Peralta Community College District's Only Student-Run Publication
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

(Graphic: Desmond Meagley/The Citizen)
Sunshine Week 2024: Spotlighting public records
A multi-year investigation into public records related to campus security, public funds, and more
Li Khan, Editor in Chief • March 17, 2024
Read Story
In this monthly column, I chat with folks from the Peralta community and ask ten questions aiming to make everyone more relatable to each other. (Graphic by Randi Cross/The Citizen)
Tea with Tamara: Drew Burgess, art faculty at College of Alameda
Tamara Copes, Columnist • February 21, 2024
Read Story
Archives

    The zen of climbing

    Rock climbing has become an increasingly popular sport, especially over the past few years. Last January there was huge media coverage for the first free-climb ascent of the Dawn Wall in Yosemite by climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson. Never before had a climbing event raised so much attention outside of the climbing community or inspired so many people. 
    If you are thinking about climbing, however, there are a few things you should know. There are a few options depending on the size and the style of climbing you plan to do, depending on whether it is indoors or outdoors. One may choose between Top roping, a style that requires a rope to belay a partner; or Bouldering, which is an individual climbing style that involves climbing on shorter walls/crags. 
    Rock climbing is a physical as well as mental activity. Fear is the most commonly experienced emotion, and also what a beginner and expert climber have in common; the fear never goes away. Climbers are brave but not fearless; they simply learn how to harness their adrenaline.This can be a great life skill that can be applied in other frustrating situations, such as public speaking.
    A route or an obstacle is often harder than it seems and it can take many attempts before being overcome. Climbing can us teach a life lesson; one has to be persistent and work hard until one achieves their goal. 
    On the practical side, climbing equipment is not too expensive. A $200 investment in climbing gear should be enough to last you for a few years — depending on the frequency of usage, of course. Gym memberships, however, can be a bit costly, but there are many outdoor locations in the Bay Area where anybody can climb for free, such as Cragmont Park and Indian Rock in Berkeley. 
    Finally, rock climbing is a healthy activity, the main purpose of which is fun, but it can still be dangerous. Safety should never be overlooked. Make sure to learn all the rules before you start climbing.

    Eirini Courtney is a Tower staff writer. Email her at eirini.courtney(a)gmail.com.

    About the Contributor
    In the fall of 2019, The Laney Tower rebranded as The Citizen and launched a new website. These stories were ported over from the old Laney Tower website, but byline metadata was lost in the port. However, many of these stories credit the authors in the text of the story. Some articles may also suffer from formatting issues. Future archival efforts may fix these issues.  
    Leave a Comment
    Donate to The Citizen
    $0
    $500
    Contributed
    Our Goal

    Comments (0)

    All Sort: Newest

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *