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replacementparts posting in

disobey_gravity

Hello, all.

I haven't gone rock climbing in years, and then only as a special occasion, once a year or so around middle school age. So I'm essentially a complete noob.

I'm interested in joining these gyms in the CA bay area. Specifically I'd be going to Great Western Power Company and Ironworks, and probably some visits to Mission Cliffs, too. Anyone here use those gyms? They look really nice from the website but I haven't gotten to go check them out yet.

Any tips to keep in mind for someone just starting out?

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From:

cofax7

Heh, small world. ::shakes hands:: I spent an hour bouldering at the Power Company tonight.

Touchstone is mildly corporate but climber-owned and climber-run. Nothing fancy: the locker rooms have concrete floors, the towels are a little scratchy, and only some of the gyms have saunas. Ironworks is in an old factory building and it's hot in the summer and freezing in the winter, but they're not all like that. Most of the gyms have climbing facilities, free weights and weight machines, and aerobic machines, as well as classes like yoga, kick-boxing, and cross-fit, which are free to members. They all have showers and decent locker rooms.

A membership with any of the gyms is good for all of them, and their hours are pretty decent: the Power Co. is open at 6:30 AM, for instance. They're not cheap: $65 or so per month, plus initiation fee. But the staff is cool and competent, they re-set their routes fairly regularly, and they take their climbing seriously without being too scary. They have a lot of entry-level classes.

For a gym qua gym, you could do better elsewhere; but for a climbing gym, it's a pretty good deal because you can also do weights and cardio and yoga. And Cross-Fit, which looks insane but I hear it's great. Oh, and I think there's a biking group based at Ironworks.

Hope that helps.

From:

replacementparts

I'm definitely attracted by the inclusion of weight room stuff, and the free yoga and cross fit classes as well. And being able to use all the locations with one membership seems great, too. It looks like it would fit my needs pretty well.

Are there any other places in the area you might recommend? =]

From:

cofax7

Well, that's pretty much it for climbing gyms in the area. I think there's a climbing wall in that big multi-sport facility in Alameda, and there's Planet Granite down near San Jose, but I don't know of anything else convenient. Touchstone pretty much has a monopoly.

From:

rydra_wong

And Cross-Fit, which looks insane but I hear it's great.

Yeah,

zennish had some interesting comments about CrossFit over in

lifting_heavy_things.

It sounds too structured for me (I reject your WOD and substitute my own!), but they seem to use a lot of my favourite exercises and tactics.

From:

troisroyaumes

I learned how to climb at Ironworks. It took me a while to pass my belaying test because the Ironworks staff tend to be pretty nitpicky; I actually ended up passing it at Power Company instead.

Ironworks is pretty beginner-friendly while still being challenging (by my standards, in any case), but it tends to be pretty crowded in the afternoon and evenings. I always ended up going very early in the morning as a result.

From:

rydra_wong

Any tips to keep in mind for someone just starting out?

*has been pondering this while climbing today*

Hrm.

*Use your feet as much as you can.

*Keep your arms straight as much as you can.

*Don't hug the wall.

*Play. By which I mean, find yourself some empty space on the bouldering wall (at an off-peak time when no-one's around, if you feel self-conscious) and dance. Move in whatever direction seems appealing. Invent little projects for yourself -- stuff like: can I get up the slab without putting my hands on a hold? Can I do this easy problem one-handed? Can I do my hamstring stretches while bridging between two holds?

Sometimes it's easy to get stuck on routes and problems and grades, but I've learned a huge amount about movement from the times when I can disconnect my conscious brain a little and flow and fool around.