Why Rock Climbing Is a Great First Date
First dates are nerve-racking enough without the stress of picking the perfect location or activity. Going out to dinner might be fun but too formal for your liking, with too much pressure to keep a conversation going. Going to a movie may seem silly because there's little time for discussion. Top Golf sounds great until you realize you can't golf and spend the whole date feeling embarrassed. The list of first-date ideas and their downfalls can go on and on. So, what activity makes a great first date?
After brainstorming an essential must-haves list based on the gaps in traditional first-date options, the following are the non-negotiables:
- Fun and exciting,
- Don't need prior experience,
- Allows for natural breaks in conversation,
- Demonstrates trustworthiness,
- Highlights communication abilities,
- Provides opportunities to show encouragement,
- Public, social setting,
- It makes for a great second date.
These eight must-haves are a lofty list to ask of a first date, but luckily, one activity checks off all the boxes: rock climbing. For those of you who have never been rock climbing, you may doubt it makes for a great first date. If you are a climber, you may scoff at inviting someone new to your favorite place. To convince you otherwise, here's a deep dive into how rock climbing ticks off all eight must-haves for a first-date activity.
1. The activity is fun and exciting.
Rock climbing is a fun, challenging activity. Testing your physical strength and problem-solving abilities, you’ll leave feeling accomplished. You can pick the difficulty of the climbs you try, so you can challenge yourself as much or as little as you’d like. Most climbing gyms offer two types of climbing: bouldering and top rope. Bouldering involves short walls and crash pads instead of ropes for safety, while top rope involves tall walls with fixed ropes and harnesses for safety. Choose one or both to try on your date. Even better, return for a second date and try the other discipline.
2. You don’t need prior experience.
Despite doubts about your ability to do well climbing, it is a very accessible sport. Indoor rock climbing gyms have climbs of ranging difficulty, with the most manageable climbs
catered to first-time climbers. Many indoor rock gyms also offer staff belays, where you and your date can sign up for an hour of top roping with a designated staff member who will help keep you safe and make progress on climbs. If you don’t want a staff member third-wheeling your date and neither you nor your date know how to top-rope belay, you can always boulder. After a brief boulder orientation from a staff member, you and your date will be left alone to climb and connect.
3. The activity allows for natural breaks in conversation.
Rock climbing perfectly engineers natural, non-awkward breaks in conversation. There's plenty of time to converse and get to know each other while resting between climbs, but when a person begins climbing, you'll have a natural pause in conversation. Alternatively, if the conversation could be more exciting, start climbing. It's the perfect excuse not to talk without being rude. isn't
4. You and your date can demonstrate trustworthiness.
Trust, or a lack thereof, indicates the strength of the relationship. Establishing trust early on can positively impact the future of a relationship. In rock climbing, trust is most applicable to top-roping. When one person is belaying, and the other is climbing, the climber has to trust that their belayer will pay attention to them and catch them if they fall. Although less common, bouldering also provides opportunities to showcase trust. If the boulder has a challenging move, you can ask your date to spot your landing to ensure you don't injure yourself if you fall.
5. You and your date’s communication skills are highlighted.
There's ample opportunity to highlight communication skills, whether checking each other's harnesses are on properly and the climber's knot is tied correctly or discussing the best way to get to the top of a boulder. Communication is at the core of solid relationships. Getting a feel for your date's ability to communicate early on will help dictate the relationship's future.
6. It provides opportunities for both of you to show encouragement.
Going on rock climbing dates will highlight if the other person is positive and encouraging. Cheering on and complimenting other climbers on their efforts is common among climbers, and you'll overhear other climbers encouraging each other. If watching you challenge yourself and encourage doesn't spur your date to share words of encouragement and cheer you on, start looking for a new date.
7. It takes place in a public, social setting.
Choosing a public and social setting for a first date is brilliant. The comfort of having others around in case anything goes awry can bring you peace of mind and ease the nerves, especially if it's your first meeting in person. It also takes any romantic intimacy pressure off and focuses on good conversation, having fun, and getting to know the other person.
8. It makes for a great second date.
If the date goes well, rock climbing is a great activity to circle back to for the first date. You both may fall in love with the sport (and each other) and find a new hobby to do together. Change it up and check out another climbing gym in the area for the same activity but in a new location.
Rock climbing has all the components to make a great first date, so next time you've met someone and are in charge of planning the activity, suggest rock climbing. Another perk is that it's affordable, and if the date goes well, you can continue it and go out for food. Indoor climbing gyms are also open all day, so you can have a morning, mid-day, or evening date, depending on what works best for your schedule. Cheers to a successful first date, and comment below if you've ever gone on a rock climbing date. Feel free to share how it went!
