UKC

Hello there my son and i are thinking about doing a wall climbing intro course. My son is 7 and loves climbing me (dad) wants to get doing some activities with my son but my only worry is that i maybe to heavy as i weight 140kg. My question is am i to heavy to learn to climb. Am hoping it will help me lose some weight. I thought i would as the question before booking then having to see my sons upset thar dad can't join in the climbing. Thanks 

In reply to Shanes:

I think that climbing is about power to weight ratio. At 140kg I think that you would be restricted to easier routes of which there are many brilliant ones. Last year I got back into climbing after some years away and it motivated me to lose weight. I was 16 stone but got down to 13 stone. It made a big difference to my climbing.  Another issue would be finding a climbing partner who could hold a fall, particularly a lead fall.

In reply to Shanes:

Six foot four, 20 stone. I did a course at the local wall and enjoyed it, visit the wall from time to time. Im never going to win awards or do anything more challenging than basic stuff but I still enjoy it. Be a great bonding experience with your son and even if you don't break record's you WILL see a bit of improvement the more you do it.

Try it. What's the worst that can happen? 

In reply to Shanes:

Go for it. I am 20 kg lighter than you and managed to get as far as leading 6B+ indoors on vertical walls though I will admit overhangs were hard.

Just take your time and build up slowly, it's easy for us big guys to push too hard and get injured. 

In reply to Shanes:

You are not too heavy to start climbing. It'll be a great thing to share with your son, go for it.

Naturally you will be putting additional strain on some muscles, so bear this in mind and take it easy and look for slab routes to start with if the wall has any.

Also, it is likely you will need a chest harness or full body harness. Maybe worth flagging this up with the wall / instructor prior to starting.

Enjoy

In reply to Shanes: the weight limit on an auto belay is 150kg (they are like inertia reel/seat belt devices some climbing walls use) so definitely not.

I’d say definitely give it a go, going climbing with your kids is great fun.

if you are still unsure just give your local wall a ring and have a chat with them about it.

Edit: the downvoter on your post is clearly a muppet.

In reply to Dax H:

I also found other people at both the wall and out on crags to be very supporting. 

In reply to all:

A nice, supportive thread. 

In reply to Herdwickmatt:

Bit unfair on muppets, to be honest 😂

In reply to Shanes:

On the off chance your in the North West, I'm planning to get down to Stockport soon with the grand daughter, if you need a chunky belayer after your course.

In reply to Shanes:

Thats fantastic thank you so much its put my mind at ease. 

In reply to Shanes:

Climbing is suitable for every size, shape and ability, you will love the experience of climbing with your son. If in doubt pop along to the wall and they should be happy for you to step onto the wall to get a feel for it.

Stiffer shoes certainly help with the smaller footholds you will be using but you will be fine to start with. And remember to push with your legs more instead of pulling with your arms too much to move up.

In reply to Shanes:

140kg is fairly heavy...I am about that at the moment, but I can just about drag myself up a 5b, so I think you will be OK.  Just worth checking the centre doesn't have a weight limit (though the gear itself would be fine).

In reply to ThunderCat:

Assuming the wall is OK with their use, if the OP is going to climb more often I can't recommend an Edelrid Ohm enough.  I can lead perfectly safely with a belayer half my weight (he says it feels like belaying a normal sized person).  They also work on top rope though the rope can get a bit in the way.

In reply to Shanes:

Your son will look back with fondness, and you might enjoy yourself to boot.

In reply to Shanes:

Going back about 10-15 years ago, a couple of guys I shared an office with asked me if I would take them climbing, I guess my enthusiasm for it must have been infectious! One of them was as skinny as a rake. The other guy, I don't know how much he weighed, but I would guess it wasn't far off your weight.

They both got really into it, bought all the gear and progressed to leading routes at crags and then in the mountains. The big guy visibly lost quite a bit of weight, and that gave him an extra advantage as his strength to weight ratio improved a lot more dramatically than the skinny guy. Another thing I've noticed of heavier climbers is that they often have better footwork. Skinny folk can often get away with hauling themselves up steep routes despite poor technique. Heavier folk need to develop better technique to keep their weight off their arms as much as possible.

So, don't worry about your weight, just, as others have said, start with slabbier routes, and focus on trying to keep your weight over your feet as much as possible. And I'm sure your instructor will tell you this, but make sure to get your belayer to clip into a sandbag or two so you don't meet each other halfway up the wall!

In reply to Shanes:

I started climbing with my 10-yr-old son 12 years ago, knowing that I was no good at any sort of exercise and was obviously just going to give it a go for a couple of weeks to encourage him and then drop out and watch him progress.

How wrong I was! And how life-changing those nervous first attempts proved to be.

It will be several years before your son is big enough to belay an adult (the Reading wall doesn't let kids belay independently till they are 14), so it will be auto-belays or find a mate to climb with while he does his class - but he'll be able to climb as a three with you and a friend quite soon.

Another shout out for the Ohm (the unit of resistance!) - I climb with a friend who is quite a bit heavier than I am and the Ohm is a comfort to us both.

In reply to Shanes:

Not too heavy to climb, but it's not much fun when you are overweight. I have been there and done it. Lose weight, dial gravity down, and it's all easier and more fun and less frightening.

In reply to Godwin:

Being that sort of weight at the moment I'd certainly say it wasn't as much fun as being a bit lighter (though I've always been a fair heavyweight, just not quite *this* heavy), but it hasn't felt any more frightening per-se, it's just knocked me down a grade or two.

One notable thing I can't do at the moment which can be useful is a one-legged squat.  I've never been able to do pull-ups properly so have always had to use my feet more.

OK, there'd be no point in me placing a microwire,  but I'm not sure there ever was!

Nope not at all too heavy to climb.  Give it a go. I lost around 16% off my body weight after I got back into climbing in my late 50s.   Just don't over do it.  Your muscles may gain strength quite quickly but, as I understand it, your tendons will need time to gain strength. 

In reply to Shanes:

https://www.patagonia.com/stories/higher-ground/story-101686.html

https://www.climbing.com/people/climbing-for-every-body/

The above chap was 300lbs when he started (roughly the same as you).

There's loads of positive cases of larger folk getting into climbing. One of the few positives of social media is that you can see a lot of stuff like that (there's a guy on the chunkier side who has documented his journey; forget the name). 

Do it.

In reply to Shanes:

You're not too heavy but. Assuming you're not a 7ft ex pro-wrestler you're probably not going to find it easy to begin with or easy on your joints in the longer run if you don't shed some of the weight once you get into it. You should definitely give it a go, see how you get on. It's cracking exercise and most walls will have plenty of easier stuff to be going at to begin with. Climbing is all about getting as much of your weight onto your feet as possible, keep that in mind and it's basically very steep stairs

I would suggest you consider bouldering. Given the big mismatch between your weight and your son's you'll be limited in what you can ultimately do together safely on a rope but at a bouldering wall you'll be able to climb together as much as you like.

In case you're not sure, bouldering is climbing without ropes to a height you can fall safely from. Indoor walls have thick padding, it's very accessible and great fun.

jk

In reply to PaulJepson:

 https://www.climbing.com/people/climbing-for-every-body/

Thanks for sharing that, good stuff!

jk

In reply to Shani:

Doesn't it make you feel great to be a climber? For all our flaws and bickering on forums, we're mostly a good group of people. 

A lot of people are apprehensive about giving it a go but I reckon virtually all climbers would encourage anyone to do it. I feed off the energy of new people getting into it, regardless of their ability or body-shape. The psych is totally addictive, It's not all gatekeeping and burning each other off. One of my favourite beginners course experiences was a middle-aged woman who was desperate to try climbing because she enjoyed scrambling around on rocks by the seaside on holiday. Husband and kids weren't interested so she was there on her own. 

In reply to Shanes:

This article, from a regular at my local wall, might be worth a read: https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/an_interview_with_a_fat_old_cl...

Gordon also documents his journey on Instagram.

You are absolutely not too heavy - just build up slowly. But, most of all, enjoy yourself!