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Okay guys. I'm extremely new to this. I have now procured a harness and shoes. How do I meet people to climb with and to learn more? I live in E. Ky (Ashland area). No gyms near and I don't know any climbers in the area. I only know one climber, who wouldn't want to babysit me all the time.

Any one have advice to help a newbie learn the ropes, so to speak?

Post here and/or go to Miguels.

yep stay with us. lot's of fun.

After a while you won't even mind the smell. Just start saving up for your therapy.

If you really wanted to get yourself a ton of experience and up to speed extremely quickly, just bite the bullet and pay for a guiding service. Red River Outdoors in Slade would teach you everything you need to now. The Tacketts are great people. Just tell them what all you want to learn, pay the $150 (or whatever it is), and learn the correct way.

Good luck!

Good advice. This is really something you should learn the correct way...ya know...with the risk of death & all.

I always recommend a guide; you'll learn things you didn't know that you didn't know. Other than that, get to Miguel's on a Friday night and see if anyone is willing to let you climb with them for the weekend.

Guides are a good investment and RRO is a cool place 4 sure - but how many of us learned from a guide - compared to from each other? Guides are safer though. Kinda like sex-ed in school vs. learning "on the streets."

A guide is great. Books are also a way to get a leg up on what the guides may tell you. Exercise your forearms so you don't burn out after 30 min.
Pull on door jambs or what ever. They make tubing to use for workouts that will build up those muscles. Coordination doesn't come after exhaustion.

I learned from a guide. I recomend it highly.