A fantastic hour conquering fears and climbing crazy walls at Clip n Climb, a fun indoor climbing centre for all ages in Stoke.
You will get a full body work out without even realising it as you are having so much fun. There are 21 walls to choose from ranging in difficulty level. You will find walls to race up with a timer challenge, wobbly ladders to shimmy up and proper boulder climbing walls which make you feel like you are on a cliff face.
After you have managed to reach the top there is only one way to get down. You have to pluck up the courage to let go and jump back. The safety rope then gently lowers you down. Personally this took me a few goes to get the guts to do it. Jumping backwards from 12 meters high isn’t something your body naturally agrees to! My girls however did this without a second thought and were up and down all the walls having so much fun.
When it came to the drop slide my 11 year old rushed over to have her go. Once suited in an overall and helmet she climbed into the Slide and held on tightly to the handle bar which raised her up.
Fearlessly she stayed up until the highest point before letting go resulting in her sliding down with the biggest grin on her face. My 8 year old was a little more hesitant but plucked up courage to at least have a try. She didn’t wait very long till she released her grip to slide down but she was really proud of herself for having a go.
The staff were friendly and very helpful, fitting us with the harnesses and showing us how to clip on and off the walls in the safety briefing. Also, if you needed help at any point, a member of the team would run over and help you attach and unattach to the harness and would give you the encouragement you need to climb the wall.
Climbing is great for physical fitness but also great for building confidence and self esteem. The colourful and interesting walls really add to the fun and the second we had to finish our session my girls were asking to come back again which is always a good sign.
Afterwards we went to the “Basecamp” cafe. This is upstairs on a balcony so you have a great view of the climbing walls. It’s a brilliant place to watch your children climbing if they are more independent or to sit and relax with a drink or snack after your climb. This is also where you will find their large party room.
