In my (re)Introducing Myself article I mentioned that I’d taken up climbing. So far, that’s mostly been indoors, and until now on one wall, that at Belfast’s Ozone leisure centre. But last Saturday a few of us drove across to Derry to try our hands (and feet) on the wall at Foyle Arena. Here’s how we got on…
The Ozone’s wall is maybe 8 or 10 metres high, with bouldering areas at either end, and twenty-five routes of varying difficulty, from straightforward slab routes to more challenging routes up overhangs and a challenging fin protruding from the centre of the main wall. (You can check it out on this YouTube video or this one Neither of these vids is mine, I hasten to add!)
Foyle Arena’s is Ireland's highest dedicated indoor climbing wall with 900 m2 of climbing on modern multifaceted surfaces. It has 39 independent lines that incorporate top roping (some routes with auto-belay devices) lead and competition climbing, as well as a dedicated bouldering wall.
First reaction was surprise – and a little trepidation – at the height of the walls. The maximum vertical height is 15m, but route lengths on some of the higher graded routes are longer than that. So even the 4s and 5s here would pose the challenge of an extra five or six metres of climbing.
The climbing surfaces are also more varied and interesting than those at the Ozone, with routes turning corners and crossing ledges more frequently. That made a couple of climbs more manageable for me at least, and lets you practice your mantel-shelfing…
And when you’re pumped and hungry, you can take a break in the café and watch the other climbers.
Verdict? Well, we spent much of the day here, managing some routes at our respective grades, and being stymied by others. It was fun, tough, rewarding, and we’ll definitely be back.
The walls at Foyle Arena were built by Walltopia