Climbing Wall

A climbing wall is an artificial wall studded with holds you grip and stand on as you climb. You wear a harness clipped to a rope, so you're safe all the way up and lowered gently back down. It's rock climbing without the drive to a cliff, and a proper test of balance, grip and nerve.

Walls come in all shapes. Some are friendly slabs with big holds. Others are steep, with tiny holds and overhangs that tilt out over your head and politely ask your forearms what they've been doing all year.

Top rope climbing is the classic starting point. The rope runs from your harness to an anchor at the top and back down to your belayer, the person on the ground who takes in the slack and catches you if you slip.

An auto-belay does the same job with a device at the top. It reels in the rope as you climb and lowers you slowly when you let go. Trusting it the first time is a whole experience in itself.

Bouldering means shorter walls, no rope and thick crash mats underneath. Lead climbing is for experienced climbers, who clip the rope into the wall as they go. Speed climbing is an all-out sprint up a set route. Bouldering, lead and speed make up sport climbing, which made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games.

It starts with a safety briefing. Your Activity Leader fits and checks your harness and clips you onto the rope. Then comes a quick guide to holds: jugs are big and easy to grab, crimps are tiny edges and slopers are rounded and slippery-looking.

The big secret is to climb with your legs. Keep your arms fairly straight, push up through your feet, keep your hips close to the wall and aim for three points of contact. At the top, lean back, sit into the harness and walk down the wall as you're lowered. Once you've got the hang of it, things can ramp up with time trials, games or climbing blindfolded.

Absolutely. Every wall has easier and harder routes, so you can start simple and work up. Nobody's judging how high you get, and the view from any height beats the view from the ground. Expect a bit of friendly rivalry, slightly shaky legs and a strong urge to have another go.

Shoes with grip and clothes you can move in. Shorts, leggings or trousers are ideal, as a harness and a skirt are not friends. Ditch dangly jewellery, empty your pockets and tie back long hair.

You might also like Tree Climbing, Zipwire and Slackline.

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