So last weekend I decided to try rock climbing again. I did it many years ago but it was always difficult to find or get to a rock climbing centre until I moved to London.
I decided to try one I’d found online in Vauxhall as it wasn’t too far from work or home and they did a 1 hour induction, including equipment, for £20. Perfect. Turns out I should have read the website properly …
So it seems I went bouldering last weekend!! J
Bouldering, to put it very simply, is rock climbing without the ropes. Don’t worry, the walls are nowhere near as high and there are crash mats underneath. It was a fantastic Sunday morning; great fun, bit different, inexpensive.
If, like me, you are allergic to gyms, bouldering really does provide a fantastic workout with far more variation than a treadmill. My upper body and arms were sore afterwards, but like anything this would improve with practice! If it’s easy, it’s not worth doing! You are also required to wear bouldering shoes which aren’t the most comfortable things in the world … but definitely needed for those smaller holds.
I would recommend this to just about anyone and urge you to go and have a go – just once – it’s a very informal and fun thing to do; a great way of getting some exercise, and can be done as either a social activity or individually! It suits anyone in my opinion, even if you don’t like heights as the walls are pretty small. The only people this isn’t recommended for is people with joint problems, or anything wrong with your fingers as it can be pretty tough on them. Having said that, I have joint problems. I was fine. Just take it easy and don’t push yourself too much!
However, I would say definitely do an induction first if you’re not someone who climbs regularly (and most centres will probably require you to). Vauxwall Climbing Centre’s induction was fantastic. They take a maximum of 6 people per induction, it was £20 for the induction, shoe hire, chalk, and you could stay on and climb after the induction was finished. The instructor I had was great, and I even got my own little card so I can go again ;-)
I decided to try one I’d found online in Vauxhall as it wasn’t too far from work or home and they did a 1 hour induction, including equipment, for £20. Perfect. Turns out I should have read the website properly …
So it seems I went bouldering last weekend!! J
Bouldering, to put it very simply, is rock climbing without the ropes. Don’t worry, the walls are nowhere near as high and there are crash mats underneath. It was a fantastic Sunday morning; great fun, bit different, inexpensive.
If, like me, you are allergic to gyms, bouldering really does provide a fantastic workout with far more variation than a treadmill. My upper body and arms were sore afterwards, but like anything this would improve with practice! If it’s easy, it’s not worth doing! You are also required to wear bouldering shoes which aren’t the most comfortable things in the world … but definitely needed for those smaller holds.
I would recommend this to just about anyone and urge you to go and have a go – just once – it’s a very informal and fun thing to do; a great way of getting some exercise, and can be done as either a social activity or individually! It suits anyone in my opinion, even if you don’t like heights as the walls are pretty small. The only people this isn’t recommended for is people with joint problems, or anything wrong with your fingers as it can be pretty tough on them. Having said that, I have joint problems. I was fine. Just take it easy and don’t push yourself too much!
However, I would say definitely do an induction first if you’re not someone who climbs regularly (and most centres will probably require you to). Vauxwall Climbing Centre’s induction was fantastic. They take a maximum of 6 people per induction, it was £20 for the induction, shoe hire, chalk, and you could stay on and climb after the induction was finished. The instructor I had was great, and I even got my own little card so I can go again ;-)
At Vauxwall, after induction you can pay monthly membership, or pay as you go. Pay as you go is £10 during peak times and £7 off-peak; £3 for shoe hire. They also have ‘ladies night’ and ‘boulderama’ which is more of a group climbing evening with an instructor present. I’d say they’ve got all bases covered!