If you aren't sure where to look for information, hopefully one of these questions can get you started in the right direction.

1. I am an adult (15 years or older). How do I get started?
2. I have a family with kids. How do I get started?
3. What does belay mean?
4. Is belaying for a rappeller the same as for a climber?
5. If I take a class, do I have to climb or can I just belay?
6. Do you have birthday parties?
7. I have a group of adults or adults and children, what can we do?
8. I have a group of Cub Scouts or Girl Scout Brownies, what can we do?
9. I am a Boy Scout or Girl Scout Troop Leader, what can we do?
10. I have climbed outdoors or at other gyms. What do I need to do to climb at your facility?
11. I have never climbed before and don't want to take a class. Is there anything I can do?
12. Do I need to come with a partner to climb or take a class?
13. What should I wear?
14. Is there an age limit to climb at Upper Limits?

Take me back to the front page.

1. I am an adult (15 years or older). How do I get started?
If you don't have any climbing experience you will want to take a Rock Gym 101 class to get the most from your visit to the gym. You can also find basic information about indoor climbing on the New Climbers page. (Back to the top)

2. I have a family with kids. How do I get started?
If you don't have any climbing experience you will want to take a Family class to get the most from your visit to the gym. You can also find basic information about indoor climbing on the New Climbers page. (Back to the top)

3. What does belay mean?
The belayer is the person on the ground holding the safety end of the rope for the climber. It's the belayers job to stop the fall of the climber. If you are new to climbing, we suggest starting at the New Climbers page. This page gives an overview of how indoor climbing works and can direct you to other helpful information. (Back to the top)

4. Is belaying for a rappeller the same as for a climber?
No, belaying for a rappeller is not the same as belaying for a climber. Rappelling and climbing are two completely different sports. Rappellers descend the rope under their own power while climbers rely on their belayer to take the slack out of the system, stop a fall, and lower them back to the ground. If you don't have any formal climbing training we suggest you take one of our classes. (Back to the top)

5. If I take a class, do I have to climb or can I just belay?
No, you don't have to climb if you don't want to. Many people come in just to belay for their children or friends. In those cases, when you come in after the class you wouldn't have to pay a daily fee, only fees for rental gear if needed. (Back to the top)

6. Do you have birthday parties?
Yes, we do. You can find information on our birthday party package here. (Back to the top)

7. I have a group of adults or adults and children, what can we do?
There are many options for you. If you have a group of 6 to 15 people you could do a Group Adventure climb where our staff would take care of all safety aspects and each person would be able to climb twice. Another option would be for some or all of the people in the group to take a class. The class would teach everyone how to belay and use the equipment so they could use the facility on their own. If people in the group know how to belay or some don't want to take the class and just climb, they could pay for open climbing for the day. (Back to the top)

8. I have a group of cub scouts or girl scout brownies, what can we do?
There are two options for this type of group. The first would be for one or more adults, depending on the size of the group, to take a Rock Gym 101 class to learn to belay. After the class the rest of the group would be able to come in and pay for open climbing as a group. The other option would be to do a Group Adventure climb if your group is between 6 and 15 people. If you choose this option, each person would be able to climb twice with a staff member responsible for all safety aspects. (Back to the top)

9. I am a Boy Scout or Girl Scout Troop Leader, what can we do?
There are many options for scout groups. The choices would depend on whether your group was planning to come in and climb, take a basic belaying class, or take a merit badge class. We offer Boy Scout Merit Badge classes and Girl Scout High Adventure Patches. If your group has experienced belayers and just plans to come to climb you could pay the open climbing rates. If some or all of the participants need to take a basic belay class, you would want to sign up for Rock Gym 101. For Scouts interested in working on the merit badge, they could sign up for the Boy Scout Merit Badge class or Girl Scout High Adventure Patch class. (Back to the top)

10. I have climbed outdoors or at other gyms. What do I need to do to climb at your facility?
If you have climbed before you can take a belay test to climb in the gym. On your first visit to the gym you would pay a one time $5 initiation fee that covers your belay check and orientation. You would need to demonstrate proper belay technique with an 'atc' style belay device, tie-in to climb with a figure-eight knot, and demonstrate proper use of climbing commands and safety checks. After the belay check and orientation you would be free to use the facility. You can find daily fees and rental rates here. (Back to the top)

11. I have never climbed before and don't want to take a class. Is there anything I can do?
If you don't have any belaying experience and you aren't interested in taking a class you can use our autobelays or traverse. An autobelay is a mechanical device that allows you to climb without a partner. It takes up the slack in the rope as you go up and lowers you to the ground when you get to the top or fall. We normally have five autobelays in the gym which you could use after a short orientation. The number of autobelays in use can change periodically depending on maintenance and portable climbing wall events which also use the autobelays. Feel free to call before coming to see if all of the autobelays are in use. You can also traverse and boulder which is climbing low to the ground. With these types of climbing your hands never go above 8 to 10 feet.(Back to the top)

12. Do I need to come with a partner to climb or take a class?
No, you don't have to have a partner when you come in. If you're coming in to climb there are always other climbers around so it's pretty easy to find someone to share belays with. Otherwise, you could boulder or we do have one autobelay. If you are taking a class there will be others in the class with you so finding a partner for the day should be no problem. (Back to the top)

13. What should I wear?
The best thing to wear is something comfortable you can move around in. Sweat pants or shorts work well and are nice because the temperature inside can fluctuate depending on the season. If you don't plan to rent climbing shoes, tennis shoes or a shoe that fits fairly snug will suffice. (Back to the top)

14. Is there an age limit to climb at Upper Limits?
Upper Limits does not have an age limit for climbing. We recommend the climber be at least 4 years old, however as long as he/she fits in a harness it is at the parents' discretion. Remember: Anyone under the age of 18 must have an Upper Limits Rules Agreement & Liability Waiver initialed and signed by a parent/legal guardian. (Back to the top)