The Howard County
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VOL.7, NO.11
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More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard County
Climbers reach for new heights
Some basics Indoor climbing has been popular for decades, both as training for outdoor climbs and as a sport unto itself. In top-rope climbing, ropes are secured to the top of the climb by overhead anchors, with the climber attached to one end via a harness, and the belayer — who manages the ropes to protect the climber — on the other. The belayer controls slack in the rope safety system, and uses it to keep a climber from falling if they lose their footing or grip, and lower them when they are done climbing. Earth Treks Columbia Climbing Center has 44-foot high walls, 20,000 square feet of climbing surface, thousands of colorful foot-and hands-holds of numerous sizes
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK KOCHTE
By Jamie Lee Pricer For Holly Summers, indoor rock climbing started as a mother-daughter activity. “My daughter was climbing indoors regularly, and I wanted to be able to do it with her,” said Summers of Ellicott City. Though her daughter is now in grad school, Summers, 58, can be found regularly scrambling up the climbing walls at the Roger Carter Community Center. She probably had a leg up when she started climbing. “I also play ice hockey with the Gerihatricks and Women’s league in Laurel. That is an interesting group of older citizens who are very active,” said Summers, who works as a computer analyst at UMBC. Whether she knows it or not, Summers is at the forefront of a sport gaining in popularity. According to the Physical Activity Council, climbing is poised to be the next “it” fitness trend, with about 5 million Americans participating in the sport. And that number is growing by more than 110,000 a year. Indoor climbing has been popular for decades, both as training for outdoor climbs and as a sport itself. It will be introduced in official competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It’s a sport for everyone, according to Quentin Cornelius, a trainer and assistant manager at Earth Treks Columbia, which opened in 1997 and is one of the largest climbing centers in the country. “We have climbers of all levels in our classes, from ages 13 to 80,” he said.
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Although initially reluctant to try rock climbing, today Mark “Indy” Kochte enthusiastically scrambles up cliffs indoors and out. He even wrote a guidebook, Climb Maryland! A Guide to Climbing in Central Maryland. The sport’s physical, mental and technical challenges appeal to people in a range of ages, whether they climb outdoors or indoors at a climbing gym.
and shapes, and hundreds of routes and problems for climbers to encounter. Another choice is bouldering, or unroped, climbing on shorter walls (usually 14 to 17 feet high) that call for strength and balance skills. An indoor bouldering area has thick mats below and simulates climbs close to the ground. Earth Trek Columbia’s bouldering area is configured into more than 100 routes. If bouldering catches your fancy, Earth Treks is planning to open its first bouldering-only gym in Hampden in 2018, with 10,000 square feet of climbing terrain. The facility will also include a yoga studio, functional fitness and cardio zones, training areas and a pro shop.
proper training and following safety precautions, can provide numerous physical and emotional health perks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines rock climbing as vigorous-intensity physical activity that can reap health benefits if practiced 1.25 hours to 2.5 hours a week. That’s good news for Summers, who climbs three hours a week. It’s also an excellent calorie-burning exercise, which can help you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight. Harvard Health Publications reports that a 155-pound person burns about 818 calories hourly during a rock-climbing ascent and 596 calories per hour while rappelling down. Even if you climb at a leisurely pace,
Physical and mental challenges Indoor or outdoor rock climbing, with
See ROCK CLIMBING, page 13
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