Natural-born Climbers

Words by Delwyn Dickey  Photographs by Morgan McKenzie        

Keeping kids entertained in the middle of winter when they’re full of beans and want to be outside running around can be a headache for parents. In the last few years there has been another activity to add to the parents' arsenal of ideas.
 

Climbing – it’s in our nature
Kids love to climb. It comes naturally to humans as it does to all primates, although our skill levels have decreased with time as our anatomy has changed somewhat with evolution. With time, as we have moved from being partially tree-dwelling to solely living on the ground, the shape of our feet has changed and we are now much more suited to walking than to climbing.

The positioning of our big toes has changed, moving to the end of our foot, level with the other toes, so that our feet now no longer look or function like fingers and thumbs, as they once would have done, but now are rather a propulsion device. This change has meant our feet have lost much of their ability to grasp, although our fingers and thumb still do — a very useful attribute when climbing. Our arms, too, are not as long in relation to our bodies and legs as they once were — also a tree-climbing adaptation of our forebears.

So, while the urge to climb is still there, we’re not as capable as our ancestors once were.
 

Of course, that doesn’t stop us and climbing, both indoors and out, is a popular sport, but now we use equipment to make up for our own inadequacies.

Indoor rock climbing is still relatively new to New Zealand with most centres having only been opened in the last five years. It is a safe and fun way to let kids let off steam, is physically demanding without being high impact, and also helps develops good hand and eye co-ordination.

The Walls
The walls are mostly vertical walls with shapes screwed into them that the climber can grip with their fingers or stand on to simulate the type of nooks and crevasses you could find outside on a natural rock face. The shapes can be moved about or removed completely to make different routes up the wall with different degrees of difficulty for the climber. Some of the walls are also on different angles including overhangs, again to mimic outdoor climbing conditions, and, depending on the contour and angle of the wall, will affect how difficult it is to climb.

Some centres also have ‘caves’ to climb in and ‘boulders’.

The Gear
It’s much easier for us to climb up than it is to climb down. Adults and kids alike may well have got themselves into awkward or dangerous situations because of this.

Indoor climbing takes this into account by encouraging the ‘up’ and largely removing the ‘down’. Kids, and adults too, have to wear a safety harness around their waists and upper legs. This harness is attached to a safety rope, which goes up and over a bar at the top of the climb and then down to a pulley attached to the floor being attended to by a person who is called the ‘belayer’. The belayer also wears a harness, which clips into the safety rope just above where it is attached to the floor. The belayer’s job is to take up the slack as the person climbing gets higher so that if the climber should lose their grip they won’t fall but, instead, will be held in place by the safety rope until they can regain their grip on the wall. The belayer is usually a parent for younger kids or a friend or sibling for older children. Belayers have to be at least 12 years old.

Kids as young as three are quite capable of climbing and to see some of these youngsters clambering up the walls it’s obvious that they are really enjoying themselves, and makes our tree-climbing ancestry more obvious!

Once the kids reach the top of the wall, or sooner if they get too tired or can’t find a good trail up, all they have to do is let go of the wall. This will cause their harness to lock, and they can be lowered slowly to the floor by their belayer. Because of the pulley system with the safety rope, the weight of the climber is spread and the belayer doesn’t have to physically lower the full weight of the climber as you might think.

Where to find them
The biggest indoor climbing centre in Auckland is Extreme Edge Indoor Climbing in Panmure, although there are several others, which may be closer to home. Ph. 09 574 5677
There are indoor climbing centres up and down the country so finding one reasonably close shouldn’t be a problem.

http://www.indoorclimbing.com/newzealand.html  The staff are often climbing enthusiasts themselves and may have a broad knowledge of the sport.
 

Individual items

Harness  $120   Shoes $100   Ropes  $250

There may be classes for youngsters as young as seven to learn climbing, belayering, knots, equipment knowledge and care, as well as climbing clubs depending on the size of your local centre.

 As kids get more confident and more skilled they may want to get involved with outdoor climbing. This is an option only — many kids like to climb but may not necessarily be interested in taking it any further. The outdoors also doesn’t necessarily mean gearing up to climb mountains although that may be a tempting option for some — as there are plenty of rock faces around that are not on mountainsides. There are good areas at Mangawhai, the Waikato and Mt Maunganui, to mention a few. You can even climb in central Auckland at Mt Eden if you want.

A club is the best option here as they will know the best places to go and are very safety conscious. Ask at your local indoor climbing centre.

The Alpine Sports Club in Auckland is another option and covers everything from rock climbing to snow skiing/boarding to kayaking to hiking. They're also very sociable and this is a great way to meet other outdoorsy people. www.alpinesport.org.nz

A quick scan of internet sites, under alpine sports, brings up a big range of outdoor training options often held in spectacular locations. Check it out for yourself.

Let kids follow their natural instinct to climb! Indoor rock climbing is great fun for kids and adults alike and may lead on to more thrilling outdoor alpine sports. You may be surprised to what heights this sport may take them and you.