How Do I Get Involved?

jrbegley

Hi All,

Just wondering if you can help me out.
Looking to try new outdoor sports but need a bit of direction.

I'm very active - but mostly play golf, footy, go Surfing or wake boarding.

I really want to try Rock Climbing and other adventure sports (on land) like hill halking and mountain climbing etc.

Any idea on how i can get involved etc?

Living in Dublin.

Thanks,

Jay

Evil Phil

Well for rock climbing you could try a days tution, http://www.mountaineering.ie should be able to help you. If you like it then you could join the Irish Mountaineering Club who are very beginner friendly when it comes to newbe rock-climbers. They have beginners nights on Thursdays in Dalkey and do weekends away.

Hill-walking is easier, just join a club. All you need is a good pair of walking boots and a breathable rain-coat to start during the summer, not a big investment but one that will stand to you if you don't go with the sport. Most clubs run led walks so you're not out alone. As you progress you can do your own courses in navigation etc.

Combining the skills learned in both activities is the basis for mountaineering.

Poster_Man

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055859500

Jay if your interested in getting out hillwalking, have a read of this thread, Iv just posted trying to organise a hike...you should come along!

I have just started rock climbing recently myself, I did a introductory course in the Trinity sports centre which was a great way of getting in to it. They run the courses every so often and they are open to non-members, just pop in some day and ask about it!

Kevin Duffy

Evil Phil wrote: »

If you like it then you could join the Irish Mountaineering Club who are very beginner friendly when it comes to newbe rock-climbers. They have beginners nights on Thursdays in Dalkey and do weekends away.

Not quite....the introductory nights are part of a semi-formal course in March-April each year, after which it's just people doing their own thing, inexperienced and experienced making plans and partnerships together. Keep an eye on the website for next year's course.

The "course" that's been suggested in Trinity is of limited use - it's an induction aimed at people using the wall, not getting outdoors. The key skill of it though is belaying and once you have that, it opens a few possibilties to get out cimbing with more experienced people, which in turn is the best route into learning to climb. You'll also meet peple to climb with at the wall, but it can be very mixed - often you end up with beginners together, which means they haven't got the experience to help each other out.
You'd be as well to stick a post up on the IMC forum looking for help to learn and mailing the membership officer looking to join.

Best of luck,

Kevin.

Snowie

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

The "course" that's been suggested in Trinity is of limited use - it's an induction aimed at people using the wall, not getting outdoors. The key skill of it though is belaying and once you have that, it opens a few possibilties to get out cimbing with more experienced people, which in turn is the best route into learning to climb. You'll also meet peple to climb with at the wall, but it can be very mixed - often you end up with beginners together, which means they haven't got the experience to help each other out.
You'd be as well to stick a post up on the IMC forum looking for help to learn and mailing the membership officer looking to join.

Best of luck,

Kevin.

I agree, belaying is the most important thing in climbing second good rope work.... while Ive got some nasty habbits.. there is nothing worse then soem one who doesnt understand how to belay well, It makes climbing less fun and more a chore.

Sev

The ideal way to get in to rock climbing is to have a friend who already does it, and to join them at the climbing wall and head out to dalkey or the like with them. Failing that, join a club.

If you're in college, that should be easy, a lot of colleges have a climbing club and a climbing wall facility, thats how I got started.

Otherwise, I'd look into MI and the IMC as a previous poster suggested, also check out the forums on http://www.climbing.ie/

jrbegley

Thanks Everyone for the responses!

I'll continue to look up all those places.

Looking forward to the climbing more than the hill walking etc - but wont say no to a good treck!

Thanks again!

jrbegley

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105976329446767

if you wanna try climbing!

Brendog

hahaha i read that completely wrong!!

"Outdoor Pursuits" "How do I get involved"

I thought you meant if a thief trys to get away how do you help stop him

nice one:cool:

Sev

Brendog wrote: »

hahaha i read that completely wrong!!

"Outdoor Pursuits" "How do I get involved"

I thought you meant if a thief trys to get away how do you help stop him

nice one:cool:

It took me a few seconds to work out what you meant, but when I did I did a real life lol.

Sev

jrbegley wrote: »

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105976329446767

if you wanna try climbing!

Cool, thanks to the stalker-friendly nature of facebook, I see you're heading to dalkey and the tcd wall. Two of my regular stomping grounds, might see you there some day.

Be warned, climbing is addictive and can VERY RAPIDLY consume your life. I started at the indoor TCD wall in September 08. By November, I was leading outdoor routes in dalkey. In March 09 I was climbing winter routes on Ben Nevis, in June 09, snow and rock routes in the alps, by January 2010, multipitch ice climbing on icebergs in Antarctica and remote mountain routes in Patagonia. I'm currently nursing numb fingers from a mild dose of frostbite on a 1200m multi-day route in Chamonix.

You will soon start to collect lots of expensive specialist outdoor gear, spend every weekend visiting a different place in Ireland to climb, while constantly pondering your next return to the alps. Have fun.

You've been warned.