Climbing At Magnuson Park in Seattle.

This post is not just about me climbing at Magnuson Park. It's another example of how easy it is to get into climbing. If you read my " The best way to learn climbing", you know the first steps:

-visit REI and get a "feeling", see if you like it
-take a belay class (don't sign up yet) at a local gym
-get your belay card
-invest in basic climbing gear (harness,shoes,a couple carabiners and a belay device)
-find (reliable and knowledgeable ) partners.
-keep learning

After I've done all of the above, I took another class- "Lead climbing", to learn:

• how to clip quickly, safely and properly
• advanced belay skills
• to fall safely
• understand the consequences of lead fall forces
• gain the skills necessary to pass your lead test ( hate tests).

I don't like dealing with all this "gym policy-safety first-do what we say", so I took my skills to Magnuson Park.

Did I mention it's FREE ?!



Best time to go there is on weekdays ( weekends tend to be swamped with "hard core climbers". Bring your own rope, quickdraws and , of course, a partner (or two). Basic knowledge I learned from the class, was enough for me to lead.

YES, HE IS ACTUALLY BELAYING ME RIGHT NOW!

My next stop- investing ( or may be somebody will be generous enough to donate it ) in some basic gear -my own rope and quickdraws.