Indoor climbing gyms certainly don’t replace the experience of climbing outside, but during the winter months, there isn’t much choice if you want to keep your skills intact until spring. Strength and balance training is the key to making the most out of a trip to the gym, plus it’s just really fun.
Climbing gyms are social places where crag-heads can gather and test their skills on a variety of routes. From 5.5 ladder-like climbs for first timers, to 5.13 suffer-fests that seem impossible for everyone but the most skilled experts, indoor climbing has something for all ability levels.
Even if you don’t have your own gear, you can rent shoes, a harness, chalk bag and belay device from the gym and receive instruction on how to climb on toprope, lead climb, belay, and lower your partner safely. Once you’ve completed your training, you and your climbing partner have the entire gym to explore. Plus, if your friends ditch you, you can always practice your skills on the bouldering walls where a fall means plopping comfortably onto giant padded mats.
Thanks to ski season, my leg muscles get all the attention in the winter, leaving my climbing muscles to atrophy. To combat this, I recently got a membership at Momentum in Sandy, and my first reaction after walking through the doors is that the place is enormous. The walls go as high as 50 feet. There is 7,000 square feet of lead climbing routes, 8,000 square feet of toprope space, a giant bouldering cave, and 13 crack climbs. I could get dizzy running around the place, taking it all in at once.
Trying to pick just one route out of God-knows-how-many was like choosing an untracked run while skiing on a powder day. You simply want to do them all. In a typical day we start out by warming up on some toprope routes and work our way up to lead climbing. After three hours of getting pumped on face climbs, slabs, aretes, and overhanging walls, our forearms become toast.
As if the walls aren’t enough of a workout, Momentum also offers yoga classes, weight machines, and cardio equipment. They also have an on-site coffee shop that serves pretty good food like panini pizzas, sandwiches and protein shakes.
After not climbing outside because of snow, it feels good to get on some routes, even though it means climbing fake holds under florescent lights. I’ll take outside over indoors anytime, but if conditions are too harsh to be in the mountains, getting a fix at the climbing gym is just about perfect.
To find the climbing gym close to you, check out this list of all six Utah gyms with locations, prices, and contact information.
Salt Lake Valley
Momentum Indoor Climbing
220 West 10600 South, Sandy
801-990-6890
$15 for adults. $12 for kids www.momentumclimbing.com
The Front
400 West 1450 South, Salt Lake City
801-466-7625
$15 for adults, $7 for kids www.frontslc.com
Rockreation
2074 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City
801-278-7473
$15 for adults, $10 for kids. www.rockreation.com
Ogden
IRock
2261 Kiesel Avenue
801-399-4653
$10 for adults, $7.50 for kids. www.irockutah.com
Logan
Rockhaus
200 East 1780 North
435-713-0068
$15 for adults, $11 for kids. www.rockhausgym.com
Provo
The Quarry
2494 North University Parkway
801-418-0268
$13 for adults, $10 for kids. www.quarryclimbing.com
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