Wall Crawling 1.0

I have started doing wall climbing to conquer my fear of heights and establish a sport which I have not done so since birth (the other secondary reasons being: hindi sya pang masa, mukhang sosyal ang sport, at iba ang dating na parang dare devil---common denominator is form and stature, ha ha!). Since last year I have invited several people to join the starter-group at work if only to make those interested experience the high for the first time.

Play Underground at the 3rd level basement in the Powerplant Mall has a more than modest offering of wall types that would satisfy the needs of beginners and enthusiasts alike. For a reasonable fee of P200 per hour on a weekday and P250 per hour on a weekend per person, you and your company are sure to be treated to a workout that's sure to detoxify even the worst possible stress the workplace could hurl your way, or at least that's what it does for me. The fee would include your use of the walls, rental for top-quality harness, climbing shoes of your size, and a chalkbag for those sweaty palms. The readily helpful staff would more than oblige to teach and assist first timers on how to do proper belaying, climbing, and basic equipment handling. If in case you wanted to go climbing alone, an instructor could be hired for P300. Training classes are also available at a fee for those who want to up their expertise a notch.

The walls are varied according to the purpose of the climb. Do the easy "ladder" for warm-ups and progress to the "mother wall" if you already are more adventurous. My good friend Jean has done the seemingly ambitious climb-up and climb-down on the mother wall in her first visit so there really is no stopping on your progress if you push yourself much onto a similar feat. There are overhangs and angled walls for the advanced climbers so you won't easily get bored even if you had a fair number of visits to the place.

For the acrophobe, like my friend Rasel, the trick is to focus on the grips, holds, and the wall in front of you. Believe me, your distance from the ground would be the least of your worries once you got the hang of it, so to speak.

For inquiries, call Play Underground at 8980273.

Photo from here by Simon Sandoval.

posted by Fritz @ 6:36 AM