First find a facility near you. The local climbing wall facility staff can give you great local area information. Here is a list of world wide climbing walls. The gym or climbing facility staff will give you an orientation, show and teach you how to put on a climbing harness, how to tie the figure-8 knot and how to belay and lower your partner. After demonstrating proficiency on the key climbing skills you can begin climbing and belaying your partner. As you get yourself involved in a climbing training program you will be surprised at how your climbing technique improves month by month.

Climbing walls are constructed by a variety of methods. Many climbers build their own climbing walls for home practice. Some are made of plywood with wood beam structural supports. Other climbing walls are constructed with steel beam structures with fiberglass sheathing or molded "rock like" texture. Almost all climbing walls use climbing holds. Climbing holds bolt on to the wall to create a climbing route. Many climbing facility owners or managers hire routesetters to continually update and keep routes new and interesting. In recent years routesetting for indoor climbing has developed almost to an art form. Skilled routesetters are valuable assets for a climbing wall manager. Climbing routes can be designated by colored holds, tape on the wall or by stripping all holds from the wall except the holds used for the route. Sometimes the route is given a named. Usually a difficulty level will be assigned using a climbing difficulty grading scale. This allows climbers to track their progress as they improve in skill. Beginning climbers will usually improve several grades in the first several months. As climbers develop their climbing skill they progress to more difficult routes.

Bouldering. This form of climbing is unroped, usually 12 feet, or 4 meters above the ground. Climbing facilities set their own "safe" bouldering height. Usually the fall zone has padding such as gym mats, pea gravel, shredded tire tread to break a fall. The bouldering style of climbing generally requires more strength than endurance. The routes are shorter, and therefore become more difficult. Bouldering requires a minimum amount of climbing equipment, just climbing shoes and chalk. If there is no fall zone for example outside climbing, the climber should also take a crash pad. Bouldering is very social. The climbs take place a "eye level" as compared to 30' or 10 m overhead.

Lead Climbing. Lead climbing also requires a belayer. However the rope goes from the belayer directly to the climber. As the climber ascends he/she must clip in at anchor points. The anchor points screw into the wall using the same screw holes as the climbing holds. The anchor points have quickdraws attached to them. When the climber gets to a quickdraw, he/she pulls rope up and clips it into the lower carabiner on the quickdraw. Lead climbing is a little more risky and requires more experience than top roping. When the climber falls, he/she drops a little more than twice the distance he/she is above the anchor. It is a little more than twice the distance because the rope stretches and there is always some slack in the rope.

Top Rope. A belayer controls the rope from the ground as the climber moves up the route. The anchor and rope is already in place. The climber does not have to place protection or clip in to anchors as he/she progresses up the wall. The rope goes from the belayer to the top of the route through the anchor. From the anchor it comes down the climbing route to the climber. This is the easiest and safest form of rope climbing. It is the primarily type of climbing done in an climbing facility. If the climber falls the belayer locks the rope in the belay device. The rope comes tight and stretches a little, but the "fall" is only a few feet.

Gear Required for Climbing. The following gear items can usually be rented, hired at the local climbing facility. For your first few trips to the climbing wall it's probably best to hire/rent the house equipment. These links give you information about climbing gear required for the sport.


Climbing Birthday Party. Climbing is a great birthday party group activity. It is very popular with teens and young adults. groups usually get a group rate. facility stff usually provides belayers. It's an easy way to let kids expend a lot of energy in an exciting, memorable and safe environment. The facility managers usually separate a location for the gift exchange and party area for cake and drinks. Each climbing facility manager will have his/her own options for climbing birthday party ideas. Climbing gym owners can provide information about sponsoring a climbing birthday party.

Climbing Team Building. Many climbing facilities offer team building courses for corporate or organizational groups. Climbing team building event is an excellent way for a management team to improve group communication, trust, bonding and dependence on each other. The nature of climbing lends itself to team building perfectly. It requires trust. Supervision, management, workers are all placed on equal status as all must trust and work together in an equal way. The teamwork skills learned during climbing are quickly related in the workplace for team problem solving, inter-cooperation between work centers. For team building the type of climbing is usually top rope. Teams progress at their own pace as they develop their skills, trust, confidence and teamwork. This form of team building has become increasingly popular.

Indoor Rock Climbing. It is great fun but also provides a lot of personal value to a wide range of people:
great place for teens to spend time exercises problem solving provides aerobic and anaerobic exercise uses a wide and diverse set of muscles great for team building, improving trust, camaraderie builds self confidence and a sense of achievement excellent for parties