Indoor rock climbing is all the rage. At least that’s what Chad Morgan thinks.

Morgan, the general manager of Central Rock Gym in Syracuse, is a zealous climber. He’s ditched lifting weights to focus exclusively on scaling plastic-covered walls.

“I don’t really go to the regular gym,” he said. “I just kind of climb.”

Morgan isn’t alone.

In the past few years, indoor rock climbing has exploded onto the fitness scene in the United States. To meet the rapidly increasing demand for facilities, new gyms are popping up everywhere, Morgan said. And as climbers such as Alex Honnold gain national notoriety and brands like Patagonia and The North Face continue to dominate the mountain fashion scene, rock climbing has injected itself into cities and universities across the country.

Central Rock is celebrating its one-year anniversary this December. After its grand opening in Syracuse last year, climbers flocked to the location to see what the facility was all about. At Syracuse University, what is being called a “world-class rock climbing wall” is under construction, according to the school’s website. All of this has caused an influx of climbers the city hadn’t seen before.

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“There was already a community here before. A good one,” Morgan said. “But it’s grown exponentially.”

Exponential growth — which Morgan attributed to the general popularity of the climbing trend as well as the plethora of community-based events Central Rock hosts each month — is driven mostly by college students and recent graduates. Evan Genay, president of the Syracuse University Outing Club and an employee at Central Rock, estimates that most indoor rock climbers are between 20 and 30 years old.

His explanation for that? Better technology.

Indoor climbing technology is coming-of-age, Genay said. Manufacturers are building bigger, more colorful walls than they had in the past. Those improvements have been conducive to more fun experiences, as well as growth on social media, he said. Climbers such as Margo Hayes and Alex Puccio, who boast hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, regularly post photos from climbing gyms and are met with barrages of likes and supportive comments.

That use of social media in climbing speaks to the social aspect of the sport.

William Lawrence, a SUNY-ESF student who climbs at Central Rock, said he arrives at the gym with the sole intent to exercise, but always finds himself socializing at least a little bit. Because the gym is what Morgan describes as “one big community,” many people make friends with fellow climbers and continue with the sport as a result. Lawrence agrees that the social part of climbing is nice and has made his experience more enjoyable, but that’s not what keeps him coming back. For him, it’s the comfort not found outdoors.

“Indoor climbing takes the worst parts of climbing — the cold, the wet — out of the equation,” he said.

Morgan supported the idea that indoor amenities are a big reason for the popularity of indoor climbing because “it’s something you can do year-round,” he said. His predominant belief, though, is that the flexible schedule and ability to use climbing as a way to blow off steam are the two biggest magnets for college students.

College allows people to find atypical activities as a way of finding community and friends, he said. Climbing fits that mold. It’s an individual sport that can be done at any time with anybody.
Morgan said what young people are looking to do is counter the stress of school and work with unconventional exercise.

Climbing works the body in more ways than one. On one hand, there is the fear and discomfort associated with pushing yourself mentally and physically, Morgan said. On the other, the positive results of climbing — physical gains and better mental fortitude — are visible and palpable, he added.

It’s that change in speed from the academic and professional world that Morgan believes is the biggest reason for the popularity of climbing. As young adults maneuver through college and the postgraduate world beyond, they search for something to relieve their stress. For many, indoor rock climbing has become that something.

“You can kind of balance work and the seriousness of life,” Morgan said. “And I think that people are looking for things like this more and more.”

Published on December 4, 2018 at 9:46 pm