What do women wear to go climbing?

[Rainallnight]

I want to start climbing and a school dad has offered to take me and show me the ropes (ha ha). I don’t want to look like an idiot. What do people wear? I’m thinking leggings and a t-shirt?

Gum leggings and a sports t shirt

Thanks! What are gum leggings?

Leggings and t shirt or vest will be fine. Sometimes looser trousers but stretchy ones so you can move. Indoor climbing centres can vary a lot in heating. Have fun!

Gym leggings not gum leggings!

Bloody auto correct

Leggings and a T-shirt. Make sure that the arse of your leggings isn’t see through, because once you’re up there with a harness making them even tighter and accentuating your arse someone will be staring right up at it and you won’t be able to do a thing about it.

Yep gym leggings, take some socks incase there are some climbing shoes to borrow as they make a big difference. Make sure you've cut your nails short! Have fun, it's a brilliant sport both mentally and physically challenging.

If you like it and are sure you're going to carry on with it, you might want to get climbing shoes, which my son tells me are a size or a half-size smaller than your normal shoe size. He wears special climbing jeans and seems to use some sort of talcum powder on his hands. Is that provided at the wall? Anyway, foregoing all applies to bouldering at an indoor climbing wall.

Good luck!

My teen DDs are big climbers. It’ll be fine to start in leggings and tshirt. Nothing baggy. You can hire climbing shoes. My DDs have such muscly shoulders and biceps now that they have to wear a sports vest thing with a racer back…

Thank you very much, all! I don’t think I fit into my sporty T-shirts any more so a Decathlon order may be on the horizon

You can roughly tell what decade people started climbing during at my local climbing wall by their trousers

Tops for the women are split between sporty t-shirts, bra style tops and baggy t-shirts with a climbing competition or a wall they've been to on them.

Cut your big toenails short if you're hiring climbing shoes, and don't wear them for too long on your first visit. Growing new nails takes forever.

Good too! I always have my toenails very short anyway but I’ll double check on the day.

Chalk @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g. It helps with grip when your fingers get sweaty.

Thanks, Minnie! I remember that now.

I take it you are going to a climbing wall rather than a crag @Rainallnight?

@FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack

You can roughly tell what decade people started climbing during at my local climbing wall by their trousers

Tops for the women are split between sporty t-shirts, bra style tops and baggy t-shirts with a climbing competition or a wall they've been to on them.

The youngsters who work at our local climbing wall are astounded by 1990s rusack, which is older than them. If only I could still get into my 1990s trousers!!

If you’re using chalk it’ll get EVERYWHERE. Wear oldish clothes or stuff you’re not bothered about

Expect the climbing shoes to be very tight ! And if you are bouldering and not used to it you will quickly get lactic build up in your arms ! It's really fun though..

Pps have got you sorted with the leggings and T shirt, but take a hoody too, for standing around in.
Some climbing centres are FREEZING inside, to the point where at one particular venue I take a down jacket to wear if I'm just helping the kids and not climbing myself. But then others are quite warm. Weird.

Yes, I’m going bouldering in a climbing centre. Good point about the temperature - this place has aircon which I’m really pleased about because I hate being too hot

I was browsing the Decathlon website last night and see you can buy a little pouch for chalk. Should I do that or would I look a bit keen bean on my first visit?

Bit OTT for a first visit.

Ok good to know!

Layers! Sports bra + vest + looser t-shirt + hoodie.

Gym leggings (maybe not black, they get covered in chalk) or as PP have said, looser stretchy trousers. Nothing too long or wide at the ankle though. Take a couple of pairs of different socks to see what's comfy in the shoes.

Take water :-)

Way OTT for your first visit. I climbed with uni for two years and never bought one. I did get my own shoes after a couple of months, I have wide feet and the hire shoes were absolute agony.