Almost every type of rock climbing requires you to have a competent climbing partner. Unless you plan on doing a lot of bouldering (which is a great option if you don’t have a partner), or free soloing (which I don’t recommend if you want to live a long life) you’re going to need to find a partner that you can climb with. By now you probably already know that in order to climb safely one person climbs and one person belays at the bottom. The belayer is very important because they are ensuring the safety of the climber, but the climber is also very important because they will be putting up the route and creating an anchor so that others can climb on the route in an easier manner. If either of these people make a mistake it can be fatal to either or both people. Not only is a partner important while you’re climbing, but they are also important before you climb. Both the climber and belayer will double check the knots and belay device set before anyone set off up the route. This is very important because even seasoned veterans make mistakes when it comes to tying knots and using a belay device. Don’t think that just because you have lots of experience you can skip these steps.
Now that we’ve talked about why it’s important to have a good partner let’s explain who to chose.
It’s important to chose someone who is about your same level. This way you will both be able to do the same routes and it makes climbing much more enjoyable. Make sure that you trust your partner! This is probably this most important part of choosing a partner. If you don’t chose a partner you can trust you will always be worrying about other things while you’re climbing and not focusing on the climb. Also make sure your partner has a schedule similar to yours to that you can go climbing as much as possible. Oh and don’t forget you need to chose a partner that will make climbing enjoyable and fun!!
A Beginner's Guide To Rock Climbing 