Beginner Bouldering Beta: Intro to Climbing at Slaughter

OVERVIEW

So you’ve been wanting to try out climbing but don’t have anyone to go with. No more! Join me and a few other beginner climbers in learning the ropes at the UVA Climbing Center.

This is going to be pretty informal; I’m mostly just there so that you don’t have to get into climbing by yourself. However, I will be able to talk about some of the stuff that the orientation video misses like climbing etiquette, climbing slang*, and route ratings.

This trip is specifically for beginners, and I will be prioritizing people who have never climbed before, have never climbed at slaughter, or have only climbed once or twice before in that order.

~~ Here’s the plan ~~
4:45-5:00: you show up, fill out the waiver, and watch the Slaughter Orientation Video
5:00: We meet up and talk quickly about route ratings and climbing etiquette
5:07: we hit the wall, and I talk about climbing slang as we go
5:45ish: you realize that you now have everything you need to keep sending it on trips to slaughter, peak, and any other indoor bouldering facility this side of the Andromeda Galaxy
6:00: The trip is officially over but you can unofficially stay at Slaughter as long as you want

~~ You Bring ~~
– 1-2L of water
– Clothes you can climb in (I climb in a T-shirt and leggings)
– An active IM/Rec membership (if you’re currently a student you have this)
– $5 in case you want to take Slaughter’s top rope course** between 6&9pm
– An insatiable desire to send it

~~ You don’t need to bring ~~
– Climbing shoes! Slaughter has these in abundance and you can borrow them for free, so unless you really want to borrow some from the gear room you don’t have to (although you can if you want to)

* ”Beta,” which is included in the title of this trip, is climbing jargon for “information about a climb.” Congratulations! You just learned your first climbing slang term!

** This course is not affiliated with ODC, I just want you to know that this is something available to you.