“Bouldering is climbing low walls without ropes or support,” says Paresh Krishna Shrestha, the owner cum designer of the gym.
As we enter the ‘big green building’ which is the gymnasium and houses the indoor climbing walls, Shrestha explains the basic idea of the gym.
“It’s a gym where climbers can hone their climbing skills.”
The gymnasium has five rooms of about 10 feet height with walls of various shapes and inclines. On the floor are mattresses to provide cushioning should a climber fall. Around the grips on the wall are chalky finger stains from previous climbers. The grips which are interchangeable are called ‘hand-holds’. While the big-ones are easy to grasp, the small-ones are difficult to hold on to.
One can enjoy bouldering for a monthly charge of Rs 2,000 or Rs 200 for a day. Moreover, the climbing gears -- the specialized shoes and chalk-bag -- are both provided by the gym.
“We don’t have many clients and almost all of them are foreigners,” says Shrestha, who has tried to promote bouldering in schools. “I have organized various winter camps for schools.”
Though Shrestha doesn’t do bouldering regularly these days, we ask him to show us some tricks of the trade. He obliges.
“The basic idea is to take support on the legs rather than your hands, which must be stretched out so as to minimize fatigue on the arms,” he advises, and invites us to try it on our own. “Its fun and if you do it regularly, it increases your upper-body strength.”
After changing our shoes, we tackle the easiest of the climbing walls; which we conquer without much exertion. Then, we proceed to the inverted incline, which we find more difficult. Twenty minutes of toil and a few falls later, we decide bouldering isn’t our forte and take leave.
However, the thought of taking on the inverted incline tempts me once again as I step out. Oh well, maybe next time.
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