WARNING! Learning to climb in an indoor gym does not adequately prepare you for outdoor rock climbing. Different gear and a very different and more complicated set of skills are required to climb outdoors. Do not attempt to climb outdoors on your own, even top-roping routes, without proper instruction! See What It Costs To Learn To Rock Climb Outdoors.

The safest way to learn rock climbing is at an indoor climbing gym. These indoor gyms are popping up all over. They’re in all 50 states and on every continent in the world. Yes, there’s even an indoor climbing wall at the Casey Australian Station in Antarctica.

While rock climbing is an inherently dangerous sport, indoor rock climbing gyms offer a controlled and safety-conscious environment in which to learn.

Select A Reputable Rock Climbing Gym

If you’re just starting out, look for a dedicated rock climbing gym. That is, search for a true rock climbing facility, rather than a minor wall that’s attached to a health club. Those smaller walls are best suited for the casual work-out, and you’re less likely to get a true rock climbing experience or the necessary instruction to climb safely and well. A rock climbing gym can have weight machines or teach yoga classes, but real rock climbing should be its main and obvious purpose.

Ideally, your gym will be spacious, well-lit, have a decent ventilation system, a beginner’s wall, clearly-marked routes for a variety of grade levels, overhangs, roof climbing, lead walls, and an interesting and well-padded bouldering cave. The floor should be padded throughout, preferably with a high-grade, carpeted, multi-layer flooring system. The bouldering cave should have extra-thick pads, since that’s where unroped rock climbing and, therefore, unroped falls occur.

Before you can rent equipment or climb, you’ll be asked to sign a waiver and liability form. If you’re under 18, have a parent or responsible adult accompany you on your first visit.

Prerequisites

Before allowing you to climb at a rock gym, most gyms will require a belay lesson and/or test to ensure that you know what you’re doing and will be able to climb safely. Rock climbing is a partnership; every climber needs an alert belayer. At gyms, a rope is looped over a metal pipe (or run through carabiners) at the top of each climb. One end of the rope is tied into the climber’s harness. As the climber ascends, the belayer takes in rope at the other end, pulling the rope through a special belay device attached to the belayer’s harness. If the climber outweighs the belayer, the belayer is anchored to the floor. This belaying technique prevents the climber from falling to the ground, and allows the belayer to lower the climber at the end of the climb.