Indoor rock climbing?

[trekkor]

I got to climb one of those portable climbing walls a couple weeks back.
They harness you up and you can free climb the 15' vertical wall.

I was pretty surprised that I able to go right up at a decent pace without falling.
I was very nervous, as I have a fear of falling.

I overcame my fear, as it was part of a multiple challenge, afternoon scavenger hunt, loosely based on 'The Amazing Race' with 8 groups.
( two adults and two kids to a group ) Our group came in second place.


Anyway, turns out, the outfit that provided the wall for us also has an entire climbing area right here in Napa. "Rockzilla", they call it.

For $20 you can climb all day. Looks fun.
Anybody do this?


KT

[slodave]

I have done a portable one like you, but it was taller and I decided to be macho and do the hardest level. Even the experienced owner had not been able to make it to the top. Well, I almost made it.... Hung on near the top for too long and my forearms decided to call it quits.

That said, there's always a climbing harness in my car. Ya never know when you may need it!

[HardDrive]

REI flagship store is about 5 miles from our house. 65 foot indoor wall. My 5 year old and I were rock hoppin on Friday.

[trekkor]

That wall looks scary.


KT

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Gotta' trust your belay guy.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by trekkor

That wall looks scary.


KT

I kept the photos small so you couldn't see the big brown stain in my shorts

[Tobra]

I like rock climbing, have not done it since I was in college

[sjf911]

My 17 y/o son and I climb 2-3 days a week at our local indoor gym. My 4 y/o son goes with us once a week (and has a blast) and the wife has started to get interested. But it is outdoor season now so get out the sunscreen and find some rock! It is a great activity to build trust, cooperation, and respect with your kids. It is also an activity that your kids will end up surpassing you at. My 17 y/o is a super strong climber now and climbs circles around me.

[HardDrive]

I can tell my 5 year old is going to pass me by soon. She is a very athletic for a kid her age. Boggles my mind how strong she is. She just scrambles up like a little monkey. I don't recall them removing a tail on the day she was born, but now I gotta wonder.

We have some great climbing available within an hour of Seattle.

[trekkor]

What do the climbing centers do for safety?

Like in that 65 foot section picture, if you fall off?


KT

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by trekkor

What do the climbing centers do for safety?

Like in that 65 foot section picture, if you fall off?


KT

Look closely, they're tied off.

[trekkor]

I saw that, but how does that work?

The short wall we climbed had four independent climbing stations.
Each climber clipped on and could go as they pleased.
If you fell or jumped off after reaching the top, the rope was attached to some sort of a clutch system that let you down slowly.


KT

[sjf911]

Originally Posted by trekkor

I saw that, but how does that work?

The short wall we climbed had four independent climbing stations.
Each climber clipped on and could go as they pleased.
If you fell or jumped off after reaching the top, the rope was attached to some sort of a clutch system that let you down slowly.


KT

You were using an auto-belay system in a fixed top-rope setup. The vast majority of climbing routes setup at our gym use a standard fixed top-rope setup where the rope is already anchored (looped through a fixed belay device) at the top of the climb and your partner acts as the primary rope manager or belayer. That is what the above picture shows. You rely on your partner to control the rope in a fall. Usually your belayer would be required to use an auto-braking belay device like a GriGri or Trango that minimizes the risk of a belay failure in a gym. On lead climbs where you are setting the rope as you go we usually use an ATC belay device which also doubles as your rappel device.

[legion]

http://www.upperlimits.com/bloomington/aboutthegym.html

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by trekkor

I saw that, but how does that work?

The short wall we climbed had four independent climbing stations.
Each climber clipped on and could go as they pleased.
If you fell or jumped off after reaching the top, the rope was attached to some sort of a clutch system that let you down slowly.

Like steve said, you are belayed in with an REI employee as your belayer. They have everything there including shoes, but you can bring your own gear if you like. The 'rock' has fixed points that anchor the ropes.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by legion

http://www.upperlimits.com/bloomington/aboutthegym.html

That place looks awesome!

[9dreizig]

Originally Posted by trekkor

That wall looks scary.


KT

Says the pilot of a beat to hell Ford that scared the crap out of me on a lap at Infineon... What's next Trek ? Spiders?

[HardDrive]

Yeah, no kidding, isn't this the same guy that drove a Ford Escort at warp 5?

[trekkor]

That was safe, though...


KT

[trekkor]

Thanks for the reply, Steve.

I want to go check out the local climbing gym tomorrow if I have time.
( I setting my car up for two track days this week. Wed and Fri )


KT