But where are the holds? Herein lies the beauty and the differentiator between gym climbers and rock climbers — in the gym, there’s a general beta which you can dial and repeat-send. In the outdoors, there are suggestions (from either leftover chalk residue or a book that you can purchase from the park centre) but the real skill lies is in reading the rock and trusting in your ability to top out. Think of it like a high stakes game testing your ability to real-time solve a problem in relation to your current skills and attributes, and move intuitively with confidence that you won’t fall (because falling can be dire).

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