Winter time always poses a challenge to keep moving and stay active, even for kids and teenagers. That’s why turning to a new sport that is conducted safely and warmly indoors might be a great option!

Indoor rock-climbing may not be your usual sport of choice, but it’s actually a fantastic activity for all ages. Aside from developing physical strength, coordination and endurance, it’s actually just as beneficial for the brain as you have to plan ahead and strategise your next move.

Grand Rock 浩石运动攀岩空间 (Hào shí yùndòng pānyán kōngjiān) is a well-rated and reputable indoor rock climbing business in Beijing, with a focus on the youth market. They have an outlet up in Huomao Place, a shopping plaza in the north of Chaoyang district in Laiguangying, and just recently opened a new store in Gold Long Shopping Center 久隆百货（酒仙桥店) Jiǔlóng bǎihuò (jiǔxiān qiáo diàn) in the Jiuxianqiao area.

As part of their new store opening promotion, there’s a nice offer for you to try out their 10m+ indoor rock walls at RMB 99 for three trials. You can even opt for a one-on-one session that lasts 60 minutes at just RMB 299 instead of the usual price of RMB 620.

If you already have a young climbing enthusiast at home, you’ll be glad to know that they are offering a youth class package at a discounted price of RMB 1,888 for 9 group classes. These 9 classes have to be used up before 10th Feb this year, which may make a good rock climbing day camp option for those staying in Beijing through Chinese New Year with no plans.

Grand Rock also conducts outdoor rock-climbing classes around Beijing come summertime, so your kids can get their hands on some real rocks then!

Find it:
Grand Rock
Gold Long Shopping Center
39 Jiuxianqiao Road
​浩石运动攀岩空间 （久隆店)
酒仙桥路39号久隆百货1层中厅
​Tel: 130 122 03711​

KEEP READING: Indoor Play Areas Reopen Around Town With Discount Tix

Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush, courtesy of Grand Rock 浩石运动攀岩空间

Another Friday afternoon, shooting hoops with the homies and a family day volleyball match. However, no one seems jazzed up like usual. So, you start to wonder: are some sports getting way too repetitive in your life? Cheer up. Don’t ditch bonding time over this because I’ve got you covered. Beijing has no shortage of cool and unconventional sports for the whole family.

原力街头滑板俱乐部（望京校区）Skateboarding Club

Address: B1, Jiarui Cultural Center, Building 3, District 4, East Garden, Wangjing
望京东园四区3号楼嘉瑞文化中心B1

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 10am-9pm

Approx. Price: RMB 149/per person

Phone Number: 185 0101 5853/ 8646 4600

You’ve probably seen skateboarding videos on YouTube and admired the kickflips. You’re not wrong. Skateboarding is known for its tricks as well as different styles of riding. Not to mention you look totally cool while you’re at it, so the perfect sport for you and your gang. Whether you’re with a crew, a friend, or just going solo, you’ll have a blast cruising and ollie-ing. If you’re worried about looking like a whale out of water when you hit the deck, don’t fret. There are instructors there to help you and classes that you can take. The best part? You don’t even need to bring anything. The club provides you with skateboards, shin guards, helmets, you name it. Just grab a friend and head on in!

Free X Top 室内轮滑基地 Indoor Inline-Skating

Address: Inside of Bo Rui Sports Complex, No. 5 Chemical Road
化工路5号博锐体育综合体内

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 10am-8.30pm

Approx. Price: RMB 150/per person

Phone Number: 152 4851 2831

Inline-Skating? The most popular party sport known to humankind. Well, inline-skating isn’t only for bashes since it is also an intense workout. Just one hour of moderate roller skating burns around 330 calories for a 65kg person. So why not get the fam together for a fun workout session on skates. Afraid that you’ll trip and fall the minute you latch them on? They offer one-on-one and one-on-two classes with professional coaches that have at least three years of teaching experience. No need to bring any equipment, just be prepared to sweat it out and have fun. Make sure you call to make a reservation if you’re not heading over for classes since they might already have a full capacity.

岩时攀岩（大望）Rock Climbing

Address: Building 74, No.27 Yard, West Dawang Road (South Gate of Beihua Machinery Park)
西大望路27号院74栋（北化机园区南门）

Opening Hours: Monday 12-10pm, Tuesday to Friday 10-10pm, Saturday to Sunday 10am-9pm

Approx. Price: RMB 147/per person

Phone Number: 137 1888 1250

Rock-climbing! Sounds like fun! But before you even get up from the coach, you start worrying about a thousand things. Such as: what if I fall? What if I get stuck up there? It’s too risky. Should you ditch the sport? Of course not. This indoor rock-climbing place has all the safety measures in check. All the cables are secure, and there are dozens of coaches watching out for you, not to mention that you’ll have your own personal coach showing you the ropes. They provide different levels of climbing difficulty. From a flat wall to big bumpy surfaces, there’s a climbing space perfect for you. Grab a family member or a friend and sign up for one-on-two coaching. If you’d rather go on your own, register for one-on-one coaching. Then head on over, latch on your harness, and start climbing!

北极狐室内滑雪馆 Indoor Snowboarding

Address: Inside Little Wolf International Yard, No. 48, Pingfang Village
平房村48号小狼国际院内

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday 12pm-8pm, Saturday to Sunday 10-8pm

Approx. Price: RMB 214/per person

Phone Number: 131 6185 6083 / 186 4002 6440

Don’t you love it when it snows? Not to mention one of the coolest sports is done in snowy weather. But snowboarding is almost impossible to do in Beijing, and your parents are so not letting you go to the Alps. What if I told you that you can do this sport indoors? It’s possible! By using advanced technology, you’re able to actually get the feeling of snowboarding on a hill. There are coaches there to teach you the basics, and the venue provides you all the safety equipment and the snowboards. Just be sure to call them two days in advance to book a session with your trainer. Now you’re able to get those Swiss vibes and brag to your friends while staying on budget.

威波豪斯冲浪俱乐部 Wavorhouse Surfing Club

Address: Inside 24h Gear Yard, No. 2 Dingfuzhuangxili, Chaoyang Road
朝阳路定福庄西里2号24h齿轮场内

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday 1pm-8pm, Saturday to Sunday 11am-8pm

Approx. Price: RMB 196/per person

Phone Number: 6575 6657 / 131 4629 9500

It was all Aloha nirvana before the pandemic hit. And while you would die to get some beach climate, Beijing is just warming up. Before you throw all your tropical fantasies in the bin, try this surfing club. That’s right, an indoor surfing club that gets you on a real surfboard. The surfing club uses advanced technology and lots of water to simulate those Maui waves. Although you can’t really practice paddling out to sea and catching a wave, this club and its coaches will teach you the basics of riding on your board and some easy tricks. They provide you with different sizes of surfboards, so you can try them all, and you won’t have to figure out how to carry a 180cm-longboard around. And when you can finally fly to a tropical paradise, you’ll be ready to show off your stuff and catch those killer waves.

KEEP READING: The Water is Just Fine: Teaching Your Kids How to Swim Could Transform Their Lives

Images: Pexels

This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 March issue

Beijing has no shortage of rock climbing gyms where one can climb, boulder, or just plain dangle around, but it was the opening of Rock Hour gym last month that showed us just how a professional rock climbing gym should look and feel.

While it helps that Rock Hour is clean and brand spanking new, it will hopefully remain this way because there is a no shoe policy inside so outside muck won’t dirty up the climbing wall with whatever icky stuff your shoes may have encountered on the way there.

There’s lots of wall space here featuring climbing routes (this is the path of the various climbing holds) with varying degrees of difficulty. These were created by a Japanese man with years of experience , who they brought in to design this portion of the gym. At the intermediate section of the gym’s climbing wall, there is also an automatic belaying contraption that allows everyone there to climb without the need of a professional at the bottom holding the rope. It sounds scary, but it looked pretty safe as people of all ages conquered the wall an were gracefully let down by this contraption.

Other than that, they communicated to us that they are planning on doing some group and individual climbing classes for kids. We will make sure to update you on any developments regarding this in the future. But, so far they have done a great job at building a classy gym that equally caters to the needs of both serious climbers and beginners.

Admission is RMB 100 for the day, RMB 80 for children between the ages of 6-14, and free for kids under 6. There is an extra fee for equipment rentals for things like climbing harnesses, shoes, or anything extra you may need. One of the downsides to Rock Hour is that it can be a little hard to find as it is hidden by a bit of construction currently going on. We recommend giving them a call or asking folks in the area for directions if you get lost. The staff are all friendly and speak English, which should help if you need some directions finding the place.

Rock Hour:
Daily 10am-10pm. RMB 80-100 (plus additional equipment rental fees). Building 74, No.27 yard, Xidawanglu, Chaoyang. 西大望路27号院74栋岩时攀岩馆 (185 1916 6168)

Photos: Kipp Whittaker

I was walking through Tunsanli Mall yesterday when I noticed a new play structure on the ground floor atrium just south of Watson’s. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the latest addition in the Let’s Go chain of vertical obstacle courses.

Let’s Go, which has several locations in Beijing, specializes in climbing structures for ages 3-12 in which kids must ascend through a series of ropes and suspended elements.

The Tunsanli branch also has a kids’ rock climbing wall (pictured above) and a play area.

Activities are supervised by adult employees. All participants must wear a helmet and a safety harness.

Prices per child are as follows:

• Climbing structure (unlimited access): RMB 150
• Climbing structure (one-time only): RMB 80
• Rock climbing (no time limit): RMB 30
• Play area: RMB 80 per entry
• One-on-one training (employee stays with child throughout the climb): RMB 100 per go

Pre-paid membership cards are also available. Discounts vary according to the amount on the card:

• RMB 580: 30 percent off
• RMB 880: 40 percent off
• RMB 1,680: 50 percent off

If you read Chinese, visit Let’s Go’s website for more info.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Photos: Sijia Chen

In mid-June, some friends and I went camping along the Baihe River in Miyun County. Located just two hours’ drive from Beijing, this quiet valley is well-known among climbers for the many granite rock faces flanking the river. The paths and pebbled beaches along the river were flat and easy to walk, making this weekend trip suitable for even young kids.

Though we rented a mini-bus to carry all our camping equipment for the trip, Baihe is easily reachable through public transit. Take the 980 express bus from Dongzhimen, then hire a black car to where you want to go along the river.

We camped beside the river south of Shatuozi Village (沙坨子村), an area not easily accessible by car. You’ll have to get dropped off on the main road, then find an access point down to hike along the river and find a suitable campsite. Mention to your black car driver that you plan to go camping and they’ll usually be able to suggest an appropriate starting point.

Our driver dropped us off near Henglinggen (横岭根). We hiked along the river  for a bit, picked up our equipment from the bus, and set up camp for the night. The next day, we visited Yunmeng Gorge (not to be confused with Yunmengshan) to hike and swim in the clear waters.

Part 1: Camping in Baihe
Our initial hike along the Baihe River was stunning. The hot and muggy weather didn’t detract from the towering rock faces, limpid waters, and lush greenery. We took frequent breaks to dip our feet in the water and examine curious plants and insects. There were many millipedes, which the South African in our group insisted on calling shongololos ("Chumbawumbas?" I thought).

At one point, we crossed a rickety foot bridge and shimmied along the rock face on the other side. One part was very low and narrow, requiring each of us to lie flat and crawl forward on our elbows and bellies. Chinese families pointed at us from below and across the river.

Eventually, we met up with our driver in Shatuozi and took our equipment from the minibus. We hiked along the river for another 1km or so through birch trees, wildflowers, and evergreens, then set up camp in a flat, sheltered area near an outcropping of rocks.

The we began preparations for dinner. I brought a chuanr grill and some ready-made vegetable skewers, while others contributed orzo salads, sausages, steaks, a small keg of beer, and more. We watched the sun set behind the mountains as we ate.

Around 9pm, we heard thunder in the distance and guessed we had about 15 minutes before it started pouring. We hurriedly packed up the food and rushed back to our tents. The rain started falling fast and hard right when we got there. All seven of us piled into one party’s two-person tent, laughing and listening to the sounds of the storm outside. It soon got too hot and still, so we each returned to our tents and fell asleep.

The next morning, we woke up to a calm day. We sat next to the river for a breakfast of cold cuts and cheese sandwiches. I waded to the other side to explore and sun on a rock for a while. We then packed up our things, hiked back to Shatuozi, piled into the bus, and headed to Yunmeng Gorge.

Part 2: Swimming in Yunmeng Gorge
Yunmeng Gorge (云蒙峡) was about 30 minutes’ drive from the village. The park has a single, straightforward hiking trail next to a shallow creek, with deeper pools on either side of the path. It took us around two hours of hiking to reach the peak, where we had a simple but satisfying meal at farmer’s house.

My favorite features were the many clear pools dotting the park, many of them deep enough to swim in. However, one of us had been to Yunmeng Gorge before and said that the water level seemed very low compared to last year. If you’re afraid of the cold, stay out! The water was freezing; we could only endure a short swim despite seeking relief from the heat.

A less rushed way to experience the park would be to camp overnight and take your time exploring the surroundings. We saw a mixed group of foreigners and locals who were doing just that, with several young children playing near the water.

If you’re interested in visiting either Beihe or Yunmeng Gorge, now is a good time. We went at a time when Beijing and its surroundings were experiencing frequent thunderstorms. Before long, the weather will turn and you’ll have to wait until next spring.

In a Nutshell

• Where? Baihe Valley and Yunmeng Gorge, Miyun County
• What? Hiking, camping, rock climbing, and swimming
• Who? All ages
•  How much? Free for Baihe, RMB 20 for admission to Yunmeng Gorge
• What to bring? Good hiking shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, comfortable clothes for hiking, cash, camping equipment, swimwear, flip-flops for wading in the water

Photos by Sijia Chen and Emily Anderson