Caroline Gilmore
Above: Caroline Gilmore approaches top of climbing wall. Photo by Bob Gully
Do you want to try a new activity that requires total fitness, focus and finesse? And you could do it year round, regardless of the weather?
Indoor rock climbing may be the answer. Why indoor rock climbing? We don’t have too many local places to go rock climbing outdoors and the outdoor season is typically limited to the cooler, drier months in North Carolina.
Rock climbing is an activity in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing appeals to those who enjoy being outdoors as well as enthusiasts who prefer climbing indoors on a simulated rock wall.
Traditional outdoor rock climbing has been going on for hundreds of years while the first indoor facility opened in the United States (US) in Seattle in the late 1980s.
According to the 2016 Outdoor Recreation Participation Report (The Outdoor Foundation), approximately 4.7 million people in the United States participated in sport/indoor/boulder climbing and an additional 2.6 million people participated in traditional/ice/mountaineering climbing in 2015. With over 600 climbing facilities in the US, indoor climbing has gained popularity. In fact, sport climbing (or lead climbing) has been approved for a first-time inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Indoor climbing occurs in buildings on artificial rock structures. This permits for climbing in all types of weather and at all times of the day. Climbers climb indoors to improve their skills and techniques, as well as for general exercise or fun. Indoor climbing gyms typically provide rope setups and ensure that new climbers know safe climbing techniques.
There are several different types of climbing. Bouldering is a type of rock climbing undertaken without a safety rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a bouldering mat (called a crash pad) so that a fall will not result in injury). Climbing spotters are used to direct the fall of a boulder climber away from hazardous areas. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas.
Top rope climbing (or top roping) is a climbing type in which the climber is securely attached to a rope which then passes up, through an anchor system at the top of the climb, and down to a belayer at the foot of the climb. A climbing harness is used to securely attach the climber to the belay rope and the belay rope to the belayer. Sport climbing is a type of rock climbing that relies on permanent climbing anchors and possibly other climbing hardware fixed to the rock for the climber to use for protection.
I did a weekend of top rope climbing at Seneca Rocks in West Virginia in the early 1980s, but hadn’t done any climbing since then. To learn about current day climbing, I signed up for a two-hour Intro to Climbing class at the Triangle Rock Club in Morrisville (TRC-M) along with my friend, Bob Gully of Durham.
After we signed waivers and watched an instructional video on facility rules and safe climbing, we received our rental climbing harness and shoes. The class consisted of climbing instructor Cody Earnhardt and five students. Earnhardt reviewed the parts and functions of climbing harnesses, ropes and carabiners, how to tie several climbing knots including a figure-8-follow-through knot and the proper top rope belaying technique.
We broke into two groups; mine included rising seventh grader, Emily Schmidt of Wake County and fifty-something Gully. Schmidt first tried indoor climbing at a friend’s birthday party at TRC-M and fell in love with it. This was her second time climbing at TRC-M. Gully and I were first-time indoor climbers. We took turns climbing and belaying, each able to climb and belay twice. I never felt scared or intimidated while climbing or belaying. Because belays are set up for slip-proof security, it was possible for someone as small as Schmidt, to successfully belay for Gully and me. We hung out at the facility for a while after class and did some bouldering, but our muscles were somewhat tired after climbing for over two hours.
When I spoke with Schmidt five days later, she had been climbing at TRC-M three times. She commented, “I’d really like to continue it [rock climbing] and plan to do it along as I can.” She likes that climbing is adventurous and requires thinking creatively. Schmidt also likes that climbing is not just about strength and muscle; “it’s more about finding your way to the top”. She would encourage everyone try it and hopes to make it into a family activity with her parents and younger brother. Gully enjoyed the personal “challenge of looking at a wall and getting myself up to the top.” He is impressed by the people who do real world rock climbing and mentioned the climber [Alex Honnold] who was the first person to free solo climb the 3,000-foot El Capitan wall in Yosemite National Park earlier this year.
We liked the first class so much, Gully and I signed up for a one-hour Progressions climbing class at TRC-M. This class consisted of the climbing instructor Amanda Sanchez, and four adult students. We learned some basic climbing concepts and movement techniques and about how climbs are graded for difficulty.
We were introduced to bouldering, the different types of holds and spotting safety. Each student was able to attempt several bouldering routes during the class. Since no top ropes are used in bouldering and the TRC-M bouldering wall is 14-feet tall, you could be falling up to 14 feet. Fortunately, the protective mats are very comfortable and it didn’t hurt to fall. I was a little sore after this class, but it felt good. Touring the TRC-M Extension with its 55-foot climbing walls showed us the extent of bouldering and lead climbing possible.
Gully and I bought a two-week membership deal for TRC-M through Groupon and went back to TRC-M for a third visit. Since we weren’t certified belayers, we used auto-belayers which are devices attached near the top of a climbing wall and automatically take up the slack in the top rope so that you can climb even if you don’t have a person to belay for you.
We climbed several routes using auto-belayers and did some bouldering. It felt great to get in that type of a total-body workout and I look forward to continuing my climbing experience and education indoors and possibly out.
Indoor Climbing Options
Having established itself as an intense fitness program in the Triangle area, local options for indoor climbing include Progression Climbing Gym (www.climbprogression.com), and the Chapel Hill Community Center (CHCC; www.townofchapelhill.org) in Chapel Hill, and Triangle Rock Club (TRC; www.trianglerockclub.com) in three locations (Morrisville, North Raleigh and Fayetteville).
Progression Climbing Gym, Chapel Hill’s only bouldering gym, boasts 3,500 square feet of climbing terrain that requires no ropes or harnesses on 14-16 foot walls with thick padded flooring. They offer day passes, monthly memberships, climbing instruction, youth and adult climbing teams, kids’ camps and more.
The Community Center, the first municipal climbing wall in the country, offers 20 different climbing routes from beginner to expert. Bouldering is also available. Anyone can use the climbing wall; you do not have to be an Orange County resident. Fees are charged for youth and adults. It’s open Tuesday/Thursday 6:30-9:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Saturday 6-8 p.m. climbing starts Nov. 1.
CHCC also offers private climbing and bouldering instruction, group and party rentals, and has an active teen climbing club for kids 11-17. They hold annual Dixie Rock indoor top-rope climbing competition in the winter.
Opened in 2007, the TRC Morrisville houses North Carolina’s first 55-foot climbing wall in their recent expansion, 9,000 square feet of Eldorado climbing walls with 32 climbing lanes in its original facility, 17,000 square feet of climbing terrain with 72 climbing lanes in its expanded facility and 3,000 square feet of 14-foot-high bouldering terrain, including a freestanding top-out bouldering space.
TRC North Raleigh opened in 2013 and features over 13,000 square feet of climbing terrain in a large open space. The bouldering area is over 4,300 square feet of 16-foot-high boulders. The top rope and lead climbing area features 30 foot heights and includes a large free standing pillar.
TRC offers both lead and top rope climbing and bouldering. They provide instruction programs and climbing terrain for all levels of climbers, from beginners to world-class climbers, and for all ages of climbers–from 6 years of age and up. They also offer Themed Track-out Camps and Summer Camps for kids.
Outdoor Climbing, Triangle & Beyond
The Triangle isn’t known for its outdoor bouldering and rock climbing. But locally there are some places to do some outdoor bouldering.
In Carrboro, there is the Morgan Bluff AKA University Lake Boulders. In Orange/Durham Counties, there are the Eno River Boulders spread along the river’s edge in Eno River State Park. And, in Cary, there are the manmade boulders at the North Cary Park.
Some North Carolina state parks are home to impressive rock formations. Rock climbing, bouldering, and rappelling are allowed at the following: Chimney Rock, Crowders Mountain, Hanging Rock, Pilot Mountain, and Stone Mountain. Climbing activities are allowed only during certain months, and a permit must be obtained from the park office before you climb.
Rock Dimensions (www.rockdimensions .com) of Boone offers Group Top-Rope Guided Rock Climbing and Guided Intermediate Rock Climbing trips in the NC Piedmont and mountains at Crowders Mountain SP, Pilot Mountain SP, Linville Gorge Wilderness and Wilson Creek Area.
REI provides a two-day North Carolina Rock Climbing trip to Pisgah National Forest for climbers from every ability level (www.rei.com). This trip is a great introduction to rock climbing, focused on areas ideal for beginner climbers like Looking Glass and Cedar Rocks.
Frog Hollow Outdoors (www.froghollowoutdoors.com) of Durham offers Introduction to Rock Climbing, Rock Climbing Skill Building or Guided Trip, and one- and two-day Group Rock Climbing classes at someplace in areas 1-2 hours from Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill, or within an hour of Asheville. Class sizes can range from one to more than six students. Climbing and belaying techniques, top rope anchor placement/building, communication and safety, equipment handling and storage, are all covered during these sessions.