‘Climbing is a good way to keep fit’

THE sedentary lifestyle that Vrinda Bhageria had while working as a graphic designer in Delhi didn’t please her much. She began missing her climbing, an activity that she used to indulge in while living in the US, and joined the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) to satiate her desire. “There weren’t many places that offered climbing activity back then. In fact, IMF was the only public place that offered this activity. I realised there was a need for something more inviting for new people to try out the sport,” she recounts.

Bhageria then joined hands with her cousin Yadu Bhageria, another pasionate climber, to give the Capital its newest climbing centre, BoulderBox.

Yadu too used to visit IMF for climbing. “The IMF people were good but the place didn’t offer much facilities. After much pestering, my parents relented to my desire to have a bouldering wall built at our house in Delhi,” he recalls. Over time, he was able to improve this facility by bringing in as many holds as his luggage would allow from his trips abroad. Soon, the number of people who were visiting his place grew, and so did the need to have an international level public climbing centre. Hence was born BoulderBox.

BoulderBox has three trainers, Varun Mishra, Viraj Sose and Rahul Ranjan, who too are passionate climbers.“While choosing the BoulderBox staff our main criteria was not to get great climbers but empathetic ones,” says Vrinda.

“Climbing is truly for everyone. No background in fitness is required to start climbing. If you can climb a ladder, you can climb at our centre too. Being fit helps but then climbing is also a way in which one to get healthy and fit,” says Vrinda.The response to Boulder Box has been quite positive.

“We hope we are able to provide a unique experience to one and all. We are offering an opportunity to people to try bouldering/ climbing in a safe environment, something that they may have never tried before or have had limited experience with,” says Yadu.