A popular hobby many Koreans are picking up is rock climbing. Thus, the number of rock climbing gyms are starting to increase. The landscape of Korea is great for rock climbing. There are many mountains that offer climbers great spots to climb while enjoying the lush beauty of the nature around them. However, before being able to rock climb out in nature, one should train indoors. Some of my friends took up this hobby while living in Korea and invited me to join.
The rock climbing gym I visited was by Nambu Bus Terminal Station (orange line 3). It’s called Gate 1 Climbing. Their monthly fee is 110,000 won. A lot of rock climbing gyms in Gangnam have similar monthly fees, but Gate 1 is about 20,000 won below the average. A day pass is 20,000 won. You can rent shoes for 3,000 won. I will add the address and other information about Gate 1 at the bottom.
Due to the real estate in Seoul, rock climbing gyms tend to not offer very high courses, but it doesn’t make it any less fun. If anything, I prefered it. It was my first time and I didn’t want to get stick up high if I got to the topic and feared jumping off. I didn’t have any issue though.
A tip for anyone new to rock climbing and to fitness in general, you will get tired fast if you don’t have some upper body strength. I stayed at the gym for an hour and a half, taking only a few breaks. But I have a lot of upper body strength from my weight training hobby. My friends were impressed with how long I climbed. Most others that they had convinced to climb could only make a few attempts before calling it a day. The shoes are tight, because of the way that you have to put a lot of your weight on your toes when climbing, so just take many short rests when you take your shoes off. I recommend taking some chalk powder for your hands. After a few climbs, your hands may get a bit moist, thus the chalk helps keep your hands dry. Then, you can comfortably keep climbing. It really worked for me. Overall, the experience was fun. I look forward to doing it again. While in South Korea, try it out! New experiences are great. Also, it’s a great way to meet and connect with locals.
Name: 게이트원 클라이밍 (Gate 1 Climbing)
Address: 서울 서초구 서초대로26길 3 방배동 897-1 B1
Hours: 11:00AM - 10:00PM
Giselle Moreno is from California, USA where she attended the University of California, Riverside. While a student, she always worked with international students and she decided to teach English abroad upon graduating during her third year of university. It was through the experiences of being an English tutor for international students that she felt really fulfilled. She found it particularly easy to get along with Korean students which is why she decided to pursue a teaching opportunity in Korea. She even attended Yonsei University in Seoul for a semester as a study abroad student and fell in love with the city. She is currently working at ChungDahm Learning’s April Daechi branch located in Gangnam, Seoul.