Beijing Olympian: Get a Grip on Rock Climbing in the Capital

Victor Rowse | Nov 5, 2019 11:30 am | Add a comment | 2821 reads

Beijing Olympian is an ongoing column in which we explore the newest, the funnest, and the downright whackiest in Beijing’s fitness scene.

Has there ever been a more exciting time to be a rock climber in China? Just last year, it was announced that climbing would be included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the first time, which means the sport is starting to get some serious central government funding. Then there was the explosion of public interest following the release of Free Solo, the Oscar-winning and vertigo-inducing documentary chronicling rock climber Alex Honnold’s death-defying quest to summit El Capitan with no ropes or safety gear. If that wasn’t enough, China then followed up with its very own climbing movie, aptly named The Climbers, a nostalgic and ever-so-slightly rose-tinted story of China’s first successful team to summit Everest from the north slope.

And it’s about time too! Together with running and swimming, climbing is one of our most natural movement patterns. Lest it needs repeating, we are descendants of tree-dwellers. And yet while there are innumerable Olympic medals up for grabs for running and swimming, as well as burgeoning triathlon and marathon events taking place every weekend across China, up until now climbing has been rather rudely ignored.

While you might not be in time to qualify for Tokyo, there is still every reason for you to be excited by the developments in climbing as a sport. First and foremost, climbing is probably what you need more than anything else to add to your current workout routine. When we run, swim, lift weights, practice yoga, or do the activities which make up 99 percent of the fitness industry, we rarely move more than a few inches from the earth's surface or utilize our arms, hands, and fingers for what they were originally designed for: gripping things and hanging on to them. And when we ignore our design, we do so at our peril.

As empirical studies will attest, you can accurately predict how long somebody will live just from testing their grip strength. Luckily for us, there’s a better, more natural way to develop grip strength than sitting on the couch pumping your hand strengthener, and it'll also build your core strength, agility, and balance. You guessed it – climbing.

Climbing develops incredible grip strength for the simple reason that actual rock faces (as well as indoor bouldering walls) require you to use small, finger holds. You might think you have good grip strength because you can bust out a set of 10 pull-ups, but when did you ever see a perfectly cylindrical, smooth bar existing in nature? Rock climbing will not only make you appreciate just how wimpy your grip strength really is, but also teach you to move in a different way – good climbing requires a lot more swinging with your arms straight than actual pulling, with as much as possible of the vertical movement being driven by the legs.

After just a few climbing lessons, you will not only start to move more efficiently and see dramatic improvements in your grip strength, but you will find yourself beginning to evaluate every object you see in a different way – could I scale the outside of that building in an emergency? With a running jump, could I make it up to that tree branch?

Which brings us to the other reason so many people get hooked by climbing: the mental satisfaction from conquering a hard climb. Fail, fail harder, fail some more, and then one day BOOM, you’ve just made that climb which seemed impossible a month ago, you’ve captured the whole thing on video, and you are ready to annoy everyone you know with your WeChat/Instagram post. Rock climbing – it will change the way you move, feel, and think and might even extend your lifespan – now, what are you waiting for?

Where to go rock climbing in Beijing

Most of the climbing gyms below will also organize the outdoor climbing trips. These also all provide equipment for hire should you not have your own climbing gear.

Rock Hour (岩时攀岩馆). RMB 120 per day. Bldg 74, 27 Xidawang Road, (near Pingleyuan Subway Station, exit B) Chaoyang District (137 1888 1250)
ET Climbing Gym (ET攀岩馆). RMB 150 per day. Shunbai Road, Wanhe Art District (north gate), Chaoyang District (8479 2199)
Hao Shi Climbing Gym (浩⽯石攀岩馆). RMB 100 per day. Unit 2, 7/F, Lantao Center, 5 Wanhong Road, Chaoyang District (6431 9881)
Allin (Allin攀岩运动空间). RMB 120 per day. Unit 1, Bldg D, 768 Enterprise Zone, 5 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District (6060 3214)
Everybody Climbing (⼈人攀岩). RMB 100 per day. Lize Sports Center, 6 Yupu Road, Changping District (186 1002 0094)
Everybody Climbing (⼈人攀岩). RMB 100 per day. Huanlegu Center, Hong Tong Sports Centre, 5 Huagong Road, Chaoyang District (186 1002 0094)
Yao Yan Climbing Gym (耀岩攀岩馆). RMB 60 per day. Bldg 3, 3 Anping Street, Shunyi District (136 0211 1387)