An Adventure de Grimper

To rock climb: faire de l'escalade / escalader / grimper

Another student in my program, Annie--who I know from Iowa--and I both rock climb. Since we were both interested in continuing while in France, we found a chain of climbing gyms in Lyon called Climb Up. There are two locations: Confluence and Gerland.

Last week, I met Annie outside the university residence she lives in, and we took the bus down to Perrache, the main transportation hub. From there, we got on a tram heading the wrong direction and had to switch trams. Eventually, we arrived at the Confluence mall and found Climb Up on the deuxième étage (third floor). We created profiles and bought day passes (16 € for students) with the help of the front counter employee, who used a helpful mixture of English and French. Part of the profile was indicating your level/ability/preferred climbing type (i.e., bouldering, top rope, and/or lead). This stood in for taking a belay test or having an orientation, which surprised both of us. In the US, employees would monitor the gym for safety, and you'd need to have a belay certification card to belay someone. It seems in France safety measures aren't quite the same and/or people are trusted a lot more. (Note for anyone that's concerned: The gym isn't unsafe! The rules are just a little different. Annie and I are both experienced, and she works for Iowa's climbing wall, so we're not in any danger!)

But the lack of a belay test was great for us, as we could get right to climbing without having to undergo an exam in French! We're both experienced climbers, and we've climbed together at Iowa, so we already felt safe with each other. We started with a little bouldering (Annie's favorite), then transferred to top rope (my favorite). Confluence has three levels: top rope walls that extend two floors, top rope walls that extend three floors, and a kids adventure rope course, plus a cafe, bouldering area, and locker rooms. It was a Sunday afternoon, so there were a lot of kids around, making it a bit more busy than we would have liked.

On Friday, we tried the Gerland location, which is bigger. I got a card with ten passes that should last me the semester. The front desk employee mostly stuck to French so we could practice, and she was so patient with us! Gerland had bouldering, a traverse/spray wall, top rope/lead walls (including an overhung cave), and a kids area with shorter walls. Since it was Friday, there weren't many kids around; it was mostly experienced outdoor climbers leading in the gym for winter. I enjoyed the shorter kids wall, as I could attempt some harder grades and actually achieve them for a shorter distance.

Speaking of ratings, the French system is different from the US system. It's color coded and lettered/numbered. I don't quite understand it yet, but I'm sure I will. (I know a French climber that didn't get the US system when I tried to explain it, so it's normal to be confused.) I was able to climb a 5.11b by US standards (6c in the French system), when my usual limit is 5.10. Climb Up might be an easy gym, as rating are always subjective, or the two systems might not translate very well.

Differences between American and French climbing gyms:

• No belay or lead tests

• Younger kids can belay

• No employee monitoring

• Ropes anyone can use to lead

• Powder chalk is forbidden, especially for bouldering (I saw people using it while top roping, so I'm not sure how strict the rule is)

• Different rating system

• Full cafes in the gym

I'm looking forward to continuing my French climbing adventure throughout the semester!