Rock Climbing - Smearing and Twist Locks

Crystal Norman: Hi, my name is Crystal Norman, I am with Earth Treks Climbing Centers, here in Rockville, Maryland. I am going to be showing you how to rock climb, and right now Meridian and I are going to show you how to do some twist locks, and some smearing. But first we are going to double check for safety. So Meridian is going to check to make sure my carabiner is locked, and the ATC and rope are properly loaded. I want to make sure she has a good solid figure 8 knot, with a backup knot, and she has gone through both places on her harness. We are also going to make sure that both of our harnesses are on properly.

Meridian: On the leg.

Crystal Norman: Legs on. Meridian: Climbing. Crystal Norman: Climb on. For demonstration purposes, Meridian is not going to be climbing a specific route, but she is going to be showing us the twist locks first. You will notice now that she has her left hip folded into the wall, and she has locked off with her right hand. This allows her to extend up on her right foot and gain vertical ground. As she climbs up and she does her twist locks, her knees are going to turn to the opposite side of where she is reaching. Meridian is also going to be smearing against the walls. You will notice that she doesn't always have to have her foot hold to be able to stand up on something, there is enough friction with the wall and her shoes so she can weight the wall and still stand up. This is just the matter of placing your toes on the wall and pressing your weight down on them. Twist locks are effectively used when you are reaching for a hold far out to your left or right, and maybe a little further away than you want. Meridian: Okay.

Crystal Norman: Got you. That was smearing and twist locks, and now we are going to go over drop knees and weight shifting when rock climbing.