Rock climbing no longer needs to take place on a mountain somewhere outside as eager climbers can participate in indoor rock climbing at the Wonderwall Indoor Climbing Gym in Kya Sand. Ceiling high walls are all over this gym with children and adults alike climbing on the shaped and coloured grips.
Nhlanhla Konke has worked for this gym for ten years and explained and demonstrated the ins-and-outs of this sport. He said that many people prefer to climb the walls twice a week instead of going to the gym as it works your entire body. According to him, it is called sport-climbing and works on the same principle as climbing a real mountain. Clips hang from the wall where the rope can go through like a pulley system.
“The climbing we do here is called top rope climbing as one has a rope clipped to a harness,” said Konke. Another type of climbing is bouldering, which means that a person climbs without the help of a rope. “A horizontal line is on all the walls. When a person does bouldering, their head is not allowed to go higher than that line,” explained Konke.
Konke said that they do not want to put an age restriction on climbing. “It is a family sport. There are some children here that are four years old and can climb,” said Konke. People can learn all the basics at the gym and need not be a professional climber. “We can teach people to belay someone. It means that they have a device which the rope runs through.”
Jackie Staynton has coached indoor climbing for eight years. According to Staynton, indoor climbing is a SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee recognised sport, so someone can get Protea colours in the sport. The International Federation of Sport Climbing announced in a official press release that sport climbing was one of eights sports shortlisted as a new sport for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Details: Wonderwall Indoor Climbing Gym, 011 708 6467.
Related articles:
