HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

Competitive climbing is a lot like competitive swimming, an individual sport in terms of scoring and “races” or “problems,” but with an added sense of team.

At a competition, there are a series of “problems” that climbers can solve (or, a series of different climbs on the walls). As the number grows, so does the difficulty. For example, climb number 1 will be easier than climb number 30.

In a dedicated chunk of time, you will try to get your best score for the climbs that you do. There are a variety of different things that make climbs more difficult, but there are divisions for climbers who have never climbed before as well as divisions for the most experienced.

Your score is dependent on which climbs you do, how long it takes you to do them and how many “moves” you made during the climb. A move is when you go from each handhold/foothold to the other.

You do not have to be part of an organized team to participate in a competition! Oftentimes, people who go to the same gym will attend competitions together. From local competitions all the way to Nebraska, you can find a series of climbers sporting the classic Fargo Climbing shirts.

Right now, there are around 100 members in a Snapchat group for the Fargo Climbing gym, started by the owners' good friend who has been with the gym (and climbing with them) since the beginning. They use that group chat to communicate meet-ups at not just Fargo Climbing, but all around town like at the NDSU climbing wall and even some home walls.

Because the Snapchat group has grown exponentially, and because there is a limit on how many users can be in one group on the app, Chris said they are looking to move the club to a different platform. This will allow easy access to anyone interested in the opportunity to join the community, learn more about climbing or just meet people.

Chris said that they are looking at starting the page on Facebook or possibly Discord. What truly makes the “club” is the friendly socialization within it. Outside of organizing times to climb together, the members have talked about wanting to plan board game nights, movie nights and even snowshoeing or cross-country skiing meet-ups.

Although it will be one year open in March, the unofficial climbing club of the FM area is just beginning its journey of turning a growing sport into an adventurous community. If you’re interested in anything climbing, head to fargoclimbing.com or on Facebook and Instagram at @FargoClimbing!

2325 46th St S, Fargo

Mon-Fri 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sun 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.