Rock Climbing Pictures

Kids practice rock climbing at La Tigra National Park, Honduras. Rock climbing has been one of the top adventure recreation sports in the world. The only difficulty is actually finding the mountains and rock faces to play. But as you will see later in this gallery, there are ways around this by the use of rock walls.

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More kids are getting into it. Here a coach of the Summit Climbing Team from Grapevine, Texas, coaches at 'bouldering' or rock climbing at the Tonkawa Falls area near Crawford, Texas. That part of Texas is so flat (no rock mountains) the coach drives about 2.5-hours from the Dallas area for the perfect rocks to help his team.

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Serious rock climbers: From small rock walls and rock faces to the big stuff, some climbers are so into climbing that they will travel the world to find the next "thrill" climb. This climber jams his hands into a crevice as he moves up the rock.

Once a rock climber gets going, he will attempt to get his body around any rock obstacle in his past for the sole purpose of getting to the next ledge or rock hold.

The thrill of rock climbing includes being suspended high in the air by nothing more than your own strength and ropes. This climber is moving back down the rock face after his attempt to reach the top does not succeed.

Strength and flexibility are familiar qualities in all sports, but in rock climbing, they are essential. Climbers must be able to stretch, and if necessary, lunge to a small dent in the rocks which can hold their weight - all while being suspended high above the ground. It is not a sport for people uncomfortable with heights.

Another aspect of rock climbing is the rappel. Rappelling is basically the use of ropes to maneuver back down a rock wall or rock face after you've reached the summit. Climbers work their way down in a controlled and deliberate way until they reach the bottom.

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Rock climbers also use the rope either in rappelling or as a means of safety while on the rocks. Usually, there is a person at the bottom called a belay (belayer). This person steadies the rope below as the climber descends. Sometimes there is a top belay, where the rope is tied to a tree or other anchor, or a person (belayer) at the top can wrap the rope around himself to add further support to the person on the rope line, or act as an emergency stop if the rock climber were to lose grip and fall.

Rock climbing strategies: Rock climbers use cracks and crevices to their advantage and use their climbing techniques to help them move up the rock. Cracks are used as hand holds and for jamming your feet into for support. Crevices and cracks are also used as points to jam in climbing wedges. Wedges are tools the climber uses to attach his rope to as he moves up the rock wall.

Overhangs: The most experienced climbers must overcome rock obstacles and they use a combination of technique and shear strength to get by them. Some of the best climbers can find themselves upside down or under a major overhang. In this case the major crevice helps this climber jam his feet and hands into for support as he maneuvers his body around and upward.