Choosing the Right Indoor Climbing Wall
All indoor climbing walls are not created equal. Research a wall before you visit to save yourself travelling to and fro.
Check the Grades and Route Variety
Indoor climbing walls use a colour-coded or numbered grading system to indicate difficulty of routes. A quality indoor climbing wall will have routes of varying degrees of difficulty, including slabs (easy, flat) for new climbers, and overhangs and “problems” for more advanced climbers to tackle. Ensure that the grade range of routes is adequate for you to get value from climbing at the wall.
Look Into Safety and Qualifications
Make sure the staff have the right qualifications for their job and that the climbing wall adheres to the latest safety and coaching standards for climbing walls. Most climbing walls will display the instructors qualifications and be happy for you to ask for details of how they are supervised and what their induction process is.
Assess Hire Equipment and Facilities
For a good indoor climbing wall to hire out the necessary equipment for you to climb, such as harnesses, climbing shoes and climbing harnesses/belay devices for you to use during your visit should cost no more than £3-6 per item. Also look for changing rooms, a basic café and good storage for your personal climbing gear.
Match the Wall to Your Experience
New to climbing? Look for climbing walls that run beginner sessions or taster days. Use “Climbing Wall Near Me” to search for climbing walls in your local area and filter for walls that mention induction courses or auto-belay systems – perfect for solo climbers as you can climb on the wall without needing a partner to belay for you.
Compare Membership Against Pay-As-You-Go
Cost for a visit: A single visit costs around £8-£14 per visit. For people that climb more than twice a month then joining the wall for a monthly membership of £25-£40 is normally much cheaper. Make sure that membership includes access to peak hours before joining.
A little research before you go will save you lots of wasted time going to walls that are not right for you. A good indoor climbing wall is a place to climb, not to wonder whether or not the place is right for you.
