:Forest Folk

Formula One motor racing is basically the summit of karting. It’s the professional configuration of the sport in its entirety. Formula 1 is huge phenomenon, a business empire that receives millions and millions of ? per annum from advertising, funding, and radio income sources. Expert Formula One drivers with a millionaire existence race these astounding motor cars that are unprecedented with technical kit - everything from very hard to develop lightweight frames that glide the machine to tires with incomparable grooving style that supplies the power on the circuit.

There is at this time no other sport that best epitomizes the saying “international sport” like Formula One motoring. Many countries serve as active contributors in shaping the Formula 1 racing road show - Malaysia for example, is a hot spot for F1 racing (Fernando Alonso, a Spanish-born Formula One racing driver driving with Team Renault very recently won a F1 race there) and Italy plays a vital role in designing and making first class, top-of-the-line go karts. Competition is usual in karting - giving an edge of anticipation with each zip of the bend and nitrous increase of the machine. Keep up to date with Formula One with detailed guides on all the past and present F1 Grand Prix Circuits.

F1 motor vehicles can be summed up in 2 words: technological miracle. These sleek, low riding gems ripping trough laps at speeds topping one hundred & eighty miles per hour consist of nothing more than merely a chassis, an engine, & four wheels. For starters, the engine is placed behind the cockpit as opposed to normal motor vehicles. Find great offers on sports equipment.

Comments Off

Combine the two of man’s most important pursuits and you will track down a phenomenon titled a sportsbook. And really, what could ever be more original… If you envision a set of sports fellas cheering on a given preferred local club, and more often than not antes will be placed in tandem with the clamor. Aiming to participate in of the excitement, on-lookers habitually attempt to guess who will make it in the forthcoming match. Put together, all of this finally turns into a congenial and friendly match named sportsbook. Santana, Wright lead Mets over Phillies

Yes, it might well look neurotic, yet sportsbook wagers is actually only an amusing entertainment and of bonding with fellow sports devotees. Here, you’ll be able to risk a a minute quantity of silver and regardless enjoy a amazing time. Here’s a select number of pointers to help everyone get started sportsbook wagers.

In order to wager, I would advise you search out a sportsbook, i.e. a place that takes in sportsbook. In America, there’s currently a total of no less than four states where to go for sportsbook wagers legitimately, but informally you may do it wherever assuming that you find a bookie and you’re legally an adult. Included among the sports events you can bet money on are pro plus, naturally, college football and basketball, professional hockey, professional hockey, plus, naturally, wagers on both horse and dog racing. Clients will have the option of placing wagers on the whole combined score of a competition, on what round the contestant will go under, and even if a coin toss in a competition will land either heads or tails.

The sportsbook setup will confide in statistics to help you arrive at a conclusion which club you suppose will make it. There is the spread, i.e. advantage in points tallied to a disadvantaged club anticipated to go down by a set number points. This is the odds maker’s prescribed process of organizing balanced antes for a Sports Book. To take an example, we might choose to wager on a contestant anticipated to go down and and regardless win that bet assuming that the club loses by a set number of points.

You can see plenty of loads of different types of bets- straight bets, where all you have to do is to specify the lineup which you guess is the likeliest to win or go down, parlays i.e. combined wagers on some sports activities, and so on, the straight being the dominating one in sportsbook wagers. So do go for it, and entertain yourself all at once… But take pains to ensure that you won’t get overpowered and drain your entire retirement fund frivolously. Otherwise you’ll be sure to end up deploring it for life.

Comments Off

It seems like the Celtics play close games every night out. Why just two days ago they lost by 1 to a pair of Gilbert Arenas free throws. Had they won all their close games like the Bucks’ do they’d have a great record. Instead they teeter on the border of the playoffs and this loss to the Mavs won’t help.


The first half of this game was not for the modest basketball fans; 38 fouls were called and the game was driven to a standstill. The Celtics had four players with 2 fouls in the first quarter alone and had used all 12 men before the quarter was over. The Mavericks played 11 themselves by the second half. Compensation occurred in the second half where fouls became no-calls and the officials allowed the players to play. While nobody fouled out, 56 fouls were committed (roughly 1.17 fouls per minute).


Jason Terry had 30 points and hit 7 3-pters. Jerry Stackhouse came off the bench for a season-high 20 points. Dirk Nowitzki was shut down for most of the game but hit key 4th quarter shots and got his stats more respectable with 26 points and a team-high 7 boards.


Rebounds were scarce in this game. Both teams were in the top 10 in FG% coming into the game and the fouls on shot-attempts only lessened the rebound total. Paul Pierce led they way for Boston with 8.


The game flip-flopped for control up until the 4th quarter when Dallas began to pull away. Keith Van Horn knocked down three triples in the quarter. Between him, Terry and Nowitzki hitting the long-range jumpers, the Mavs built a 12-pt 4th quarter lead.


But the Celtics came back in the final minutes. After finally getting some defensive rebounds, Boston proceeded to cut the lead to 3. With less than ten seconds on the game clock, Paul Pierce pump faked Dirk Nowitzki on a three, moved over a few feet, and shot the game-tier with 6.5 left on the clock.


With 4.5 left Jerry Stackhouse did a similar move to Ricky Davis and found an opening on the baseline. Leaving practically no room for a shot attempt, Stackhouse drilled the 20-footer to give the Mavericks a 104-102 win.


Paul Pierce led all scorers with 32. Tony Allen and Mark Blount both had 12 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Ricky Davis scored 17 points and dished a game-high 8 assists.


Boston has won just 3 of their last 10 games, which added with the Nets 10-game winning streak puts them pretty much out of the division. The Mavs are now just a game back of San Antonio for home court advantage. Even without the home court, they’ve proven that they’ll be a difficult team to face in the postseason; this win gives the Mavs a League high 13 road victories.

Visit NBA Betting Systems for more expert articles on sports.

Comments Off

If you are like most golfers, you have purchased hundreds of dollars of golf training equipment. How many gimmicky training aids do you have lying around?

Now I want you to picture something.

Put all the training aids together in your mind and picture using them all at the same time. What do you think would be the results?

I don’t think it would be pretty and that’s my point.

It’s so easy to look for the ‘magic bullet’. But the magic bullet is staring you in the face. You heard that right, it’s YOU!

You swing the club and play the game…so why wouldn’t you spend the time and money on improving YOU?

So stop buying the latest greatest training aid and focus on improving your own physical limitations.

So let’s get back to golf training equipment.

I’d like to make a couple of suggestions.

I’m all for swinging a weighted club. You couldn’t get more golf-specific than that. That would be a purchase that will give you a high return.

Next on the list would be exercise tubing. It only costs approximately $20-$25 and would be another very wise investment.

The beauty of tubing is the ability to break down the golf swing into as many phases as you like and do resistance (tubing) training specific to that phase.

The next piece of golf training equipment is the stability ball. Any golfer with a bad back should have one.

You can do so many stretches on it, and you can have this in your office, home or even when you travel since it’s deflatable.

And lastly, hand weights. Another term is dumbbells. You can do dozens of golf-specific exercises with a simple pair of dumbbells. The cost is 50 cents a pound and they are very portable.

Other than the above golf training equipment, you could get one, maybe two trainings aids specific to your swing fault.

For example, if you’re a slicer, the Inside Approach is a great device to use right on the range.

But dump all the old, ineffective training aids you have in your garage and focus on what will give you the greatest return on investment (both time and money).

And remember; if you are doing something that’s not working…stop! Move onto something new and different. Don’t get in a rut. Catch yourself before this happens.

This article was provided by Mike Pedersen, one of the leading golf fitness experts in the country. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to transform your game, Mike has a new book out with easy tips, techniques and cutting-edge golf exercises. Go take a look at http://www.ultimategolffitnessguide.com.

Comments Off

St. Petersburg, Florida
April 3, 2005

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

What follows are the observations and half-baked thoughts of a total racing neophyte, an automotive slob who wouldn’t know a spark plug from a flux-capacitor.

Our hero is P.J. Chesson the 26 year old race car driver from the gentrified horse country of N.J. This is his second year racing the Menards Infiniti PRO Series, which is like the minor league of IndyCar. He racked up 3 consecutive wins and a number of top 5’s in his first year racing on pavement. P.J. is driving for a new team this year and things are tense, he crashed during qualifying in the first two races of this season. (The drivers are responsible for the damages themselves if they are incurred outside the actual race). The team is a real step down from his rookie season and the car reflects this. His girlfriend is Echo Johnson, she is somewhat older than P.J. (though I lack the conviction to ask how much) she is a former Playboy model from Austin, Texas.

P.J. seemed unaffected by the same thoughts I was having when I stepped into the ‘hot pit’. My first thought on coming close to these diminutive fighter jets, with one extra wheel, is something like ‘you’d have to be a jockey to fit into one these little f*ckers’….The national anthem is over, worked over with a butchers clever by some American Idol hack. The honorary starter is Andrew Firestone, I regret to report that it looks like the Queer Eye Guys have gotten there hands on another one. The engines roar to life and Echo and I are told to get off the track, an order which we ignore only because it was said with such little authority… The second warm-up lap is over and the green flag goes up, supposedly, though who the hell knows, it’s too loud and the Florida sun is too bright to notice the little things. I will say dear reader with total honesty and full disclosure that I am fully recovered from Friday nights debauchery in New York, though I had the flight down to think about it.

As P.J. predicted there was a disaster on the opening lap, apparently the first turn is at the end of the straight away and is pretty hairy when the field is all bunched up. A young Brazilian named Jamie Camara was wiped out 3 seconds into this race, though I couldn’t see much from here in pit row. We cannot feel to badly for him as apparently he is the son of the Brazilian Ted Turner, but with no doubt a wonderful Portugaise style that Ted’s mustache could never match. But you can hear the slick little missiles blowing by you at over 150 mph on the straight away, you can feel the power of the engines, you can smell the rocket fuel exhaust.

Another spin out at the 21 lap mark, it gives us a chance to asses P.J.’s race. He is 5 mph off the pace of the leaders, it appears his car not only looks slightly inferior, with its faded blue and white paint job, but it races that way as well. The good news comes in the form of a gangly, somewhat slippery looking Aussie, no doubt descended from a long line of pocket pickers, he assures Echo that P.J. is getting faster with each lap, 2 seconds faster before the latest caution flag. The flag gives him a chance, and all the other stragglers, to catch the leaders and condense the race. A much needed mulligan, that cost someone serious dough and a possible trip to the school nurse. I haven’t given it much thought before, but I guess it is designed to make the race more exciting, tighter for the fans, as there is not speed limit for anyone as long as you don’t pass the guy ahead of you.

Eventually you can catch up to the leader who is being held back by an extremely ugly pace car (actually a truck). A boost for the little guy. A hold out for democracy in an America where evil empires and dynasties reign supreme.

Anyway, I neglected to inform you that the slippery looking ‘bloke’ also told Echo that PJ was saying his brakes were getting soft, even to me this didn’t sound promising. Apparently all the drivers were reporting the same, they are not used to braking much around an oval track, which most of these guys have cut their teeth on. PJ does not strike me as someone who has ever considered using his breaks for any reason.

Echo appears to be a real distraction for the S.P.F.R. fire fighter next to us, standing behind an open 40 gallon barrel of water. What good that will do is totally suspect. 10 laps to go, let’s pray there are no fires near me needing the attention of this valiant lecher… The rather sparse crowd has gone up in a round of applause, I can tell by the subdued nature of the cheer that it is not a firey crash these vultures are applauding, but a skilled pass somewhere out there. Marco Andretti is beating other drivers with names like Unser and Drake, most with JR, III, or the IV. PJ has moved into 7th place with another driver spinning out.

I want to take a bottle of water out of the cooler next to me, but I dare not offend the natives, with their colorful garments and funny head wear. Clearly I am an outsider trespassing on a world of insiders. It’s a good thing I know one of the chiefs and happen to be standing next to his beautiful concubine.

5 laps to go, surely only a disastrous miracle will propel our man into victory lane, or anywhere near it. But a victory was not expected by anyone but me, who knows less than any of the morbidly obese children starting to fill the stands behind me in anticipation of the big cars racing later today. The drivers and their girlfriends, however, are descended from a different stock than their fans. The girlfriends can easily be identified from all the other women track side by their bleached and surgically enhanced good looks. Is it my imagination or are they all taller than their men? More research is needed, Ill have to survey them on this at the next race and get back to you… Race car drivers may be the only short men with fast cars able to successfully compensate for their lack of stature.

It looks like Marco Andretti, the 18 year old phenom will drive himself into victory lane. Another victory for patrimony, empires and dynasties everywhere, non the less a well deserved win for the kid. The media swarms the champ, a lot of Japanese media come sprinting down pit row, with their wonderful straight black hair. But wait, here come the blonds, very impressive. Clearly I should have been behind a steering wheel, not a golf ball, from a very early age.

PJ is helped out of his car and looks very pleased. He gets a big hug and a kiss from Echo and congratulations from a number of official looking guys. We’re standing looking at the circus going on around the winner’s car. I sense he is happy with finishing 7th and I ask as much, “I finished a f*cking race in ‘05 baby” clearly a weight off his shoulders….PJ talks shop with some of the other racers and his crew for a while. We all jump on the scooter PJ, Echo then me, when I realize that this is about as close as I’ll ever get to a playmate.

As I am standing under the car lift platform, attached to the back of the customized 18 wheeler, in an attempt to find some relief from the unrelenting Florida sun, I hear a soft whining. The sun/shade line is slowly moving across the tarmac, when I come to the conclusion that the mischievous natives are letting me know my place in the strict social hierarchy of their highly evolved culture. I attempt to look cool and collected, calm in the face of their passive aggressive behavior. I barely avoid being slowly crushed by the powerful hydrolic monster, I can hear a few deep grunts.

Perhaps now that I sit here in the Tampa airport, next to a family from one of the outer-boroughs, all of us on our way back to JFK and God only knows where from there, as they verbally abuse two generations of the family, one in a wheel chair and one in a baby stroller, and my head is totally clear of Marquee cobwebs I can say that the pit crew did not see me standing under the car lift and that they were not in it to spill some blood, that warm cloudless Sunday afternoon in St. Petes, but if I don’t believe it neither should you.

Arrived JFK
April 4, 2005

These drivers, and PJ more than any I have met so far, are afflicted by some atavistic need to compete for resources, engage in the hunt, with death not in the shadows but right in front of them, all around them. This Infinity Pro Series seems even more dangerous than their bigger brothers of IndyCar who race the same courses, at only a very few seconds faster per 1.8 mile lap. Why is it, or does it seem, more dangerous if the cars are smaller and slightly slower? The danger lies in the drivers themselves, as I look up from my scratchy writing to notice my Arab friend, whose name I would no doubt need George Tenet to pronounce for me, hurls us at top speed ever closer to certain fear and possible destruction, while playing with his cell phone in one hand and jabbing at his nostrils with the other. I get the distinct feeling we are walking a tight rope at this point and his Israelie girlfriend is screaming at us not to look down at her… The point I so callously veered away from was that these drivers are more dangerous because they are less experienced and they are driving for their lives (no endorsements down here in the minors). I will say however, that their girlfriends appear to be nearly as good looking as those of the IndyCar drivers, with Ashley Judd a more refined exception.

This car ride home is getting really hairy now. We barely made it over the Williamsburg bridge with our lives and now my driver is getting jumpy, he can smell the finish line, victory lane is within his grasp and no one is going to keep him out. There may not be any a hoard of media and groupies, and the purse is barely enough to cover the gas, but these guys race for reasons you and I cant begin to understand.

Comments Off

Most of us are looking for easy ways to loose weight. Well, here today we will talk about how to do just that. It might not be as hard as you might think. We all have friends who pack on the double patty burgers with two extra large fries each day. After they swallow this, they will go onto eating a whole bag of candy and wash it down with a half gallon of milk. Sound like some of your college buddies? Through out the day, we get thirsty. All living creatures do. What do you turn for most often? Sodas, we all do it. Why? Because they are easy to get and they taste good. Who can turn down a sweet drink after a jog in the sun? Well, you shouldn’t be doing that. There is two reasons why. One is because it is wasted calories. You don’t get anything back from the soda. You might get some pep from the caffeine, but that is about it. You might get a slight sugar rush, but it won’t be anything that last. The second reason is, because we are slightly hungry. We aren’t hungry enough to go get something to eat, but a drink will satisfy us enough to our next meal.
Instead of drinking sodas all day long, drink juice. More specifically, juice with the pulp in it. I know what you are thinking. There is more of a purpose to this than moving your bowels. We all have had a bit of a problem in the bathroom department and have ran for the juice with the pulp in it. Juice with the pulp in it will fill you up. Unlike sodas, there is something actually there to curb your hunger. You will drink less because you will get full. Try it, you will be surprised.
Always stick to wheat bread. Don’t eat the white stuff. Whole wheat products are known to stabilize blood sugar levels. This mean you won’t get hungry as fast. This is an easy way to curb your hunger.
Here are some tips you can use when making sandwiches.
Avoid cheese. We put way to much cheese on everything these days. I won’t be surprised if some day they make a cheese covered soda can. This is a heart attack waiting to happen. There is no reason to eat this much cheese. One of the ways you can cut down on the amount of cheese you eat is by shredding the cheese. Use the shredded cheese instead of cheese slices. You can cover the same amount of area, with less cheese. You can also do this on salads as well.
Cut down on the mayo. I would suggest that you cut this completely out. I know some guys who put so much mayo on their sandwiches, I can’t see how they eat them. I can’t see how they can taste anything but the mayo. A good suggestion to do it, sprinkle a little of Italian dressing on the sandwich. Just enough so you can taste it. This will really cut down on the fat. Also, if you make your own, you can control how much oil is in the dressing.
Cut down on bread. If you are going out to eat and the waiter drops a bread basket on the table, push it away. Don’t eat the bread. The more carbs you can get away from the better. Cut out the silly snacks. Don’t fill up on potato chips between meals. Instead grab an apple or some veggie sticks. You will be amazed at how good they are once you give them a chance. I love green peppers sprinkled with a little salt. I will take these any day over potato chips.
Stay away from fatty cuts of meat. Don’t go to the store and buy the most fatty cuts of pork you can get. Take it home and trim the fat off of it if you have to. There are tons of ways you can cook lean meat so that it isn’t dry. That is why most people like the fat in the meat, it adds juice. Also with spices, you can fix the problem of not having the flavor that fat adds.
Stay away from too much dairy. No need to get full of ice cream that is full of fat. Instead if you must consume it, go for the low fat versions. Try to get flavors with a lot of fruit in them or add your own fruit. You won’t notice the missing fat if you add some flavor to it. Avoid frying stuff. Learn how to bake, broil and steam your foods. You will be surprised at how much fat frying adds to the dish. Sure it tastes better, but it won’t help your waist any.
There you have it. Those don’t sound too hard do they? I’m sure after you repeat them after awhile, they will get easy to do.

If you are having trouble losing weight, please visit www.natural-stamina.com/LoseThatWeightFast.html for further articles.

About the Author

Alex Sharp is CEO of Natural-Stamina.com a program helping men with all issues of their health and sex lives.

Comments Off

If you want to advance your tennis game as a whole therefore a better type of racquet will be arguably one of the tennis products on the crest of your sports list. Conversely, just prior of purchasing a tennis racket there are a significant number of influences that have to be weighed up. These take account of: the tennis racquets weight, steadiness, head diameter and a substantial number of additional factors. By means of identifying what disadvantages the every style of racquets can give will help you to make a more evaluated assessment throughout the purchasing course.

Power Level: Visit VTennis.co.uk today for all the latest offers on Tennis Rackets.

The force exerted by the current tennis racquet varies vastly and each & every level achieves many advantages depending on your individual tennis technique. The 3 available types of power levels in a tennis racket comprise of; ?Power Racquets?, ?Tweener Rackets’ and ?Control Racquets?.

Power racquets presents a hefty amount of strength and is meant for tennis players that take shorter & smoother tennis movements. Tweener rackets are for tennis players that are craving for a balance among power & control and are as a result designed for specific players which have an average to long swing speeds, and in addition take an average to long cuts at the tennis ball. These are fitting for junior tennis players who are going to adult length tennis racquets.

Last, nevertheless not least, control rackets are expected for tennis people that have long & rapid racquet swings when they play. The core justification for this is that control rackets demand the player to fashion the power. This category of racquet is recommended to be avoided by children unless they know how to control the supplementary weight.

Comments Off

BANK FISHING 4 CINCINNATI CATFISH

Here are some of the few places for bank fishing around downtown Cincinnati. On the Cincinnati

side of the Ohio River the Public Landing & Serpentine Wall are the spots to fish. You can

drive your car right down to the river’s edge at the Public Landing. When it is cold or wet you

can watch your poles from the comfort of your car. I have talked with some guys that have

caught fish right below the big red paddlewheel monument. I did have some hard bites there but

never hooked the fish. The problem is my sinkers seem to find the snags too many times.

The Serpentine Wall is the water is a good 17 feet deep right off the walk area. take a dip

net to get your fish from the water up to the walk way. The old ice breakers on the east end of

the wall is one of the better places. By all means secure your pole to one of the short concret

tie ups for boats. When a cat grabs your bait and the rod is not secured your rod will be

gone in a flash. There is no way you will ever get it back in that deep of water.
When the river is down in pool stage there is current flowing between the 3 breakers. Channel

and flaheads are caught along those 2 spots.

On the Kentucky side of the Ohio you can fish the mouth of the Licking River. Both Newport

and Covington have palces for bank fishing. The Newport bank is on the steep side and can be

slippery if there is any rain or heavy due. The channel of the Licking River is very close to

the Newport bank so a long cast is not required to get to the deeper water. Most of the folks

that fish there cast their lines into the Licking River. You can also fish right at the South

end of the Cental bridge. Park your car at the lot below the Riverboat Row street and fish

right at the bank. There is a lot of riprap extending from the bank so you can get snagged .

You can park your car on the street then walkdown the steps at the Covington spot. The bank

is level with sand and gravel so it is easy to walk. You can either fish the Ohio Or Licking at

that area. I know there are channels and flatheads in that area. I have been told Blue cats

also have been landed there.

I hope this is some help in getting a few more cats hooked to end of YOUR line in the future.

Tight lines to all.

nlcatfish@fuse.net
webmaster for
Cincinnati Catfishing
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com

SHOP WITHOUT DROPPING
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com/Shop1.html

Over700Bargings4YOU
www.bargins4tightbudgets.com XXXXX

About the Author

Have been catfishing around the Downtown Cincinnati area of the Ohio River for over 40 years. fish both from the bank and boat over the past fifthteen years. Gone catfishing at Lockport 5 times over the past 10 years. It is the greastest place to catch lots of huge CHANNEL catsfish in North America!!

Comments Off

If you are hoping to expand your attributes then a better brand of sports product must be almost certainly one of the tennis items at the top of your inventory. Nonetheless, just prior of acquiring a tennis racket there are a very substantial number of influences that have to be well thought-out. These comprise of: the tennis rackets weight, steadiness, head size and a substantial number of other factors. By means of realizing what benefits the numerous sort of rackets may offer can help support you to choose an easier conclusion in the buying course.

Power Level:

The energy excised by modern day tennis racket changes greatly & each and every level offers plenty of advantages depending on your individual tennis approach. The three types of power levels in a tennis racket comprise of; ?Power Racquets?, ?Tweener Rackets’ & ?Control Rackets?,

Power rackets provides a large quantity of energy and is intended for tennis individuals that take shorter and relaxed swings. Tweener rackets are for tennis people that are longing for a compromise among power & control and are thus aimed for people that employ an average to long tennis racquet swing speeds, & also take a standard to long cuts at the tennis ball. These are better for younger age groups who are moving to full length tennis rackets. VTennis.co.uk the number one Tennis resource on the internet today!

Last, nevertheless not least, control rackets are expected for tennis people that incorporate extended & quick tennis swings when they play. The core reason for this is that control tennis rackets want the player to produce the power. This form of tennis racket must be passed up by younger age groups unless they can be able to cope with the supplementary weight.

Comments Off

Rock climbing is an exhilarating sport and one that is growing in popularity. Today, people of all ages are taking up this fun but physically demanding activity. Many aspects of rock climbing appeal to those partaking in this sport, but one thing which stands out most is that this is an activity that can be done both indoors and out.

Man-made rock climbing walls are perfect for training and for when the weather conditions outside are less than desirable. Indoor rock climbing walls are a great way to learn the various rock climbing techniques while being under the careful watch of more experienced rock climbing professionals. Because they’re made to resemble the characteristics you’d find in a natural rock environment, many rock climbers never even venture outdoors. But for those who do, the outdoors experience is truly unique and awe-inspiring.

Countless rock climbing opportunities await those who do venture outdoors. Not all rocks though are optimum for the rock climber. First in importance is whether the rock face can be traversed horizontally or vertically. Equally important is that the rocks chosen for rock climbing must be solid rocks and they must be stable. Also look for locations where the weather is predictable, and where trails already exist.

Although this is a relatively safe activity if undertaken using the proper rock climbing equipment, rock climbing can be a dangerous sport, especially for those who venture far off the ground and away from more densely populated areas. It’s one thing to want to climb in an uncrowded area, but should an emergency situation develop, being close to others could mean the difference between getting timely help and not getting the help the injured party needs to survive.

Many people mistakenly believe that the majority of rock climbing injuries result from falling. This belief might simply result from the fact that rock climbers who fall get more attention from local authorities, rescue squads and even the media. However, most rock climbing injuries occur to the hands, tendons, elbows and shoulders and are caused by straining and overuse. Although these types of injuries are not preventable, their occurrence can be reduced by taking time to properly warm up and stretch out these body parts. Using the right rock climbing equipment for the journey ahead is also advisable.

Rock climbing shoes are a must and help ensure a proper grip on the sometimes slippery surfaces. Helmets, which unfortunately aren’t worn by many climbers, are a good way to prevent serious head injury. A rock climbing harness that is in excellent condition with no frayed or worn out parts, climbing ropes, webbing, karabiners and belay devices are other essential pieces of rock climbing gear.

Keep the above rock climbing basics in mind before venturing out on your next rock climbing adventure and you’ll hopefully keep rock climbing accidents to a minimum.

Online Rock Climbing Resource

Comments Off