What to look for in an indoor climbing center

[amaliedageek]

I've been doing Pilates Reformer at least four times a week for the last six months; a change in focus on the part of the studio has left me looking for a new challenge. My son and his friends have been bouldering and top-rope climbing since middle school and have been trying to get me on the wall for years; I have some issues to work through (a friend died while free-climbing in the canyons not far from here), but 20+ years is doubtless long enough to let the fear have its way.

I would welcome the community's suggestions: what would recommend a place to you, or send you screaming for the exits?

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Having been pondering my answer --

Trust your gut instinct about the feel of a place. What sold me on the Arch when I first peered hesitantly through the door was the atmosphere: it felt low-key and mellow and scruffy and safe, both the place and the people. The staff encouraged me to come in and look round as much as I wanted. It felt welcoming and open, not like an exclusive club I couldn't belong to. I was terrified, but the place felt right.

What sends me personally screaming for the exits: places that are too noisy and/or too crowded, even at off-peak times. Places where the routes are all ladders, and they just increase the grades by making the holds smaller, the gaps between them wider, and the wall more overhanging. Anywhere where staff are disdainful or you feel you can't ask questions.

Especially if you've got issues to work through, you need to feel that it's a good place to be.

The major, major thing to send anyone screaming for the exits would be "obvious safety problems", but with bouldering safety issues tend to boil down to "don't walk under anyone who's climbing", so I leave it up to the people who know what's what with ropes to advise you on that one. *g*

[cofax7]

Things I would want from a safe and supportive indoor climbing gym:

1. Require all adult climbers and belayers learn to tie the entire knot themselves before they can get on the wall. No using a carabiner to clip to the harness. No knot, no climbing. At the moment, my gym only requires the belayer to pass a test, and kids aren't tested until they're 14.

2. I know some people like it, but I would prefer no automated belays. I want a person on the other end of the line. Having nobody to talk to or ask for support is very disconcerting. And it's more like outdoors--part of climbing for me is working with other people, learning to trust your partner the way you trust your equipment and your rope.

3. Lead climbing should be available, so people can learn about the sharp end of the rope.

4. Lots of mats in the bouldering area. Have some easy routes in the bouldering area, so newbies can get used to the idea without being faced with nothing less than a 5.10 on that wall.

5. SLAB ROUTES. I so miss doing slab problems: hardly any gyms set them anymore because the risk of injury is higher than on overhangs, but overhangs privilege people with really strong upper-bodies, whereas people like me are really good at slabs.

6. Lots of classes bringing new people in. A climbing gym full of hard-bodied 20- and 30-year-olds isn't very fun. Make it friendly. (Our gym does birthday parties and parents-belay on the weekends, and has a regular Free Guest night.)

What else? Nice locker rooms, a sauna, a full set of weights and aerobic equipment. I wish my gym had a nicer locker room, and the lighting in the locker room isn't very good for doing makeup before I go to work (need to make a suggestion about that).

[jumpuphigh]

Require all adult climbers and belayers learn to tie the entire knot themselves before they can get on the wall. No using a carabiner to clip to the harness

I'm not sure I get what you mean. The belayer will always clip in with a carabiner.

I know some people like it, but I would prefer no automated belays.

And I prefer auto-belays, although not having them isn't a deciding factor for a gym. They are great for training and for anti-social days.

[cofax7]

The belayer will always clip in with a carabiner.

The belayer is responsible for checking the climber's knot: I expect a belayer to know how to tie the knot and what a proper figure-8 looks like.

The reason I don't like auto-belays is that without another person in the system, it's relatively easy to miss things like an unbuckled harness or an unfinished knot (even with another person in the system it happens). And there is (almost) no such thing as an auto-belay outdoors: it's too easy to get into bad habits in the gym, which are deadly outside.

IMHO, etc. Mileages certainly vary.

[jumpuphigh]

I expect a belayer to know how to tie the knot and what a proper figure-8 looks like.

Ok. I was picturing something where climbers were connecting to the belay with a carabiner and I was very o_O. I agree with you here.

it's relatively easy to miss things like an unbuckled harness or an unfinished knot

I can see your point. I'm even more safety conscious with the auto-belay (and I'm one of the most safety conscious climbers I've ever seen) but I could certainly see safety being an issue with newer climbers using the auto-belay.

[wpadmirer]

My rock gym is a pretty no-frills place. It's clean, has a wide variety of wall types (top roping, a small lead roping area, and a lot of different types of bouldering). Classes are required if climbing anything other than bouldering routes, or you must "check-off" with the staff to be sure you know all the safety procedures.

What I look for is a focus on safety, good route setters (my gym is a small one and has 3 setters and routes are sequentially changed about every 3 months - they have a board that lets you know where the new routes are, and what's getting ready to change - that's a great thing.)

I also like that my gym is low-key and friendly. The staff are used to beginners, and there's no pressure on anyone. I started climbing at 55, and I was 40 lbs overweight, and yet I was embraced and welcomed and helped.

It's also great if they have a "partner" sign-up sheet for those who want to top-rope and don't have a partner, and lessons for learning new things.

[miss_s_b]

What everyone else has said is important, but I just want to emphasize atmosphere. The prestige wall near me is not just twice as expensive as my regular wall, but really snobby and unfriendly. I much, much prefer the relaxed and friendly atmosphere at the cheaper wall.

So long as it's safe and the staff are safety conscious and helpful, I say pick a place that feels laid back.

[jumpuphigh]

I think what is most important is safety but if you don't feel comfortable someplace, that's not safe either.

ETA: Things I've liked about gyms:
-Friendliness of staff
-Disabled climbers/Route setters setting for disabled climbers unique challenges
-Route setters getting to know the regulars and setting routes to challenge them specifically
-Routes which are ballet on the wall
-Separate kids areas (Great for beginning kids.)
-Mixed age climbers. I used to climb regularly with a 12-year old who was super-smart. I felt safer climbing with him than with many adults.

Things I've not liked:
-Creepy owners *shiver*
-All routes being power climbs - no finesse
-No A/C (I live in a very, very hot city)
-Gyms where areas don't flow into each other.
-Gyms taken over by birthday parties. This is a safety concern as kids run under climbers, between belayers and the wall, and climb in ways which interrupt someone who is already climbing.

[rydra_wong]

Seconding what multiple people have said re: diversity of climbers -- if you see people of a wide range of ages and genders climbing, if you see climbers with disabilities, it's a very very good sign.

And it tends to mean that the route-setting has to be more creative, because it can't just be "power" routes; you have to set routes that reward technique and balance and flexibility and imagination too.