Indoor climbing for beginners: bouldering vs top rope vs lead, and your first session

TUREFF• •0

Climbing gyms have become one of the easiest ways to try a sport that used to need a mentor, a rope and a cliff. You can walk in with no experience, rent everything you need and be on the wall within half an hour. The catch is that a gym offers several quite different kinds of climbing, and knowing which one to start with makes the first visit far less confusing.

The three main styles

Bouldering: short walls, usually only a few metres high, climbed without a rope above thick crash mats. Each "problem" is a handful of moves. It needs no partner and no knot-tying, which is why most people start here.
Top rope: taller walls where the rope already runs through an anchor at the top. Your partner (the belayer) takes in slack as you climb, so if you let go you drop only a little. Many gyms also have auto-belays, devices that do the belayer's job for you on certain walls.
Lead: you trail the rope from below and clip it into quickdraws as you go, so a fall is longer. Lead climbing is something you learn after you are comfortable on top rope, normally on a course.

For roped climbing, almost every gym asks you to take an induction or belay course before you belay anyone, or to show that you already can. Bouldering usually needs only a short safety briefing.

What to wear

Stretchy or loose clothes that let you lift a knee to your chest: leggings, joggers, shorts, a T-shirt.
Nothing with big buckles or hanging cords that could catch on holds.
Take off rings and watches if you can; they scratch, catch and hurt when a hand jams in a crack-like hold.
Tie long hair back.

Renting shoes and other gear

Gyms rent climbing shoes, and that is the right choice for the first few visits. Rental shoes are usually flat and comfortable rather than aggressive. Ask for a size that is snug but not painful; you should be able to stand in them without wincing. Many people wear them barefoot, though thin socks are fine and some gyms prefer them in rentals. Chalk keeps your hands dry. Gyms sell or rent chalk bags, and some ask you to use liquid chalk or a chalk ball to keep dust down. For roped climbing you will also rent a harness and, if you are belaying, a belay device.

Your first session

Do the induction properly, even if a friend says they can show you. It covers the gym's own rules, such as where you may walk.
Warm up for ten minutes: some light cardio, arm circles, then the easiest climbs in the gym.
Pick problems or routes well below what you think you can do. Gym grades vary, so start at the bottom and work up.
Climb with your legs. Beginners pull with their arms and are pumped within twenty minutes.
Practise falling or climbing down. In bouldering, climb back down when you can and land on both feet with knees bent, then roll back rather than putting an arm out.
Stop before you are exhausted. An hour is plenty the first time; your fingers and forearms will feel it the next day.

Gym etiquette

Never walk or sit under someone climbing, on the mats or near a roped wall. A falling climber can land on you.
One person on a boulder problem at a time, and do not start a problem that crosses someone else's line.
Take turns. If people are waiting for a wall, do not hog it with attempt after attempt.
Brush holds you have covered in chalk when you are done, if the gym provides brushes.
Unsolicited advice ("beta") is a matter of taste; ask before giving it, and feel free to ask for it.
On roped walls, do a partner check before every climb: knot tied and finished, harness buckled, belay device loaded correctly.

After the first visit

If you enjoyed it, a few things make progress quicker: going regularly rather than in rare long sessions, trying the same climb several times instead of giving up, and watching how stronger climbers use their feet. Once you are sure you will keep going, buying your own shoes is the first purchase worth making. Where do you climb, and what did you find hardest in your first session? Share your questions and experiences in the comments.