Climbing comes with sweaty hands – from excitement, fear, or exhaustion! In climbing, you get to overcome your fears, leave your comfort zone, and learn to focus on every movement of your body. It is not only about strength, you use your body efficiently and work on your coordination and breath. While climbing, it is easy to fully let go of any stress and worries from your daily routine.
Rock Climbing is an increasingly popular sport, practised indoors or outdoor, gaining in popularity worldwide. It is a both physically and mentally challenging activity, that requires knowledge on equipment and technique to be practiced independently.
Find out more about the different types of climbing.
*In our retreats we offer top rope climbing for all participants, under guidance of an internationally certified instructor. For more experienced climbers we focus on technique and projecting strategies.
If you want to start your climbing journey indoors, book an introductory climbing session at Magic Mountain climbing gym Berlin and ask for Vera!
Sport Climbing
Sport Climbing is practiced either indoors or outdoors where you climb up an artificial wall or rock, relying on fixed bolts and anchors for protection. Sport climbing emphasizes strength, endurance, gymnastic ability and technique. There are two options: For toprope climbing, the rope is fixed at an anchor point above. The climber is at all times protected by the rope above him. In case of a fall the climber is only lowered by the amount of ropestretch (ca 1m). When lead climbing, the climber is taking the rope up from the ground, clipping it into bolt every 2-3 meters. He is protected by the rope, but in case of a fall he takes a longer distance fall (more than 2m). For sport climbing you mainly need a rope, shoes, harness, and a belay device.
Bouldering
Bouldering requires only shoes, a so called crash pad and a chalk bag, no rope or other equipment. It can be practiced indoors on artificial holds and outdoors on boulders in varying grades. Your challenge is to climb short but tricky bouldering "problems" (a route, or sequence of moves) using balance, technique, strength. Bouldering is generally a good training for maximum strength and technique and can be easily squeezed into a busy day. It provides the opportunity to try the same move over ad over again to solve the problem, without trying your belayers patience. Bouldering can be a very social activity, as you exchange tips and tricks with other climbers and get to know each other while taking turns on the same problem.
Trad Climbing
Trad climbing (traditional climbing) is practiced outdoors and involves setting your own protection in the rock while you climb up. A substantial amount of experience is required to practice this form of climbing. Traditionally bolted climbing routes might have some bolts in the rock, but with a much longer distance than in sport climbing (e.g. 5 to 25 m). Protection bolts, pitons and pegs installed while lead climbing are also considered "traditional" as they are placed during the act of climbing from the ground-up rather than on rappel. The climbers place their own cams, friends, slings etc. into rock features to protect themselves against falls. When they have finished the climb, they remove all the mobile gear.