CCF's Guide to Indoor Rock Climbing

Hey guys! Happy Hump Day! How was your Family Day weekend?

It's rare for me & V to have the same day off, so we decided to take advantage of Family Day Monday, change it up, and work out at Toronto Climbing Academy.

We made last minute reservations the night before and secured 2 spots for a beginner's lesson the next day. The academy is currently running a special price for its Beginner's package: 1-hour lesson + shoe rental + harness rental = $39 (including HST). However, lessons only run from 5-8 pm on the hour. Especially on a holiday that was open for extended hours (10 am -10 pm), we were anxious to get our climb on earlier in the day! We booked our lesson for 5 pm, figuring it was worth waiting for, especially when it comes to safety & learning the ropes (sorry for the pun).

Climb on CCF!

The first thing staff said to us as we walked in the door: "Is it your first time here? I can tell by the looks on your faces." Ha ha, way to be cool CCF. After we signed the waiver and changed, our lesson began at 5 pm sharp. There were 5 people in our group all together, and our instructor wasted no time getting right to it. We learned how to put on a harness, safely tie ourselves to the rope, belay, and how the partnering system works.

Daunting (at first).

Tying myself in; always double-check the knots.

New vocab we learned:

Belay: If you're not climbing, you're belaying. The belayer is the person on the ground, ensuring that the rope is adjusted each time the climber goes up & when she's ready to come down. The belayer secures the climber i.e. holds the climber's lifeline! Tip: It helps when the belayer and climber are around the same weight.

GriGri: The self-braking device the belayer uses. Make sure the lock is on in case your partner loses his grip and falls!

"Take": What the climber yells down to her partner when she's reading to come down. In our case, "Take, Take, Take, Taaaakkkkee! I wanna come down now! I'm ready!" Yup, sometimes we are big babies.

"Sit Back!": What the belayer responds with when her partner says "Take." In our case, "Take" was met with responses like "ummmmmm"..."errrrr.." "one sec.."

*Sidebar: You must hold a degree of trust in your partner. At first it's a little bit confusing and you may think Omg! Am I doing this right? What if she falls? What if I fall? Practice makes perfect. Soon enough, you'll get used to your partner's climbing speed, and belaying her will be smooth sailing. Just don't make the mistake of telling her to sit back after you've already let the rope go. Nothing like falling fast and coming to a jolt in the air. (I'm still sorry about that V!).  

*Sidebar #2: For the guys out there, take your first date rock climbing! (Ladies, suggest it to your man next time if you're looking for a fun date idea). What a great way to connect & poke fun at each other, while developing mutual trust.

V ready to go!

The highest level we got to was a 5.7 (the higher the number, the more spaced out the rocks are - read: harder it is to climb. Ranges are from 5.0 to 6+). Not too shabby for beginners, right? Everyone's super friendly and willing to give words of advice. If you're climbing alone, it'd be no problem finding a belayer to spot you. It's also awesome to watch expert climbers do their thing. Not to mention what a great upper body workout. Hello super-toned arms & back, here we come! This definitely won't be the last time we're climbin'!

Tips for rock climbing newbies:

1. Warm up. Go for a light on-the-spot jog or use one of the spinning bikes available to you. Stretch your fingers, arms, back, and legs. Then, traverse a climbing wall before going vertical. Last thing you want is a muscle or finger cramp when you're up so high.

Try traversing on the boulders.

2. Don't look down on your first climb. Just keep going. We were both hit by a sudden panic attack because we weren't used to the height on our first climb. But after that, mehh, no biggy.

3. Don't make the mistake I made of cutting my nails super short right before we went (but don't leave them too long either).

4. Power up with your legs. Don't use all your upper body strength to pull you up. This way you're using your entire body strength, plus it's a whole body workout too!

5. Stay close to the wall. You're more likely to fall if you lean your body back, letting gravity take control.

6. Use magic chalk on your hands. After awhile, your hands will get sweaty and slippery, making it harder for you to hang on.

Climb on city peeps! Tell us about your first rock climbing experience! Did you love it or hate?

xoxo