First Climbing Visit

To start climbing, you just need climbing shoes. Climbing shoes fit your feet tightly and have plenty of rubber to help you stick to the wall. If you don’t have your own, rental shoes are available for $5 per day. If you want to climb on a rope at our Louisville or Thornton locations, you’ll need a harness. Rental harnesses are available for $5 per day. Chalk will keep your hands dry and help your grip, but is not required.

Bouldering requires the least gear and is the most beginner-friendly type of climbing. Rather than using a rope to catch you, you’ll be climbing on shorter walls (usually just 10-12 feet high) with massive, squishy pads below you. These pads are tested for safety and ensure a comfortable fall. Check out our Intro to Bouldering class to learn more bouldering safety tips and climbing techniques.

Top-roping, available at our Louisville and Thornton locations, is a type of roped climbing. The rope is anchored at the top of the climbing wall, with one end of the rope connected to the climber and one end of the rope connected to the belayer, who controls the rope and minimizes the fall for the climber. Top-roping is the safest and most beginner-friendly type of roped climbing. Check out our Intro to Ropes class to learn how to safely attach to the rope, belay your friends, and unlock new terrain.

Lead climbing, available at our Louisville and Thornton locations, is the next step after top-roping. Instead of tying into a rope that is already attached to the wall, the climber brings the rope up the wall with them, clipping in to new anchor points as they climb. Once you have mastered top-roping, check out our Learn to Lead class.

We suggest wearing stretchy or loose-fitting clothes that you’re comfortable moving in. Being flexible and making long reaches with your hands and feet can make the movements easier, so wear something that allows you to stretch.