My life lately has revolved around work, gym, and home. It has become a mundane routine that I wanted something new to break it. So, I tried bouldering at Rock On Boulder Gym in Ayala Malls Central Bloc. Rock...
My life lately has revolved around work, gym, and home. It has become a mundane routine that I wanted something new to break it. So, I tried bouldering at Rock On Boulder Gym in Ayala Malls Central Bloc.
Rock On Boulder Gym is a premium boulder gym and the newest craze in town. Everyone is welcome here regardless if you are a pro climber, an enthusiast, or a complete novice like me. We went there on a Saturday afternoon and it was surprisingly not jam-packed.
We were asked to register and sign a waiver. This is required for all first-time visitors at Rock On. We paid the entry and shoe rental fees, and then, we were given our shoes and locker keys. After we were settled, one of their staff briefed us on the rules and fundamentals of bouldering before using the gym.
For our warm-up, we started with the Junior Wall to familiarize ourselves with the basics of bouldering with the beginner-friendly routes. The Junior Wall is actually the designated wall for kids for them to explore the adventures of bouldering. And yes, Rock On Boulder Gym welcomes kids 6 years old and above. However, they must be accompanied or supervised by a guardian at all times. For young guests aged 13-17, their guardians may only be present upon sign-up.
We wanted to challenge ourselves so we went to The U zone. This is the perfect spot if you want to take the intermediate routes so you can learn more about climbing and improve your skills. There are a variety of routes in this section and there are some tricky ones, too. I attempted a few but failed. Others were successful sends and I am proud of myself considering that it was my first time to do this kind of activity. Perhaps working out did me a huge favor that I had enough full body strength to accomplish some intermediate routes.
There are two more zones at the gym — The Cave and Pump Zone — which are the more advanced walls that will really push you to your limit. We tried a few routes at The Cave but then again, we failed. We have yet to practice more because they're no easy feat. We watched a few advanced climbers and there were some routes that they were not successful at, too. But they were so fun and amazing to watch with all their tricks and techniques that we wanted to achieve their level of skills at climbing. One day, perhaps.
Entry to the gym is valid for the whole day so you can take a break outside, grab some food, and then go back to the gym. They have well-maintained dressing and wash rooms, which is good. We had so much fun climbing that we're now considering getting multi-entry passes moving forward. I think I may have found a new hobby with bouldering.
Rock On Boulder Gym
Address: 2nd level Ayala Malls Central Bloc (beside Mr. DIY)Opening hours: Monday-Thursday 10AM-9PM, Friday-Sunday 10AM-10PM
Wesbite: www.rockon.ph