Climbing Walls - Test 3

C1 Advanced · Multiple Choice Reading · C1 Advanced Trainer 2, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read an article about the sport of indoor climbing. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

John Greene visits a climbing centre, called The Crag, to investigate a sport that’s becoming increasingly popular. It’s a Saturday morning and I’m just four metres from the ground, clinging to a wall and suddenly remembering that I am terrified of heights. Although my ascent was far from effortless, it was basically fine while I was moving. But now I’ve reached the top and can’t find a foothold to start back down. My heart is hammering and my whole body is cold. I could just let go and drop to the thick, soft safety mats below; but although I know that wouldn’t hurt, somehow it seems inconceivable. I am here to find out why so many people are falling in love with indoor climbing. There were recently estimated to be over 35 million climbers worldwide, and in the UK alone the numbers are growing by 15–20% a year. I tried it once before, two decades ago. It was in a converted warehouse – as with so many climbing centres, enthusiasm had seen the potential in large empty industrial structures. In those days, climbing was a fringe activity, and venues were few and far between. Little had changed since the 1960s, when the first walls were created so that proper mountaineers could get some practice when weather, or lack of time, kept them from their usual haunts. Numbers have exploded since those times and there are now 500 or so walls in different cities around the UK. Sam Bailey has volunteered to show me around The Crag. Like many indoor climbers, he focuses on ‘bouldering’ – tackling walls of no more than five metres, free of the usual heavy climbing gear designed to prevent a fall – rather than roped climbing, where ropes (to which you’re attached with a harness and various metal clips) let you go higher, but with considerably more faff. If that sounds like a soft option, it isn’t: the hand- and footholds for bouldering can be little more than bumps in the wall, and that wall sometimes tilts back on itself so that it overhangs the floor. So, what’s the attraction? ‘I find it really hard not to think about work all the time,’ says Katia Lennox, who has been climbing for two years. ‘The wall is the one place where I don’t even need to try to switch off. You just focus on what you’re doing and it’s very therapeutic.’ There’s lots of problem-solving, working out where to put your hands and feet.’ Sam Bailey says: ‘The mental effort distracts you from doing much else. At the same time, all the different muscle groups are working and it’s only when you stop that you realise how much you’ve exerted yourself.’ Teresa Burns, a climbing instructor, points out – and this is echoed by everyone I talk to – that ‘you don’t need to be a great athlete to do it. All sorts of body shapes and ages get something out of it.’ ‘I’ve never been sporty,’ says lab technician Lea Foo. ‘But, a year ago, I did bouldering with some friends, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I now manage things I’d never have imagined possible.’ One thing that intrigues me, is the number of women in The Crag. ‘It’s non-threatening – super-chilled,’ says 24-year-old Yasmine, when I mention this to her, ‘unlike most gyms I’ve been to.’ Other women I talk to make the same point. Jasmine has been climbing for three years and relates the way that flexibility can trump brute force: ‘You see muscle gym guys coming in and thinking they’re going to do it easily, but it doesn’t happen for them.’ Another climber, Aleida, says: ‘I don’t feel at a disadvantage, and I know some other women who come here feel like me. If a tall strong guy does the climb with a one-arm pull-up, I can do it by throwing my leg into a split and balancing on a hold. My years of gymnastics when I was at school have really helped. Although I’m short and look relatively weak compared with others, I’ve got a leg-up in other ways.’ When I eventually unfreeeze and make it back down, I talk to Rebecca Peters, a maths teacher. She’s been bringing her nine-year-old daughter Sophie to classes for about two years. ‘I’m so impressed by how it develops young people,’ she says. I decide to have another go and share a wall with Sophie and her friend Luke. They are both vastly stronger, more agile and more confident than me. They also seem much more mature in their decision-making and team-working skills that I would normally expect from children their age – though thinking about what I’ve observed during my visit to The Crag, somehow it doesn’t seem that surprising.

The temperature in the centre affects his mobility.

Fear prevents him from climbing any higher.

The idea of jumping to the floor is out of the question.

Tiredness slows down his thoughts and movements.

What does the writer say about his situation in the first paragraph?

early climbing walls

outdoor rock climbs

old industrial buildings

urban climbing centres

What do the words ‘usual haunts’ in line 11 refer to?

the predictability of some climbing routes

the places where climbers can grip the walls

the technical challenge involved in bouldering

the inconvenience of dealing with safety equipment

What does the writer mean by the word ‘faff’ in line 16?

the way that climbing appeals to a wide range of people.

the psychological benefits that climbing can bring.

the speed with which new climbers improve.

the impact that climbing has on fitness.

The climbers mentioned in the fourth paragraph all comment on

the welcoming atmosphere.

the way it affects their bodies.

the competitions they can take part in.

the opportunity to meet like-minded people.

Women say they prefer going to the climbing centre than to a gym because of

drawing attention to an unanticipated perspective

summarising the main ideas addressed in the article

elaborating on a point one of the speakers raised previously

explaining his own feelings about climbing

What is the writer doing in the final paragraph?

Climbing walls

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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