Hold on! The mysteries of wall-climbing and a selection of places to do so in Hungary

It is the wall master who will tell you the secrets before the climb: showing you how to put on the sit harness, explaining which way to turn on the carabiner and introducing you to the secrets of securing your partner. For the first few climbs, he monitors all our movements, so we don't have to worry about forgetting or messing up something and causing our partner to face the consequences of gravity in unpleasant circumstances.

Even if it's hard to believe at first. It's worth trying it close to the ground to see what it feels like when the sling is holding you in the air. This makes it easier when you're ten metres up, with slightly aching muscles, to trust the strength of the slings and the expertise of your partner.

Magnesium powder is a good friend to have because this white powder will keep your hands from slipping off the handholds. In most climbing gyms, you can also rent special climbing shoes: the pros recommend choosing one size smaller than your own, so you can feel the surfaces under your feet. If you prefer to wear your own comfortable trainers for your first climb, you can, of course.

It's undeniable that climbing requires a huge amount of muscle power, but even if you're not a regular gym-goer, you can certainly climb the walls for beginners. The secret is to use your leg muscles: it's much easier to lift yourself with your legs than to lift your whole body weight with your hands.

At least a lot less you would think. Climbing centers welcome every age group. However, it is hard to decide what makes climbers more jealous: kids basically running up and down on the climbers as if it was a piece of cake or elderly people (really, in their 60s or 70s!) who are confidently conquering the vertical wall structures. One thing is for sure: both of them provide enough motivation for us to do the first steps upwards.

The growing number of indoor and outdoor climbing sites across the country is proof of the popularity of climbing. You can test your skills in almost every adventure park around Lake Balaton, including Balatonboglár, Balatonfűzfő, Tihany, Balatonfüred and Paloznak. Similarly, the interactive adventure park in Alsópáhok, and Zemplén Adventure Park take a glimpse into the world of carabiners too, in Székesfehérvár we can try the indoor climbing hall. If you're in Debrecen, you can test your skills on the outdoor climbing wall next to the water tower.