Reaching new heights
Warsaw climbing enthusiasts no longer have to travel hundreds of kilometers outside the city to satisfy their craving for scaling new heights. When the urge strikes, they can just hit the walls at Diamir, a new commercial climbing center in the heart of the Wola district.
"Climbing artificial walls is the new trend," said Michal Horodenski, marketing director at Diamir. "There were mountain bikes first, then skateboards and now it's time for climbing walls."
Diamir, the first center of its kind in Warsaw, opened six months ago on ul. Bialowiejska 1/3 after shutting down a similar site in Radom. "The wall didn't work there," Horodenski said. "Apparently Radom is too small a town."
Prospects in Warsaw are brighter, although the wall is not turning a significant profit just yet. "About 20-30 people come here every day," Horodenski said. "During the weekend, there are maybe 40-50."
The wall belongs to MrnaGork, the company that rents the large hall in which the wall is set up. The idea of Diamir, however, originated with Horodenski, a climbing enthusiast and mountaineer. He said part of the popularity of climbing can be attributed to the fact that the sport promotes and sustains a healthy lifestyle, which a growing number of people seem to want to embrace. "(A) variety of people drop by only to try, but most of them stay," Horodenski said.
Grzegorz Mroz designed the wall and is responsible for its technical maintenance. He is both a climbing enthusiast and a graduate of a construction school, which makes him uniquely suited for the position. The wall itself occupies 250 square meters with 11 climbing tracks. It consists of a metal frame covered by plywood and drilled with holes, into which climbing holds are fitted. Climbers grasp their way up the path established by the position of the various holds. The complexity and difficulty of the "walks" taken by climbers along the wall can be changed by redistributing the holds in different patterns.
"The holds are molded by professional climbers," Mroz said, and imitate the natural conditions of climbing. When you are on the wall, "everything depends on the arrangement (of the holds), their grasp and weight."
How these three elements work together is demonstrated at Diamir's climbing competition, the Diamir Cup. The first phase of the Cup was held last October, and the final phase, which will determine the overall winner, will take place April 14.
Kasia Jurek, 14, has a good chance of winning; she ranked No. 1 in the women's event in the cup's fifth annual competition on March 17. Training on the wall last Wednesday with other climbers, Jurek moved like a spider, executing complicated moves with ease.
"Kasia is our star," said Mroz, who is Jurek's climbing instructor. "She is very talented."
Flattened against the wall, Jurek also displayed no sign of fear. "Climbing is safe if you keep your head on your shoulders," Jurek said. She said she climbs four times a week, and not only at Diamir. Other walls that give her the opportunity to take "unusual walks" are on ulica Siennicka and ulica Nowowiejska.
Diamir employees claim their climbing environment is safe. A group of professionals watch climbers at all times and aid them if necessary. "(Climbers are) not allowed to climb higher than two meters without a rope," Horodenski said.
While experienced climbers such as Mroz and Horodenski make the sport look easy, many potential participants worry that they are not in good enough shape to try a climb.
"Some people worry that they weigh too much," Mroz said. But he added that weight isn't a problem. He said climbing has one basic requirement: "Use your mind more frequently than your muscles."
Diamir is open 3 p.m.-9 p.m. from Monday to Friday. During the weekend, the wall is open from noon-10 p.m. The entrance fee is zl. 12.
