Saturday, November 14, 2009

sore fingers

Back in October for my birthday, my girlfriend said she was going to get us both belay lessons so we can go to the doylestown rock gym and belay each other. It was also supposed to be something we could do together. We finally, over a month later, we went to get the lessons. It was pretty easy. All we needed to do was learn 2 knots and learn how to set up the belay device. First they show you how to do everything. Then you do it yourself and practice until you feel comfortable to take the test to become certified. The test included demonstrating that you know how to tie the knots and how to set up the belay device. It also tested your ability as the belayer to catch the climber 2 times while looking and 2 times without looking. After about an hour of practice we both successfully passed the test. Once we passed the test, we were able to belay each other for the rest of the day. We each climbed about 5 or 6 times each until our fingers were to sore to climb again. We are both going to have to build up calaces and endurance if we ever plan on climbing for more then 2 hours. To become completely certified, we are going to have to take the test again when we go next time to prove that we still know how to do it. After the second text, we will be certified for life at the gym.

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