disobey_gravity | Seeking advice!

I've been reading this community with envy for a while and finally decided to take the climbing plunge (hopefully not literally) this weekend.

I've tried climbing a couple of times before and loved it but for various didn't take it any further; now I have a bit of time I'd like to try indoor (and eventually outoor, although this may not be the time of year for it...) properly. I am effectively a complete beginner and wondering where to start.

I've been looking at beginners classes and I am a bit confused with the variety of introductory sessions available for indoor climbing. Some walls offer six-hour beginners sessions while some are happy with an hour-long induction session before they let you start climbing. Would you recommend doing a short induction first, or going straight for the longer sessions (given that I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it)?

Also, if anyone has experience with climbing walls in London, and recommendations which to go for and which to avoid, I'd love to hear about it!

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: London

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

wpadmirer

It may be that the places offering the longer classes are furnishing you not only with lessons, but some additional climbing time with a belayer (if it's roped).

If you don't have someone to belay you, then roped climbs can't be done. You can boulder.

Bouldering can be done alone, and requires more upper body strength. Bouldering you don't go as high, and the routes are often horizontal or going up and over (either across a ceiling or topping out on top of a "wall/boulder").

Top roping is more about your legs, requires a partner/belayer, and is more vertical.

Both can involve overhangs (walls that come out toward you).

It really depends on what the gym has to offer and what you want to try.

From:

allochthonous

Thank you, this really helps clarify a lot of the terminology. I would definitely like to try top roping and bouldering, so will look around for a wall which has both!

From:

rydra_wong

Just a quibble:

Bouldering can be done alone, and requires more upper body strength.

I wouldn't say so, necessarily.

Often when there's only a small bouldering area as part of a roped climbing wall, it does tend to be mostly very overhanging, and oriented towards people who want to use it for training ~~or really strong young guys who just want to Tarzan around because they think it looks cool~~.

But you can have vertical and slabby bouldering too, and the London walls which are bouldering-only (or which have a lot of bouldering, like Mile End) generally have a wide selection of angles.

As a slab-lover, I am happy to say that the Biscuit Factory has many slabs, including an awesome/hideous hanging slab to top out onto, which is at just the right angle that you can (very cautiously) creep across it or up it on friction alone.

And whatever form of climbing you're doing, you want to get your legs doing as much of the work as possible.

From:

wpadmirer

Good quibble. It does vary by gym design. You're right.

From:

rydra_wong

Glad that was cool with you. :)

I just don't want anyone thinking that they have to have loads of upper body strength before they can consider bouldering -- I didn't -- or that it's all power and throwing yourself around.

From:

emperor

I'd expect the longer introductions will teach you to belay safely, which is a useful skill if you want to do any roped climbing. They might also be a good way to meet potential climbing partners :-)

From:

allochthonous

Having rung a couple of places, you are quite right! I'd like to try roped climbing (and find a climbing partner!) so will definitely give one of the longer courses a go.

From:

rydra_wong

Some walls offer six-hour beginners sessions while some are happy with an hour-long induction session before they let you start climbing.

I'd guess that the hour-long induction classes are either at bouldering-only walls (where there's much less in the way of safety rules and practical skills to learn before you can start), or they're more "taster" sessions and don't qualify you to register.

The six-hour beginner sessions are likely to involve teaching you the skills needed to start doing roped climbing safely (using harnesses, tying in, and toprope belaying).

Also, if anyone has experience with climbing walls in London, and recommendations which to go for and which to avoid, I'd love to hear about it!

*rubs hands*

Oh yes, I can tell you all about climbing walls in London! *g* And we've got at least one other London climber in the comm, too, so you may be able to get different perspectives.

Short version: owing to the shortage of actual rock, London's got a lot of climbing walls, most of which are extremely good.

They've all got their pros and cons, and different people prefer the atmospheres at different walls. In practice, most people seem to end up going to several walls -- you don't have to be wall-monogamous!

Which ones you should try first will depend primarily on two things:

1) roughly where in London you are, and where it's easiest for you to travel to; and

2) whether you want to do route climbing (with ropes and harnesses) or are happy with a wall that's focused exclusively on bouldering.

ETA: Also, I forgot to say: hi and welcome! *g*

Edited Date: 2012-10-19 05:44 pm (UTC)

From:

allochthonous

Thank you, both for the welcome and the advice! I am in west London (not far from Westway, and I've got a taster session there tomorrow to hopefully remind myself how much fun it is!) but the only friend I know who climbs regularly does so at the Arch (which is apparently closing according to its website? And also seems to be mainly bouldering as far as I can tell?). I would like to try route climbing as well as bouldering, so maybe I'll stick to Westway for now.

From:

rydra_wong

Just to clarify: the original Arch building, at London Bridge, is closing because of the station expansion (I was there earlier today for my last climb, and am currently all verklempt about it -- I have a lot of memories associated with that place).

However, they've got another (newer and larger) building at the Biscuit Factory, not far from Bermondsey Tube station, which is very much open. And I gather the plan is to open a second building to replace the London Bridge one.

The Arch is bouldering-only; it's where I most often climb, because I'm primarily a boulderer. And it's lovely and they've been very good to me.

The Westway has lots and lots of of route-climbing (I sometimes go there to route-climb with friends), but a relatively small amount of bouldering.

So it's a good place to get started and to learn the skills to top-rope and belay safely, and an excellent place if route-climbing turns out to be your primary interest. There's a noticeboard there which often has messages up from people looking for climbing partners; the UKclimbing.com forums are also often used by people looking for partners to climb at various London climbing walls.

However, if you find you enjoy bouldering too, I'd recommend trying the Arch as well. *g*

ETA: This time I forgot to say: I hope you have an excellent time tomorrow!

Edited Date: 2012-10-19 08:32 pm (UTC)

From:

allochthonous

Thank you, I've just come back and it was great! My upper body strength is non-existent so I was defeated by a tiny overhang on the last wall we did, but it was so much fun, despite the pain in my forearms right now... I'm definitely going to see about signing up for a proper course some time over the next two weeks!

From:

aella_irene

Another London climber *waves* I go to the Castle, up near Manor House station. Both top roping and bouldering, various types of lessons, and a cafe at the top which does wonderful organic food. Lots of routes, changed regularly, but not too regularly, and for a decent spread of abilities.

From:

wpadmirer

Jealous! You have a cafe in your gym? JEALOUS.

From:

rydra_wong

I can second the rec for the Castle too -- it's one of the other places I sometimes route-climb, depending on who I'm climbing with and where the group consensus dictates that we go.

Further to travel if you're coming from West London, but it's a nice place.

Edited Date: 2012-10-20 08:31 am (UTC)

From:

allochthonous

I was looking at the Castle and it seems to have lots of good things said about it, but it's such a schlep over from where I'm based that I think I'll stick to the Westway at the moment. But if it's something I end up doing a lot of, I definitely intend to take a polygamous approach towards climbing walls!