Build My Own FeedBD athlete Alex Honnold reports on Poland's indoor climbing scene
Black Diamond athlete Alex Honnold traveled to Poland in November and sent us this great email that recounts his new-found appreciation for the simple yet effective Polish indoor climbing gyms.
[Unknown climber cranking in one of Poland's simple yet effective climbing gyms.]
Most climbing gyms in the US are built for public enjoyment, trying to be something of an adult playground to attract more people to the sport. I grew up in gyms like that. Fun, well lit, relatively clean—places that were trying to be wholesome businesses that could appeal to Boy Scout outings and birthday parties.
In mid-November I took an 11-day trip to Poland, ostensibly for 13th annual Explorers Festival I was presenting at in Lodz but also for some family tourism. I'm half Polish and my mom and sister decided to come over at the same time and visit some roots. We had a whirlwind tour through several different cities, and for me that meant visiting 4 different Polish gyms in an effort to stay somewhat fit.
The contrast to US gyms was stark. Where a US gym is meant for fun, Polish gyms reminded me more of small training centers. Systems boards, steep bouldering caves, campus boards, and a few weights all crammed into a dark, extremely dusty little nook. Not really a place to play, but certainly a place to get extremely strong. And it was obvious from watching all the regulars climbing that they take it fairly seriously. People stretch, warm up, climb hard, and then work out, all with a certain discipline that you don't see very often in the States. I saw young kids doing circuit workouts on the steep bouldering wall (doing the same 20-move problem every few minutes till they were exhausted).
Yet despite the somewhat intimidating seriousness of the places, people seemed super nice. Anyone entering the climbing areas would shake hands with everyone who was already there, even if they didn't know each other. So each time someone entered the bouldering area they would come around and shake hands with everyone. I never quite understood the idea but it gave the gym a very nice family feeling. Like a lot of things in Poland, I had no idea what was going on but kinda liked it.
But mostly, the thing that Polish gyms showed me was that the quality of the training facility is much less important than the quality of the person training. They didn't need great gyms, or new holds, or clean facilities. They were just super psyched and worked out super hard. Really, I guess it just reminded me of the passion I had for climbing when I was younger. The constant burning fire to go into the gym and try hard. That fire has been dimmed a little bit by the nonstop roadtripping and continuous access to outdoor climbing, but it's good to be reminded sometimes that it really is a gift to climb outside all the time.
I'm glad that the climbers in Poland were so generous about opening their doors and letting me train with them.
— Alex
United States / English 
30 Jan 2012, 6:27PM
Very nice article. I'm from Poland visiting US right now and I have the same impression. People also are very nice, but it's completle different atmosphere and they look on me very strange when I do laps... ^^
22 Dec 2011, 1:58AM
In Spain almost every gym is the same!!!Dark caves for motivated people!!;·)
21 Dec 2011, 2:40AM
This was a great article with alot of perspective. Being a gym owner myself I bill my gym as a training facility for outdoor climbers, while not like typical climbing gyms which are locacted in nice strip centers, well lit and teaming with subarban parents out with their children for the day, mine is housed inside a historic grain silo built in 1950 and happens to be the tallest indoor climbing gym in the world that tops out at 121+ feet, there is no other place like it its dark, damp, leaks like nobody's business ifit is raining and holds whatever the tempareture is outside and is meant for serious climbing. When clients that do not normally climb do come in they stand in awe when they look up into one of the eight silos for climbing and they know they are somewhere special were they know they need to either climb hard or go home. I always say world champion fighters don't come from 24 hr fitness, they come from cold, dark places that have that smell of hard work. If you guys are ever in downtown Carrollton Texas, just look up and you will see our towering grain silo that is the heart of downtown and if you come in you will see me behind the counter and climbers climbing hard.
21 Dec 2011, 1:45AM
I am from Argentina , we have small climbing gyms , full of people very motivated and training all the time like in Poland!!
21 Dec 2011, 12:22AM
I always want to thank you, and it's an extraordinary luxury to read an essay written by you, not to mention its cogency.
Good, good wishes, Alex!!
20 Dec 2011, 7:33PM
I enjoyed reading Alex`s essay on the gym`s in Poland. They must be somewhat of a stark contrast to the American gym`s from what Alex wrote. I`m glad he had so much fun and that his Mom and Sister were able to visit with him. How special. What a good will ambassador Alex is!
20 Dec 2011, 5:11PM
"Like a lot of things in Poland, I had no idea what was going on but kinda liked it."
Don't worry, you got it quite well, nobody knows what is going on in Poland, they either like it or not and that is all to it :)