Last week, I participated in a Groupon for an hour of indoor climbing at
City Climb.
I'd never done indoor climbing before, so I didn't know what to expect. However, I've always been a hyperactive type; the one who is always climbing things, jumping over/off things, and getting dirty, so I was very excited.
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| Walls for days. There is also a whole other room for "bouldering," which looks pretty badass. |
Our special was for an hour of belayed climbing, led/belayed by one of the gym's very friendly and encouraging staff, whose name escapes me (Andrew?). We got some nifty shoes and harnesses to wear, and geared up.
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| Actually comfier than they look. |
"Andrew" roped us up, and started us out on some easier climbs to start. Probably the best thing about it was that each wall has a little bell dangling at the top that you can ring upon completion; I finally filled the void in my life left by never having been able to compete on Global Guts.
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| Me working on a pink route. No I did not use the ladder. |
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| K-Dawg gets it done. |
Then we took on more challenging terrain.
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| JoDa (nee JoPo) and unborn child slayed it all night. |
All of the hand/foot holds were flagged with colored tape, marking out routes up all the walls. "Andrew" explained that routes are rated from 5.0 to 5.15 (no it's not a decimal; I asked) in terms of increasing difficulty. The hardest route I finished was a 5.8, it involved traversing a doorway, climbing around a corner and up a crack in the wall. Let me tell you, the struggle is real. Some of the hand holds were more or less ladder rungs:
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| I could climb these knobby suckers for life. |
But some of them were laughable for the likes of me, they may as well have been wall:
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| What I'ma do wit this? |
A few months ago a friend had asked if I had any interest in joining City Climb as a member, and I laughed him off. Now, though, I think I've changed my tune. Although potentially a pricey hobby (new shoes alone run at least $80), it's a great workout that I found trying both physically and mentally. Anyone want to go with me?
