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Showing posts with label Seattle REI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle REI. Show all posts

How To Get Your Kid Into Rock Climbing

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Sometimes it's tough to get kids into outdoor activities. Some of them are not age appropriate, while others require skills, patience, and a long learning curve.

That's why rock climbing might be a great fit for kids, especially young ones 5-8 year old. Kids like to climb in general, and indoor rock climbing is a structured and disciplined way to teach them how to move and control their entire body: it's a very brainy versus brawny sport,

Kids tend to be natural climbers. They have a high strength-to-weight ratio — which means they have less body weight to haul up the wall than adults do — and their bodies are more flexible. They’re also not fearful ( but if they are, that’s normal, too ), and they have fewer personal limits than adults do. Adults tend to think they know what their body can and can’t do. Kids are less likely to limit themselves this way.

Kids acquire all kinds of positive skills. Problem solving is a  key component of climbing. Because climbing requires a combination of creative thinking and physical output, less athletic kids often shine, surprising even themselves. Kids also learn problem solving. Climbing is a puzzle to unlock, sometimes requiring the ability to back off, look at the route anew, and start again.

The Best Way To Learn Climbing In Washington

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The best way to learn climbing ?  One thing for sure, you won't learn it by watching videos or reading books ( believe me, I've tried). So, like they say:" Practice makes perfect".

If you are a beginner and not sure if rock climbing is for you, don't be in a rush to join a local climbing gym. If you just want to get a feeling of "rock climbing", try REI's flagship store in Seattle first. For just $25 you'll get a pair of shoes, a harness, a bunch of pictures of you climbing ( now you can tell your friends, that you are a climber and can show the proof) and a belayer ( somebody who holds the rope while you are climbing). If that felt like a thrilling experience, next step is learning the basics and getting your own "belay card".

What's a belay card? Belaying is the safety technique used to control the rope and keep the climber safe while they climb. A belay card allows you and your friends to belay each other on any climbing wall. But it's not a card you are after, since different climbing gyms have their own belay cards, it's the knowledge and skills. Every time you go to a new gym, they will ask you to take a "belay test". Good thing is, once you've passed the test (belay test ) at one climbing gym, you will be able to pass it anywhere else.

The best way to get "belay " checked ? Take a lesson! I took mine at the Edgeworks climbing gym in Tacoma. You don't have to be a member ( or have any experience) there to take a class.
For just $ 29, you'll learn everything you need to pass a test ( anywhere):

the basics of indoor climbing equipment
how to tie into a top-rope
how to belay effectively and safely
take ( and pass!) their belay test and get the card for their gym

You can rent the necessary equipment ( shoes $5 and a harness$3 ) right there at the gym at an extra charge.

After you've passed you test and got your card, and you still have doubts, you can opt for a day pass ($15).

The hardest part of climbing is not just the risk associated with this sport. The hardest part is to find a reliable partner, preferably, somebody who has more experience ( and patient enough ) to teach you, and eventually take you outside to climb "real rock".