This guest poster recently moved to Columbus, Ohio and she is embracing the city. She is a terrific person who I met at a writing group, and I immediately loved her creativity, intelligence, and humor. Joanne Edmundson is a writer, a teacher, and a mother of two boys. She’s an expat Canadian living in the great city of Columbus and she keeps her stick on the ice at www.snapdragonink.com. Visit her there.
My boys have hit that age when absolutely everything in sight looks like it needs to be climbed. I have caught each of them halfway up stair railings, far too high up backyard trees, and even on top of the car (repeatedly). With monkeys like this, rock-climbing just seemed like a really good idea.
Our visit to Vertical Adventures, however, did not get off to a good start. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon happy to find only one person in line ahead of us. We were greeted at the door and then we were asked to wait, and wait, and then wait some more. You can imagine how much fun it was to corral two excited little boys for over 20 minutes – away from all of the fascinating holds and ropes – while the person in front of us was fitted for a harness and given an introductory lesson by the only person working.
Eventually, however, it was our turn. Our teacher wasn’t the most child-friendly character, but he did know his stuff and he was safety-conscious above all else.
For the price of admission, my husband and I were each provided with shoes and given a lesson on belaying our kids, we were all outfitted with harnesses, and we were allowed to stay and play as long as we wanted. That first visit also came with a complimentary week’s pass which – had we managed to use it – would have meant a lot of time to climb without the need for any more lessons.
The gym itself is a large utilitarian warehouse offering 4000 sq. ft. of varied terrain. In addition to the ropes, there are also two auto-belay machines that let you climb alone – a bonus for parents who want to give the wall a try without relying on a three-year-old to hold the rope.
6295 Busch Boulevard
Columbus, Ohio 43229
If you go:
• Make sure your kids are wearing socks in case they need to change into climbing shoes (mine were both able to climb in their rubber-soled running shoes).
• Don’t go hungry. There are a couple of vending machines at the front with drinks and snacks but there is nowhere really conducive to feeding little ones.
• The bathroom is…functional. Like I said, this place has more of a utilitarian appeal than a Mom-friendly appeal.
• Do sign the online waiver before going. If you forget, there are computers at the front door, but it will be far easier – and faster – to have this accomplished ahead of time.
Cost:
The intro class is $25 and is open to anyone 14 or older. Parents of kids ages 2-13 can take this class to learn how to belay their own child. This means that one parent + one child can take the class together for $25 including the cost of equipment. Our family of four paid $50 but we also received the complimentary week’s pass. Please also note that no appointments are necessary.
