When I was younger, I spent a great deal of time hanging around the hockey arenas at the local community centre. This place was great, so much to do. There was even a Little Rock climbing arena in it. Every so often my mom would splurge and take us. I remember LOVING it.

Fondly remembering these times, I put ‘go rock climbing (even if it’s just in a gym)’ on my beloved 29×30 list. It was probably the one thing I was most excited about. Then the good old COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything shut down. I wrote this one off as no way, no how is it going to happen.

My ninja sister, however, had other plans. As Alberta slowly began reopening, she began planning little surprise adventure dates to check off the last few items on my list. This brought us to Vertically Inclined, a local climbing place in Edmonton.

We began with a quick lesson on how to use the belay mechanisms and the lingo for climbers. The fella who worked there was extremely kind, quite hilarious, and very patient as we learned how to operate the ropes.

It was so great seeing Bugs try rock climbing for the first time. He had so much fun and was so brave!

Overall, it was just as much fun as I remembered it being as a kid, and that’s another thing to check off the 29×30 list! It’s quite the workout and tests your upper body strength. I could see myself making it a regular sporting activity. Maybe one day I’ll try climbing in the mountains… it just may pop up on a future birthday list!

Have you ever been rock climbing, whether in the mountains or in a gym?