Some places in the world don’t have a lot in the way of mountains so they have to make their own. This arcing tower in The Netherlands, where half of the land is either just below sea level in land reclaimed from rivers and the sea, or just over sea level. The Klimcentrum Bjoeks climbing center in Groningen, Netherlands  looks like an awesome place to get what you can’t get nearby.

Excalibur climbing wall in the netherlands
Excalibur climbing wall in the netherlands

Click over to this post on S-Trip for 4 more awesome looking artificial climbing structures.

Artificial bouldering and big wall in Reno, NV

Reno, NV sits at the east slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains below Lake Tahoe and is no stranger to both big mountains, and big towering rocks for climbing. But, for those of us who are city bound for part of our days and weeks, the Base Camp climbing walls and bouldering towers at Comm Row are an awesome in town getaway. Built on the bones of the former Fitsgeralds Casino in Downtown Reno, Comm Row is a non-smoking climbing, dining, drinking and concert center. The three components aren’t really linked well. Dining is on the first floor, climbing on the second with a belay balcony over the sidewalk of Virginia Street, and the concerts are at Cargo on the third floor.

 

The Highest Climbing Wall in The World
Comm Row: The Highest Climbing Wall in The World in Reno, NV. Photo Credit: UNR Photography

The outdoor climbing wall in Reno is touted as the worlds tallest man-made climbing wall at 165 feet which is 50 meters, which is the old school length of a pitch, or one full standard rope length. [Ropes are generally 60m or 196 feet these days, some are even 70m (229 feet)]

Lowering off the tallest climbing wall in the world above the Reno Arch
Lowering off the tallest climbing wall in the world above the Reno Arch

The outdoor wall is broken up into a lower wall with a number of routes of varying difficulty, lead climbs, top ropes and auto belays, and the two top walls that have several overhangs. I’ve been up the big wall once. While you could climb the whole thing in one pitch with a single 60 meter rope, set an anchor at the top and belay up a second, or set up a double rope top-rope, the procedure is to treat it like a 2 pitch climb with a belay at the top of the first wall. It turns it into a really fun mini adventure for an experienced climber. Unfortunately, novice and new climbers will not be able to climb the upper wall at all as you need to be certified for multi-pitch climbing. And really, climbing this is no different than climbing a real rock in that regard. You have to know what you are doing.

Indoor bouldering at Base Camp @ Comm Row
Indoor bouldering at Base Camp @ Comm Row

Base Camp Indoor Bouldering

The indoor bouldering is pretty awesome as well with two towers of about 5m in height with a super soft crash bad that lets you climb, and fall with impunity. There is about 7000 square feet of climbing space inside, including the two towers and the small kids climbing room. The kids climbing has the same holds and wall material and padding, but is lower and much easier. Should be a great place to introduce my son to climbing in another year or so.

Base Camp Kids Room
Base Camp Kids Room

 

Definitely check out Comm Row in Reno with your kids when you’re in down, or passing through. It’s definitely worth a stop.

Also check out these other cool things to do in Reno and Lake Tahoe.

-M

 

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