I don't think it's just me—I hope it's not anyway—but for some odd reason, being suspended in mid air, looking for that next inch-thick crevasse to place my feet on is something that, to be perfectly honest, scares me. I prefer the security of knowing that my next footstep will see me landing on a decidedly stable surface—the ground. I am also scared of heights which will probably mean that I never enjoy the thrill and adrenaline of rock climbing. So, I took a stroll down to Brooklyn Boulders—a rather large but inconspicuous building in the heart of Brooklyn—to try and see if a chat with 12-year-old Alex Mañon to see if he could convince me into giving it a go. I left, still as scared about the thought of rock climbing as when I first arrived, but amazed at the skill and talent that Alex, along with dozens of young climbers, share at "The Boulders."
So Alex, how long have you been climbing and how did you get started? I only started about four months ago. My mom met the owner and he asked her if I wanted to come down and give it a go. I loved it so much that I just wanted to play it as a sport.
Do you play any other sports? Yeah I play ice hockey but I love climbing much more. I just want to keep climbing and become a professional climber.
Did you ever get into trouble climbing things you shouldn’t be climbing before you came here? Nah, [laughs] I never really climbed at all until I came here.
What do you like so much about climbing? It’s just so different and it gets me away from everything else. I go to school in Queens, so after school and on the weekends my mom drives me down and I spend hours just climbing. It gets me away from school and gets my mind off things. None of my school friends climb with me so it’s good to meet a whole new bunch of kids my age.
So you like the social side of climbing? Yeah the social side is good, but I like the competitive part more. [Alex’s coach clarified this with a wry smile when he later told me that he’s never seen a more competitive, focused climber at his age.]
What is the competitive side? Are there competitions that you go to? Yeah there are competitions all the time. I haven’t been climbing long so I have only been to one competition and I came fifth. There are more competitions soon that I will be going in.
What training is involved in climbing? Mark, my coach, has been helping me since I first came here. Basically all I do is come down here and practice climbing. Mark helps a lot with working out the best routes to climb and also helps me get through my levels by teaching me different techniques
What do you mean by levels? In climbing, there are different levels that show how hard the climb is. It’s called BETA. I don’t know exactly what it means though [laughs]—I just climb what I can climb! It starts at level V0 and goes all the way up to V13. I am at V7 which is a bouldering grid and is pretty difficult. The harder the levels get the harder the moves are to get to the top. It’s hard though. It takes a lot of strength and I’m young so I can only get better!
And you obviously can’t be too afraid of heights like me? Ah [giggles], that doesn’t really matter. I mean it is really safe down here and no one gets hurt. I just love the adrenaline of it all. I get so excited and forget that I am not on the ground and it’s such a neat adrenaline rush.
Not much equipment is needed, right? For sure! All you need is a comfortable pair of shoes and some old clothes and you’re good to go! It doesn’t take much at all and it is so much fun. You meet a lot of really cool people and get to do something that is a lot of fun. I am really glad my mom found this place!
Would you like to become a professional climber one day? That would be cool. I will start climbing outdoors probably this spring which is going to be really fun. There are places in Central Park and upstate where you can climb outdoors. But yeah, one day when I get older I want to be climbing cliffs and that.
