I’ve put out a call on the gym’s facebook page, and I made an inquiry at a relevant Reddit page. Neither of these has turned anything up as of yet. Google searching for things like “Indianapolis Climbing Partners” or “Find partners for climbing” turn up bulletin board systems that seem to just have a post or two, from years ago.
At the times I am going (Sunday afternoon, Monday and Wednesday morning) to the climbing place I go to, there are very few people there and all are much more advanced than me.
There’s bouldering which one can do solo but it seems most bouldering, even at the supposedly beginner level, is way beyond me. It’s on this backwards incline and I can’t even hold myself up on the first step much less climb up any further.
Anyone here have any sweet tips for finding people? I’m looking for new or newish or very patient people to just, you know, take turns belaying for each other at this one fake indoor rock place I go to…
When I used to travel a lot for my job, I would sometimes bring my harness and shoes and find a local climbing gym to play around at. I usually had no problem finding partners, or just joining a couple (becoming a “3rd”).
I think the problem you’re having is the times you are going. My suggestion would be to 1) go during more popular times (like after work). You would certainly be able to meet/join others at those times. Then 2) if you start to climb with some on a regular basis, you could arrange to meet/climb on your preferred times (probably the Sunday afternoon - but that may change when football season starts ;-).
You might also contact the local gyms or REI or other places that sell climbing gear. My local REI has a climbing rock, but it’s pretty basic, compared to the bigger indoor place, Vertical Endeavors, so there might be a list of people at REI.
Not that I want to discourage you from finding new friends to share your new hobby but most rock climbing gyms I’ve been to have an auto-belaying system on most walls.
Alternative to that is a GriGri or Petzl system with a toprope setup.
However, I’ve never been to a gym that didn’t have the auto-belay setup. <shrug>
Once you get good, bouldering without a rope will be the most fun you can have in the gym. I’ve done a little campusing as well and that was fun but tough as hell on the joints.
Well, I guess today you learn that one of the climbing gyms in Indy has no auto-belay setup.
They do have lead-climbing walls which from the first day instructor’s comments I thought was for solo climbers but, as I’ve come to learn later, nope.
This is good to know. I’d prefer a solo activity anyway, so I can just go out there and do things without the constraint of relying on someone else’s schedule. Mine is tricky enough to work within already.
The gym I am going to has no plans ever to install them. There are two others in Indy, one of which has four auto-belay systems installed, and the other having eight. They will both double the drive time from fifteen minutes each way to thirty minutes each way, but it’s good to know the option exists.
I just looked into this. It appears GriGri is not intentionally designed for solo climbing, that this is just something some people do with it. My bet is the gym wouldn’t allow it, but I can ask.
If I’m understanding what I’m reading correctly, Petzl is just a brand name for a company that makes the same kind of device. Is that correct?
Strange, I could have written almost this exact OP just a few months ago.
I nagged the guys at work and eventually roped a few in and now we’re going regular.
There’s also now a meetup group, organized by someone else, which goes to my gym that didn’t exist when I was searching. Neither Facebook nor Craigslist helped me to find anyone.
So overall, I’d suggest finding some lanky dudes at work and/or posting some ads around your company.
You could also try finding a pre-existing meetup group that would conceivably hold regular climbing events like yours, though they currently don’t, and ask to become an organizer. Maybe offer to donate some money every once in a while to help keep the group going.
There are other brands but I’ve heard the term used interchangeably and have seen more experienced climbers use them. Never used one myself because I’ve only climbed in a gyms that had the auto-belay.
On the fringe of being weird, check with the local Boy Scouts or other outdoor/camping organizations and see if the leaders (adults) have climbing sessions.
