Climb So iLL just south of downtown has become my home away from home in the past few weeks (well, maybe still second to the DeMun Kaldi’s Coffee). Since moving to St. Louis and getting the chance to start daily life afresh, I’ve really wanted to find something active to do that I enjoy so much that I don’t notice it’s exercise. It’s supposed to be a joy, right?
Climbing has definitely filled that niche for me, and Climb So iLL has been the perfect place to get into a new sport.
Once I got past my fear of looking like an amateur while climbing (or the fear of falling, not being able to put my harness on correctly, accidentally dropping someone else while belaying them… you know… just those fears), I’ve been able to truly enjoy it and not only improve at climbing but enter into a really amazing community of St. Louis that I never would have been exposed to! I’ve now intersected too many times to count with people who climb, and as a result have gotten to meet and learn from so many new people in St. Louis.
Okay, so you might be reading this and thinking, “I’m not a climber.” Or “I could never do that.” Or “I’ve always wanted to do that, but I don’t know where to start.” Climb So iLL is truly an awesome place for all of that. It’s the place where professional climbers go to refine their skill and compete, and it’s a place where beginners can feel comfortable asking a lot of questions and just enjoy themselves.
If you don't want to get too attached (pun intended) or pay for extra gear like a harness or chalk, the bouldering wall is a great place to start. You just need a pair of climbing shoes and a bit of courage. (By the way, a day pass is only $16, and right now they're running a great Groupon if you'd like to save a bit more or want to try membership for a month! That's how I got going!)
There's a section called The Eye Wall where most of the competitions, like the Showdown of this past week, take place.
Despite how amazingly colorful, challenging, and hassle-free the bouldering wall is, I've definitely fallen in love with the sport climbing, where I can really let my fear of falling go and try routes I'd never dare try when not attached to something. Climb So iLL has three separate sport climbing sections: a 55-foot wall in the bottom half of the facility called the Elite wall, a shorter wall upstairs that provides 5 additional rope stations, and a beginner wall with routes for getting started.
I'm not yet this cool (but one day I surely will be):
If you’re still not convinced you should give it a try, here are 10 life lessons I’ve learned from climbing so far (and there are surely more to come):
1- Just find your next hold. Don’t focus on the whole route. That's too much to handle. Focus on the next place to move, then move there.
2- Use your legs. Be innovative. Explore your options. If you're looking for where to go next and you can't use your arms, try your legs. (Beginning climbers tend to tire out their arms from trying to hold on so tight, almost forgetting that their legs have a ton of strength to offer.)
3- Chalk up when you can. Get ready for the hard parts of the route during the easy parts of the route. If you find yourself in a spot where you can rest easily, rest. And chalk up so that you’ll be ready for the moments that you’re just barely hanging on. You’ll be thankful for the rest later.
4- You will probably get afraid all over again within the first five minutes. And when you do, don’t let it stop you. Keep being brave and push through the fearful starting stages.
5- Hang on. When you get into a bind, just hang on until you figure out what to do next. It's okay to pause. You don't have to give up right there.
6- Don’t get intimidated by other people. Instead, ask them for help. If they seem better than you at climbing, they could probably help you know what to do next.
7- Growing stronger doesn’t come all at once. It’s a daily thing. Keep going back.
8- Get out of your head. The more you think you can't do it, the less you'll think you can do it.
9- It’s okay to fall. Don't be afraid of failing. It means you tried. Also, you've probably got a rope holding you, or the fall is 20 feet or less and you'll be able to recover from it.
10- Keep climbing. You don't get better at things you don't keep trying. Keep trying.
Climb So iLL
1419 Carroll Street
Saint Louis, MO 63104
(314) 621-1700
@climbsoill