Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend and are ready to get back to it today! I’m… well, not so much. Haha, I feel like I’m jumping straight back into “real life” today after a great spring break! My flight was a little delayed yesterday due to set backs at the Denver airport, and I waited in a lot of veeerrrry long lines due to the biggest crowds I’ve ever seen (50 minutes to check my bag…).
If you missed out on any of my spring break re-cap posts, here they are again:
And I have one last post for you from Colorado!
On Saturday we woke up to very cold temps, wind and snow!
Can you see a mountain? I can’t…
It was not a day for heading outdoors, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to do something I’ve been wanting to do for years: Indoor ROCK CLIMBING!!!
I did an online search and found a great looking location not too far away, so I enlisted my dad to come along and we headed to City Rock right when they opened to beat any crowds! Luckily we were the only ones there for a little bit! The staff was very helpful and welcoming – they made sure I knew what I was doing but then let me do my own thing! I loved that I felt a lot of freedom to do whatever, but knew there was always someone around if I had a question!
After a 10 minute safety video (their accident reenactments were hilarious and kept my attention), I put on my shoes and harness (both rented) and got ready to climb! I thanked the good Lord that I wore all black and my harness was black… makes pictures more flattering.
I started out on a shorter, slightly sloped wall and surprised myself with how easy it came it me. One man working there even complimented me on my foot placement! Well, after he helped me get over my fear of letting go of the wall.
At City Rock you can do a regular belay with a partner, or climb by yourself using an auto-belay. The best way I can describe it is like a seat belt, how it will pull back as you move it up. When I reached the top of the wall I had to just let go and fall back, there’s an initial couple feet where I just drop, and then the belay catches and slowly lowers me to the ground (I may have fallen over the first time I landed…).
So happy I made it!
I did a bunch of different walls, some I thought were easy and I flew to the top of, others that were really hard and I just couldn’t make it. The wall I tried that was slanted towards me was really hard! It took a lot of upper body strength and being a runner I relied a lot on my legs for this. Let’s just say my harms were SO sore when I finished!
City rock has a ton of different walls and you can buy a day pass (or annual pass). At first I thought a day pass seemed excessive, but after being there for almost 2 hours (my poor dad…) I could totally see how you could spend a lot of time there!
After a while I was tired, and the gym started getting crowded so we headed out! The last thing I did (no picture) was climb the boulder. It’s much shorter with padding below and you don’t use a harness, you just climb. I was a bit intimidated so I chose to follow a group of girls who looked about 10-12 years old. Thankfully I didn’t embarrass myself and managed to get up the same path they did. The best part? Once you get to the top you take a slide down! Haha it was pretty fun.
I really enjoyed getting to rock climb, and for any of you Chicagoans out there let me know if you have suggestions of somewhere to go! So far I’ve only found a few gyms that have walls, but nothing like City Rock… whomp whomp.
p.s. if you’re super bored and want to watch videos of me rock climbing, check out my you tube channel… Warning: You might fall asleep…
Have you ever been rock climbing?
What’s your favorite indoor sport?
I used to go rock climbing all the time when I was little! I found it pretty difficult then so I can’t imagine how difficult I’d find it now. It’s a great full body work out!
I always thought it was difficult, but I loved the challenge!
That looks like fun! I’ve been indoor rock climbing a couple of times, and it is such a good workout!
Definitely, my back is still sore!
I adore rock climbing, haven’t done it in a while though! This gym is fantastic, love that it offers so many different levels, some easier, harder and everywhere in between!
My arms are always so shaky after, but gotta love the feeling 🙂
Omg my arms got soooo shaky near the end!
i just bought a groupon to go rock climbing in st louis – can’t wait!
Have fun, I’m sure you’ll love it!
I loved rock climbing! My friend in college was a big rockgym person and he used to take me rock climbing every once in a while. It’s so scary at first but before you know it you’re 15 feet in the air!
That’s fun you had a friend to go with!
I haven’t gone rock climbing in probably about a year…but I love it! They had it at the summer camp I went to when I was a kid, and it was my favourite activity.
I hadn’t done it since summer camp!
Sweet experience, katie! I’ve never been rock climbing before but have always wanted to try! I think it’s cool you made it happen in a new place 🙂
You should definitely try, it’s intimidating to just show up but going when there aren’t many people is really helpful!
I’ve never been rock climbing, but ever since seeing Catch that Kid with Kristen Stewart I’ve wanted to go 🙂
I don’t think I’ve seen that movie? Haha but you should definitely try it out!
It’s a really cute movie. It has Kristen Stewart before she was famous. Definitely worth the time.
How fun! I LOVE indoor rock climbing! Cody and I used to do it regularly when we were dating, but haven’t done it much since then because there isn’t a rock gym nearby and it gets kinda pricey after awhile. Glad you had a great time!
I can definitely see it adding up after a few visits, haha good thing my dad was there take care of that for me… love parents.
Umm how fun!! My husband bought a groupon for indoor climbing as a surprise that he told me about lol Know you have me excited
I hope you like it!
I have been wanting to go indoor climbing again, it’s been a while. Last time I went rock-climbing was in Austin, TX! Outdoors (with a guide) was fun!
You should definitely find somewhere to go! And I’d LOVE to give it a try outdoors!
How fun! I have been wanting to go rock climbing forever! It just looks like so much fun!!
You should give it a try!
I haven’t rock climbed in years! I am anxious to get back and try it again. Looks like so much fun!
You should, I really enjoyed it, it’s a great way to mix up workouts!
This looks like so much fun! I really want to go rock climbing but like you mentioned, there really isn’t anywhere to go in Chicago. There’s a huge rock climbing facility in Michigan that I’ve been to a few times but it’s been like 5 years!
Yea… Chicago kinda failed me on this one.
I’ve been to LPAC in Chicago for rock climbing. It’s a wall but it’s in an outside area from what I remember so you will have to wait until it gets warmer out! It’s nowhere near as awesome as what I see in your pictures, but still fun!
I’ve heard that one’s good – haha but yea the weather is the only issue!
I haven’t been rock climbing in years, but it was sooooo much fun! I remember having sore muscles that I didn’t even know existed, as a result!! 🙂
Omg yes, my forearms were so sore! Haha random for me!
I haven’t done much climbing myself recently, though I’ve worked 16 sessions at camp over the past three years, all of which included at least one, if not more, activity periods with climbing, so I’ve definitely done more than my fair share of belaying, encouraging/directing, and harness putting-on! Haha. I really enjoy both climbing and belaying and would love to get back into it!
I was a camp counselor for a summer and loved it! Although I taught sailing!
My favorite indoor sport is definitely volleyball! I played in high school and I still love to play, to this day :).
I played in 8th grade!! Haha I wasn’t so good…
I have always wanted to do this!! And now I want to even more.
Also, I know what you feel about it being tough after such a great vacation. I was in a huge funk the week after my cruise. Hope the post vacay blues get you just for a day or two.
You MUST! It really is so much fun, it’s a great challenge and you feel so proud that you did it!
I love rock climbing! Great post about it, it is an awesome all-body workout. My coordination tends to fail me when I attempt it every time though ha ha. As far as a favorite indoor sport, I don’t really have one! I attribute this to living in AK though and pretty much everything is done outdoors here, rain or snow 🙂
Haha well I’d pick outdoors over indoors any day!
Ahhhhh SOOO fun! I love rock climbing. Indoors mostly 🙂
My older brother is a climber, and he built a wall off of our barn when I was in junior high–so I learned early! hah
I’ve never tried it outdoors! And that’s so cool that your brother built a wall!!
That looks like so much fun!
It really was, and a confidence booster! Definitely worth a try!
you go girl!! so impressed, we are too nervous to try rock climbing not really sure why — well mainly for the height factor. we just might have to get over that fear and give it a try 🙂
Just go for it! Most places have shorter walls too, this was a pretty nice facility geared only towards rock climbing. Most gyms have shorter walls.
I don’t know of any in the city, but I went indoor rock climbing a few years ago in the northern suburbs. It wasn’t as big as City Rock looks but it was still a lot of fun. The staff was so obviously in love with rock climbing and wanted everyone to enjoy themselves.
I’ll have to look for that one!
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