Grant goes to Nosotros Rock Climbing Gym! The mission of Nosotros is that rock climbing is for everyone, will Grant prove that right?
I like to think of myself as an adventurous person who likes to try new things, like exploring a new city, visiting places, trying new foods, and meeting new people. While I am experiencing all of this around me in Cleveland, I am still well within my comfort bubble; I know how to walk around and look for cool things, I know how to introduce myself and make new friends. But one activity I'm certainly not comfortable with is rock climbing.
My list of excuses on why not to go rock climbing, is pretty lengthy. To be clear, I am not a big fan of heights. When I am on the roof of a house or going up a big hill on a roller coaster, I get those classic shaky knees and fear in the back of my mind that something could go wrong. If I feel supported, like in a skyscraper's observatory deck, I'm great! I love the views and being above everyone else. But climbing up a wall, even if it isn't that high, I feel that fear. Another thing, I certainly am not in the best athletic shape. I like to call myself a retired high school athlete, since that is the last time I took working out seriously - which I should probably change. Then to cap everything off, I am known to be a bit injury-prone. Just 7 months ago, I slipped and broke my leg, which required surgery where they repaired my tendons and left me with some permanent hardware, eight screws to be exact. So to put it simply, I was nervous to go rock climbing - on every level.
This is where Nosotros Rock Climbing Gym comes in to test my limits. They have three locations around the Cleveland area; one downtown and their original location in Lakewood. We chose to check out their newest location at Crocker Park in Westlake. Nosotros claims that rock climbing is for everyone, which apparently includes me. My first observation at the Crocker Park location was how approachable Nosotros has made rock climbing. The wall is outdoors, in the middle of the mall and is 24 feet long, 12 feet wide, and most importantly, only 15 feet tall. The height makes it so approachable, I was expecting something triple the size! Their wall is tall enough to feel proud of yourself for doing the climb but short enough to not feel any danger. The style of rock climbing Nosotros specializes in is called "bouldering," a low-height and harness-free type of climbing - which was perfect for a beginner climber like me.
When I first arrived at Nosotros Westlake, I met Alex, the employee on staff that evening. He was very enthusiastic about climbing and he made me feel very welcomed. He made me believe that rock climbing is for everyone. As the saying goes, "Safety First"; I signed their safety waiver and paid up front for my climbing session. Their pricing is based on how much time you would like to spend climbing. Pricing is as follows: $9 to climb for half an hour, $15 for 1 hour, $19 to climb all day, or $25 to climb all week. It's $60 to climb all month at all 3 of their locations.
After paying, I grabbed some rock climbing shoes (a necessity), and Alex showed me the ropes (figuratively speaking - there are no ropes in this style of climbing). He talked me through the whole process of climbing, the difficulty of each color-coded path, how to start, how to climb down, and how to fall if it ever came to that. It really helped my confidence knowing I had an experienced climber to keep and eye on me, making sure I was taking the correct steps and holds on my way up the wall.
My first rock climbing experience was great, and I am so happy that it was Nosotros who introduced me to it. While I found it to be the perfect introduction for a first-time climber like myself, they also have challenging paths for more skilled climbers. Even though I only did the two "easiest" paths at the gym, I still felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I was able to climb, I was able to get a workout in, and I did something completely out of my comfort zone! Thank you to Nosotros for pulling me out of my bubble and pushing me to do something that I wouldn't usually do - climbing is for everyone, even a washed-up athlete who is injury prone and afraid of heights. Thank you, Nosotros Rock Climbing Gym!
