Rock climbing indoors and outdoors are both great way to get into the sport. They both offer unique opportunities and ways to learn and fun while rock climbing. Chances are you won’t just choose to do all the time. I for one rock climb indoors and outdoors all the time. In this blog post I will be discussing the main pros and cons of both indoor and outdoor rock climbing.
INDOOR
Chances are this is how you will start out your rock climbing career. This is because one of the biggest advantages to rock climbing indoors is that in most cases you don’t need to own any of your own gear. This is because most gyms are going to have rental options for you, so you don’t have to worry about investing in the expensive gear before you’re ready to commit to climbing. Most gyms that I’ve gone to charge around $20-$30 for a day pass and rentals. This is a great economical way to know if climbing is for you. If you go to UVU like I do than you can climb and rent and all the gear needed for just $1. Entrance and harnesses are free and the shoes are just $1 to rent. It’s by far the best value around.
Another pro of climbing indoors is the gyms are usually open all year round. This means you can climb and train in the winter months. I live in Utah and I don’t get a lot of opportunity to climb outside during the winter months.
For me the biggest con of climbing indoors is you get bored after a few weeks of the routes that are available to climb. Gyms are only so big so you don’t get to see as much variety as you would outside.
Another problem with climbing at indoor gyms is the fact that you have to deal with the gym employees. In my experience employees at gyms aren’t super great. Chances are they are very good climbing and they treat beginners in a lot of cases with disrespect. This is especially true at the UVU gym (but don’t get me started on the UVU gym employees). The right employees can go a long way so I’d say one of the biggest things you need to worry about when choosing a gym is the employees.
OUTDOOR
Outdoor climbing is a whole different ball game from outdoors. My favorite part of climbing outdoors is being able to be out in nature. There is something amazing about being out in nature and climbing a naturally occurring rock formation. Outdoor climbing is also a little more difficult because you don’t have color coordinated holds to know where to grab the rock. You have to take a little more time and effort to find the hold and trust them.
The biggest downside to climbing outdoors is it takes a lot more money to get going. You need more gear and expertise to be able to climb outdoors and this can be costly. My advice would be to acquire the gear little by little and if you have a partner that you think you will climb with for year to come you can always split the cost up. That’s what I did with my roommate. Another downside to climbing outdoors is you usually don’t get to do as much climbing because it’s much more time consuming. But to me these are small down sides to the greater upside. If you love climbing and have the money to do it, go climbing outdoors!!
A Beginner's Guide To Rock Climbing 