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Great Walls of Colorado
Fitness and Fun Found
at Climbing Gyms
By Monique Cole
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Whenever my daughter walks into our local climbing gym,
she peers up at all the big people scrambling up walls and swinging
from ropes, and she smiles. She obviously recognizes that indoor
climbing is as much play as it is a work-out.
"It's a sport that really appeals
to a lot of people," says Deb Grass, owner of Rock'n &
Jam'n in Denver. "We have everyone from 6-year-old kids
to a regular customer who is 65."
There's a wide range of reasons to climb
indoors - to stay in shape for outdoor climbing during the off-season,
to train for indoor competitions, to find true love (since climbing
requires two partners, it's a great way to meet new people),
and just to have fun. If traditional health club work-outs make
you feel like a mouse on a wheel, you may enjoy the mental creativity
of climbing.
The sport has been called a physical
chess game, because it challenges both the body and the mind.
Many newcomers are surprised that climbing requires technique,
flexibility, and balance more than upper body strength. (After
four years of climbing, I've progressed to a fairly advanced
level but I still can't do a single pull-up.) In fact, children
and women, who tend to have a lower strength to weight ratio,
often learn good technique earlier because they can't rely on
muscling their way up a route.
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photo ©Phil Mislinski
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Still, rock climbing does develop specific
muscle groups. "Depending on the type of climbing, it can
work out every part of the body," Grass explains. "There's
a lot of legs, hands, forearms, back, and abdomenals." Beginners
often experience soreness in their arms and shoulders because
they are tense, she adds, but the stress becomes more distributed
as they relax and develop better technique, which involves the
entire body, especially the legs.
Climbing is a unique sport because it
actually stretches and strengthens muscles at once due to the
various body positions required to perform certain moves. Of
course, there's always the risk of straining an unprepared muscle,
so it's always a good idea to warm up and stretch before jumping
on the wall. You'll have to look elsewhere for an aerobic work-out,
however. Climbing involves a lot of slow, controlled movements
and standing still between routes.
To mimic the natural variety found outdoors,
many gyms build cracks, overhangs, and corners into their walls.
Hand- and foot-holds of various shapes are molded out of resin
and bolted securely to the walls. Routes, graded for difficulty,
are usually marked by various colors of tape. Before starting,
a climber ties into one end of a rope.
On top-rope routes, ropes are wrapped
around a pipe at the top of the climb that serves as an anchor,
while on lead routes, a climber brings the rope with him, passing
it through carabiners bolted to the wall along the way.
To arrest a climber during a fall, his
partner belays him from the floor. In the pioneer days of rock
climbing, the belayer merely wrapped the free end of the rope
around his body to create friction. Now, however, friction devices
clipped into the belayer's harness allow even a person of much
lighter weight to stop the fall of a climber. When a climber
is finished with a route, he can climb back down (more challenging
than ascending) while his belayer feeds out slack, or he can
be slowly lowered by his partner.
Gyms make it easy for partners of widely
varied skill levels to climb together - as they take turns climbing,
they can choose routes of their preferred difficulty level. Bouldering,
on the other hand, can be done solo because ropes are not used
and climbers stay close to the ground where a fall is unlikely
to cause harm.
Rock climbing has often been portrayed
in movies and television as a high-risk sport. And Dougald MacDonald,
editor of Rock & Ice Magazine, agrees to a certain extent.
"By putting yourself up in the air, you are putting yourself
at risk," he explains. "And there are some forms of
climbing that are almost as dangerous as bad Stallone movies
(depict), but the vast majority of people do types of climbing
that are relatively safe."
Indoor climbing removes a great number
of the risks involved in outdoor climbing, such as falling rock
or ice, bad weather, darkness, remote locations, getting lost
on a route, and difficulty placing protective devices. "Particularly
when you're talking about indoor climbing, the level of accidents
is really low and they tend to be minor," MacDonald adds.
Proper instruction and good equipment improve your odds of avoiding
injuries, which are most often caused by operator error.
While getting started in the gear-intensive
sport of outdoor climbing can be expensive, you can get a taste
of indoor climbing at a gym for as low as $20, which includes
entry fee, equipment rental, and instruction. Since gyms rent
harnesses, chalk bags, belay devices with locking carabiners,
and shoes, you can wait until you know you are in love before
investing the approximate $225 in necessary equipment. Club memberships
and day passes are generally comparable in cost to health clubs.
Climbing gyms have surged in popularity
over the past five years, growing to an estimated 400 in the
United States, according to the Outdoor Recreation Coalition
of America. "I get about five calls per day from people
wanting to open climbing gyms," says Shannon Sunderland,
ORCA programs coordinator. "A lot of YMCAs are building
walls and health clubs are turning their racquetball courts into
the latest fad."
In the Denver Metro area there are four
full-service climbing gyms, one gym dedicated solely to bouldering,
and one gym geared toward children. Thrillseekers will open a
second facility in southeast Denver this fall. With over 2,000
feet of climbing and bouldering area, rental equipment, and a
wide range of climbing courses, the Lakewood Link Recreation
Center offers a facility similar to full-service gyms, but at
a very friendly price.
Climbing walls are sprouting up everywhere,
from high school gyms to recreation centers in Boulder, Highlands
Ranch, Golden, and Aurora. Both the Athletic Club at Denver Place
and the Sporting Club at Cherry Creek have added Treadwalls,
a sort of vertical treadmill with climbing holds attached.
If stargazing appeals to you, world
famous rock climbers like Christian Griffith, Steve Hong, and
Robyn Erbesfeld are often found on the most difficult routes
at the Boulder Rock Club. But beginners need not feel intimidated,
the club also offers a number of easier climbs, excellent instruction,
and an extensive children's program.
While indoor climbing can be a fun sport
to pursue in itself, you can also take your new skills and stronger
muscles to the real rock outside. "Indoor climbing allows
people to get into climbing and have a good time without the
real fear element of getting started outside," MacDonald
says. "But if someone tries to translate experience directly
from indoors to outdoors, they're going to get into trouble."
Professional instruction is the best
way to ensure you are prepared for the brave new world of outdoor
climbing. Your local gym may provide outdoor classes, or at least
be able to direct you toward a reputable climbing school.
(Sidebars)
Full-Service Climbing Gyms
The following facilities offer top-roping, lead, and bouldering
routes, beginning to advanced instruction, equipment rental,
and locker rooms. Discounts are often offered to students, corporations,
families, and individuals just wanting to use bouldering space.
Boulder Rock Club
2829 Mapleton Ave
Boulder
(303) 447-2804
Over 10,000 square feet of climbing and bouldering area on walls
up to 35 feet tall, outdoor climbing school, pro shop, free weights,
and cardiovascular training equipment. Day passes: $14; 10-visit
punch card: $99; full memberships: $35 to $60 per month.
Thrillseekers Sport Climbing & Equipment
1912 S. Broadway
Denver
303-733-8810
Voted "Best Indoor Climbing in Colorado" two years
in a row by readers of Rocky Mountain Sports. Currently adding
to its 9,000 square feet of climbing surface. Day passes: $13;
10-punch passes: $75; Monthly memberships: $45, plus $50 annual
initiation fee. Annual membership: $375 ($31.25 per month).
Paradise Rock Gym
6260 N. Washington Street, Unit 5
Denver
(303) 286-8168
About 7,500 square feet of climbing surface and 65 routes. Monday
night beginner lessons with entry fee, equipment rental and instruction,
only $20.
Day passes: $9; 10-punch pass: $70-$80; One-month pass: $40-$50;
Monthly memberships: $33 - $40; Annual membership $380.
Rock'n & Jam'n
9499 N. Washington Street, Unit C
Thornton
303-254-6299
Lead routes up to 50 feet long and 7,500 square feet of climbing
surface. Large variety of strength training and aerobic equipment,
cafe, and large stretching and exercise space. Day passes: $8
$13; 10-punch pass: $95; full memberships: $33-$45 per
month, plus $25-$60 initiation fee.
Other Climbing Facilities
Lakewood Link Recreation Center
1295 S. Reed Street
Lakewood, CO 80232
(303) 987-5400
Over 2,000 square feet of climbing, including a lead climbing
area and a bouldering cave, equipment rental, introductory, parent/child,
and aid climbing classes. Daily rates: $3.50 adults, $2.75 for
kids (equipment rental included except shoes which are an additional
$2).
CATS - Colorado Athletic Training School
2400 30th Street
Boulder
(303) 939-9699
While there are a few top-rope routes, some of the country's
best climbers come to this 5,000-square-foot space to train on
the extremely difficult bouldering routes. Daily pass: $5; Monthly
pass: $30; 10-punch card: $45; Annual pass: $290.
Jungle Quest
8000 S. Lincoln
Littleton
(303) 738-9844
Gym geared toward children and "the child at heart"
with four top-rope routes, 22 feet high and a bouldering wall
45 feet long. Ropes courses, birthday parties, youth groups.
Rates: $12 per person age 5 and above for two hours of climbing
(equipment rental included).
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