Go Vertical

This weekend was all about fitness outside the gym...but inside the rock gym. I went climbing once when I was about 12. My mom and I went to Philly Rock Gym in King of Prussia, where she did little climbing but spent the day as my belayer. This time, my BFF, Dan, and I went to Go Vertical on Delaware Avenue to frolic away a Friday afternoon that we both did not have to work. 

On the way, Dan asked me, "Linds, I've known you for 5 years...why are we just now going rock climbing?" I couldn't say, other than the fact that I needed to change things up even if it was only for a day. In the world of strength training, we tend to move in patterns. Someone who asks, "Am I doing this right?" is asking whether or not they are following the correct movement pattern for that exercise. That's all fine and dandy, but going through the motions can get boring. Rock climbing seemed like a fun way to explore creative movement patterns but stay within the realm of muscular strength and endurance. 

So here's the scoop on indoor rock climbing...

Very fun. Go with one of your friends and you are sure to have a laugh about how ridiculous s/he looks in a harness, you will learn to trust other each even more as your partner is protecting you from going Kersplat! on the gym floor when you lose your grip, and you will feel like Spiderman scaling the walls and hanging from ropes. 

Not very cheap. This sport is not for the poor or inexperienced, to do regularly anyway. We went during off-peak hours so our day pass rate was reduced from $17 to $14. Oh, but wait. Then we had to pay $10 each for equipment rental, and since we needed a 20-minute belaying lesson, that was another $20-something each. Then we found out we could get 2 additional day passes if we paid an extra $12 for the 2-hour belaying lesson. What? But we did it. When Dan looked at the website and saw the day pass rate, he thought we'd be paying $14 each. Turned out it was $65 each. Woops! (Of course, if you became invested in your climbing habit, you could buy your own gear and take part in Go Vertical's membership options. Plus, you only need to take a belaying lesson once.)

Very challenging. My forearms were so pumped after scaling a few walls - and attempting a few others - that I chuckled thinking of weight lifters who actually train their forearms! There are different routes up the wall, each labeled with colored tape to show the specific course, and each denoting a certain rating of difficulty: 4 being doable for Dan and Linds, 12 being the most challenging and unthinkable for Dan and Linds. As amateur climbers, we had varying success within levels 4-6. I found that when I got stuck somewhere, I wasted a lot of time hanging out, growing tired, and trying to figure out what to do next whereas, as we saw on our return trip Sunday (with our freebie passes!), the more experienced climbers seem to conserve their energy by gripping the rocks less urgently, pausing when appropriate, and moving faster at challenging points in the course. 

A little scary. The first time you climb and the first time you belay will probably be a little scary, if not very scary. Trust that your instructor knows what s/he is doing and won't let you try anything stupid. Plus, once you see how easy it is to be the belayer, you will start to feel much more confident as a climber. Still, we both made it to the top of walls that were about 5-6 stories high and couldn't wait to be lowered to the ground from such a height.

A little time consuming. They recommend making a belaying appointment for first timers which can take 20 minutes or 2 hours. Even if you know how to belay, they are probably going to ask that you show them your skills, which may take 20-30 minutes to get someone's attention. Then you are free to climb for the day so it really depends on how quickly your body recovers. Dan and I spent 3 hours the first day and 2 the second. 

A little intimidating. When we went on Sunday, the climbing subculture had emerged from their day jobs. We kind of felt like tools in our "Go Vertical" harnesses and smelly rental shoes, having trouble navigating the level 5 courses with all the experienced folks blazing up the wall. So we encountered a few why-are-you-on-my-wall?-you-stink looks, but there were plenty of down-to-earth climbers, happy to see new people trying the sport, who instilled a sense of belonging.