The climbing club has just about 350 members in the age range from 4 to 65. Odense Kaltreklub is a climbing gym where community and social life is important. Therefore, we have several social arrangements during the year. These can be internal competitions, climbing trips to other clubs or to cliffs in Sweden or Germany. We also like to have a few parties during the year and we often arrange a spontaneous common dinner a random night during the week.
Climbing in Odense Klatreklub is an individual team sport. You climb by yourself but you can’t climb rope without having at least one climbing partner. We will always help you find someone to climb with.
Climbing
Top rope climbing
Most of the climbing routs in Odense Klatreklub are top rope. This means that a rope secures you from falling down when you are climbing. One end of the rope is tied into the harness of the climber. The rope goes all the way to the top of the wall, through an anchor an all the way down again. The other end of the rope is secured by the belayer who uses a special belay device and a carabiner that makes it possible to hold the rope even if the climber falls from the wall. The belay device is attached to the harness of the belayer. It is primarily this type of climbing that is introduced at our introduction course.
We have 24 top ropes with several routs on each. Most of them are 15 meters long, some are only 10 meters.
Bouldering
Bouldering is climbing with less height and with a mattress to land on if you fall. This means that you are not dependent of someone to belay. Even though it is always more fun to boulder with others! When you boulder focus is on strength and details in climbing and it is a good opportunity to improve your technique.
We have 3 bouldering areas.
The boulder grotto has chaos walls. This means that there are many climbing holds and there is not really a system. You define you own problems and how you want to climb. Many of the walls are overhanging and the sealing is also covered in climbing holds which gives unique possibilities for challenging climbing.
At the reception area we have an area with central heating, so it is not as cold during the winter. The walls in this area are not so high. In this area many of the boulder problems are often a little easier.
On the top floor we have a boulder area with a little higher walls. Some of them are vertical and some are overhanging.
Lead climbing
We also have lead climbing with fixed quick-draws. Most of the routes go 15 meter up but become a little longer because of traverses and because they are overhanging. Lead climbing is for the experienced climber with a special lead course. We have 7 lead routes.
Equipment
To climb top rope, you need a harness and a belay device. Odense Klatreklub have harnesses for rent for 15 kr and you can borrow the belay device. The rope for top rope is at the wall so you just use that. For lead climbing you must bring your own rope.
It is possible to climb in a pair of ordinary clean shoes, bit it is easier with a pair of tightly fitting climbing shoes. We have a wide range of secondhand shoes that you can borrow.