The Great indoors

By Carolyn Mitchell

Americans are climbing the walls.

But that’s not to say they’re stressed out. In fact, climbing rock walls and clambering over boulders indoors is great for tension-relief as well as working out the body.

The first indoor climbing gym opened in Seattle 20 years ago. Today there are places to boulder and belay all over the country as rocking under the roof caters to more than 9 million urban climbers in the U.S.

Urban Rocks Gym, a Chamber member business that opened in January, is among over a dozen indoor climbing facilities in the state. Built by a leading wall designer and builder, Rockwerx, Inc., the 7,200-square-foot gym offers over 10,000 square feet of climbing wall surface.

"Climbing indoors offers a full-body work-out and the mental challenges of outdoor climbing without the heat and the wind and the rain," says Urban Rocks co-owner Rebecca Robran. "It’s a very strenuous activity and you heat up fast."

Rock climbers -- who are tied to their desks from 9 to 5 -- also like having an opportunity to hit the rocks after work, even in the dark of winter, and to do the same in the summer without a long commute followed by a long hike. "They can hop right over, get a good work out and stay in shape," Robran says.

Robran and co-owner Chris Gibson say their 1007 Appling Street facility offers lead climbing, top rope and top out bouldering, with over 100 routes and bouldering challenges that are constantly changing. The gym features rock-like structures soaring 35 feet to the ceiling peak and multi-colored holds littering the wall’s surface.

Gibson, who has been climbing for over 20 years, is proficient in all types of climbing. "One of climbing’s addictive elements is the personal sense of accomplishment attained after succeeding on a route that has been thwarting your previous attempts," he says.

"It also creates a strong urge to travel to new places to climb. While Chattanooga has always been my home base, climbing has been a wonderful opportunity for me to travel and see new places - something that many traditional sports don’t provide."

Gibson and Robran, a Wisconsin native, spent three years traveling and working as custom furniture makers to save the funds for the gym. "It was a long process of scrimping and saving, finding a location for the gym and getting a bank to realize this was a viable business." Robran says.

By early March the new gym already boasted 140 members, which exceeded the owners’ expectations.

They figure about one-third of their patrons are experienced climbers; the rest are folks interested in improving their skills or giving the ropes a try for the first time.

Jason Tays, a civil engineer with the state, climbs at Urban Rocks about once a week. "Indoor walls are great for people new to the sport because of the controlled environment – padded floors, defined holds, secure ropes," he says. "They can try out the sport, see how they like it and gauge how committed they want to be. They can rent the required gear for a day of climbing and bouldering for less than 20 bucks. And it’s nice to have knowledgeable and helpful staff around who can tell you what to do, especially if you’re hanging 30 feet in the air."

Children are welcome at the gym which features a wall for youngsters. It’s only 25 feet high and provides holds that are bigger and closer together than those on the walls for adults.

"Rock climbing is also popular because of the socializing," Robran says. "Climbers discover other people with a similar enjoyment of the sport and friendships develop. And it’s a great place for a family outing. We have one family that comes in every Sunday to spend the afternoon rock climbing."

For information about memberships and hours of operation contact Robran at 423-475-6578 or email contact@urbanrocksgym.com.