FOREARMS GRIPPED, eyes on a cliff face above, you reach for a thin crack in the stone. Clean, free air yawns beneath your feet, trees like toothpicks far below.
With the advent of indoor climbing gyms as well as a proliferation of bouldering walls found everywhere from school gymnasiums to municipal playgrounds, climbing has struck a critical mass.
Add improvements to gear, which make the sport safer and more user-friendly, and you have a gravity-defying activity that almost anyone can try.
The spread of products below, a kit of equipment for intermediate or first-time climbers, will let you gear up to learn the ropes, literally, for a high-exposure experience.
Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of GearJunkie.com.
Click the images below to learn more about each piece of equipment.
Climbing since 1972 when “pro” we used was nuts from Dad’s toolbox with cable loops homemade!
what time is the contest starting on September first, and when will it end? Just wondering.
how do you enter?
Hi, Carter. Thanks for your inquiry. You can enter daily at this link. Good luck!