1. I'd never want to have to do this, but if I had to, I'd probably not die.
2. I'd never want to do this and I'd most likely die by even just considering it.
3. This sport will never touch my life.
A food equivalent might be:
1. Tomatoes -> I might just manage to not expire
2. Mushrooms -> I'd most certainly die of starvation
3. Tofu cheese -> I know it exists, I'm just not sure why
Indoor climbing was most definitely in the third category. All other sports in the second. Climbing in any form was what crazy people would do between sleeping on beds of nails and analysing bug excrement. (My sister, my cousins, Swiss people who have not been deported to Suffolk due to lack of mountain climbability...) I know people do it. But why?
However, in the name of converting my loquaciousness into muscle mass, I promised to try anything as long as it starts with a letter of the alphabet, and so I recently found myself booking places for my husband and myself on a beginners' induction session at the local indoor climbing centre.
Friendly instructor Jack gathered our group of 8 clewbies (climbing newbies. Clever, eh?) and explained that we would be given shoes that would hurt our feet by design. As an occasional heel wearer, I thought I could totally deal with these. Only later did I establish that "not feeling my toes anymore" was in fact a sign of having the wrong shoe size, and not an essential part of the experience.
 |
| They look deceptively comfortable |
After a brief safety chat (the matts on the floor will not stop you from seriously hurting yourself) and an overview of the practicalities (don't stand underneath a climber about to jump), and a brief warm-up, we were ready to go. At first, we trailed our way along a horizontal "path", only a few centimetres above the floor. The floor in this case was a thick carpet-like material stretched over even thicker matts.
Soon we were let loose to try out several "green routes" under Jack's ever watchful eye. The green coloured hand- and footholds indicate the lowest difficulty grade paths. In essence, you pick a difficulty level and attempt to get to the top only using the relevant colour holds.
Once we completed the induction session, we were asked to sign a disclaimer before being allowed to independently try out different routes, overhangs and even "topping out" - climbing all the way up and over the edge, coming back down on the other side of the wall via stairs.
Before we knew it, we had lost over 90 minutes of our lives and most of the skin on our hands - as well as our initial fear of falling and failing.
So would this be an activity to help you climb out of your sporting valley?
- You don't need to own any kit. Any comfortable clothing will do, and you can hire the shoes (for £3 at our local centre).
- Whilst this session came at a slightly higher cost than your standard weekly activity session, the price included the induction, shoe hire, access to the small gym and registration cost.
- We signed up to the recommended beginner induction session, and I'm really glad we did. Lots of tips and tricks and reassurance - and all the staff were very friendly and encouraging.
- There are further courses you can sign up to (beginner / advanced etc), or you can just climb independently at your leisure.
- There are also a number of courses for young climbers, and it is clear that children and young people are very much welcome. Whilst we were there, I tried to memorise the route taken by a girl I'd guess to be about 6 years old. I stood no chance.
- I had a lovely chat with a Lady in her 50s, who explained that she only took up indoor climbing (or bouldering, what I should really call it, but which doesn't work for my alphabeting) in her late 30s. I asked whether she'd suggest a few strengthening sessions at the gym before attempting it for the first time - she felt there was no need for preparatory work at beginner level. She explained that she had built up her strength and flexibility simply from climbing regularly. However, if it has been a very long time since you last did any form of exercise, it might be worth attempting a couple of push ups first.
- She also explained that it can be a very sociable experience; because you can't just climb up and down non-stop, you end up pausing, watching other climbers, observing techniques, and often find yourself chatting to like-minded people.
- Whilst I'm sure there is a massive deal of skill, strategy and strength involved in being a successful climber, I honestly came away thinking that a huge part of tonight's' enjoyment was simply due to confidence. A couple of times during the inductions session I could feel the old, tofu-cheese-based me rearing it's head to say "I don't think I can do it". But because you're surrounded by a group you feel you can't really bail out - and I'm so glad I didn't.
- A quick search on the benefits of indoor climbing returned many results - from building muscle strength and flexibility to reducing stress and building confidence, this seems to give you the whole sha-bang of sporty goodness.
- I was expecting to wake with sore arms this morning, but am surprised to find that instead my legs are aching. Whilst we didn't get out of breath, we did both get sweaty, a clear indication that your body is working.
Would we go back? They have a café area, so just you try stop me! Joking aside, I had a great time, and I was chuffed that I didn't chicken out.
