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Base Camp
Keep up-to-date with Community Climbs (CC), Deals, Events and General News.

Get Honed
Use the hike to the climbing crag to your advantage. IGK-CC regular Crystle Kozorokski tells you how.

The View
Climbers share their stories and views on climbing and life.

IGK Community Climbs (CC)

November 15th @ GyeRyongSan
Saturday, November 15th marks the date of our last Rock Climbing CC for this season. IGK will be taking you to our exclusive and secluded climbing area in GyeRyongSan. The climbing here is delicious granite rock. Slab climbing and crack climbing are the main course of this climbing banquet. Beginners who might not be able to do 50 chin-ups in a minute are encouraged to join as footwork and leg strength take priority here. So clear your schedule and come on out for another 'Rocking' good time.

The city of Daejeon has constructed a new outdoor artificial climbing wall beside the World Cup Stadium. Admission is free once a waiver has been signed. Waivers are available at the office right beside the climbing wall. Operating hours are from 9am to 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Please note that these hours are subject to change during the year. Inquiries can be made at 042-610-2970 / 011-9403-8550 / 011-9816-7502 (operator only speaks Korean). This is an excellent and convenient opportunity to satisfy your climbing needs. Have fun and climb safe.

Whenever starting a new sport or beginning a new athletic season, key elements to its success and enjoyment include a proper warm up and stretching routine for injury prevention. Warming up the body increases the blood flow to the muscles, thus increasing the elasticity of those muscles, allowing for a greater range of motion around the joints. Rock climbing is no exception to these rules as it requires both upper and lower body activity. This article will discuss a few key tips and stretches focusing on the hip joints to ensure maximum performance for everyone from beginner climbers to the advanced.

As with getting to any crag, a hike is usually required. Many people may not look forward to this part of their climbing day, but it is actually a very beneficial and sport specific warm-up. It warms up the entire body especially the lower limbs in a very slow and gradual manner; so it is important to go at your own pace.

Once you reach the climbing area and prepare to get geared up, take this is a great opportunity for a few short minutes to stretch. Since the hip joint is composed of flexors, extensors, adductors (bringing the legs together) and abductors (moving the legs apart.) Three key stretches will be described to trigger multiple muscle groups at once and open up the hip joint enabling the climber to hit that next foot hold.

The first is a hip flexor lunge stretch. By taking one big step forward and bending at the knees, you are able to lower your body to the ground. A stretch should be felt in the front or the flexors of the hip of the forward leg. It is important to remember that with this stretch, one must keep the upper body vertical and not allow the front knee to go past the front foot as this will only put extra stress on the knee which should be avoided. Holding stretches for 10-15 seconds is optimal with 2-3 repetitions. It is best to hold a constant stretch, not bouncing, as this allows the muscles to relax and lengthen.

The second stretch is the squatted plié stretch. This requires the climber to position his/her feet a little wider than shoulder width and turn the toes outward. Then the knees are bent and the hands are placed on the inside of the knees. For most people, this will create a natural stretch, but for a deeper stretch, turn one shoulder in towards the center of the body while pushing the same hand against the inside of the knee. This is a multifunctional stretch as it triggers not only the hip joint and the adductor muscles but also the lower back and pectoral muscles. It is important to remember to only stretch to where it feels comfortable and pain should not be felt.

The third and final stretch focuses on the large group of gluteal muscles or buttocks which make up the posterior part of the hip and are responsible for external rotation and abduction of the hip. This seated cross legged stretch is done by using the assistance of a stable object to hold such as a tree. By standing with a tree in front of you and holding onto it at waist height with both hands, cross one foot over the opposite knee and sit down slightly as if you were preparing to sit down in a chair. A nice stretch should be felt in the gluts and the outer part of the hip, as that is the insertion point. For a deeper stretch, sit down further and try to get your crossed leg parallel to the ground while leaning back still using the tree for stability.

These 3 hip joint stretches are ideal since the climber does not have to sit on the ground and minimal space is required. One must not forget that each climber will have his/her own personal needs for their body due to their own individual body composition. There are various stretches that can be beneficial to a climb. These are only 3 simple suggestions that a climber may find useful before, during and after time on the rock.

Climb on and climb safe.

Crystle Kozoroski is a Physical Education graduate who kicked and stretched her legs apart to a 3rd dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She’s started rock climbing in Korea with IGK and is a regular at the IGK Community Climbs (CC).

The side of my dorm building, the church masonry on Godfrey Road, the gouged out rock on the side of the highway, the tight space between the science buildings; after my first week of climbing, everything vertical became a potential climb.

I would look up and wonder if and how someone could push and pull him/herself up obscure architectural structures. Sequences of moves would spill through my thoughts, "left hand, right hand, then right hand again. Oppose the feet, and then…oooh that'd be hard." Objects I passed that previously deserved no attention became opponents for vertical chess. My perspective had changed.

Any experience worth remembering gives new perspective, and climbing gives all sorts of viewpoints from the bottom of a route to the top. Although we feel the most gratification from physical experiences, it is the mental perspective that brings most people back to the rock.

To climb well, you must not only visualize sequences of moves towards the end but must also believe they can be done. Your feet will stay on that tiny crystal of granite and your body will twist like a pretzel to reach that last hand hold. The bonus is this belief in seemingly unlikely methods for a seemingly out of reach goal also carries over to all aspects of life; like working in Korea to pay off student loans.

Next time you start a new climbing route, take the time to visualize. Think about where your feet are going and what your hands are doing. And believe it can be done…who knows; maybe that belief could lead to the end of your loans, but you may need to go climbing a little more to reach that hand hold.

If you have any comments, questions or advice pertaining to any article, feel free to contact IGK. And, if you would like to contribute an article contact us at igk@iguidekorea.com. Watch for the next issue in February.