I don’t think I’ve been indoor rock climbing ever. I think I did some too-easy climbing at summer camp once or twice as a teen, but it was always something that looked fun. My husband used to love climbing, so to surprise him I bought a Groupon to an Atlanta climbing gym.
Overall, I’d say that climbing was super fun. There was a steep learning curve and it was harder than I thought at first.
Climbing on the walls wasn’t the cake-walk I thought it would be. Sometimes it was really hard to know where to put a hand of a foot next. I’d panic on the wall, Matt would yell a direction and either I’d try it or I couldn’t do it. But having the direction helped.
And then belaying. Also hard. God bless the poor girl who tried to teach uncoordinated me how to belay. I was practically in tears trying to learn it. I kept doing my hands wrong, or bending over the belay. She kept saying “you’re not the worst we’ve ever had” which means I was pretty close. Finally, I figured out how to belay, up, up, down, down and slide my hands. And I tried belaying Matt who is 70 pounds heavier than me. It was a struggle to bring him down. His weight would bring me up. I had to brace and make a staffer spot me.
Mostly we bouldered. I was honestly angry and ready to go home after 10 minutes. It was SOOO HARD. Then, I started watching what the kids were doing and what seemed super easy for everyone else. And copied them. That worked! I could do some of these routes.
Then, I found the color-coded route guide on the wall and voila! I figured it out. I found the easiest routes and tried those. And climbing was so much more fun when I could do it.
I goofed around on the upside-down-holds, though I wasn’t strong enough to climb it. I tried the easiest way around the routes all the way around the gym (and just didn’t any colored holds if I was really lost). And finally had to call it quits when I was too tired to do anything else. The hubby said I did really well and took to it surprisingly well. (He does sugar coat things but I loved climbing trees when I was little.) We left the gym and he threatened to go buy a bunch of climbing gear. He was hooked.
Random thought: I did spend a lot of time spent deciding what to do next or waiting for a path to climb.
Quick guide
Verdict: A fun way to spend an afternoon. A little more challenging than I’d anticipated, but fun once I figured it out. Don’t give up too soon! Ask for help or watch others.
Atmosphere: Very casual and family friendly. Everyone was doing their own thing without staring at you.
Hazards: The day after my hands were a little chapped from climbing. Not too bad.
Intensity: I didn’t break a sweat but I could tell my shoulders got a workout.
Price: $22 for two people to climb. Includes gear. Very reasonable. Rented shoes are awful though.
What to wear: Workout clothes. The website urged against shorts. Bring socks.
Would I do it again? Yes, I’m going climbing again later this week. Matt is completely hooked.
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