So my boyfriend is a big rock climber. Like serious outdoor stuff. He's kind of obsessed with rocks. I can't take him anywhere because he always ends up just studying the rocks and looking for bolts and nice routes. I've been getting tired of his endless chatter on "bolts" and "gri-gri's" and "cams" and "V-2 Ascents" and not knowing what the heck he is talking about. So this week's blog topic was a good excuse for me to start looking these things up so I can understand his passion and not get so frustrated with him.
I know what rock climbing is. I've watched videos, been to climbing gyms, and have even been climbing outdoors a few times. So I just looked up a few terms so I can try and keep up.
Bolts: Basically, these are like rings that you bolt to the face of the rock. As you are climbing up, you attach your rope to the bolts so if you fall, you won't fall too far.
Gri-Gri: A gri-gri is a piece of equipment that you attach to the rope. The person who is belaying (holding on to the rope from the ground for safety measures) uses the gri-gri to stay in control of the rope. It helps out a lot to keep the climber safe. It is good for giving slack in the rope, and taking slack out.
Cam: Another piece of equipment. This is hanging from the climber's harness at easy reach so he can get to it when he needs it. If you're on a tricky route and there aren't very many bolts, you can stick a cam in a crack and it will hang on tight so you don't have to. It helps to climb and it helps keep you safe.
V-2 ascent: I honestly couldn't really figure out what this is. From what I figured, it is just a way to describe a route up the rock. The description of the ascent (V-2, V-3, so on) is describing the intensity and the difficulty of the climb.
So those are some basic climbing terms that are helpful to know if you're hanging out with a bunch of climbing dorks.
http://www.rock-climbing-for-life.com/rock-climbing-training/
http://www.rockclimbing.com/gear/Add-On_Climbing_Gear/Bolts_and_Hangers/
If only I knew this while I was in a scouting, then I would've seemed like I knew what I was doing.
ReplyDeleteHahaha what a good idea! I hate being the one who never knows what anybody is talking about, so it was definitely smart to look all these terms up so that you could keep up and maybe end up being interested in what your boyfriend is interested in.
ReplyDeleteLol, I really like the context you put it in - it made me keep reading. I thought it was cool how you used a personal connection to start it off and make it relevant. Also, the title is clever (I have a soft spot for clever, tongue-in-cheek titles) so that was awesome. Interesting stuff too, nice to know :)
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