Your kid’s birthday is circled on the calendar and the x’s are catching up. You need
something easy to plan, fun and new, and that won’t empty your wallet.
What to do?
How about a rock climbing party?
Rock climbing has witnessed an incredible upturn in participation over the last few years and indoor rock gyms have become a more accessible and recognized form of exercise and entertainment.
Here are a few reasons why a rock party may be just what you are looking for:- Having the staff at a reputable indoor rock gym take care of your entire party can help you breathe a sigh of relief that you won’t have to run the party.
- Kids can challenge themselves and overcome their fears in a safe environment.
- Rock climbing can be a surprisingly good ego boost, especially to skinnier or less developed children who often times perform better than their bulkier, football/lacrosse/basketball playing peers.
- Rock climbing is tiring! It is a great way of getting your kids to burn some excess energy, and you might like it too!
- Indoor rock gyms provide a refreshing change of pace from the ordinary.
Climbing walls are popping up in a lot of unlikely places: backyards, attics, malls, even schools. They are no longer reserved for ropes courses or camps. For example, middle schoolers at the Greencastle-Antrim school in Pennsylvania love theirs, and the new addition to their physical education curriculum.
If your child has already tried rock climbing and has decided to get into the sport, a good place to start is in an indoor setting under the supervision of trained instructors. Indoor rock climbing gyms often run seminars and training courses, which is a good way for parents as well as kids to learn safety and technique.
In recent years climbing teams have started popping up internationally, while touring competitions like the American Bouldering Series (ABS) have helped turn climbing into a legitimate competitive sport. If the trend continues, it shouldn’t be too long before colleges are offering climbing-based scholarships, if they aren’t already. So next time you need to plan a party (it happens at least once a year for most parents) check out an indoor rock wall: it’s bound to be a hit.
