Although initially reluctant to try rock climbing, today Mark “Indy” Kochte enthusiastically scrambles up cliffs indoors and out. He even wrote a guidebook, Climb Maryland! A Guide to Climbing in Central Maryland. The sport’s physical, mental and technical challenges appeal to people in a range of ages, whether they climb outdoors or indoors at a climbing gym. Photo courtesy of Mark Kochte

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For Holly Summers, indoor rock climbing started as a mother-daughter activity.

“My daughter was climbing indoors regularly, and I wanted to be able to do it with her,” said Summers of Ellicott City. Though her daughter is now in grad school, Summers, 58, can be found regularly scrambling up the climbing walls at the Roger Carter Community Center.

She probably had a leg up when she started climbing. “I also play ice hockey with the Gerihatricks and Women’s league in Laurel. That is an interesting group of older citizens who are very active,” said Summers, who works as a computer analyst at UMBC.

Whether she knows it or not, Summers is at the forefront of a sport gaining in popularity. According to the Physical Activity Council, climbing is poised to be the next “it” fitness trend, with about 5 million Americans participating in the sport. And that number is growing by more than 110,000 a year.

Indoor climbing has been popular for decades, both as training for outdoor climbs and as a sport itself. It will be introduced in official competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

It’s a sport for everyone, according to Quentin Cornelius, a trainer and assistant manager at Earth Treks Columbia, which opened in 1997 and is one of the largest climbing centers in the country. “We have climbers of all levels in our classes, from ages 13 to 80,” he said.

Some basics 

Indoor climbing has been popular for decades, both as training for outdoor climbs and as a sport unto itself. 

As well as physical tests, climbing also offers mental challenges.

“I like the problem-solving aspects of the sport,” Summers said. “You use those skills every time you look for the next hold. You need to focus on holds and the placement of your body, planning each move.”

Rock climbing on a regular basis may help improve your mood or decrease bouts of depression. A review in Annals of General Psychiatry found that rock climbing is among a variety of exercises that help improve the moods of people suffering from depression.

Completing a climb can also simply make you feel good. There’s a sense of accomplishment from it that can build confidence. A study from Indiana University found that rock climbers who completely immerse themselves in the climb enter a mental state of euphoria where pain signals may be blocked.

Plus, climbing can be surprisingly social for everyone. “I sometimes climb with graduate students who work in our lab at UMBC,” said Summers. “It’s is a social activity that is easy to do with different abilities and ages.”

If blue skies beckon

Once comfortable with indoor climbing, some people move their rock climbing outside. If the sport takes you outdoors, Mark “Indy” Kochte of Marriotsville, and author of Climb Maryland: A Guide to Climbing in Central Maryland, can offer pointers.

The outdoor climbing enthusiast says he was “dragged” into climbing when he was in college. At the time, “I had no interest or desire. The feet-off-the-ground thing was not for me,” he said. But he wound up taking a climbing course in college and “it just took off from there.”

Now in his mid-50s, Kochte, who works as a mission specialist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, enjoys moving over rocks and seeing them from different perspectives.

He finds that every place he hikes offers a different climbing experience. Maryland does not have a lot of big cliffs like you’ll find in more mountainous states, but there is still “good quality rock” nearby, he said. As examples, he lists Rocks State Park in Harford County, the Carderock Recreation Area overlooking the Maryland bank of the Potomac River in Montgomery County, the cliffs over the Potomac River at Great Falls Park in Virginia, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Want to give it a try?

Here’s a start suggested by Cornelius at Earth Treks Columbia: Come in between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday or Sunday and sign up for an open climb for $25. That includes three climbs assisted by an instructor who will handle the ropes.

Earth Treks Columbia Climbing Center is at 7125-C Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia. All climbers must complete a waiver and watch a bouldering orientation video. To learn more, see www.earthtreksclimbing.com and www.facebook.com/Earth. Treks.Columbia or call (410) 872-0060.

Carol Sorgen and Lisa Crutchfield contributed to this article.