Joined my first club the other night! Well they call them "societies" here, but they're clubs. It's the mountaineering club. They go on hikes every Sunday and get together at our gym's climbing wall every Monday and Wednesday night. You have to have pretty good hiking boots to go on the hikes cause of the Irish landscape, but I'm just doing the climbing right now.
They have a small section for bouldering, but a huge portion of the wall is dedicated to climbing with harnesses and what not. (for those that don't know--bouldering is just rock climbing without a harness) The club meets for two hours, but time goes by so fast! I didn't get to boulder at all cause they had to reset the wall, but it's definitely on my to-do list.
I was so nervous walking in. Neither of my roommates wanted to go with me, so I headed there on my own. Luckily, it's less than a 5-minute walk from my apt so it's completely safe to walk. There were so many people at the wall already...I had no idea who to talk to. Immediately though one of the group leaders saw how confused I was, so he started to help me. Right off the bat they got me into a harness and got me some climbing shoes -- they cost 2 euro to rent! but i'm gettin' my mom to ship mine over.
I started out on a super easy section that was completely straight as a mild warm-up. Then Harry, one of the club leaders -- he's super good at climbing -- pulled me over to a harder section of the wall cause I told him I'd climbed a little bit before. I told him it'd be awhile since I climbed last, but he wouldn't let me leave. He said I needed a challenge. I'm so glad I did though! I barely got half-way on this section, but it has a pretty good incline so it's a tough one. My strength isn't as great as it should be, so I need to build that up to get better. I did about three climbs, but I made improvements each time.
I can't wait to get back there on Monday to try it again. It's like an addiction! I only did about 4 or 5 climbs before my arms felt like they were gonna fall off. Pretty sore today, but I know it's gonna be worth it in the end.
The club is such a great way to meet other students and get involved. I'm looking into joining more! Hopefully when I get back home I'll have developed good climbing form and really get into it.