Indoor rock-climbing club works out in Morrisville

Climbing | admin-t | October 13, 2011 at 10:57 am

Brandon Schaefer gets in some bouldering practice as he works a wall at the Triangle Rock Club in Morrisville Wednesday Oct.5, 2011. Triangle Rock Club boasts the largest rock gym in the area, has internationally competitive climbing teams and facilitates a sport requiring a distinct brand of mental and physical athleticism.

It’s a vertical dance of sorts, finding a way to maneuver one’s limbs to stand on and pull over the rubber knobs and man-made crevices and of an indoor rock.

Hand reaches up, grabs a rubber knob, leg follows, finding a surface to stand; muscles tense.

Scott Gilliam choreographs that dance. He’s the lead route setter, prescribing the routes, creating puzzles for climbers to top at the Triangle Rock Club of Morrisville. The club boasts the largest indoor rock gym in the area; with competitive climbing teams, competitions and an ever-changing wall of routes to ascend.

Streaks of color line the grey plywood walls of a steel-framed indoor climbing cavern. Pink, green, orange, yellow, blue rubber knobs, handles scatter the grey walls, the tape color-codes specific routes. There are 18,000 holes where hand and foot holds are fastened with 54,000 screws.

Gilliam and his team of setters change out routes weekly; the whole wall completely changes every four months. He unscrews bolts that keep the rubber hand and foot holds in place, power washes them then replaces them in a different pattern than before.

“I try to keep a well balanced, almost bell curve distribution of difficulty,” he said. Sometimes climbers will request certain kinds of problems in the climbing puzzle, he said, asking for a certain height grade paired with a hand position, location or style of movement.

A club for everyone

The club hosts climbing competitions and has a climbing team of students that compete internationally with five age groups from elementary to high school age. Gilliam says he often sets routes with moves climbers might see at competition.

“Lately I have been trying to learn how to set very specific moves, moves I’d like to have in my setter’s repertoire,” he said.

While some routes are geared towards competitive climbers, the gym offers climbing paths for all ability levels, Gilliam said. Part of his job is to make sure there is a diverse range of climbing opportunities that suit beginners too.

Building a climbing community of all kids and adults with a range of ability levels is a priority for the club, said Andrew Kratz, the club’s managing partner. Katz, a former Marine, opened the gym in December 2007, with fellow climber and Marine Luis Jauregui. The pair have ascended several peaks including Mt. Fuji in Japan and the Tetons in Wyoming.

With 660 members, it’s still a family feeling in the gym, he said.

“Climbing is one of those special things that bring people together,” said Kratz said, “The environment has a really good vibe, kids can come and interact with adults on a level playing field.”

Coming into a rock gym off the street can be overwhelming, said Joel Graybeal, a spokesman for the club, the staff strives to give people the climbing and safety skills they need to come back and continue to improve, he said.

“Everybody likes climbing something different,” Graybeal said. “We want people to feel success when they get started.”

The club offers climbing classes where people can learn how to use the harness, ropes and belay devices that keep climbers from falling off the wall as they move up. Climbers can also climb up a boulder, a stand-alone rock in the middle of the gym. On the boulder, climbers don’t wear a harness, and climb shorter, more intense routes. Padded mats line the floor surrounding the rock in case of a fall.

“Rock climbing is a sport”

Meg Milan started climbing eight years ago. The 16-year-old from Raleigh now travels and competes nationally with the Triangle Rock Club. Last year, she came in 7th in rope climbing in the national competition.

During competitions, climbers get one shot to tackle a route. Milan looks at the colorfully taped climbing sequence, and maps out her hand and foot movements in her head, and looks for certain climbing patterns that might trip her up.

“It’s only you, and you don’t know how high you can get,” she said. “I try to stay really calm, that helps.”

Triangle Rock Club’s team is the biggest and most advanced in the state, said Connie Lightner, who’s son Kai climbs on the team. Kai Lightner, 12, competes internationally and was last year’s Pan- American Champion, which includes climbers in North and South America, for climbing in his age group.

They travel from Fayetteville for practices twice a week, and Connie Lightner says climbing and the community at TRC is a central part of their lives.

“Rock climbing is a sport that requires mental and physical toughness,” she said. “Kai’s coaches work to build our kids in both areas. For them it’s not primarily about winning. It’s about hard work, discipline, and sportsmanship.”

On one Saturday, a father and son team, David and Sam Duty, of Durham, climbed for the first time at the club. Sam Duty, 12, heard about the club through a friend and wanted to come back.

“It’s just a natural thing, just being up high in the air,” he said.

Kids especially love the climb, Graybeal said.

“These kids get on this thing, they climb that thing, they think they’ve climbed at Mount Everest,” Graybeal said.

Share|