Climbing is becoming a much more popular sport, particularly as gyms, schools and other facilities are installing indoor rock climbing walls for educational purposes. You can now learn to climb safely before venturing into an outdoor situation. The primary concept to remember when climbing is safety first, then fun!

Safety starts with proper climbing instruction, including the use of anchors, how to attach and use various equipment, rope handling, rappelling, and movement along the rock face. Once you have become sufficiently skilled, you can enjoy a day of rock climbing on a gradual incline before advancing to more challenging vertical cliff faces.

When rock-climbing outdoors, the weather can be a prime consideration for determining when to call it a day. If there is excessive wind or rain, it may be unsafe to continue. Knowing when to give up and go home means you live to climb another day!

Choosing the climbing location is also important - you need to use good judgment and not attempt dangerous climbs until you have performed many successful climbs and rappelled safely down plenty of beginner and intermediate cliffs. You should never, ever climb alone; if you can't find a climbing buddy, at least take a watcher along in case the worst happened and you became seriously injured. You should also let people know where you are planning to climb and when to expect you back.

Once you have become appropriately skilled, you may wish to join a rock-climbing group so you can climb in tandem with other enthusiasts. There is safety in numbers, but the group is only as strong as its weakest link, - so making sure you have the proper equipment and training is imperative - you have to look out for each other! This checklist should help you be prepared for a fun day of climbing.