What do you know about rock climbing? Free English Vocabulary Activity

If you went rock climbing, which style would you choose?

Athlete Janja Garnbret, from Slovenia, scales an indoor wall. Attached to the wall are pieces of plastic of different shapes and sizes, called «holds.» Garnbret moves up the wall, figuring out the holds, by grabbing onto, and stepping on them. By the end of her climb, she’s hanging by her fingertips almost 15 meters in the air! Garnbret is a gold medal winner in one of the newest Olympic sports: indoor rock climbing.

Since becoming an Olympic sport, many people have started indoor rock climbing. The company El Cap, which owns indoor climbing gyms in the USA, says that 10% more people started showing up to work out at its gyms at the start of the Olympics. Indoor rock climbing is also one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, according to the Association of British Climbing Walls.

Climbing gyms offer three styles of climbing – top rope, lead, and bouldering. Top rope climbers and lead climbers wear a harness around their legs and waist. In top rope, one end of the rope is tied to the top of the wall (and goes through the harness). The other end is attached to the climber’s partner, who assists the climber from below.

In lead climbing, the rope isn’t connected to the top of the wall. Instead, climbers keep the rope with them on their harness. They attach the rope to clips on the wall as they climb. They also have a partner to assist them.

For the last type of climbing, bouldering, a smaller wall is used. Bouldering doesn’t involve ropes, harnesses, or partners. Climbers are free to use more creative, athletic movements.

In all styles of climbing, holds are set up in unique ways to create different climbing «routes.» When you climb a route, you use only the holds of one color. To help keep their feet on the holds, climbers wear special, tight shoes with sticky, rubber soles. They also wear a bag filled with powdered chalk, which they use to dry their sweaty hands.

Indoor rock climbing builds up muscles, improves flexibility and coordination, and keeps the heart and brain healthy. Many climbers enjoy getting together and the social aspect of indoor climbing. And they often run into friends at the local gyms. «The climbing community is notoriously friendly, welcoming, and supportive,» says long-time climber Andrew Chen.

Are you ready to join this climbing trend?

Five Fundamentals of Climbing

(dont forget to make a list)

7 Phrasal Verbs to Learn

To show up

To set up

To get together

To figure out

To work out

To run into

To build up

First Conditional Practice

If you show up to the gym, will you call me?

If you set up a new route on the wall, will you show me?

If we get together on Saturday, what will we do?

If you can’t figure out what to do, I will help you.

If we work out at my climbing gym, we will use my pass.

If we run into any of my friends, I will introduce you to them.

You will build up your muscles if you work out with us.

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