Last month, I tried rock climbing for the first time and I enjoyed it. I had a two-week unlimited pass and went as much as I could with my schedule. I realized that it was a great physical workout and it released a lot of built-up anxious energy whenever I went.In the few weeks I’ve been doing it, I already improve a lot since the first time and am tackling a lot of Level 8 courses at Basecamp. I love that there are levels so that there is always a goal to beat next time.

The trial two weeks ended but I decided to continue, so I bought a 10-pass as well as my own equipment to keep myself motivated. I couldn’t resist getting everything in pink.

I went to MEC for all my gear. I spent over an hour and a half trying different things on. When I picked out my shoes, I tried all sorts: cheapest, most expensive, laces, velctro etc. I tried each of them on their test climbing wall to see how it felt on my toes. My feet tend to be kind of fat so my toe comfort is important. However, most shoes are built to be compact, so they will feel squished no matter what. I settled on a pair of moderately priced Five Ten Rogue’s because they felt the best. 

I also tried on a bunch of harnesses and settled on the Petzl Selena Harness in XS. While I was at the gym, I found I took forever to put harnesses on because they were generally too big, but this one is specifically for females and had a super small size that was comfortable. Plus, it is pink!

I bought a normal chalk ball, which was recommended for normal hand sweat. I think there was a different one for those that sweat a lot. 

And a cute bag to match my harness!