The Project Climbing Centre in Poole

I am very proud of our local area and all the facilities it has to offer so when I was approached to review The Project Climbing Centre in Poole I was embarrassed to admit I didn’t know it was there.

The Project Climbing Centre is hidden away in Poole Dolphin Centre where the old Sports Centre used to be and boasts an incredible area for climbing, with over 1500 square metres of floor space and 10 metres of height.

Currently there is over 300 metres of bouldering and a modest training area but plans are afoot to add more. There are also lots of smaller studios offering activities such as Yoga, Circus Skills, Weight Lifting and the Parkour Project which is free-running to layman like me.

Although they take climbers as young as 4 years old I made the decision to leave Isaac at home and took Hubby, his brother Mark and Kian along to try out the climbing walls. We had no idea what to expect when we got there but were warmly welcomed when we arrived in reception. Reading and signing the registration form did make us laugh nervously at some of the wording which included the words serious injury and death, and we were then given some proper climbing shoes to wear.

We were introduced to Martin who was going to take us through the Boulder Induction Course, which is obligatory  if you would like to use The Project Climbing Centre but have never climbed before. The course is an hour-long session and focuses on how to use the climbing walls safely.

Martin walked us around the walls and explained what each one was and then showed us some of the other training facilities they had for climbers before making us warm up before we started our climb training which involved running, stretching, press ups and a rather strange monkey walk race. Hearts beating a bit faster it was time to begin.

We went to the training wall and were invited try to climb up and then back down again. Impressively the boys all made it straight to the top and back down again, although with the absence of harnesses they were a lot more careful than they would have been without. There are padded mats on the floor but you are not advised to jump down from the wall.

My brief attempt was short-lived thanks to arthritis in my feet so I decided to concentrate on watching. First climbs done and it was time to be shown how to use the special shoes were were wearing as they have rubber edges either side to help grip onto the climbing wall holds. We were also shown each different type of hold and how to use it effectively and were then challenged to climb again and use our centre of gravity to balance on the wall with just our legs. Knowing how to use the equipment certainly made the climbing easier for the boys although finding their centre of gravity wasn’t as easy as Martin made it look.

Their confidence was now building and they were eager to try out some of the more tricky walls, some with more success than others. One thing we did find was that jeans are not the best clothes to wear and shorts or tracksuit bottoms would have made things easier.

I always assume climbing is about getting to the top of the wall, but you cannot sit on top of most of these ones. They do have one set where you can climb on top and take in your surroundings and the boys were soon racing up and down that one.

Our training was almost over but Martin had one more thing for us to try – the Slack Line. Climbing is all about balance and mastering the slack line is a real skill.  I have to admit this was my favourite part of the whole evening and is far more difficult than it looks. The boys soon had a competition going to see who could walk the furthest along. (I did make it all the way across although may have had some help *cough*)

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm, Maverick Slacklines hold their Slackline club which is open to both beginners like us and experienced tricksters for just £1 extra.  We watched in awe as one young man literally bounced from standing to sitting, to lying down and back again, spinning as he did it.  He then came over and gave us some advice about how to get our balance.

It was now time for Martin to leave us to our own devices, but we knew where he was if we needed any further help.  Hubby, Mark and Kian headed off to find some more climbing challenges whilst I explored the rest of the facilities.

There were lots of sessions going on in some of the other studios and the ladies doing the silks and rings in the circus skills session were very impressive. The Parkour free running looks fun too and I know Kian would love to give it a go.

If you are not the energetic type there is also a lovely cafe that overlooks the climbing walls. It has a lovely warm ambience with fairy lights, comfy sofa’s, games for kids and adults to play and even jigsaws to complete. I did have my eye on some delicious cupcakes, but was good as was heading home for dinner shortly.

The Project Climbing Centre is open from 12pm-9pm Monday to Friday and from 10am-8pm at weekends and is very reasonable priced at just £7 per adult and £5 per child and you can stay all day if you want to. There is also a one-off registration fee of £3. (Please note that new climbers have to take the Introductory course which costs £20).

The Project Climbing Centre also run various courses for all ages and abilities with their fully qualified instructors and have clubs for junior climbers to work on their climbing skills.

For more information on these and all the sessions in their studios visit www.theprojectclimbingcentre.co.uk/ or like them on facebook and follow them on twitter @ProjectClimbUK.

We will definitely be back for more climbing fun, although I will watch from the comfort of the cafe!