In all my days previous to this I never thought I would be climbing a wall that looked like the underside of my high school homeroom desk. Yet there I was looking down 20 feet to the floor, feet and fingers planted firmly on the brightly colored holds. A slight sense of accomplishment welled up inside of me as I thought about what I had just done. Something I didn’t think merely climbing a wall would do for me to that point.
I’ve always been looking for something more fun and exciting to do on weekends during the colder months. Something that was different than catching a movie, going bowling, or whatever other standard indoor activities one usually partakes in during the winter. I heard about indoor rock climbing from a friend who’d been hounding me to go all winter. I must admit that I have a slight fear of heights and the very thought of climbing a wall was not my idea of fun and exciting. What if the rope broke? What if the person belaying me decides to day dream and I hit the ground like a Little Focker? After much internal debate and an outright challenge to the state of my manhood among a group of friends, I relented.
Once the waivers are handed in and money has changed hands we are issued our climbing gear. This includes climbing shoes and a harness. The shoes are, should be, tight fitting with a thick adhesive rubber sole. The harness is worn around the waist, not the torso as those around me pointed out upon seeing me struggle to fit the contraptions over my head, with two adjustable loops for each leg. After wrestling the device up and around my jeans I was ready to go. Our instructor brought us over to some ropes dangling from a nearby wall and proceeded to explain how to secure the climber. She showed us how to secure the rope to the belay device, also called an Air Traffic Controller (ATC), which connects to the harness via a c-clip attachment called a carabiner. This device allows the belayer to provide enough slack on the rope as the climber ascends without fear of losing tension. The rope travels up an around an anchoring device at the top of the wall. On the other end the climber is secured by bending the rope and running in through the loop on the front of the harness and tying it off in what is called a “figure eight” knot.
Once secured I began my ascent and not wanting to show trepidation in front of so many curious eyes, I proceeded with a forceful determination. My feet and fingers seemed to find their holds with ease and with little thought I found myself moving quite confidently toward my destination. Once I reached the top I looked down at the group with a wink and “no sweat” smile. The slight feeling of accomplishment that had arisen in me at that point was immediately dwarfed when my friend called up, “Now do it by taking a route.” I was lowered down and the instructor explained that each hold is part of their own route. The routes have various levels of difficulty marked with colored tape that corresponds to that particular level, and wherein lies the real challenge of rock climbing. The routes for this gym begin at 5.5 (the easiest) to 5.13. Each difficulty level has the climber starting at a lower position with ever shrinking holds. The remainder of my day entailed mastering 5.5 while being guided by my experienced companion. Each climb requires a certain level of pre-thought and planning before attempting. This added element makes the activity both physically and mentally trying as well as rewarding. I was able to work up a sweat without really feeling like I was working out and challenge my mind without feeling like it was work. The only regret I ended up having was not discovering this activity years ago.
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| The Bouldering Area |
Rock Spot Climbing is located at 67 Sprague Street in Dedham, Massachusetts (even though the website says Boston) and is open daily 10 A.M to Midnight. I suggest making reservations to take a beginners course as the gym fills up rather densely by mid-afternoon. It is also wise to get here as early as possible for the same reason. Wear gym clothing like t-shirts, tank tops, shorts or sweats. I wore jeans and it was rather uncomfortable with the harness and the extra material around my legs hindered my flexibility. Additionally, Rock Spot also has four auto-belay devices that allow for solo climbing in certain spots. They also have areas with more slanted and even horizontal climbing called “bouldering”. This is an intriguing and challenging element, since those who boulder-climb have no harness and their only means of safety is a crash mat. Something I was not about to partake in during my time there. No “Focking” way!
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