Starting out on your climbing journey can be hard to do, especially when there are not only different types of walls to climb, but also different forms of climbing altogether. Top Rope, Lead, Bouldering, Trad, Free Soloing, Deep Water Soloing, Ice Climbing, and Mixed Climbing all have different strengths and weaknesses that draw different climbers to each of them. This will take you through everything you will need to know to find the climbing style that is right for you. See A Guide to Rock Climber Vocabulary for in-depth descriptions of terms.
Special thanks to fellow climber, coach, and trainer Mario Stanley, who gave me a lot of insight into the the eight forms of climbing and was especially helpful in making this article possible.…