How to go
What: Urban Krag Climbing Center
Where: 125 Clay St., Dayton
Hours: 1 to 11 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.
Cost: Adult day passes ($14), children 10 and under ($12)
Rental prices: Shoes ($4), harness ($3), helmets ($1), chalk bags ($2)
More info: http://urbankrag.com/index.php
Cold weather has arrived, which means finding fun indoor activities that can help you shed the winter pounds. One such activity is climbing at the Urban Krag Climbing Center. Urban Krag, located on 125 Clay St. in Dayton’s Oregon District neighborhood, has climbing terrain ranging from 28 to 56 feet suitable for beginners and advanced climbers.
“We cater to a fairly wide demographic,” said Karl Williamson, owner of Urban Krag.
Williamson has background is historic renovation and wanted enough space to build a big climbing wall so he decided to renovate the inside of an abandoned church. After 24 months of renovation, the facility opened in November of 1996. On the outside, it still has the appearance of the church it once was.
Aaron Boyd is an avid climber who and regular at the Urban Krag.
“I feel at home there. It is a very relaxing atmosphere with so much freedom to move around and tailor my workout anyway I feel,” Boyd said. “There is so much richness in the climbing experience and I always feel better afterwards. I encourage anyone to try climbing once. It is a pressure-free environment frequented by very supportive and friendly people.”
There are three different types of climbing that Urban Krag teaches. They are lead climbing, bouldering, and top roping. Lead climbing is a more advanced method, which does not include an anchor or a lift system that leads you higher, but a belayer who feeds the climber rope and manages the amount of slack the climber needs. The climber carries a rope with them and attaches it as they climb to clips on the wall.
Bouldering is great for beginners. It involves no rope, harness, or belayer and is done on the smaller walls. Bouldering can still be challenging, however, because of the different angles on the wall. It is a great way to practice for the larger walls.
Top roping is where most beginners start their training. In this technique, the climber is aided by a belayer who feeds the climber rope. This is the easiest course to learn at Urban Krag and paves the way for other techniques.
Urban Krag offers classes for beginners and also for those who want to improve their skills. They also have helpful staff that will help with belay certification if you’re a first time climber, which is $15. Classes are held Tuesday through Sunday from opening until two hours before closing.
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