Starting

Question
Hi, I'm interested in starting rock climbing. I'm a slim girl but I weight train and keep very fit every day in the gym. However I'm worried about starting because I have a spinal cord injury which has left me with nerve damage in my left leg- basically its quite weak, but the rest of my body is strong. A friend of mine rock climbs and said to me it mainly requires upper body strength, so I should be ok. What do you think?Thanks

Answer
Dear Eva-Marie----I climb to enjoy being outside and for the the joy of movement. It does not appear that your medical condition should prohibit you from climbing.

Blind people climb and so do parapeligics. I have a compressed nerve in one leg, and it has been only a minor hinderance.

Climbing leads people to compensate. Since my sight has faltered, I am more reliant on feeling the rock to find the next handholds.

You should, however, be cautious about any further injury and about the hazards of climbing in general.

For more on climbing safety, please see, my book, "Ultrasafe, A Guide to Safer Rock Climbing," available at Amazon.com.

Good Luck

George Allen