have the right body shape."

You are never too unfit, too short or too wide to start climbing. Your hands are not too small and your feet are not too big. Look around any climbing gym and you will see people of every shape and size having a great time.

Climbing is much more than brute force. It is balance, movement and finesse. Many of the world's best climbers are shorter than you would imagine.

3. "I'm too old to start that crazy stuff!"

Are you, really? I talked my Dad, aged 66, into trying a climbing wall in London for the first time, and I know him well enough to see that he was nervous. More to amuse me, I think, he agreed to have "just one" short climb. I half expected him to decide that halfway up was far enough, which would have been fine.

He flew to the top, and he was smiling from ear to ear when he came down. He wanted to go again straight away. Four goes later it was clear he had forgotten his excuse. No strain, just great fun. At the Shack, Older and Boulder is our relaxed, social morning for the over 50s.

4. "I'm scared of heights."

A healthy fear of heights is almost impossible not to have. It is self-preservation. If my heart rate did not rise and my palms did not get clammy at height, I think I would find it all quite boring.

You do not need to climb high to enjoy climbing. Bouldering is low level climbing above padded mats, without ropes, and you never have to go higher than you want to. You may find that, without intending to, you get a little higher each time.

5. "There isn't anywhere nearby."

Humour me. Search now for "climbing wall" and your nearest town. There are climbing walls all over the UK, and there is a very good chance one is near your home or your work. You may have lived where you are for twenty years, but if you have never looked you may not have seen it.

If your nearest town is Southampton, that is us: ten minutes from the city centre, with free parking. Here is what happens on a first visit.