![\"Climbers](\"https:\/\/missionvalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/IMG_1985webtop.jpg\")
<\/a>People of all ages and backgrounds come to Mesa Rim to test the walls, the tallest of which is 55 feet high in Mission Valley and 52 feet high in Mira Mesa.<\/p>\n
In Mission Valley, the gym offers youth and recreational programs for children ages 4 to 18, but also attracts climbers in their late 60s. While some train to compete, many others take on the rock walls for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to break into climbing because it seems like it\u2019s really hard if you don\u2019t know the techniques and you\u2019re not used to it,\u201d said Alexis Diller, senior coordinator for promotional communications. \u201cWe help create a community that cheers you on, even if it\u2019s your first time,\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosie Bates, head coach at Mesa Rim, describes it as a \u201clifestyle sport\u201d in which anyone in the family can try. Loud, upbeat music fills the expansive space, and climbers laugh and joke in between their time on the wall.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s more to Mesa Rim than just rock climbing. The center offers a wide range of facilities, including bouldering \u2014 an equipment-free style of climbing \u2014 training walls, treadmills, stationary bicycles, weights, weekly free fitness classes, yoga classes, a party room and a gift shop, all of which are included in a membership.<\/p>\n
The gym even switches the placement of the walls\u2019 handgrips every few weeks to keep the facility dynamic. Bates said the gym aims to help their members and visitors master the walls they work on, but also challenge them with new pathways.<\/p>\n Mesa Rim members have the option of attending more than 24 yoga classes throughout the week. Bates said most members \u2014 and usually more men than women \u2014 practice yoga in addition to climbing because of the added mental and physical discipline in balance.<\/p>\n \u201cClimbing\u2019s a really cool sport in that there\u2019s just as many women almost as men pushing the limits and getting stronger, and so the gender roles in a lot of ways don\u2019t play as big a part,\u201d Bates said. \u201cGoing to yoga they just see as another aspect to … becoming a better climber.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the 25-year-old coach, it\u2019s normal for people who once considered themselves only a yogi or only a climber to eventually attempt the other to enhance their skills.<\/p>\n The rock-based sport has expanded immensely in recent years and might even make it to the 2020 Olympics, Bates said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe facilities have grown quite a bit … the climbing gyms have been popping up all over the country and [have gained] popularity because of that,\u201d she said. \u201cThe youth kids programs are facilitating this growth of … a family environment, so the whole family will come in and climb.\u201d<\/p>\n The growth is evident in the numbers: Three years ago, seven kids participated on Mesa Rim\u2019s youth team, which has since grown to 90 kids in 2016, Diller said.<\/p>\n Indoor gyms like Mesa Rim have increased in popularity, she said, due to amplified media exposure and the inaccessibility of outdoor rock climbing venues nearby.<\/p>\n \u201cClimbing gyms are kind of the logical first step in a lot of ways for people who are living in a city,\u201d Bates said.<\/p>\n<\/a>