Indoor Climbing - Smearing
Every sport has its own terminology. When you think of first downs, long passes, and off tackle runs, you think of football. Indoor climbing is no different, but here it is routes, top roping, and smearing.
The sport of indoor climbing is sometimes seen as something rather easy when compared to outdoor climbing. This is a misconception. Although it is possible to construct your own climbing wall with big ladder like rungs to easily ascend to the top, true indoor wall climbing, like its outdoor cousin, requires special equipment, knowledge of proper technique, and also the understanding of its unique terminology. Smearing, by the way, is one of the simple beginning terms of the sport.
Smearing refers to the act of scuffing up the wall surface with the toe of your shoe to create maximum grip for your feet during the climb. It is actually the act of taking the “slickness” from a surface. A fairly simple and basic technique that is easily learned. It gives an idea of what the indoor climber is going to encounter as they get deeper and deeper into this fascinating sport.
One of the purposes of indoor rock climbing is to learn how to do it safely and properly. Indoor climbing gyms use a technique calls top roping. This is simply tying ropes to the top of the climb. These serve as safety ropes during the climb. If you lose your grip and slip, the ropes keep you from falling. Obviously, top roping is the safest way to climb outdoors also, but many climbs do not have sufficient anchors to use top roping. You also have to get to the top of the climb to attach the top rope.
An indoor gym can use top roping and they do so for safety, but this does not mean that you can not learn the proper techniques. You are taught not to rely on the safety rope, but rather to ignore it and make the climb without slipping or losing your grip. Simple techniques such as smearing give way to more complex techniques. Climbing is also something that can be done solo or in groups. Group climbing techniques differ from solo in that the “team” is responsible for the safety of all its members.
Learning the ins and outs and the unique terminology of a sport is often half the fun. It makes you sound like a professional and is like your ticket to the inner circle of the hobby. Indoor climbing is not different here. There are many ways to brush up on the language of climbing. Try some good climbing books or websites. Do not forget one important lesson, however. While it is good to “talk the talk”, once on the wall, you are going to have to “walk the walk.”