Has the heat got you climbing the walls? Luckily, there are man-made cliffs all around the city where you can make like Spider-Man without breaking a sweat – mostly because most of these places are indoors and air-conditioned.
And one of them is even free!
For just a $25 deposit, which covers the special climbing shoes, kids 8 and older can spend a couple of hours testing their strength at Central Park’s North Meadow Recreation Center.
Ron Boerke, the center’s program manager, says climbing is a terrific form of exercise – one that helps build strength in all the muscle groups and improves flexibility and coordination.
But it’s also a mental workout, involving strategy and presence of mind.
“As a climber, you’ve really got to map out your route,” Boerke says.
Better still, it’s one form of exercise most children enjoy.
“Kids just like to climb in general,” he says.
Central Park’s wall is covered in colorful foot- and hand-holds that let you navigate a path from one end of the room to the other, a distance of about 20 yards – before taking a chimp-like swing in the overhang at the end.
John Accardi of Manhattan brought his four kids along the other day, all of them in high spirits following the birth of their new brother the day before.
Marco, 11, crawled nimbly around one of the sharper turns, his eye on the moves of some older boys, while his father watched.
“He progressed a lot,” said Accardi, “from not being able to get up high when he first came in, to making it all the way to the top.”
Marco had only been climbing a couple of times before, but he was scaling the 12-foot rockface like a pro. His 8-year-old brother Eric had bumped his ankle after one daredevil drop from the wall, but it was a minor setback, and he was back out there.
“I like the feel of the rocks,” he said.
His sister Victoria, 10, agreed, and said she’d like to come back and try it again some time.
“It’s really fun,” she said. “It’s kind of exciting getting to the top, but climbing down is the hardest.”
Their little brother, Luke – too young to climb at just 3 – enjoyed it as a spectator sport.
The Central Park Conservancy, which runs the open climbing program, also sponsors climbing classes. These take place outdoors and let you literally learn the ropes and other equipment.
These classes are free, too, but you’ve got to sign up for them ahead of time. (See sidebar.)
You’ll also need to sign up for open climbing at the Chelsea Piers Field House, where many climbers often come with their nannies in tow.
Climbing is more complex here: At 30 feet, the wall is much higher than Central Park’s, and you’ll climb with the aid of ropes and harnesses held – or belayed, as the climbing term goes – by gym instructors.
This means more individual attention for each child, bigger thrills – and a $20 fee for an hour and a half on the wall.
The nannies (and parents) don’t need to stick around, either: They just sign a waiver and leave the kids in the capable hands of the Chelsea Piers instructors.
At the Manhattan Plaza Gym, parents can learn to belay and help their own child scale the heights of the Midtown gym’s 30-foot wall.
A quick lesson from one of the gym instructors will get you registered as a trained parent, and you can come back any time and practice as a family.
Parents must accompany any kids younger than 13, but 14-year-olds can come alone, with a waiver form, and learn to climb using ropes.
Children can also do a rope-free climb in the club’s cave course, where thick mats protect their fall.
ExtraVertical on the Upper West Side has both an indoor and an outdoor wall – which, at 50 feet, is the city’s highest.
A selection of ropes and paths along the wall provides variety and a range of challenges to suit every climber.
Parents and children over 13 can learn to belay, and once you’re certified, a day pass will set you back only $15.
Otherwise, it’s $10 for your first climb, belayed by one of the climbing instructors.
For those who develop a taste for vertical thrills, there are a range of classes to help you reach superhero status. So whatever your age or ability, there’s a wall somewhere in the city with your name on it.
Where to find the heights
Here’s where kids can get a foothold on a great new activity. Most places require you to book ahead, so call the phone numbers below – and expect to sign a waiver for climbers under 18.
* North Meadow Recreation Center, Central Park at 79th Street
Ages: 8 and up
Hours: Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Cost: Free (with $25 refundable deposit)
Information: http://www.centralparknyc.org or call (212) 348-4967
* Chelsea Piers Field House, West Side Highway at 23rd Street
Ages: 4 and up
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: $20 per session; reserve ahead with credit card: (212) 336-6500
Information: http://www.chelseapiers.com
* Manhattan Plaza Gym, 482 E. 43rd St.
Ages: 6 and older
Hours: Monday through Friday, 12:30 to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
Cost: $10 for a youth day pass, $40 for a parent and two children, includes an hour-long lesson (book ahead)
Information: (212) 563-7001
* ExtraVertical, Broadway between 62nd and 63rd streets
Ages: 5 and older
Hours: Monday through Friday, 2 to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
Cost: $10 for first climb, $5 each additional climb
Information: (212) 586-5718, http://www.extravertical.com for a schedule of kids’ classes