After driving everyone to Nashua and stowing our gear, we were given a quick course in climbing safely. This included instructions on how to belay a climber. The belaying system at Boulder Morty's is very good because it doesn't rely on the weight of the belayer. Instead, a set of loops (daisy chain) attaches to a chain cemented into the ground. The belayer uses a carabiner to clip to the loops. A Grigri is used to take up slack rope from the climber. This device has a cam in it which locks the rope if it starts to slip. A control level allows the climber to decend.

The climbs are rated on a scale of 5.0 to 5.13 (the scale goes higher, but not at Morty's). At 5.0, it's like climbing a vertical ladder. Boulder Morty's easiest climbs are 5.3, which have big, easy to grap handholds. The picture at the left shows me climbing a 5.4, which is marked by colored tape. My best climb was a 5.7, which had a slight undercut and small handholds.

My son Michael attended and had a great time. Mike did a couple of 5.9 climbs, which shows that youth and engergy will win every time. Mike spent a lot of time belaying for the younger scouts also.

Later in the evening, one of the supervisors demonstrated a 5.13 climb, which involved hanging upside down in a simulated arch of stone. It looked impossible.

The boys spend a good four hours climbing until 11:30pm. We slept over in the gym loft. The next morning we had a breakfast of bacon, bagels, and OJ (just like a campout!). The more energetic kids got another couple of hours of climbing in before we went home.