Chile Activities : Rock Climbin

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Description

Climbing encompasses all the technical elements of mountaineering, but takes them away from the alpine surroundings, turning them into a sport in its own right. The objective of this sport is to climb rock walls using nothing but your hands and feet. Even though it is a discipline without established rules, you can distinguish several types of climbing.

-Traditional climbing takes place in an alpine environment, in routes which have not been previously equipped with nuts, hexes or other anchoring devices.
-Artificial climbing includes all kinds of equipment like spring-loaded camming devices (SLCD) and pitons to help you climb.
-Free climbing is that in which you only use your hands and feet to ascend.
-Sport Climbing takes place in routes that have been previously equipped with anchoring devices fixed in the rocks.
Climbing can take place not only in rocks, but also in artificial walls. These are usually built of wood or concrete, with footholds bolted on them. The height and shape of the wall depends on its use (training or competition).

History

One of the hypotheses that explains the origins of climbing points at alpinism. The first references to climbing as a discipline in itself date back to Europe in 1911. By that time, the distinction between free and artificial climbing was already made. The difference was that the former was practiced with no equipment whatsoever, not even for safety purposes.
Between the 1930’s and 1950’s, artificial climbing had a vast development. In turn, free climbing started evolving from the 1950’s with the use of pressure nails called pitons. With the appearance of the climbing harness in the 60’s, the development of safety equipment took a huge leap.
In the 70’s, the concept of free climbing caught on, and people started talking about it in different areas of the world: the idea was to use no pitons or devices that would damage the rock, but to ascend only by the climber’s own means. Nevertheless, this new trend increased the difficulties considerably, so, by the end of the 70’s the spit was introduced. The spit consists of a pressure nail with a metal cored expander that is inserted in a hole drilled in the rock, and then hooked to the carabiner on its other end. For some, the arrival of the spit is the starting point of current sport climbing.

Climbing in Chile

The practice of sport climbing in Chile has been around for several years now. In 1986, a group of local climbers started discovering and implementing the places where climbing currently takes place. From then on, a sustained development has occurred, increasing not only the amount of climbers but also the places in which climbing is practiced.

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• El Morado Natural Monument: Close to Santiago and Close to Heaven
• Sport Climbing in San Pedro de Atacama

Destinations

In the Mountain

With over 4000 km. (2500mi) of mountain range, Chile has countless places with undeveloped potential for traditional climbing. Amongst the best known, we recommend the following:

Atacama and Altiplano Area

Socaire Creek (near San Pedro de Atacama)
La Pampilla (Coquimbo)

Central Area

Cajon del Maipo
Piedra Rommel
Las Palestras
Torrecillas
San Gabriel Hill
Placa Roja, Gris.
Las Chilcas
Punta de Tralca
La Campana Hill

Southern Area: Araucania and Los Lagos

Road to Termas de Chillán

Northern Patagonia

Coyhaique

Southern Patagonia

Torre Hill
Torres del Paine

In Artificial Walls

There are several places in Santiago where you can take lessons and practice artificial wall climbing:

El Muro Gym
Francisco Miranda School
Universidad Metropolicana de la Educación
Federación de Andinismo de Chile

You can find more suggestions about interesting places to visit in our Destinations section.

Recommendations

Safety

You must take into account that, despite all safety systems, climbing is a high risk activity, and the danger of being injured, or even dead, is always present. Because of this, the first step you must take is to learn the basics of the discipline with someone who is experienced in the field, whether it is a friend or a qualified instructor. In Chile, the Federación de Andinismo de Chile offers various climbing courses.
Also, it is an activity that requires composure and a good physical condition. Climbing a rock wall takes a lot of concentration to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that may arise. Any distraction may lead to a risk of unknown consequences. A good physical condition can be attained by accumulating meters and meters of practice, or complementing them with other types of physical activities. If you do this, the ascension will be much easier.
Climbing practice also entails accepting the risks and dangers that are inherent to it. Proper instruction, right judgment, and the adequate equipment diminish the risks, but they don’t eliminate them. Getting hurt or losing your life is an ever present posibility. Remember, being safe is your own responsibility.

Environmental Care

Since rock climbing is an outdoor activity, that takes place in direct contact with nature, it is important to have an ecological behavior.
-Do not litter. If you brought garbage, take it with you. If you see litter, please pick it up and dispose of it properly. A lot of people will thank you.
-Light a fire only where indicated
-Do not take flora and fauna specimens with you.
-If possible, walk through signaled paths.
-Do not paint, scratch or write on stones or trees. No one needs to know that you were there.
-If you need to go to the toilet, dig a hole of 25cm (1ft) and then fill it completely. You must do this at least 30 meters (100ft) away from any water source (rivers, lakes, creeks)
-Try not to leave traces of your staying in a place. This will allow other visitors to enjoy nature in a virgin state.

Equipment

The basic equipment for starting in this activity includes:

• Climbing shoes
• Harnesses
• Rope
• Quickdraws or extenders
• Belay Devices (Gri-Gri or ATC)
• Chalk Bag

The proper equipment is fundamental in all sports in which our life is at stake. Rock climbing requires specialized equipment and specialized instructions for its use. Never use second hand or homemade equipment. ¡The climber’s life depends on it!
When buying or hiring equipment, seek help from someone experienced, so that you choose the implements that best suit your needs. Before buying you can hire equipment until you are sure that you like this sport and you want to continue practicing it.