How can I get started?

Hey everyone!

As a city dweller... WHERE, HOW and WHEN is the best time and place I could start learning how to rock climb (preferably without putting a hole in my wallet)??

Thank YOU!

Climbing gym. Meet people more experienced that have gear. Buy them a beer and put in some belay time.

You can also hire a guide from a guide service to get you started. It's an expensive way to go, but you'll get some good instruction and fun experience. That's how I got started. If you can afford private instruction, as opposed to a group class, it's even better. This may run contrary to your "hole in the wallet" comments, but you get what you pay for.

Start learning with a friend. It will make the whole experience more enjoyable to take the journey with another person and then they will be your first climbing partner later on. I too recommend starting at your nearest gym. Be humble and ask questions, most climbers I have met love sharing their knowledge and kind of think of it as their duty to pass on what they know. Also beer and free belays never hurt.

Take courses through your local rock gym or guide service. Once you have some background and understanding, people will be more willing to climb with you. You can meet partners here or at the gym and slowly build up your climbing skills and ability. Like I said, it's a lot easier to get going once you have a little background first, which is why courses could be an excellent resource. Usually courses like "into to gym climbing", "into to outdoor climbing", "learn to lead" and "into to top rope amchors" are good courses to start with.

Meet Up groups have climbing nights all the time. Or you can always do AMC classes.

amc-ny.org/committees/climb…

Keith's comment + Frank's comment = Ideal solution

Bouldering in a gym is something you could do with essentially no instruction (although there are plenty of books out there if you want them, useful if you learn that way). If you're struggling with a boulder problem, just ask someone else there for help on how to do it...if you get an obnoxious response, go ask someone else...soon you'll know some nice folks at your gym.

Gyms do usually offer classes on belaying and technique...

Really try to hold off on buying gear for a few sessions. Just rent and start talking to people. Find a climbing shop that has a wall you can demo shoes on. Look for used shoes if you can, so you can make bad purchases at 75% off the new price. Most climbers (I think) have bought a fair number of unwearable pairs of shoes during their careers.

Be a little suspicious of going outdoors with anyone who's not a guide...you have no way of knowing who's clueless and who's not. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying sometimes people talk a good game but don't know as much as they think.

Look at the School of Rock section of this website, there's quite a bit there for free.

Have fun!

I very strongly advocate for reading one of the many good rock climbing books out there. Try the one by Craig Leubben.

This will make you much easier to climb with: you can practice things that you've read about with climbing friends, which makes it way easier to learn them properly when you get to try what you've read about. It also insulates you a bit: you never know if the climbing friend you meet has any idea what they are doing. A book my help you spot some red flags.

Absolutely start in a gym: this is 2014, it's beyond a doubt the easiest way to start familiarizing yourself with the basic safety systems and movements. And it will get you in to a place where you can meet people that climb.

A guide is always a possibility, but honestly, climbing is about self reliance, so eventually you have to take charge of your own learning.

Search Meetup or Facebook (or Mountain Project!) for climbing groups, and find a new friend. Enjoy!

The Boston and New York chapters of the Appalachian Mountain Club offer climbing classes, usually in the spring.

Buy a small backpack, a good harness and a great pair of shoes. This can be done for less than 200 bucks. Show up by yourself at a local crag (preferably a sport climbing area) and meet some people. Learn to belay and offer to belay often. I would not bribe folks with beers. It helps but good people don't take advantage of others and the goal is to meet good people. If you do run into good people, chances are ropes, protective gear, chalk, water and whatever else needed to climb will be made available. I did this for years and became fairly good rather quickly and now I make a point to help out other people who are new to climbing.

learn the basics at the gym, then as you meet people that have experience and gear tag along with them to learn how to climb outside. Get your basic gear and Ill be happy to meet up and pass some knowledge on to you.

Just looking at your profile a little more, I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly?) that the gym "hipster" remark is directed at BKB...if so, I've been hearing some good things about the Cliffs LIC. Still, any gym (or indeed any collection of humans!) is going to have its share of goofballs...except my gym, where there is an astoundingly high proportion of really nice people (seriously) many of whom (not me) climb really hard. Too far a drive for you, though, unless you move to New Paltz!

Get a friend to climb with you. You guys should take the belay class at your local gym, practice what you learned there for a little while. Make some friends at the gym to go outside with. after you get out a few times buy a top rope kit and a rope. Ask one of your new gym buddies to teach you top rope anchors. Buy Craig Luebbens book suggested above. Practice what you learned and boom! You know how to top rope outside.

From your profile looks like you're in New York? If that's the case I would echo all of the advice above about meeting people in one of the many local climbing gyms climbnyc.com/ or at bouldering spots in Central Park or other areas of the city nycbouldering.com/

Sincerely,
A "bougie/hipster New Yorker"

Chris BT wrote:From your profile looks like you're in New York? If that's the case I would echo all of the advice above about meeting people in one of the many local climbing gyms climbnyc.com/ or at bouldering spots in Central Park or other areas of the city nycbouldering.com/ Sincerely, A "bougie/hipster New Yorker"

Optimistic wrote: What is a bougie anyway? In my world, it's something gastroenterologists use to dilate strictures of the esophagus, but I'm guessing that this isn't the sense the OP is going for?

Wow, thanks everyone! I am really glad I found this site. I will take in all that was said and start by a good read and gym climbing. Unfortunately, I do not have many friends that are into outdoor activities but maybe I can convince one and make some along the way.

Bougie means (to me anyway) fancy/snobby people :p

I think that climbing at the gym is definitely the best way to start if you live in NYC. I climb few times a week at the Cliffs (LIC) and could give you an introductory climbing session/lesson if you are interested. Good luck!

Michelle Rodriguez wrote:Wow, thanks everyone! I am really glad I found this site. I will take in all that was said and start by a good read and gym climbing. Unfortunately, I do not have many friends that are into outdoor activities but maybe I can convince one and make some along the way. Bougie means (to me anyway) fancy/snobby people :p

Optimistic wrote:Be a little suspicious of going outdoors with anyone who's not a guide...you have no way of knowing who's clueless and who's not. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying sometimes people talk a good game but don't know as much as they think.

were u on the walking dead? i was so bummed when u got shot.