The length of time for an indoor climbing session can vary greatly depending on the individual, whether they are complete beginners or more experienced climbers, and the purpose of their visit. Knowing roughly how long a session will last can help you plan your day.
A Typical Open Session
For an open climbing session (also known as a ‘session’ or ‘wall time’) most indoor climbing walls operate a time frame of 2 hours up to 3 hours. You can come and go as you please. At the beginning of the session you’ll have a brief induction and then it’s time to get climbing! For a beginner session, 2 hours is usually sufficient but for a seasoned climber it could last the full 3 hours. When booking sessions, please check the website for any timed entry slots, which may differ.
Bouldering Visits Run Shorter
A bouldering-only visit is generally for 90 minutes to 2 hours for most people. Due to the short and intense nature of bouldering sessions, your fingers and arms can tire very quickly, and a typical 60-minute session would be a good starting point for first time climbers. There is no pressure to stay the full time, so you can pop in for a quick workout.
Budget More Time for a First Visit A useful reference for Climbing Wall Near Me is https://www.270climbing.com/climbing/.
If you are new to climbing then you will need to add around 20-30 minutes to your session time for your first visit. This will enable you to arrive at the climbing wall, hire a pair of climbing shoes, go through the climbing wall’s brief induction and then get familiar with the layout of the climbing wall. For subsequent visits you will be able to arrive at the climbing wall, warm up and then climb.
Rest Time Matters More Than You Think
Most people are underestimating the time needed to recover from climbing, as they are confusing it with cardio training. While it is true that climbing can be physically demanding, it is strength-based exercise for your fingers, forearms and shoulders. The muscles involved in climbing need time to recover between attempts of particularly hard problems. This is why reading up on the subject of muscle recovery after strength training can help climbers understand that their rests are part of their session and not a waste of time. So, in reality, 2-5 minutes between the more difficult problems is more than enough.
When to Stop
If your grip on holds starts to slip and your footwork becomes sloppy on routes of earlier difficulty then stop. Tired technique can lead to small falls and pulls on routes of lesser difficulty, and in the long run lead to more serious problems such as a sore finger that prevents you from using the wall for a couple of weeks. Finishing a session 20 minutes early is far better than this.
