If you have ever thought about rock climbing as a sport, a hobby or just a way to literally get away from it all, there are literally hundreds of vacation possibilities for you in some of the most scenic locations on earth. If you have been rock climbing for any length of time, you may be aware of a lot of the misinformation that is available online. If you have not, maybe taking a few moments to read this article will save you a lot of grief and expense, traveling around the globe to amazing rock climbing destinations only to discover that they are not open for climbing in the same methods that you prefer or even worse, not open for rock climbing at all.
Many of the favored rock climbing vacation spots have limited types of climbing available. Some have virtually no restrictions at all. Still, some seemingly excellent rock climbing locations are actively advertised online but when you get there, if you have not researched carefully, you may discover that these rock climbing vacation spots are not actually open at all. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly common for some sites to post pictures of places that they see online, that look like great rock climbing locations and assume that it is open for climbing. Unfortunately many of these locations are on protected land or have other restrictions that are not discovered without some healthy research first.
Some problems of this nature are easily solved by knowing some of the terms regarding the different types of rock climbing. At least if one of your desirable rock climbing offers a certain type of rock climbing opportunities, you know that climbing is at least allowed there and it may be that where one type of rock climbing is available, others are as well.
Sport Climbing and Aid Climbing are very similar in nature insofar as different types of “aids” are used in climbing. Guides such as pitons, bolts and other protective and helpful devices are embedded into the rock face allowing the rock climber to secure them during their ascent and descent. In Sport Rock Climbing, these devices are generally permanently embedded into the rock face and the rock climbers can proceed up “courses” along the rock face, selecting that course which may best suit their personal level of rock climbing skills and their adventurous spirit on the day they are climbing.
Traditional Rock Climbing involves the placement of temporary protective aids and devices during the actual ascent along the rock 
face. Traditional rock climbing is generally practiced by more experienced climbers as the consequences of an improperly placed bolt or cam can result in serious injury and even the death of the rock climber. This type of climbing also requires a large amount of equipment that, while it can provide a good measure of safety when rock climbing, can also burden the climber as well.
If you are just getting involved with rock climbing, you may want to try the top-rope method to get started. In the Top Roping method of rock climbing, the leader of the climb will ascend first, generally using traditional rock climbing methods and then lower a rope to those still below. This method of rock climbing is ideally suited for the beginning rock climber who wants to enjoy the challenge and thrill associated with rock climbing but would like to more fully minimize the risk.
Once you have some type of assurance that the rock climbing destination that you are looking at offers at least some type of rock climbing experience and is not going to end up being some place that is closed to the general public, you at least know that your trip will not be for nothing. If, after researching rock climbing destinations on the Internet you are still unsure about specific locations, a phone call or other direct contact may be an advisable alternative as well. Given the beauty of many rock-climbing vacation destinations, it can be well worth a literal trip around the world but going that far only to end up in a dead-end is never going to be worth the trip.
Photo Credits
-Rock Climbing @ The West Vancouver’s Light House Park by iwona_kellie
& Go Climb A Rock by Darcy McCarty
