Beginner Rock Climbing: How & Where to Start Rock Climbing
Posted: July 16, 2021 | Author: Kierstin Pitcher-Holloway | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah provides so many opportunities for outdoor adventures especially when it comes to beginner rock climbing. When presented with all the amazing southern Utah rock climbing spots T-Birds often find themselves interested in trying their hand at this exciting sport.
However, knowing how to even start rock climbing as a beginner is difficult and jumping into the rock climbing scene can be really intimidating.
Top Spots for Beginner Rock Climbing
Join a Rock Climbing Club or Group
A great way to get started is to find a climbing group with people that you trust to show you the ropes (pun intended). Whether it’s through a climbing gym, local community center or a social media platform like Facebook Groups, joining a climbing club is a super simple, pressure-free way to make your debut in the climbing community.
Gage Hull, a junior in the Outdoor Recreation and Parks Management program at Southern Utah University serves as club president for the Southern Utah Climbing Club. When Hull first came to SUU there wasn’t a rock climbing club, so he decided to start one of his own with the purpose of welcoming more people into the sport.
“A big reason I wanted to start going to SUU is that Utah is considered one of the meccas of the rock climbing world,” said Hull. “Climbing is a really intimidating sport to get into and it helps to have someone that knows what they’re doing. Most of our official club events are aimed at getting people to try it out for the first time.”
To get involved beginners are encouraged to reach out to the club through the contact information listed on their page and follow the club on Instagram at @suclimbingclub.
Take a Class
If you’re looking for a more structured and controlled environment, enrolling in a beginning class at a local climbing gym or university is a great way to introduce yourself to the sport.
SUU offers Climbing I and Climbing II courses. Climbing I is offered in both the fall and spring, and focuses on learning basic climbing skills like knots, belaying, equipment care and rappelling.
Climbing II is offered during the spring semester and builds on the skills and curriculum learned in Climbing I. The course covers topics including anchor cleaning and assessment, lead climbing, intermediate rescue skills and site management.
Visit a Climbing Gym
If you’re an outgoing person that likes to meet new people then simply visiting a climbing gym might be the easiest way for you to try your hand at rock climbing.
“Just go to a climbing gym and try it out,” advises Hull. “Climbers are usually friendly and outgoing people, most climbers are more than stoked to try and get more people into the sport and community.”
SUU’s Climbing Tower is located in the Sorenson P.E. Building and is open 5-10 p.m. most weeknights and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Beginner rock climbing can be an exciting adventure for most, however, when you decide to start rock climbing, make sure to take all safety precautions as you explore the climbing spots in Southern Utah.
This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: SUU Outdoors
