Top of the World

Rockville Climbing Center in Hamilton offers a safe and easy environment to enjoy indoor rock climbing, the most active of the extreme sports.

By:Jim Boyle
   I am not extreme. I have never leaped out of a plane, nor have I jumped from a bridge with a rubber band attached to my ankles. I tried skateboarding once, with disastrous results. If they ever decide to make channel-surfing an extreme sport, I’m a shoo-in for a multi-million-dollar endorsement deal with Sony.
   Keeping this in mind, it was with a heavy heart, and a heavier stomach, that I traveled to the Rockville Climbing Center in Hamilton. Opened on May 14, the new facility specializes in indoor rock climbing, an activity that has grown in popularity in recent years.
   Rockville Climbing Center resides in a converted warehouse on Whitehead Road. It has two main walls, each 32 feet high, with 7,000 square feet of climbing space.
   There is also a small area of 10- to 12- foot walls used for bouldering. This activity, as described by Clay Tyson, the director of marketing and program development, is a warm-up for the bigger walls. Bouldering is performed without the help of ropes and harnesses.
   "It is a very challenging aspect of climbing," says Mr. Tyson. "It has become its own separate sport."
   Bouldering is one of the three climbing techniques practiced at Rockville. Lessons are offered for the other two, lead climbing and belaying. Belaying requires two people. One climbs while the other secures the top rope, which runs up the climbing route, over an anchor point and down to a harness worn by the partner. If the climber slips, the partner catches the rope and prevents injury. Lead climbing, on the other hand, is more of a solo technique. It is performed without a top rope. Instead, the climber attaches a rope to the harness and uses carabiners, or clips, to remain secure.
   "When beginners come in, we get them going within an hour," says Mr. Tyson, who has been climbing for seven years. "Even the ones who are tentative at first, by the end of the day, they are all climbing all over the place. If you take a belaying lesson, the next time you come in you can take a test and get certified."
   The idea for the Rockville Climbing Center sprung from the minds of Michael Fortunato, who began climbing five years ago, and his wife, Remi.
   "Three years ago, I was traveling around Europe and going to different climbing centers," says Mr. Fortunato, who grew up in Montclair. "I also went to a couple on the West Coast. The thing I noticed was that each one was busy. One year later I had a business plan for a professionally managed facility.
   "There are centers in North and South Jersey, but none in Central Jersey, creating a huge gap of 50-60 miles. So, I chose Mercer County as my location. We’re the only game in town."
   Mr. Fortunato separates indoor rock climbing from the rest of the extreme sports for a number of reasons.
   "It’s an active sport that challenges you physically, spiritually and mentally," he says. "When you jump out of a plane, there’s a thrill, but after you jump, you pull the cord and that’s it. With rock climbing, problem solving is involved. You have to figure out where to put your feet, which hand-holds are going to help you up.
   "It’s also the only sport that a 3-year-old and a 60-year-old can do. We also eliminated the danger of outdoor rock climbing."
   For, those interested in moving to outdoor climbing, Rockville offers a course.
   The only prior time I wall climbed was at the Pennsylvania State Fair two years ago. It wasn’t actually a wall, but more of a column. The ropes were secured at the top while a guy with a three-pack-a-day habit and an eighth-grade education reassured me I was perfectly safe in my harness. Bottom line, in the time it took me to struggle up the beginner’s level, a 14-year-old girl scampered up the intermediate and expert levels. Not my proudest moment.
   This was my chance for redemption. I strapped on the harness and fed the rope through. With Mr. Fortunato as my belayer, I approached the wall. Each foothold and handhold is marked with a color, indicating a specific route. The routes have different degrees of difficulty. I chose an easy one to warm up. It was like climbing a ladder. I reached the top in less than five minutes.
   Mr. Fortunato, thoroughly impressed, pointed me toward one of the tougher routes. This one had a curve jutting out and extremely tiny handholds and footholds. It seemed like a route that could only be climbed by somebody with a first name "Spider" and last name "man."
   I got to where the wall angled out. I reached desperately for the handholds while trying to find a good place to set my foot. My fingertips brushed along the plastic before I slipped and was guided safely down by Mr. Fortunato. My arms were dead tired. They were so numb, I couldn’t tie my shoe. My heart pounded like a jackhammer. Whatever I was doing, my body didn’t like it, and it was going to punish me.
   I got up and went again.
Rockville Climbing Center, 200 Whitehead Road, Hamilton, is open Mon.-Fri. 3-10 p.m., Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m. Day passes: $13 adult, $8 for 12 and under. $29 introductory climbing package includes a belay instruction class, day pass, equipment rental and a free day pass for a return visit. For information on group rates, membership packages and birthday party rates, call (609) 631-7625. On the Web: www.rockvilleclimbing.com