Rock Climbing Birthday Parties

March 28th, 2008 - Category: Party Themes Add comments

Rock Climbing (or Wall Climbing/Climbing Wall) Birthday Parties promote a keen sense of body awareness; develop strength, fluidity and balance; build self confidence, trust and teamwork; and promote fun setting and attaining personal goals. Hold your Rock Climbing Party in either a specialized indoor rock gym or another wall specialy manufactured for climbing in an amusement park or even recreation center. Consider also a portable climbing wall, rented and installed in your backyard or a park.

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During a climbing session, which always starts with an introduction in climbing safety and technical information, you’ll also learn and practice rappelling and other basic climbing techniques. In order to fully enjoy yourself, one must have a solid understanding of his/her surroundings. You’ll learn about knot tying and you’ll have plenty of fun with climbing/caving games, such as Tarzan Swing.

Are you a beginner? No problem: no prior climbing experience is needed. Walls reserved for group parties have always a low to medium level of difficulty and at any given time, any climber accessing the upper part of the wall is safely assisted by a belayer (i.e. a minimum 13 years of age person on the ground who takes the slack out of the rope as the climber ascends the wall). The belayer holds the rope tide when the climber descends (always in rappel), if he/she needs a push up or if he/she looses for a moment control of his/her balance. The participant gets a 100% safety climbing, whether or not he’s able to make it to the top by himself or not.

Kids safely practicing alone on the lower part of an indoor climbing wall at Tumbleweeds Gymnastics

Ideal belayer to participant ratio is between 1:2 to 1:5. This means while a belayer is busy with one climber at a time, other two to five children will rest and boulder on low walls (where they don’t need a rope) in an un-roped fashion between belayed climbs. Resting or playing under climbing walls on landing pads is usually not allowed even if no climbers are on the wall above.

Experience shown children start to get tired and had enough climbing after 1.5-2h, so rock birthday parties usually include 1-2 hours of climbing and up to 1h for cake and presents in a seating area or a separate party room, for a total of 2-3 hours of pure fun. You’ll find in most rock gyms a refrigerator with room for your group’s drinks, and space in your freezer for ice or ice cream.

Safety

Minimum age for a Rock Climbing Birthday Party is usually 4, but there are hosts that require minimum age 10, so carefully read your own rock climbing web page.

Belayers may individually assist and teach participants basic climbing technics

Parties may be held anytime during the day, but if you’re looking for a private party (to have only your own group individuals on the wall, the whole gym or just the wall being reserved for your party) there may be restrictions such as weekend days or when there are no other scheduled classes. This is why it’s good to allow 2-4 weeks for a private party reservation. At that time you’ll also be required an often non-refundable deposit of around $100 or about 50% of the final estimated price (which will be later deducted from the total balance).

In US (and also in most climbing studios of Canada), everyone under 18 is required to bring a risk form (liability waiver) filled out, signed by his parent or guardian.

Basicaly, in this waiver you consent that you’re aware climbing have inherent risks and injuries may occur, through falls, cuts, hitting projections or other kinds of accidents. This is a release of liability/indemnification and you convene not to sue the owners for any possible accident.

This is a sport and obviously no alcoholic beverages are allowed.

Cost

Portable climbing wall installed in a park, from EverClimb USA

Important discounts are available for groups, which usually start from 8 children up to 20 or more. Total price per participant can include admission, equipment rental (shoes, ropes, harness), belayer hourly fees, lunch, party supplies and cleaning.

For instance, expect group deals (admission and equipment rental) with $10..$25 per participant. The typical rock climbing birthday party may cost you between $100..$300 for 8 to 20 children.

Check with your gym and make sure you get at least one certified belayer. For a better ratio of one belayer for every 2-3 climbers, you can either hire additional belayers (for rates starting as low as $10.00 per hour per belayer) or train other people prior to the event, to become certified belayers and assist you when the day comes. A belayer certification lesson can take only 30 minutes and cost just $10.00 per person.

Rock Climbing Birthday Parties are equaly challenging and exciting. They improve the strength of your mind and body. Beside the fun, everyone will get a free lesson on climbing safety and technics and will get at least once the opportunity to reach the top of a vertical wall.

Children, teenagers and adults will return back home with unforgetable sensations and memorable pictures.

Even Martha Stewart had a rock climbing party and featured it on her TV show! She created special invitations, baked a special cake, and had a great time.

Checklist

Usually indoor, wear comfortable clothing and sneakers for the rock climbing. Check if the gym provides indeed renting rock shoes, otherwise children may use their own shoes, which are not always appropriate.

Trying to make it to the top, at Rutgers Rock Climbing Wall

Check who provides clean up, rock shoes (as rental), party supplies, food and beverages. Sometimes the organizing parent is required to do so, but many party packages include these.

Check for and use any possible discount or better deal. For instance, the birthday person may get a free day pass. Or you may order pizza cheaper just because the gym may have a special deal with a third party restaurant. If you already pay membership for rock climbing classes in a dedicated gym, you may also get a discount.

With safety ropes, belayers assist climbers to simultaneously rich the upper part of the wall, at Kehler’s Gymnastics

Check how many belayers are available and already paid from the birthday package. At least one is necessary, but more is better. Most gyms also require the presence of at least one parent for general supervision.

Don’t forget to send and RSVP the liability waivers, signed and returned by each parent or guardian. If strictly required, try to download that form from the web site, print it and include it in each invitation (which sometimes are provided online, by the studios). It would be sad to have children who are not allow to climb and must stay and play around on the floor, just because their parents forgot to sign or return the waiver.