Hey guys,
I live near Taipei City Hall MRT and was wondering where the nearest indoor and outdoor rock climbing centers are (and if the outdoors ones in Taiwan are considered safe).
Cheers,
Alex
outdoor climbing ‘centres’? real rocks are as safe as you make them. there are a couple of outdoor climbing walls, again they are as safe as you make them. there is one in the riverside sports area just north of Min Quan Rd as it crosses the Jilong river. there is another crappy square wall up the end of BinLang Street, Xindian, under the expressway overpass. none of these have permanent protection, you have to solo or lead climb it first to get a rope up top.
don’t trust most bolts, especially top anchors. back up to a tree or large thing uphill.
need gear? PM me.
indoor climbing centres are generally not bad. they will make you go through a belay test before use. Y17, beitou sports centre, etc.
The new Community Sports Center in Neihu has a very large, very impressive outdoor wall. It was built to meet international competition regulations, so safety of the wall itself should be reasonably assured. There is a broad range of other options around the city, some more tightly controlled (and well-maintained) than others.
Real climbing on real rock (next to a real ocean, no less) is less than an hour away, as you probably already know. More on Long Dong at http://www.climbstone.com or feel free to PM me.
Reminds me of this story a pal told me. he and a friend were rock climbing, I think in Elephant Mountain or somewhere around it, when this old guy in blue flip-flops stepped up ahead of them, and engaged in the usual conversation: where are you from, how long have you been in Taiwan, do you have a girlfriend?..etc… while these guys hung on for dear life and gasped for breath…