Petra Cliffs

Over the summer I worked at a summer camp in Colorado and was submerged in the rock-climbing world.  Half of my co-workers were climbers and seemed to talk about it nonstop.  Although I never had a chance to climb over the summer, I became thoroughly interested in it and wanted to give it a go.  Upon returning to Burlington, I discovered that my roommate was taking a climbing class at UVM and had free passes to climb at Petra Cliffs, located on Briggs Street in Burlington.  Needless to say, I was stoked.

Upon entering Petra Cliffs, I was amazed at how nice, welcoming, and relaxed the staff was.  They knew my roommate and seemed stoked that I was learning how to climb as well.  After signing a waiver and getting geared up, it was time to start climbing.

The first level of Petra Cliffs has many climbing routes, ranging from 5.5 (easy as pie) to 5.13 (monster/crazy/death). There are also a few bouldering problems on the first level, although most of the bouldering is upstairs.  These range from V0 (easy peasy) to V10+(really really really hard). Petra does a great job of changing the climbing and bouldering routes frequently so that you never get too bored with the same ones.

One of my favorite things about rock-climbing is that you can see improvement very easily.  You can try the same climb over and over again, but when you finally master it and reach the top, you have a great sense of pride and accomplishment.  It’s also a great workout that involves many muscles that wouldn’t normally get worked from training at the gym.

A student day pass for bouldering and climbing is only $14.  It may seem like a lot, but that includes shoes and a harness and a day that is sure to be fun and rewarding.  You can also take a beginner’s course for $25.  This course teaches you how to belay and a few pointers for climbing, and it includes a day pass, harness, and shoes.

If you aren’t down to spend the money at Petra (although it’s totally worth it), you can practice climbing at the UVM climbing wall (located right at the Fitness Center) or the bouldering wall (located on the first floor of the Patrick Gymnasium). 

Next time there’s a rainy afternoon, or you are looking for a new and exciting challenge, give rock-climbing a go!