Category Archives: Rock Climbing

Stories from Rock Climbing, or something in that general area

Mar21

Climbing at Dalkey Quarry

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Sunday, 06-July-2026



I swear, I still rock climb.

I mean, okay. It’s been like… a long time. A really long time.

I’ve been lifting weights about once a week, but I’ll be real here – it’s been months since I’ve gotten to the climbing gym, and even longer since I’ve gotten up on actual rock. I mean, I brought all my climbing gear to Ireland with me! I just… haven’t used it.

That finally changed, thanks to an invitation from a classmate and his wife – The chance to touch rock! To climb stone, place gear, and enjoy a bit of time outside of the city!


Now, what did I climb? Well. I’m glad you asked!
– Drinker’s Direct, 5.4, Trad lead! Twice!
– Honeypot Crack, 5.5, Trad lead!

And… I think that was it. I may have done a variant of Drinkers Direct, but… yeah. Just a nice calm day on the rock.

With a lovely burger to finish it off, of course!

Mar5

A trip to Leuven – Working out at a cathedral climbing gym

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Friday, 18-April-2025


Our last day in Belgium was unscheduled – we had the whole day to ourselves. Some people made some plans, but I had my own goals for the day… ages back, I’d read about a cathedral in Brussels that had been converted into a climbing gym. I hadn’t had a chance to check it out while I was there in 2024, and so now was the time to make it happen.

I packed my climbing gear into a pack, hopped on a train, and zoomed off on my own lovely little solo adventure.


After a week of classes, negotiations, and socializing, this was heaven for me. Calm, quiet, and blissfully solo. I kept to my own schedule, rented a scooter, and blasted my way around town until I found myself climbing tall routes under beautiful stained glass.

Then, I grabbed a quick snack, and did it all again – scooting my way to the train station, then catching a ride back to Leuven in time to meet the class and get the bus to the airport.

Yeah… I do enjoy planning and executing my own adventures.


(A quick link to a news story about the gym: https://www.brusselstimes.com/1566631/hidden-belgium-climbing-space-in-church)



Oct2

Climbing in Dublin!

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End of December, 2024

I haven’t gotten to climb outside in a while, but that doesn’t mean my harness has been sitting idle – In fact, I’ve been able to stay fairly consistent with hitting the local climbing gym here in Dublin since the semester started!

Now, I fully expect that 2025 will see that consistency slow down a bit as classes ramp up (Ed note: Ben may be writing with the aid of a bit hindsight here, as this post is actually being written in late 2025…), but for now… I’m enjoying the opportunity to stay on the walls, and get some good strength training in!

And, most excitingly… Andrea’s joined in on the fun! She joined in for her first-ever time rock climbing, and was an absolute trooper – getting on the wall, climbing a few routes, and hitting that coveted top hold on more than a few routes.

Three cheers for climbing through the end of 2024!