Essential equipment for rock climbing beginners

So, you’ve tried some climbing. You’ve been to the climbing wall a few times, your dreams are increasingly full of visions of you performing complicated and strangely beautiful climbing moves, and you can’t walk past a wall without picking out potential routes for traversing. Or maybe you’ve had your first taste of outdoor climbing; a classic v diff on the grit at Stanage, or maybe a multi-pitch sea climb in Pembrokeshire, a place where the air thrums with the call of gulls and the pounding of the sea at the cliffs base.

Whatever your introduction to climbing has been – you now know that you are addicted to this climbing lark, and you’re going to want to do some more.

Here’s my guide to the top 5 bits of kit that any beginner climber will soon need to invest in, if they know they’ve been bitten by the climbing bug.

1. Rock Shoes

These are pretty much the number one priority, and depending on what the primary type of climbing you might be doing there are a huge range of choices.
Comfort is of course important, but your rock shoes need to be as tight as you can bear from a performance perspective. However, if you’re a newbie to the sport, or less obsessed with climbing ‘hard’, then you can afford to chill out and think of the comfort of your tootsies!

2. Harness

Again, comfort is a big consideration here. I’ve included 2 harnesses that both have adjustable and/or releasable leg loops, so they’ll make the transition from indoor or sport climbing to seconding multi-pitch climbs or mountain routes without too much of a problem.

3. Belay Device

This is undeniably a very important piece of kit, if you’re going to do any climbing beyond bouldering you’ll need one of these.

4. Chalk bag

The type of chalk you use will depend on your climbing environment, as will your choice of chalk bag.

5. Helmet

Last but not least we have the climbing helmet. I’d never climb outdoors without one, and many climbing walls make it their policy for all beginner climbers and those taking part in lessons to wear one.