Themselves as rock climbers. They are drawn to the freedom and exhilaration of scaling rugged terrain, not to mention the unique experience of the great outdoors once they get outside the gym. Here's how you can get in on the fun.

Master the basics. These days, first-time climbers can easily find group excursions to join, or they can simply head to a local gym with an indoor wall for introductory classes. You can usually rent all the equipment you'll need, including carabiners (devices used for securing yourself to the rope), chalk, harnesses, ropes and shoes.

Knowledgeable instructors will help you master the ABCs of the sport: getting into a harness, tying knots, communicating with your belayer (the person holding your rope) and the mechanics of climbing. Plus, you will get acquainted with climbing in the nonthreatening comfort of a gym environment, with mats beneath you.

Focus your mind. Women have a distinct advantage when it comes to learning how to climb. "Most guys know they're strong, so they don't even try to conserve strength and they just go at it like a locomotive," who regularly teaches rock climbing to Boy Scout groups.

"Girls and women are usually aware that their upper bodies aren't that strong, so they stand back and try to figure out how to do it. Girls just dance up the rock, and it drives the boys crazy!" Women can also squeeze their hands and feet into spots where many men's fingers and toes can't fit, making them capable of completing some climbs that men cannot.

Of course, fear is a factor that affects most novice climbers. Women often need to work up their courage. that the first step is to realize that popular images of rock climbing are misleading. "Most people are exposed to climbing by movies, but real climbers laugh at those scenes," she.

"In the scene with Tom Cruise in 'Mission Impossible II,' the shots were digitally retouched so you can't see the rope. And that's nothing like real climbing!" Remember: In real life you're attached to a rope and another person, not suspended in thin air.

Prepare your body. While women can make up for a lack of upper-body strength by using their brains, it never hurts to build arm and shoulder muscles as well as flexibility. "Flexibility and agility are very important," since both help you climb and leap from rock to rock, Practicing yoga or doing simple strength-training.

Exercises that use your body weight -- such as pull-ups, push-ups and calf raises (standing on the edge of a step and slowly raising and lowering your body by rolling on and off your toes) -- are great strategies. Aim to do three sets of eight or more of these exercises three times a week.

Be safe. "The most dangerous part of climbing is the car ride to the gym or the mountain, but there are a couple of basic climbing rules everyone should follow.

Stay within your comfort zone, and never let yourself be talked into doing something you're uneasy about: "Peer pressure has no place in rock climbing." Just as important, respect the terrain. "Never chip or alter a rock. Tampering with the landscape can cause rock slides, endangering you and others.

Enjoy the climb. While people with varying types of personalities enjoy climbing -- lively people, quiet people, athletes and nonathletes -- all climbers share an ability to problem-solve.

"Climbers love the challenge of figuring out how to get from point A to point B," When I'm on the rock, I'll get to a point where I don't know what to do, where to move next. I try one little thing and go on just a bit, and then I realize how to keep moving. It's really the perfect metaphor for life.