It’s that time of the year again: Women’s Health Fitness Challenge time. This year we’re doing things slightly differently in that our challenge needs to face our fears. Now don’t laugh, I have absolutely no problem jumping out of planes or off bridges but I DO have a fear of heights. Skydiving is a whole different kind of height to rock climbing – plus someone else is in control (not me). I have been known to freeze on climbing walls. But thanks to CityROCK Cape Town, I’m working on it…
It’s all about the climb
Turns out, there’s a fair amount of gear you need before scaling up the walls. I have a few climbing buddies who kindly pointed me in the right direction when it came to the appropriate attire to prevent death. First up we have our trusty harness. Don’t fool around when it comes to this bad boy – he kinda important so feel free to splash out a bit.
BLACK DIAMOND WOMEN’S TECHNICIAN HARNESS
Next up, some stylish climbing shoes. No they’re not made to look good, it’s all function over form. And can I just add how uncomfortable they are? Apparently, it’s a thing that you get used to. Until then I’ll take them off as soon as I’m done with a wall. But, they get the job done. The trick is you want something tight that will mold to your foot, but also sturdy for grip and durability. Like these babies for example…
EVOLV DEFY BLACK
You’re on the wall, hell maybe you’re even looking down. Your palms get sweaty, mom’s spaghetti – not actually. The thing you should be reaching for is your chalk bag. This sneaky little trick does wonders. Clip it on your harness and preferably fill it with chalk, et voilá. Dust your paws and on you climb. These are actually pretty cute…
8B PLUS CHALK BAGS
BLACK DIAMOND 56g CHALK BLOCK
Plus, you’ll be wanting some clothes unless you climb naked. Hey, this is a no judgement zone. According to my buddy, Nadia who has been climbing for years, basically what you’d wear for yoga is what you’d wear for climbing. You need to be able to stretch and nothing too loose that will get in the way. Here are some options…
CROPPED LEGGINGS
DRI-SPORT CROP TOP
There you go, gear sorted. Now all you have to do is head to CityROCK and get climbing. Trust me, once you’ve done a few walls – you will love it!
