Getting Edgy While Rock Climbing

Most people think rock climbing is a fairly edgy sport just to begin with. In truth, edges mean something entirely different and unique to the sport.

Most people have a misunderstand view of rock climbing from what they see in the movies. You know the movies I am talking about. Ones such as "Cliffhanger" where Sylvester Stallone hangs by his arms and jerks himself to and fro up the mountain for a couple hundred feet. Yeah, I would like to see that!

In truth, climbing is a combination of both the arms and legs. Although it may not seem like it at first glance, the legs are used to carry much of your weight most of the time. The question, of course, is how this can occur when you are on a cliff face. The answer is all about edges.

When climbing a vertical face, there rarely are holes you can just stick your feet in for support. If there are, it is not much of a climb. Instead, you must use the edges of your feet to create a base for your legs. This is done by using the edges on the side and the toe. Let's take a closer look.

Toeing-in. As the name suggest, this technique involves sticking the toe of your climbing shoes in a hold of some sort. In truth, you are really just finding a bit of friction where you can plant your big toe. Despite what you might think, this is a pretty rare maneuver. It is also hell on your toe.

Inside Edge - The inside edge technique is the most common in climbing. As the name suggests, you turn the foot out away from your body and use the inner edge of your foot just behind the big toe. You vary how much you turn the foot out based on how you are situated on the rock. Don't worry about it. It comes naturally. As far as your feet go, this is the strongest foot hold technique you can use. Master this one first.

Outside Edge - As you might guess, this is the opposite of the inside edge technique. It is not easy. The outer edges of your feet are weak, so you should practice this one on climbing walls and such extensively. It is usually used when you are swinging your leg inside of the other.

As you get into climbing, learning edges will be one of the fundamental steps to getting better. You will also come to understand the value of great climbing shoes.