CHEAP THRILLS
Weekly insight into cheap entertainment in St. Louis
By: Andrea Noble
Issue date: 12/9/04 Section: Culture
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I was exposed to a lot of new terminology while on assignment this week, most of which I plan on working into my daily vocabulary (Crimping the natural features, come on, I can't be the only one who thinks that phrase just begs to be perverted). But, while learning the meanings of these new terms, I also learned how to scale a 35-foot wall.
Upper Limits Rock Gym, 326 S. 21st St., gives rock climbers all the resources and terrain they need to practice their skills. Walking into the nearly 10,000 square foot gym for the first time will blow your mind. Archways tower overhead and the shear walls are covered in small nubbins that are supposed to represent footholds.
There's no doubt that climbers are incredibly agile people. I was thoroughly impressed, and I hadn't even started climbing yet.
For those already versed (and trained) in the sport of rock climbing, Wednesday nights are the best deals. Wednesdays are college night and unlimited climbing will cost you $8 instead of the usual $12. Renting a harness or shoes costs $7. In addition, on your first trip to the gym you will be charged a $5 enrollment fee. If you have no idea what you're doing, enroll in a Rock Gym 101 class for $30. It's not as cheap, but for a two-hour class and unlimited climbing afterward, I'd venture to say it's not a bad deal.
I went to Upper Limits with an experienced climber who showed me the ropes, literally. My first climb was a piece of cake. I did start out with the "First Day of Preschool" route, so that's probably why. When you're concentrating on moving upward, you don't notice how quickly you elevate yourself and suddenly, you're at the top.
Then of course, you have to make it back down. Repelling is just as much fun as climbing, so long as you're not acrophobic (afraid of heights) you'll be fine.
I had to break after my first climb. For the past couple months the only exercise my arms have gotten has been the raising and lowering of beer bottles. Other climbers were able to scale overhangs and were completely parallel with the ground. I know sticky climbing shoes give you a lot of help, but these people looked like a band of unmasked Spider men.
My second climb was a bit more trying. Halfway up I was suddenly having a leg spasm and my shoulders were getting tired. I fell at one point while stretching for a hold and I've got to admit, for that second I realized I missed and was falling, my heart was in my throat. My belayer caught me though, and after a short break hanging from the seat of my pants, I finished the climb and then returned to the cushioned floors below.
Let me just say, the act of rock climbing is freaking awesome. The soreness you're going to endure the next day, however, is not. I would thoroughly encourage all who sign up for a climbing lesson to make an appointment with a masseuse the following day.
Total for getting some exercise I actually enjoyed, developing a more trusting bond with my belayer and getting my natural features crimped by that dang harness: $16.
