Kerrin and I have recently started rock climbing at a gym close to our apartment. We took the intro course, got the gear, and have fully committed to it (and genuinely enjoy doing it). We go 2-3 times per week (we learned the hard way that going more than that smokes us too much). Other than the obvious reason of building great levels of bodyweight strength throughout the body, here are five additional reasons that I (we) love rock climbing.

Conquering Fears

I have a major fear of open heights (standing on bridges or balconies and looking over the edge – I’m totally fine when I’m enclosed in something such as an airplane). You can imagine that being 30+ feet in the air with nothing more than a rope, a harness, and myself would create quite the frightful situation for me. Learning to deal with fear and anxiety that comes with climbing a wall has had carryover to real world situations that also provoke anxiety for me. Techniques such as breath control and challenging “Negative Automatic Thoughts” have helped me both in rock climbing and in life.

Building Trust and Communication

Kerrin and I “belay” each other when we climb (meaning that when I am climbing she is controlling the rope and when she is climbing I control the rope). You need an enormous amount of trust when you are 30 feet in the air and have to hang on to a small hold on the wall with just your fingertips knowing that if you slip and fall the other person will catch the rope in time. Additionally, you have to communicate with each other throughout the climb. The ultimate goal is for the climber to get to the top. If your partner sees a technique that can help you, or if you as a climber need help, you have to communicate with each other to achieve the ultimate goal. Rock climbing is a great way to build trust and communication between two people, and unites them in the pursuit of a common goal.

Solving Problems / Learning New Skills

The gym has both “belaying” walls (as mentioned one climber and one person controlling the rope) and “bouldering” walls (think “freestyle climbing” – no harness or rope, just you). Both sets of walls have varying levels of difficulty that are marked by specific colored holds. Each wall presents a new challenge that you have to “figure out” in order to get to the top. Rock climbing challenges your strength, mobility, and body awareness, but it will also challenge you mentally with the unique “problems” it presents.

A Sense of Community

Everyone that we have talked to at the gym is really friendly and genuinely loves climbing. There are children there that are unbelievable climbers, adults that are generous with teaching others, and teams that are pushing each other to be better (and a lot of dogs, which is always a plus). Sometimes we feel like we stick out (and sometimes we DO stick out), but overall we really enjoy being around the others that are there and watching them do really impressive feats of physical strength.

It’s Fun

Honestly, this is the most important one for me. I always look forward to a climbing day. I have so much fun climbing the walls (and watching Kerrin conquer her walls). We’ve brought friends and family with us, and they always seem to enjoy themselves as well. It’s something different, challenging, and overall incredibly rewarding.

Don’t be afraid to try something new. Go to a spin class, or a martial arts gym, or a rock climbing facility. You never know what may actually stick for you. For us, rock climbing has been both physically and mentally stimulating and rewarding. It has helped us strengthen our relationship and has given us exposure opportunities to improve skills that help us in other real world situations.