Let your kid be the talk of the school and throw them a rock climbing birthday party! You’ll hear how high they climbed and how much fun they had for months, so much so that you’ll be eager to take them back to the gym to climb more!
Rock climbing birthday parties are an unforgettable experience, they’re how many professional climbers today got their start. Who knows? You could introduce the climbing world to the next Sasha Diguilian!
How to Plan a Rock Climbing Birthday Party
A rock climbing birthday party is similar to taking kids to an arcade or waterpark but with a little more structure involved. The gym staff will be there every step of the way to encourage and keep the children climbing (and the adults, if they so wish).
Step 1. Find out if your child wants to have their birthday party at a rock climbing gym. While it may seem like an objectively excellent idea to you, it’s their birthday; let them choose!
Step 2. Contact your local climbing gym and schedule a birthday party. Gyms recommend contacting them at least a month before any parties because they could be booked depending on the season!
Step 3. Send out the invitations so you can get a headcount for the party! I recommend that each RSVP-er and parent fill out the gym waiver beforehand. (This will save time hanging out at the front desk and allow the kids to get to the climber quicker!)
Step 4. After you have your headcount, re-contact the climbing gym and inform them how many participants will join. They can staff your party to provide ample instruction and assistance accurately.
Step 5. Climb and eat cake! In that order, you shouldn’t eat a lot of cake and immediately try to pull yourself up a tall climbing wall!
What to Expect at a Rock Climbing Birthday Party
You have the gym booked, the guest list is accounted for, and you’re excited for your child to be the talk of the school, but what exactly happens at these parties? Here is a general step-by-step of what a rock climbing birthday party will look like:
- Trained gym staff will gather everyone around and discuss the facility’s safety measures to ensure everybody has fun. This thorough safety briefing will give you peace of mind, allowing you to enjoy the party fully.
- The climbers will be fitted with a pair of climbing shoes and a harness. Each will be sized appropriately for every participant to ensure everybody is secure and comfortable. The climbing shoes are designed to provide a snug fit for better grip, and the harness has safety features to prevent accidental falls. (Tip: Climbing shoes are supposed to be tight-fitting!)
- Climb time! Most gyms will block off a section of their facility that is yours only. You will gain expert instruction from the staff, who will clip you in and out of auto-belays or top ropes and help you reach the top of the wall through belaying and giving advice.
Auto-Belay: An automated belaying device that retracts as a climber ascends and slowly lowers them when they let go of the wall. The kids will find this fascinating, and while daunting at first, it will become super fun quickly!
Top Rope: Top roping is used with a belayer. In this case, the belayer will be the assigned gym staff. As the climber ascends, the belayer takes the rope’s slack and holds it to brake if they fall off the wall. The climber then continues climbing from where they fell off!
- After climbing, everybody gathers in the private area for food, cake, and presents. The gym staff recommends this order of operation because it’s easier to climb when you’re not stuffed full of icing!
Benefits of a Rock Climbing Birthday Party
Besides seeing the awe on the children’s faces when they look at how high the walls are, you can gather in a space and cheer each other on! It doesn’t matter how high anybody climbs- climbing is about encouraging others and having a shared experience. Rock climbing also promotes physical fitness, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.
You’ll witness problem-solving skills in action the entire time your child is on the wall. If they can conquer a climbing wall, what’s stopping them from achieving anything else?
Climbing is a community of collaboration. Kids will automatically start sharing tips for how they made a move to help others get to the top.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your kid and their friends climbing!
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