How to get into the Sport Climbing Community

For many rock climbers, climbing starts in the gym. Even those who have been taught by climbers go to a rock climbing gym to be a certified climber as a way to make sure that both climbers are aware of what they are doing and able to do it safely. However, safety in climbing is never a guarantee and has many risks that could lead to injury or death. Part of being in the climbing community is knowing and accepting the risk. Most rock climbers consider climbing to be safe though the risks are more then most people would be willing to take. To become  certified climber a person needs to know how to tie a figure eight knot so they can tie themselves to the rope and harness.. They also need to be able to know how to use an belay device, either an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) or a Gri-Gri to be able to bely others safely. During the certification at the gym they also make sure that the belayer does not let go of the rope at any point and the climber is tied in properly, The gym employee then makes sure that each climber knows the commands for a climb, So when a climber go's to climb they tell the belayer, "On belay" meaning ready to climb, and when the belayer is ready they say belay on letting the climber know the belayer is ready as well.