Aint No Mountain To High!

To keep things creative I decided to do a different type of exercise~ Rock Climbing.  I have never seen anyone rock climb before so I was a little intimidated especially when I see kids at the age of 6 climbing effortlessly up a while with no rope and in record speed.  I immediately knew this is something that would be challenging for a novice. 

Rock Climbing is super fun but it is hard work.  There is technique involved and uses primarily the lower part of your body.  That required a mental adjustment for me because naturally you feel like using your upper body to pull yourself up or to make the necessary adjustments.  Since it was new to me I needed to ask a lot of questions.   The people were very helpful and friendly and most of all very patient.  Anyone who knows me knows that if I am doing something for the first time, I generally am very reluctant but I will follow through.  Thank goodness it is a sport that is easy to catch on and in one session you could learn to climb very quickly.  .



This blog is made up on a 2 part session~  I enjoyed  Rock Climbing so much, I decided to take my niece and nephew the following week!

            Jazzy and DJ 02/18/2011

Prior to climbing you must get fitted with gear (which is an added expense if you don't bring your own) Gear is simply shoes and an harness.  I would imagine if you were a serious rock climber perhaps you might need a chalk bag but we did OK without it. To climb up the 30ft walls you must have another person to help you but it is a sport you can do alone if you don't plan on using the ropes.  If you have a partner then you can climb the 30ft wall while your partner belays for you.  As you can see, it didn't take long before my niece and nephew were little pros's. My niece Jazzy made it her personal goal to climb to the top of every trail she started unlike my nephew or myself. We had no problem coming down right after we looked towards the ground. ~ Oh well at least we get an A for effort.  Overall it was a fun active sport that involves the family!  Who can ask for more?

The Gym we went too is called the Phoenix Rock Gym and it is the largest climbing gym in Arizona!

The Phoenix Rock Gym
1353 E. University Dr.
Tempe, AZ 85281