Rocking Up
Get your adrenaline flowing with a crash-course in rock climbing, writes Alexandra White.
Getting Started
There’s nothing quite like vertigo to get the blood pumping. Once regarded as an extreme sport, rock climbing is now more popular than ever, thanks to more accessible facilities and safer equipment. It’s also a fantastic form of exercise – climbing a natural rock wall burns about 700 calories an hour (a session can last up to six hours), and develops all major muscle groups.
Peter Chan from the Hong Kong Mountaineering Union says it’s not only good for physical training, but also good for training your mind. “In order to reach the top,” he says, “you really have to focus to decide where to place your hands and what techniques to use when facing different types of rock.”
But if you’ve never been rock climbing before, you can't just leap into it. Do some training sessions with professional instructors; you might want to start off on an indoor wall, as they’re easier to get off if something goes wrong, and you can build your skills up slowly. When you feel ready to brave the real McCoy, be sure to buy the right equipment and safety harnesses. Research the rock you’re planning to climb as they all have different levels of risk and some may require more safety equipment than others. Warm up properly before you start climbing in order to prevent injury, and always make sure you have a fully qualified instructor with you.
Outdoor Climbs
A rock-climber should have no problem getting their highs in Hong Kong, thanks to our bounty of beautiful cliff faces. Dominating the Kowloon skyline, Lion Rock is possibly Hong Kong’s best mountain crag at about 250 feet high at its peak. Monkey Buttress in Braemar Hill is also good for more than just an immature chuckle. It is easily accessible and there are a number of good routes for climbing it. However, be warned that the rock can be a lot weaker when wet, so it’s advisable to avoid it for a while after a rainy spell.
Indoor Climbs
Aside from natural splendor, Chan tells us the only real difference between indoor and outdoor climbing is the texture of the climbing surface. So if you have no intention of escaping the city, you still have no excuse to be lazy, with an abundance of accessible climbing walls around town. In fact, climbing walls are a great option for the less dedicated as the centers will provide all necessary equipment and have instructors on hand.