Climbing walls are a great place to get started with climbing. With a roof over your head you can climb whatever the weather and they provide a safe, supervised environment to learn in.
Climbing walls are also an awesome place to make climbing mates, people that really share your passion and will head out with you to tackle outdoor climbing spots or be on hand with that killer piece of advice to help you finish a route.
Climbing Walls in London | 5 of the Best Indoor Climbing Centres in the Capital
On the subject of routes, the holds on most climbing walls get reset regularly. This means that you’ll get new challenges every month or so without having to travelling to a new rockface, though that can be tonnes of fun too.
Indoor climbing walls usually cater to a range of different styles of climbing from sport climbing and bouldering at most walls to dry tooling and even caving if you’re lucky! On top of this, most good walls also have a training area that’ll give you a real workout. Packed with campus boards, rings, chin up bars and more weird climbing holds than you can shake a carabiner at, these climbing gyms will helping you develop the strength and technique to truly conquer routes – whether you’re wanting to do a casual bit of bouldering in the UK or full-blown mountaineering somewhere far-flung like the Himalayas.
Climbing walls can also save you some cash too, giving you the chance to rent or borrow gear instead of having to invest in it right away. Not ready to shell out for a new rope? Forgotten your climbing shoes or harness? Then your local wall has probably got you covered.
Finally, if you’re lucky, your local climbing wall probably comes with a few creature comforts. This can range from a cafe serving up killer hot choc and climbing snacks to climbing gear shops, free wi-fi and even sofas to lounge around and laugh at your new mates falling off the wall.