RANT (beware): Kids at the climbing gym...

caughtinside wrote: I don't know about that. I don't think I've ever seen a birthday party at the berkeley gym.

Well, they offer them... and I know I've seen a bunch of parties at the old Class V gym in Marin. And I bet even Berkley has a huge summer camp program.

touchstoneclimbing.com/kids…

The Berkley gym also has a big fitness component, which is a luxury most gyms can't afford (or fit). We have a big fitness space and it is big part of why we have such a membership tilt. The smart gyms are incorporating these fitness areas and it definitely takes the pressure off of driving the kids' party whip.

For what its worth, many new gyms have dedicated kids areas... a smart move, but a very pricey one and only doable for big gyms, with big $$, in big markets.

I once saw a sign in a gym that read "All unattended children will be given an expresso and a puppy"

KHall wrote:I once saw a sign in a gym that read "All unattended children will be given an expresso and a puppy"

Great idea. I'm all for that one, or the simple note saying:
'All unattended children screwing around in this gym will be shot"

caughtinside wrote: I don't know about that. I don't think I've ever seen a birthday party at the berkeley gym.

I've seen a few there. Ironworks is huge though, they actually have room for kids there.

I think it's ironic that people tout birthday parties as way of lowering costs. If insurance companies had any idea of what was really going on, they would RAISE rates for those gyms holding parties...

I've always wondered, out of morbid curiosity, how many routes/climbing hours have been denied us due to the overly letigious nature of people in 'Merica today?

Ian G. wrote: I've seen a few there. Ironworks is huge though, they actually have room for kids there. I think it's ironic that people tout birthday parties as way of lowering costs. If insurance companies had any idea of what was really going on, they would RAISE rates for those gyms holding parties...

I can guarantee you that the insurance companies are on this one. If birthday parties were a cause if serious injury at a climbing gyms, the rates would be higher! But it turns out they are not.....

I'll certainly agree that they increase the "chaos" factor at a gym though.

Kids programs are, in general, a significant source of revenue for climbing gyms. So that does lower the cost to members at most gyms. It's a fact.

I believe it's the parents responsibility to manage their kids at all times while in public places.

Only place to climb where I live is an outdoor wall in a County Park, open to parties and general chaos. My 5 year old climbs with me a good bit and she is not allowed in the bouldering cave if anyone is climbing in there. My biggest problem with her is trying to keep her from loving peoples dogs to death. I won't take her to the dog park for that reason and rekon if someone has a dog that doesn't get on well with kids, they should take them to the dog park instead of the climbing wall.

Another note, we showed up a few Saturdays ago and there was a party going on, plus an unusually busy day with tourists, campers and random folks. The mother of the birthday kid pitched a coniption fit and started cursing the staff for not being attentive enough. (parties are guaranteed one belayer)... it was kind of sad watching the mom flip out while the kids looked on soaking it all in. Then the birthday kid had an abolute meltdown while on belay, kicking and screaming, throwing a tantrum, just like their mom did, go figgure.

I'm biased on this subject because quit my job as a Wildlife Biologist the day my kid was born to be a stay at home Dad.

Like the old CSNY sogn....Teach Your Children Well.

kid climber

supervised kidclimber

Hayne, those are great photos of Kid Climber!

Cool. That wall reminds me of the look of our first outdoor one we built here back in 1985. New thread needed now: your best "Kid Climber" photos.

Kids cruise the small holds with ease.

Small kids make the 20ft. wall look taller, don't they?

i have found that if i say "fuck" a lot around kids one of two things will happen: the parents will scoop them up to get them away from the degenerates, or the kid will wander back to their parents swearing up a storm. the second option doesn't fix the problem of unsupervised children, but it makes me feel better...

I have been taking my kids climbing for years. They started in the gym at our rec center and they got a harsh lesson in manners from one of the guys working there. He was formerly an instructor in the airforce and former special forces and took no lip. He would make my kids (with my approval of course!) do pushups for every infraction no matter how small. PT makes them think twice and if that doesn't work they would get kicked off the wall for a day. Also as a parent I do my part in supervision and telling my son to not jump on a problem that someone gave up on and send it. Kids need to play but, like puppies, they need the structure of the pack to teach them how to be functioning members of a bigger society. I get irritated with the rec-rats whose parents drop them off at 8AM and pick them up at 6PM and expect the kids to raise themselves. As they say in "Parenthood", "you need a license to buy a gun or catch a fish but any asshole can have a kid"

M Lindfors wrote:telling my son to not jump on a problem that someone gave up on and send it.

Why not? I don't see anything wrong with that. Its not your son's responsibility to protect other people's egos.

I was climbing during one of the many birthday parties that go on for little kids at the gym, and I fell off my boulder problem while some of the kids were running around underneath me and I totally stomped this little boy.

Luckily the floor and pads are soft, as are little kids, and the boy looked more afraid of getting in trouble for running around underneath boulderers, as they know they aren't supposed to, and promptly fled the scene without a word....

I was surprised he didn't explode into tears, usually when I kick little kids they cry.