In most climbing gyms, the focus is on getting as high as the artificial climbing walls and holds allow. But under real climbing conditions, you might have to work sideways, too. Climbing sideways -- that is, traversing -- is an excellent way of building strength, endurance and technique in the gym. You can climb for hours without getting more than a few feet off the ground, which means no rope and no belay partner needed. Your gym's route setters might deliberately create traverse routes around the gym, or you can cobble your own together.
Step 1
Scout out a likely route that challenges your current abilities. Note that if the route setters haven't deliberately created a traverse route that goes all the way around the gym's connected climbing walls, you might have to either plan your way around, or plan to avoid, the occasional patch of wall with no holds.
Step 2
Place your hands on one or two starting holds, usually chest-height or higher, although you can start with lower holds if necessary. Hang with your arms as straight as possible, then bend your knees and place one foot at a time on footholds. Having good footholds is at least as important to your traverse technique as having handholds.
Step 3
Work your way sideways, one climbing hold at a time. Whether you move your hands or feet first, and what sequence you follow after that, depends on your own body mechanics and which holds you have to work with. No matter how your weight is oriented and which body part you're moving, focus on keeping the majority of weight on your feet, using your arms more for positioning and balance than holding yourself up.
Step 4
Practice incorporating techniques such as backstepping, in which you turn the side of one hip against the wall and place the outside edge of your foot on a hold, into your traverse. Because you have all the time in the world and don't need to worry about a climbing partner or rope, or getting very high, traversing is an ideal opportunity to try different moves and see what works for you in any given situation.
Step 5
Rest, when possible, by "stemming" your legs between two angled walls, taking advantage of your position in a corner to hold yourself up with your feet and give your hands and arms a rest. You can also pause and hang by one arm, shaking your other arm out to give it a brief rest.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep your arms as straight as possible while you climb, and keep your hips as close as possible to the wall. Taking five or 10 minutes to warm up with a gentle cardio workout, or repeatedly climbing very easy boulder routes, can help you improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury on a hard traverse. If you're traversing in the bouldering area, be prepared to stay out of the way of, and work around, other people climbing actual marked bouldering routes. If you're traversing in the same area where people do vertical climbers, be prepared to give roped climbers the right-of-way. Although you don't need a climbing partner to do traverses, if you have a partner along he can move a crash pad beneath you to offer some protection, or spot you to help make sure you land in the crash pad if you fall.
- Note that climbing, even doing a low traverse in a gym, carries risks. Always use your best judgment of your capabilities, and pay attention to where you might land if you fall.
Things You'll Need
- Climbing shoes
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