YOU CAN CLIMB, CLIMB, CLIMB!
Pat Welch looks around at the climbing equipment for sale at Black Diamond, the ideal place for him to work. He's a man who loves the discipline of rocks.
"Yes, I'm a climber, and there seems to be more of us everyday," he says with a chuckle.
The two growing sports are climbing, done with ropes and harnesses on long routes; and bouldering, the problem-solving navigation of big rocks. They are both exploding in popularity, despite the lack of attention from mainstream media.
A walk up either of the Cottonwood Canyons shows exactly how attractive cliffs and rocks have become to the recreational climber. Every boulder has someone scrambling to top it. Every cliff has piton holes and groups of belayers helping groups of climbers on ropes.
It's also an indoor sport. Gyms are installing climbing walls, and climbing gyms are now an established staple of the Wasatch Front. The newest one is Momentum, which had its grand opening on May 19th, and already has 400 members, according to Scott Paul.
Paul, who is a manager in charge of groups and corporations, also sees companies starting to hold climbing retreats rather than the traditional "Kumbyah" campfire and camping weekends.
"We are also seeing a lot of parents getting their kids into climbing. We even have climbing summer camps here at Momentum, four hour sessions every weekday. That's 20 hours of climbing for $160," he says.
One of the big stars in climbing is Steven Jefferies, 28, who works as a routesetter/coach at Momentum.
He says, "I’ve been climbing 20 years. I got into it because my older brother was into it and took me along. I’m a professional climber. I consider someone a professional if they get paid to climb. I get a salary, I’m paid by climbing companies."
It's not an NBA or NFL salary yet, but the growth of the sport is finally allowing a lot of professionals to make a decent living. Jeffery is modest about his accomplishments, but he does admit, "If I go to Europe, people over there know who I am."
He goes to Europe a lot for climbing competitions, and it was there that he found his biggest challenge. "The hardest route I’ve ever done was in Germany, it was a 5.14C," he says.
Climbers like Jeffery have fans, but the fans don't sit and spectate; they are usually outside or in a gym doing it themselves.
Welch says that anyone who shows up with shoes and a chalk bag will be welcome to join most of the groups climbing in the Canyons. Climbers are friendly and have a good sense of community.
"It's not an expensive sport to get into. Shoes cost between $75-$150, a chalk bag and chalk is less than $25." He advises beginners to get inexpensive shoes to start, because the novice will wear shoes out much faster than the more experienced climber.
Scott Paul suggests that total beginners start out at a gym. " It’s about $50 a month to be part of our gym, which includes all the climbing. We have free yoga courses, and a comprehensive gym, with free weights, cardio and elliptical machines."
He adds, "If someone is a beginner and has never done it before, we have a beginner course. We teach them rope safety, how to safely do their knots, use their harness, and climb with a partner and belay. For $15 you can come in and climb all day long. A day pass is $15."
You can rent climbing shoes, a harnesss and carabiners in gyms, but you can’t take them outside. There are places which rent equipment for outdoor use, but few will rent harnesses because of the liability factor.
However, bouldering is always done outside. Jefferies explains that bouldering is thought of in terms of solving problems. "You’re climbing on rocks that are 10-12 feet high. It’s about doing the hardest moves possible. That’s why they are referred to as 'problems.' It appeals more to mathmaticians, it’s more of a problem solving sport than anything."
He's also in favor of beginners starting out in climbing gyms.
"They are controlled environments. In a gym, it’s next to impossible to get hurt," Jeffery says. In fact, he believes the dangers of climbing are greatly exaggerated. "After you know the safety part of things, it’s pretty hard to get hurt. It’s just like driving a car. You can’t just throw someone into a car and expect them to drive safely down the road. I’ve been climbing 20 years, and never have had any injury instances at all, but I’ve been hospitalized for a few weeks from a car wreck."
And, if the daily grind of work, school, bill paying and commuting seems like a hard place, go out and find a good rock. Between a rock and a hard place, the rock will be more fun.