Cd-Rom Helps Teach Basics Of Climbing
Product: Rock Climbing CD-ROM
Description: A skills instructional CD-ROM for both Macintosh and Windows computers with at least 8MB of RAM.
Pro: Using 90 animation sequences, more than 500 full-color photos and numerous video sequences supported by words from a panel of expert climbers, safe climbing moves and techniques are easily demonstrated and learned, over and over again. Animation sequences can be run forward and backward and slowly, step-by-step so that understanding the little details is made easy. Video, audio and graphic quality is supremely high. Using a “virtual mountain,” a novice to expert climber can explore eleven different climbing situations from smooth rock faces to overhangs to cracks. The menu offers a unique user interface which allows efficient browsing through a list of techniques with previews before actually delving deeply into specific skills, each with fully narrated animation, photo and video sequences.
Con: As with many CD-ROMs, it’s a bit pricey for just casual exploration. However, if you are really serious about your learning, or if the person you are planning on giving this to as a gift is serious about learning to climb, then the money can be viewed as just a good investment in learning sound and safe techniques. If there is any danger at all, it is that the teaching is so good it might encourage novices to head out on their own and try what they have learned in a virtual world on real rock without proper hands-on instruction. It hurts a lot more to fall from a real rock.
Comments: I’ve been going climbing at Smith Rocks in Oregon every weekend now for a month, and I haven’t left my seat. How? I’ve been safely jamming, mantling, smearing, rappelling and leading with the help Rock Climbing, a new CD-ROM from Media Mosaic based on parts of the best-selling book Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills. To say it’s impressive would be a grand understatement. Climb on partner.
Suggested Retail: $49.95
Company: Media Mosaic, 520 N.W. Davis Street, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97209; (800) 972-3766.