NEWS
A First Time Climber’s Guide to Everything
We believe climbing is for everyone. After all, if you can climb a ladder, you can scale a wall. However, we get that trying out a new kind of adventure can be a little nerve-wracking. Whether you've decided to take your first steps into the world of indoor climbing or are contemplating the idea, welcome! You’re in the right place.
Here at Peak Experiences, we believe climbing is for everyone.
After all, if you can climb a ladder, you can scale a wall. However, we get that trying out a new kind of adventure can be a little nerve-wracking. Whether you've decided to take your first steps into the world of indoor climbing or are contemplating the idea, welcome! You’re in the right place.
But fear not! Our friendly staff can guide you through everything you need to know, and teach you how to manage the risks of climbing, and your fears too. So, let's strap on our climbing shoes, chalk up our hands, and dive into the excitement of our favorite sport!
If you get to the end of this blog post and still aren’t sure where to start, our Climbing Sampler might be perfect for you!
No, seriously, climbing is for everyone.
All ages, sizes, and ability levels are welcome in climbing. We have a wide variety of route difficulties, with a handy bouldering grade chart available in our gyms to let you know the difficulty level of the route you’re eyeing. We have routes that are as simple as a ladder, ones you can try once you’ve got a hang of things, and ones that pose a serious challenge to anyone who attempts them.
Climbing isn’t all about upper body strength. No pull-ups necessary! Climbing is a puzzle on the wall you solve with your body – it requires a combination of body awareness, core tension, grip strength, leg strength, and yes, some upper body strength to get you up the wall. Practice is the key to “sending” (finishing) your route.
Community is the core of the sport. You’ll build trust and communication skills when you spend time climbing with a partner. It’s also very normal to talk to and encourage your fellow climbers in the gym! You’ll meet the friendliest people inside Peak, happy to give advice if you’re looking for it.
What to Expect
Lots of lingo. Sometimes it sounds like climbers are speaking their own language, but you’ll figure it out quickly. Most of the time, people will know what you’re talking about. It’s perfectly fine to call a donut-shaped hold a donut, instead of a pocket or a hueco. Check out our Glossary for Climbers to see if you can pick up a couple words!
Climbs that will challenge you: we have a wide range of difficulty levels for a reason. You’ll gain confidence from the progress you’ll make on routes that are hard for you.
Some serious soreness. Climbing requires the use of muscles you probably have never used so specifically. It’s perfectly normal to have sore muscles and some raw skin on your hands after a climbing session.
What You Need to Bring
A completed Assumption of Risks Form! Everyone who comes into our gym needs to fill out this form, regardless of participation level. We don’t charge entry to folks who are just watching.
Show up in comfy clothes, ready to move. Sweatpants, athletic pants, leggings, t-shirts, and tank tops work just fine. You’ll probably want to wear long pants; our walls are very textured, just like sandstone would be outside. Loose-fitting clothing or jewelry (especially rings) can get caught on climbing holds or ropes, so leave those at home. Short nails also make gripping holds easier.
We have climbing shoes and harnesses available to rent, but you’re welcome to wear closed-toe, snug-fitting athletic shoes if you’d prefer not to rent shoes.A reusable water bottle. We have water coolers for you to fill your bottle from, but can’t guarantee our supply of paper cups won’t run out.
Fall Flash Fest
Join us at PeakRVA for the Fall Flash Fest October 19th! This competition is open to those of all climbing abilities ages 13+. (Spectators do NOT need to register. Admission for spectators is FREE!)
Thanks for a great event. See you next year!
Beta Nite: Red River Gorge - 5/9
Thursday 5/9 from 7-9pm at PeakRVA our head of Peak Expeditions, Pete Guyre, will point you in the right direction on where to climb and what routes you'll want to try while you're there!
All the while of course, enjoying some brews and 'bucha courtesy of our good friends at Vasen Brewing (21+) and Ninja Kombucha. FREE for members and guests. We can't wait to see you there!
Beta Night: Seneca Rocks - 4/11
Thursday 4/11 from 7-9pm at PeakRVA
All the beta you need to climb at and enjoy Seneca, WV.
We'll also be hearing from Shelly Rose of Pure Roots Nutrition on specific climbing nutrition.
BRB-Designs + Peak Experiences Bag-Collab. We will be starting the data collection part of our gym back-pack design and build the collaboration with BRB-Designs.
As always, our good friends at Vasen Brewing (21+) and Ninja Kombucha will be serving up some delicious beverages. FREE for members and guests. We can't wait to see you there!
Beta Night: New River Gorge - 3/7
Thursday 3/7 from 7-9pm at PeakRVA our head routesetter Eric Mahan will point you in the right direction on where to climb and what routes you'll want to try while you're there!
We'll also be hearing from Shelly Rose of Pure Roots Nutrition on how to fuel our bodies for those long climbing days.
All the while of course, enjoying some brews and 'bucha courtesy of our good friends at Vasen Brewing (21+) and Ninja Kombucha. FREE for members and guests. We can't wait to see you there!
Peak RVA is Open to the Public!
Dear RVA Climbers!
After many months of blood, sweat, tears, and chalk, we are THRILLED to announce that our second location, PeakRVA, is now open to the public!
Our new facility is located within the Sports Center of Richmond's (SCOR) 125,000 sq. ft. sports complex. This gym features over 15,000 sq. ft. of climbing terrain with over 5,000 sq. ft. of bouldering. PeakRVA also features a lead climbing specific area and a separate group event space. We will have state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a dedicated yoga studio, a full retail shop, and more! As our members who have attended our soft opening can attest, it's a gorgeous facility.
PeakRVA Hours:
Monday to Friday • 6am-11pm
Saturday • 10am-10pm
Sunday • 10am-9pm
We’ll see you there!
- Jay Smith - Kevin Tobin - Scott Powell
*Before you visit, please read through PeakRVA FAQs.
Members Only Week @ Peak RVA - 4/19-4/26
I have some very exciting news to report!
I’ll cut to the chase; we will open our Richmond location this Thursday April 19 at 6:00am to our members and their guests! There are more details below, but I know that this was the one piece of information everyone was really interested in hearing.
Now for the details:
It’s been a long road, but the final inspections happened quickly thanks to the City of Richmond. To thank you for your loyalty, support and patience, Peak Experiences RVA’s first week will be dedicated to the community that has made this expansion possible for us. This means that as members, you’ll have the new climbing terrain all to yourselves until April 27th.
Because the final process with the city moved very quickly, there are some elements that are still underway or waiting for deliveries, but should arrive by the end of the month. We just couldn’t wait to share our walls with you though! Also, during this first week, we will be allowing our members to bring in up to 2 guests per visit, so that you can share your love of climbing with them.
I, and all of the rest of our family at Peak Experiences want to thank you for all of your support and dedication that you have shown us during this process. It has been a delayed progression that at some times was very painful and challenging. None of it would have been possible if it weren’t for you.
PeakRVA Hours:
Monday to Friday • 6am-11pm
Saturday • 10am-10pm
Sunday • 10am-9pm
We’ll see you there!
- Jay Smith • Owner, President
PeakRVA Update
Dear Peak community,
Let me begin by saying thank you to the over 600 people who came out earlier in March to attend our #PeakRVA Hard Hat Happy Hour and tour of our new facility. It was very heartwarming to see so much enthusiasm from you for our new gym. It was also great to get to meet many of you and hear your thoughts and suggestions.
Now, let me speak to the most common question we hear these days, “When will it open?” At this point, all signs are looking like we will be able to open by the end of April! I wish we could give an exact date, but we do have to wait for some final inspections, the scheduling of which are out of our hands.
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for your patience, support, and encouragement through this process. Whether it came at one of our events or stopping by my office just to say a kind word, the support of this community continues to amaze me. It has been awe-inspiring to see our members, like Chris Thompson, jumping in to lend their skills to the project as well as the many staff that have put in countless hours doing all that they can to keep things moving forward. This has truly become a community project and one that I am sure you will be as proud of as we are of the people that have made our business such pleasure to have operated for the past 20 years.