Guys may be able to climb up walls faster than girls, but girls have more stamina. Young or old, they also learn the skill of wall climbing quicker than male wall climbers.
Guys may be able to climb up walls faster than girls, but girls have more stamina. Young or old, they also learn the skill of wall climbing quicker than male wall climbers.
Ten women residence teams took on the vertical challenge at the Rhodes Inter- Residence climbing competition last Wednesday.
One minute was all they had to scale each of the six marked climbing routes. For many, it was the first time they wrapped their fingers around the oddlyshaped hand and foot grips on the Alec Mullins Sports Hall climbing wall.
“It’s actually quite exhilarating,” said first-timer Megan Watson from Thomas Pringle residence, out of breath after completing the second of six routes.
“But my opinion is it’s harder for girls. Guys just fly up,” she said. But Rhodes University Mountain Club (RUMC) chairperson Mary Leinberger had a different take.
She conceded that at a certain level men are better than women because they are skilled and stronger. But she pointed out that in women sport climbers are forced to rely on technique, which helps them progress faster.
“Thus the average girl climber is likely to be better than your average guy climber,” she said. RUMC Secretary Martin Bentley agreed.
“Where the problem is not about strength, a woman can climb as well as, if not better, than a guy.” Women are also easier to teach, said RUMC Community Engagement Representative Motlatsi Khosi.
As part of the club’s development programme, members invite girls from Nombulelo Secondary School for a quarterly climbing session at Alec Mullins.
Khosi said in her experience, guys are “harder to handle” because they are too bold, whereas girls’apprehension about getting onto the wall means they are more open to learning skills.
And who would not hesitate to attempt a 55° overhang, the final route of the competition? It can be a terrifying experience, especially since there is no harness securing you to the cavelike wall.
Students hitting crash mats were a common sight on this route, yet many of them were keen to try the extreme sport again.
The element of danger and pushing oneself is what makes climbers crazy about the sport. “Once you’re hooked, you’re hooked,” she Khosi, who hoped the addiction would rub off on newbies in the competition, regardless of their gender.
Results out of 10 teams 1.Oppidan Team 2.Ruth First Residence 3.Lillian Britten House Men’s teams (12 teams) 1.Oppidan Team 2.Jan Smuts Hall 3.Stanley Kid House
Video: View from the top. Rhodes’ Inter-res climbing competition
Produced by Leigh Raymond, Rhodes University New Media Lab, 2010
