Like many kids, I loved to climb things, those things usually being trees because they were the most obvious choice, and they could be quite the challenge.  I probably would have gotten into rock climbing if there were climbing gyms around when I was growing up, instead, my climbing abilities topped out at tree level, just one step above climbing fences.

A friend got me into climbing here in Halifax close to 2 years ago now, and it’s something I took to right away.  I won’t say I’m very good, but I have fun doing it.  I started off learning to climb with ropes and quickly moved on to bouldering as I like the free nature of it.  For those of you who don’t know, bouldering is a form of rock climbing that does not involve ropes, it’s just you and your skill (or lack thereof) trying to get to the top of the problem.  In a gym setting, boulders are typically a lot lower to the ground, topping out around 14 feet or so, so a fall won’t be dangerous.  The cushy foam matting helps with that part.

So I was quite excited to learn that Halifax was going to be getting an all bouldering gym.  It’s called Seven Bays Bouldering, and last night they held a soft opening.  When they’re completely setup, they’ll have a licensed cafe attached which will certainly help with the social aspect of bouldering and I think having those big bay doors open on a nice warm summer evening, you’ll see a lot of people hanging out on the patio beweeen climbs inside.  If you’re looking to find a good workout and have some fun with a great group of people then you should check it out, it’s on Gottingen St. right beside Propeller Brewery.

If you’re nervous about going without any experience, don’t be.  The problems are graded on a scale of easy to impossible, so there’s something for every skill level and other climbers are pretty encouraging regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, everyone’s out there to have fun.

Here are some shots from yesterday’s opening.

Enjoy!!!

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