# Everybody Plays!

# Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is done inside or outside. Some gyms have climbing walls with many different shapes bolted to the wall. Climbers place their feet into the shapes and hold on tight to other shapes with their hands. Outside rock climbing is climbing up cliffs with small bumps and cracks. Climbers place their hands and feet over the bumps and in the cracks to climb upward. To rock climb, climbers wear a harness around their legs and waist. Climbers step into the leg straps, tighten the waist strap, and then use a clip called a carabiner. The rope they hold runs through the carabiner. The rope goes all the way to the top of the wall or the cliff and then comes back down to the ground. A person on the ground holds one end tight so if the climber falls, she does not hit the ground. When climbers are ready to start climbing, they say "Belay on" and the person holding the other end says "On belay." Saying this keeps the climber safe because the person on the ground knows to pay attention and keep the rope tight.

A girl wears a helmet and climbing harness. Her coach attaches the carabiner and rope.

A girl climbing the outdoor wall close to the summit with another climber on the way up behind her.

Many climbers like people on the ground to help them by telling them where to feel for hand and foot holds. Reaching the top feels great! When a climber is ready to come down, she leans her bottom out and uses her feet to walk down the side of the cliff or wall while she holds the rope.