Choate students visit Rock Spot Climbing for their winter afternoon activity.
By Constanza Aportela ’24
In the heart of Wallingford is Rock Spot Climbing, where the walls are filled with colorful handholds that stretch to the ceiling. Located on 340 Quinnipiac Street, the gym is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
According to Rock Spot Climbing’s website, they offer “35 top rope stations, 14,000 square feet of climbing walls, and more than 60 boulder problems.” The gym also provides a variety of programming, from youth climbing classes to various community events and competitions.
The Program Manager at Rock Spot Climbing Ms. Chloe Kirk said, “We’re going to be doing a crate stacking competition in March. Any kind of programming that happens at the gym, I just make sure it’s organized, staffed, and that everyone has a fun time climbing.”
Rock Spot Climbing also hosts Choate students for their afternoon activity during the winter and spring terms. According to Rock Climbing Coach and Math teacher Mr. Jeremy Oliver, the sport started at Choate because of a “very generous donor who was really into rock climbing and the collaborative community and culture surrounding it.” Mr. Oliver continued, “He donated a whole bunch of money for Choate to build a climbing wall in the Maguire Gym.”
Although the donated walls remain today, they were too time-consuming to maintain, so Choate partnered with Rock Spot Climbing. For two hours every Monday and Wednesday, students are given a gym membership and unlimited access to climbing to their hearts’ content.
Rock climber Ernie Mok ’25 appreciated the flexibility in climbing activities and options. “We don’t really have a program or a guide, so we get to do whatever climbs we want and challenge ourselves in the best way possible,” he said. “If I don’t want to climb, there’s a weights area there so I can do a gym workout.”
Rock Spot Climbing is known among Choate students for its welcoming ambiance. Climber David Wang ’24 noted, “The people that go there are really friendly and are always open to talking about boulders or problems with Choate kids.” Additionally, he praised the gym’s staff, especially the route setters — the people who design the walls — as they will occasionally walk around “ready to help” anyone pondering the best way to tackle a tough wall.
Likewise, Mr. Oliver applauded the route setters. He said the setting style of the gym “lends itself to different people’s styles” and is “easy so people can get into rock climbing and feel like they’re making progress when they’re new.”
Mr. Oliver also values the collaborative nature of rock climbing and bouldering. “People become friends with people they would not have hung out with had it not been for rock climbing,” he said. “You have to trust each other because sometimes a person is like 1,020 feet in the air, and then there’s someone else sustaining their life with just a rope.”
For those looking to visit Rock Spot Climbing, day pass rates are $32, and the gym is open to walk-in customers at any experience level. “Anyone can rock climb. You don’t necessarily need to have upper body strength,” Ms. Kirk said. “Rock climbing is a really great way to both work your brain and your body because you have to figure out how to get from the bottom to the top.”
