YOU’VE REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME
On the surface, rock climbing seems easy to understand. There’s a rock, you climb it. But the deeper you get into the intricacies of the sport, you realize that this is a world unto itself. From the deeply technical aspects to the psychological attachment that climbers seem to have to their sport, climbing is complex, and its challenges provide huge rewards to those who seek them. Members of the climbing community can be found all over the country; the crags around the United States are hugely varied, offering up almost infinite challenges. This country is a giant adventure playground, packed with sheer faces, knobby outcrops, and everything in between. It’s heaven for climbing.
Emma Longcope from the American Alpine Club offers up a few examples of the diversity that can be found here. “The United States is home to everything from the massive granite big-wall climbs of Yosemite, California; to the famous boulders of Hueco Tanks, Texas; and the sea-cliff climbing of Acadia National Park, Maine,” she says.
And, given the wide-reaching network of climbing spots across the country, this is a sport that goes
