ATTRACTIONS

Defeating Gravity

Rock Climbing Gyms In Connecticut

January 4, 2006

By KATE SYMMONDS, Special to ctnow.com

I got into rock climbing when I was 9 years old because soccer bored me. I figured if other kids wanted the ball so much, why bother getting in their way?

Hard-core outdoorsy types, most of them male, made up the regular crowd at the climbing gyms when I started. Although I was often the only kid (and one of the only females), I never felt unwelcome. I was in my element. When I climbed, I felt free and independent. Reaching the top of the wall wasn't just about reaching a goal, it was about defeating gravity. How could a soccer goal ever feel that good?

Especially when the holds on the walls were sometimes too far apart for my child-length arms. Occasionally, in those more macho days, I would gross out when I ran into a hold shaped like a female breast. I didn't mind putting my fingers up the nostrils of nose-shaped holds, but I refused to touch boob holds.

It's been years since I've seen one of those, anyway. Climbing gyms are so family-friendly that most now offer kids' birthday parties. More and more people are realizing that climbing is not about brute strength and aggression. It requires grace, flexibility, patience and a tolerance for heights. Strength is required only relative to size because the only weight you're pulling is your own.

I remember watching a group of ridiculously muscle-bound men trying to tackle the walls, as if they could be beaten into submission. They were awkward climbers, and perhaps they realized that bulging muscles aren't everything as they watched a scrawny girl springing up and down the walls.

Giving climbing a try is much easier than it looks. You can start by bouldering - climbing close to the floor without a harness or ropes. Climbing gyms have bouldering areas protected by floor mats to break a fall. (Be careful where you stand, though, or you could end up breaking somebody else's fall.) This is a great way for beginners to get a feel for climbing. You don't need any equipment, although you should consider renting climbing shoes because sneakers slide right off the holds.

If you like bouldering, you can move on to climbing fixed routes on walls up to 40 feet high. You'll need climbing shoes, a harness and a trained, fully equipped belayer – somebody to hold the rope while you climb.

Don't know a belayer? You can invite a partner to take a beginner's class to learn belaying and basic climbing techniques. Most gyms charge $60 or so but the Stone Age Rock Gym in Manchester offers a $35 class that concentrates mostly on belaying. I've always thought you don't need a class to learn how to climb, but it's crucial to get formal training in how to belay. Stone Age says that in 2006, it will offer a class in belaying alone for $15.

If you're visiting a rock climbing gym for the first time, there are few things to know. Dress for flexibility and comfort. Remember that you will be climbing above people's heads, so loose or very short shorts might reveal more than you'd like. You won't want pants to be too baggy or long because they could get in your way. Ladies, beware: rock climbing will destroy long fingernails. If you're unwilling to cut your nails, then climbing probably isn't for you.

Lastly, be prepared to tire out quickly. Rock climbing requires the ability to pull your own weight. If it's your first time, your hands, fingers and arms (and possibly your whole body) will ache the next day. Don't be discouraged, though. Climbing will build your strength pretty quickly.

Here are three climbing gyms in Connecticut:

Go Vertical, Stamford, offers 8,500 square feet of climbing surfaces with separate bouldering walls and a bouldering cave. 203-358-8767. www.govertical.com

Day pass: $16 at peak times; $12, off-peak

Beginner's class: $60, adults; $80, teens

Rental gear package: $10

Stone Age Rock Gym, Manchester, offers 4,500 square feet of climbing surfaces with a portable floor mat for bouldering anywhere in the gym and a separate bouldering cave. 860-645-0015 www.stoneagerockgym.com

Day pass: $14.50; bouldering only, $9.75

Beginner's classes: $55 and $35

Rental gear package: $10

Prime Climb, Wallingford, offers more than 15,000 square feet of climbing surfaces with a separate overhang bouldering wall and a bouldering cave. 203-265-7880. www.primeclimb.com

Day pass: $15

Beginner's class: $70

Rental gear package: $7

About the writer: Kate Symmonds is a senior at McGill University in Montreal. She grew up in Burlington, Conn.

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