MICHAEL RAWSON
SPORTS EDITOR

Despite San Diego’s affinity for rocking the vote, rock churches and rock and roll, the most magical rocks in the county are the rocks themselves, and some of them aren’t even real.

As one can imagine, in an area surrounded by deserts and mountains, the outdoor rock climbing scene in San Diego continues to flourish. A quick search on www.rockclimbing.com reveals every known climbing spot in the country, and San Diego offers thousands of opportunities, even in unexpected places. For example, Lake Dixon in Escondido presents several local challenges, each given identifying nicknames like “Army Rock,” and “Toy Gun,” among others.

But climbing real life boulders is dangerous and daunting, and requires hours of training and practice. For beginners (and experts, too), the indoor version of the sport has climbed to popularity. Solid Rock Gym has opened locations in Old Town, Poway, and right here in San Marcos, on 992 Rancheros Dr off the Woodland Pkwy/Barham Dr. exit.

The San Marcos location is known as a midpoint between the family-friendly, social hangout in Old Town and the massive, cavernous building in Poway for serious climbers.

“Solid Rock has multiple levels of climbing from beginner to intermediate to advanced, and they give you the freedom to do your own thing,” CSUSM student and rock scaler Jorge Barba said. “Plus, they’ll teach you if you are a newbie to the sport.”

Indeed, expert instructors are on hand to offer free belay lessons, which take only minutes, since Solid Rock uses the GRIGRI belay system by Petzl, which tends to be safer and easier to learn. Instead of learning codewords and snapping things together, “you just show up and climb.”

But for experienced climbers, “if you tell them you are comfortable with it and you have done it before, they will give you a quick run-down of the system.”

Barba also loves how visitors can “climb as long as you want and whatever you want” with the Solid Rock day pass, which costs $13 on weekdays and $16 for adults on weekends. Shoes and harnesses can be rented for $5 each.

Smartly, Solid Rock has found a niche in college students, and they know how to cater to the empty pocketed: $10 from Monday – Friday from 4 – 9 p.m. gets students (and military) in with a valid CSUSM ID. The offer comes with equipment rental but does not include the Old Town location.

Solid Rock isn’t the only option for San Diego climbers. Vertical Hold, located near La Jolla on 9580 Distribution Ave, features lower ceilings for those less inclined to great heights. The gym (www.verticalhold.com) holds a different event daily, including free yoga, guy’s nights, and live DJs.

Get out there this summer and add some rock to that roll.

Photos courtesy of solidrockgym.com