Indoor rock climbing is something I've seen at amusement parks as something you can pay $15 to go up one time and not learn anything, so I had no idea what to expect when we decided to go to an indoor rock climbing gym. Going into the gym was interesting. In the middle is a huge rock looking structure, and on all the walls are climbing grips and ropes hanging from the ceiling. The gym is in a warehouse, so it has extremely high ceilings. At first it was like going to a members only club where we stuck out like a sore thumb and everyone else seemed to know each other and what they were doing. It took a little while to get someone to help us, but once they did they were extremely friendly and very knowledgeable.
First of all, there is bouldering, which is climbing the wall with no harness or belay. The part of the gym that the bouldering is done on is in the very middle and is only about 20 ft tall with mats under, so there's cushion if you fall. Then there's rock climbing with a belay. We did the first timer's lesson where they teach you how to be the climber, and how to be the belayer (?), which is the person on the ground. There are different difficulties of climbing, which are determined by the size of the rocks you can grip, and how much of a hand hold you can get on them. Some you can grab pretty easily while others are nearly flat and are extremely hard to grip.
I'm not as sore as I thought I would be and it was a lot of fun! All 3 of the friends I went with got memberships. I already have a gym membership, and way too many other things I want to try before I commit to one. :) I'm definitely going again, though!
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