DH 76502General Rules

  1. All visitors must register at the front desk and complete a Climb Iowa Visitor Agreement. NO EXCEPTIONS
  2. Children under the age of 13 must be supervised at all times unless part of a Climb Iowa program.
  3. No running, horseplay or gymnastics of any kind; do not swing on the ropes.
  4. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Do not climb, stand or sit below another climber.
  5. Climbing on anything besides designated climbing surfaces is prohibited (e.g. ladders, building structures).
  6. Notify staff immediately of any unusual climbing practices or rule violations in Climb Iowa.
  7. Only Climb Iowa staff are allowed to provide instruction. NO EXCEPTIONS

DH 76813Grimes-Only Rules

  1. Visitors climbing with hands above 12′ must be “on belay” unless they are climbing in designated bouldering areas.
  2. All belayers (auto belay, top rope and lead) must complete a Climb Iowa belay test and be at least 13 years old (or have approval from the head climbing coach).
  3. The upstairs bouldering area is reserved for climbers age 13 and above (or have approval from the head climbing coach).
  4. Do not “top out” on upstairs bouldering walls. Once at the top, climb back down.

female climbing wall as two others look onBouldering Recommendations

  1. Once you reach the top of the wall, try to climb your way back down. The boulder pads are there as a last resort.
  2. Do not try to catch yourself with your arms when falling.
  3. Do not try to “stick” your landing when falling. Roll with your momentum.
  4. Statistically, bouldering is more dangerous than roped climbing because every fall is a ground fall.
Bouldering circuits

Our boulders are set with color-coded tags called circuits, where the color of the tag represents the difficulty of the boulder. Learn about our Bouldering Circuits at the link below.

Bouldering Circuits