Way back in the ‘80s, I had a high school encounter with rock climbing that left me terrified. I remember being told to back off a cliff, to trust the person on the ground holding the rope. My fear was so strong that I can’t remember if I actually stepped off the edge.
A decade or so later, I read an interview with the Swedish actress Lena Olin about personal growth where she said she tries to do something that scares her every day. With that spirit in mind, I decided to give rock climbing another try.
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I was thrilled to learn that St. Louis climbing gym Climb So iLL does not have climbing walls with intimidating cliffs. Instead, I’d be scaling brightly colored lumps of plastic designed by the gym’s owners and shaped like shells, faces, and light bulbs. But because I was climbing alone, I had to use an auto belay, a device that takes the place of a rope-holding buddy on the ground. Once I was done climbing, I was supposed to just lean back and let the device support my weight as I walked down the wall — backwards.
And that, friends, was my biggest challenge. Not the thought of being the oldest person there (and one of only two women.) Not being 50 feet in the air. Not my decidedly weak arms. Falling backwards, even while supported by a sophisticated device designed to support my weight, was my biggest mental hurdle. For most of my time at the gym, I couldn’t do it. I climbed down instead of rappelling backwards as I had been instructed.
Scampering up and down the candy-colored holds was easier and more fun than I’d anticipated and a very engaging way to exercise. Within 20 minutes, I was pushing off the wall to reach distant ledges and wishing I’d rented shoes so I could get a better grip on tiny toe-holds. My triceps were so active that I could have sworn there was another muscle somewhere in there. (There isn’t. I looked it up.)
My arms turned into noodles on my last climb. Halfway down, I just couldn’t hold on anymore, and I was forced to rely on the auto-belay device. I was perhaps fifteen feet up, and surprisingly I did not scream on my way down. I did, however, fall on my behind and burst out laughing. I left the gym strangely confident despite having giggled near a pack of very fit and intense young men.
Climb So iLL has walls for all levels for ages 6 and up and six auto belays for those who wish to climb solo. A $16 day pass is a great option for those who just want to get their climb on, and there is currently a Groupon deal for up to 55% off.
Passes come with a kind and patient orientation, but rental climbing gear is extra. A harness is the only required piece of gear, but they also offer shoes, chalk and ropes. Visiting their “first visit” page and pre-filling a waiver is highly recommended.
For those who want to go deeper into climbing, there are classes ($34 and up) covering basic through advanced climbing, or you can become belay certified so you can be the person holding the rope on the ground. Private instruction is available for those who wish to up their game or learn the necessary skills to climb outdoors, and there are two levels of monthly unlimited visit memberships for $60 and $75. Ten-visit punch passes are $125; $180 will get you 10 visits plus unlimited equipment rental. In addition, there are party packages, summer camps for kids, deals for college students and fitness labs in yoga, conditioning and running.
Heidi Dean is a writer and stay-at-home mom to a preschooler. You can read more of her work on her blog Mama-Come-Lately.
