The football season has begun, Labor Day has come and gone and believe it or not, the mountain leaves are already starting to turn shades of bright yellow and orange. Yes, fall is here. It is time to take advantage of a few more weeks of Utah’s great outdoor rock climbing before progressing into the forearm-burning world of indoor climbing.
The amazing skiing terrain and climbing crags of the Wasatch Mountains have brought many climbers to Utah. Being able to enjoy both at the same time might be what keeps us here. As the world-class climbing found in the American Fork and Little Cottonwood Canyons becomes buried by the best snow on earth, Utah’s climbers don’t put their hard-earned chops on ice. They take their workouts and lively social scene indoors to Salt Lake City’s cutting edge indoor climbing facilities.
The Front Climbing Club is one of the places local climbers turn toward to maintain their skills, strength and camaraderie during the offseason. Located in Salt Lake at 400 W. 1450 South, The Front is 10,000 square feet of bouldering heaven.
If you don’t know what bouldering is, then you haven’t been living under a rock. Bouldering is a style of climbing short, intense routes, usually 12 to 20 feet in length. The climbs require precise moves and grips on the rock. Since these routes aren’t long enough to require ropes and are often overhung, climbers either spot each other or pack pads to fall on when climbing outdoors. The Front provides its guests with the fun and challenge of bouldering all year long without having to lug pads up a mountain.
“This place has a nice atmosphere,” said Paul Fazio, a junior math major at the U. “It’s fun to come climb without having to worry about all the ropes.”
As Utah’s Mecca of indoor bouldering, The Front features well marked routes for all ability levels, including a crack climbing area, campus boards and a Moon board.
“We have people coming from Japan, England, all over the world to climb here,” said Front employee Rachel Orth. “We’re constantly changing our routes to keep it fresh and challenging.”
If the Front’s ample bouldering area doesn’t have you feeling the burn, they also offer members and guests a cardio room, weight equipment and yoga classes.
Aside from being a great place to work out, The Front is a social hot spot. Decorating the walls of the club’s party room is the work of local climbing photographers. The room includes pool, ping-pong and foosball tables, as well as a giant screen for slide shows of their members’ latest expeditions and climbing movies. The Front even opens its backyard barbecue area to its members’ dogs.
For a full list of The Front’s facilities, classes and membership options go to www.frontslc.com.
Utah’s newest indoor climbing gym is called Momentum and opened in May. Co-owned and designed by one of Utah’s climbing pioneers, Jeff Pedersen, Momentum is Utah’s largest indoor climbing facility.
Walking into Momentum’s overwhelming five-story, 21,000 square foot climbing area is like walking into excitement, curiosity, intimidation, and marvel all at once. The gym’s architecture and engineering is impressive to say the least, and they let you climb on it.
Momentum has more than 200 climbing routes reaching as high as 47 feet. The gym’s many routes are designed to cater to beginners as well as pros with a variety of top-rope, lead and crack climbs, some of which have yet to be successfully ascended.
Momentum includes a full bouldering gym, children’s climbing and play area, as well as a free-weight/cardio gym and a yoga room.
“This is going to bring climbing to a new level,” said Erik Ostrander, a junior physics major at the U and climbing instructor at Momentum. The new gym, located in Sandy at 220 W. 10600 South, provides climbers with a way to safely rehearse climbs very similar to those found in both northern and southern Utah. “The best training for climbing is climbing,” said Ostrander.
Momentum offers a wide variety of membership options, classes, group pricing and rental equipment, as well as a fresh-food caf and coffee shop. Momentum also offers discounted rates for student. For more information about the gym and climbing in Utah, visit www.MomentumClimbing.com.