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mindlessroller21
Nov 30, 2009, 5:07 AM
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I have always wondered about the possibility of allowing free soloing indoors. Many people have proposed throwing a climbing wall over a swimming pool which for a lot of reasons isn't very practical. Inspired by my skating days, I have always thought about the possibility of free soloing over a foam pit which I think could also be significantly safer than water as well.
Does anyone else have any weird possibilities for setups that could be created in an indoor gym.... they do not have to be related to free soloing but any weird climbing experience you could create in a gym.
Anything you've always secretly hoped for in your local gym?
(This post was edited by mindlessroller21 on Nov 30, 2009, 6:30 AM)
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scottek67
Nov 30, 2009, 6:07 AM
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djlachelt
Nov 30, 2009, 6:09 AM
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Hmmm. Not too long ago I visited a web-site for an indoor climbing facility that indeed did allow climbing over a huge foam pit. This was not a kiddie sort of deal... though I don't think the fall was really high, more like high-ball bouldering (say 18'). I can't seem to find it now. If I run across it again I'll try to post it here.
I've also seen a bouldering wall where the fall was into a pool.
Albany Indoor Rock gym has a cave that you crawl through. Carabiners (in MA) also has a cave, plus a tower and huge stalactite sort of thing. I've not climbed at either of these gyms.
Moderately sized stalactites are not too uncommon (e.g. Planet Granite).
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Mccohenster
Nov 30, 2009, 10:55 PM
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At the gym I used to climb at, in North Carolina, there was a foam pit beneath the overhanging portion of the lead wall. It wasn't very deep, maybe a foot, and the climber would be roped in so I'm not really sure why it was there.
A feature in my new gym up in Vermont that was unexpected to me was an area for chimneying. Basically there were two towers in the middle of the room with about some space between them and no holds on either wall. Kinda fun to do once, I guess...
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cintune
Nov 30, 2009, 11:14 PM
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The Albany gym is more than just a cave, it's a tunnel system that winds through the whole place and up through the ceiling, really way more fun than the climbing walls, with pitch black dead-ends, a pod inside the stalactite, and multiple entrances/exits including one onto a little ledge with a zipline down to the floor.
Definitely recommended for a fun time if you're in the area.
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gblauer
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Nov 30, 2009, 11:43 PM
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cintune wrote: The Albany gym is more than just a cave, it's a tunnel system that winds through the whole place and up through the ceiling, really way more fun than the climbing walls, with pitch black dead-ends, a pod inside the stalactite, and multiple entrances/exits including one onto a little ledge with a zipline down to the floor. Definitely recommended for a fun time if you're in the area.
I have climbed at Carabiners, they have some interesting features (chimney, crack climbing, stalactite, speed climbing area).
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rainman0915
Dec 2, 2009, 7:00 AM
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scottek67 wrote: why not rig up a cargo net?
ouch, you need to fall perfectly on those. there was a kids gymnastics gym in Wisconsin that unfortunately went out of business a few years back, and it had a climbing wall over a foam pit.
i have also seen people free solo over those huge movie stunt pads.
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lena_chita
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Dec 2, 2009, 4:39 PM
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cintune wrote: The Albany gym is more than just a cave, it's a tunnel system that winds through the whole place and up through the ceiling, really way more fun than the climbing walls, with pitch black dead-ends, a pod inside the stalactite, and multiple entrances/exits including one onto a little ledge with a zipline down to the floor. Definitely recommended for a fun time if you're in the area.
Yeah, I've been there. Great idea, and Definitely a draw for the kids. I discovered that I was clautrophobic there...
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Hotpies
Dec 2, 2009, 5:08 PM
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I've always wanted to solo on some epic plastic.
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bill413
Dec 3, 2009, 1:15 AM
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lena_chita wrote: cintune wrote: The Albany gym is more than just a cave, it's a tunnel system that winds through the whole place and up through the ceiling, really way more fun than the climbing walls, with pitch black dead-ends, a pod inside the stalactite, and multiple entrances/exits including one onto a little ledge with a zipline down to the floor. Definitely recommended for a fun time if you're in the area. Yeah, I've been there. Great idea, and Definitely a draw for the kids. I discovered that I was clautrophobic there...
You are not alone.
It does seem fun - my son loved it...but I was only in the tunnels for a few minutes before it confirmed what I already knew. Still, the gym was fun.
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airscape
Dec 3, 2009, 3:02 PM
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I think dying in a gym is baddass..
Also I have seen a pool with a climbing wall:
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