Recently a few teachers and I decided to get into rock climbing. We discovered there were a few different places to have a go around Beijing. The first place we visited was in a park near the Chinese Business District.
We arrived to find a large wall with many Chinese children using it. I still can’t believe how good they were! It was like they had been taught to climb by Spiderman! This made a lot of us nervous because we didn’t want to look like amateurs when even little kids were good climbers.
Soon enough our turn came. I managed to rent some climbing shoes in the hope it would enhance my performance. It didn’t.
I started strong and tried to use my height as a way to get up the wall faster. This worked until I couldn’t find any rocks big enough to hold on to. My arms began to shake as I scanned the wall with my eyes for a suitable path upwards.
I grabbed a small rock and lifted with all my might, managing to get a foot higher up the wall. At this point, I had not even considered looking down. Then I did…I instantly regretted that decision!
My savour came in the form of one of the girls screaming up at me saying that I had made it as far as the other lads. That was enough for me. I released my sweaty hands from the rocks I had so desperately been clinging to and called it a day.
Joking aside, it was a really great experience and I look forward to building my skill and strength over the coming weeks. Another teacher has mentioned another place with an indoor wall. It sounds bigger than the park wall and should be a great challenge. Fingers crossed there will be no casualties!