Indoor climbing

A climbing hall is a hall in which one operates the sport climbing. This is also known as indoor climbing and indoor climbing. Is climbing on an artificial climbing wall, using two different forms of security of the climber are applied, the top rope and lead climbing. There is also the bouldering, climbing rope is free to jump altitude on exercise mats with that.

The elimination of the weather and the supervision of such warehouses by the operator to increase the security against the rock climbing in nature. The growing popularity of indoor climbing as a recreational activity lies with the fact that restrictions eliminated by the time of day and climbing gyms for many rock climbers at the residence or work closer than natural climbing areas.

Hall design

The halls themselves are usually 5 to 20 m high. The individual routes can be significantly longer. In several climbing gyms climbing routes of varying difficulty are usually climbable, so beginners and professionals can climb side by side. The individual routes can be identified by a uniform color of the screwed from the route setter handles, the shape, size and arrangement co-determine the levels of difficulty. Down on the route or in a centrally disposed list can then inform the climber, the difficulty level such as the "Blue Route" has. Walls are at angles of 90 °, vertical or overhanging placed at angles more than 90 °. Often there are climbing walls, a bouldering wall or corner. Such two- to five -meter-high boulder areas are covered with crash pads that allow risk-free falling.

The world's largest indoor climbing arena since its enlargement in spring 2011, DAV climbing hall in Munich's Thalkirchen. It offers a total of 7,800 square meters of climbing surface, of which 1,750 m² indoors.

Another great climbing gym (until 2010 the largest in Europe ) is the gas station in Schlieren near Zurich / Switzerland. It consists of four halls and has more than 250 routes. Earlier this hall was a gas station, which has then been converted into a modern hall.

Climbing Holds

The plastic handles are different not only in color but also in shape. By attaching different shapes can be the difficulty on the same wall change immensely. The grip especially the shaping but also plays a role.

Equipment

The climbing equipment is brought in the normal case itself, the necessary material can often be borrowed but also in the climbing halls. The standard equipment includes: harness, climbing shoes ( climbing shoes ), belay device and carabiner and a Magnesiasack, depending on the climbing gym and own abilities also climbing rope and express sets.

Indoor climbing is generally a safe auszuübender sport. Since the focus is on the technical state of the device and thus a source of uncertainty of the outdoor climbing - rocks, stability of savepoints and More - not applicable.

Number of indoor climbing centers in different countries

In these countries, there are the following number ( publicly available ) halls:

  • USA: > 800
  • Germany: > 450, including 80 with more than 1000 square meters of climbing surface
  • Switzerland: 44
  • Austria: 85
  • Canada :> 90

Others

The former parish church of St. Peter in Mönchengladbach- Waldhausen has been converted into a climbing hall ( 1,300 m²). According to the operator, this is the first " climbing Church " in Germany.

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