Work off the kinks of the daily hustle and build your physical and mental endurance with an excursion to the indoor climbing gym, Planet Rock. Planet Rock makes it easy and accessible for anyone to visit the climbing gym, whether you are new to the sport or not. Planet Rock’s package for a first-time climber can be found in the ‘starter package,’ which provides all the equipment and instruction you need, plus a free day pass that will motivate you to return. You will learn in the lesson all of the essential information about knots and belaying other climbers, and then will have the opportunity to try out your new knowledge in the gym that very day.

For regular climbers, you can purchase visits through annual, monthly, or punch-card passes, and daily passes are always open to people visiting from out of town. The advantages to climbing at Planet Rock as a regular are that you can get a quick belay check for a nominal fee (or show your certification) any time, and you can also refresh yourself with the belay lesson if there is a gap in between your visits.  No matter what, it’s important to always have someone to belay with you, plan to pair up with another visitor, or just use the bouldering side of the gym. For a soundtrack added to your climbing experience via live DJ, check out Crank Night evenings on Wednesdays and Thursdays (one day at each location) starting at 7:30.

The gym is open every day and hours vary, so check the site. Planet Rock is also family-friendly (the minimum age is 5 years) and there are youth rates for everything, and a price rate just for parents to belay their kids too. Check out Planet Rock in two Detroit-area locations – Ann Arbor and Pontiac.