When hearing about climbing you are probably thinking of people tied into a rope trying to work their way up a wall with all kinds of colourful holds. You might have even spotted climbers at the ACLO. But climbing can be much more diverse: apart from the frequently observed toproping (where the climber is belayed with a rope hung at the top of the route), there is lead climbing (a form where you have to clip in the rope along your way up the wall) and bouldering (climbing without a rope up 4 meter high intense routes) – all of which you can practice indoors and outdoors! Climbing routes are rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 9, with the letters a b c to further differentiate the difficulty. The aim is to climb harder and harder routes by training strength, flexibility and technique, and with the help of your climbing partner or fellow climbers. While there are many competition forms of climbing (like our club championships or national lead and boulder championships), there is a big community aspect to it – fellow climbers will never be short of advice and enthusiasm! Whether you are looking for a sport to seriously compete in, a way to keep fit or simply having fun, climbing got all aspects covered.
If you want to learn how to climb securely, you can subscribe to the ACLO courses. And if you can already belay but are looking for ways to improve your climbing, come by at one of the trainings of the climbing club (Mondays 20.00-22.30 and Wednesdays 18.15-20.15 at the ACLO wall). The GSAC is also the right address if you are looking to explore some of the great outdoors climbing regions in Germany, Belgium, France… And of course we also organize a lot of get-togethers and fun activities.
For more info about the GSAC or questions about climbing please email bestuur@gsac.nl. We hope to see you soon at the ACLO climbing wall!