How people are falling in love on climbing walls

In recent times, people have been discovering love in some surprising places, particularly at climbing walls. A couple named Megumi and Gordon found each other at a bouldering center in Sheffield. Megumi was struggling with a challenging climbing route and kept falling off the wall. Gordon, who had over a decade of climbing experience, noticed her difficulties and offered to help. Later that day, when Megumi accidentally cut her hand on the wall, Gordon was quick to lend her an antiseptic wipe. That evening, Gordon decided to look for Megumi on Facebook to check the spelling of her name, but he accidentally sent her a friend request instead. This happened in November 2021, shortly after Megumi had moved from Canada to Scotland. Fast forward ten months, and the couple moved in together. By February 2024, they tied the knot, and their wedding was filled with climbing-themed elements. They celebrated their wedding reception with a picnic at Dumbarton Rock, a well-known climbing location in western Scotland. Their honeymoon took them to Kalymnos, a famous rock climbing destination in Greece. Even now, they continue to climb at the Newsroom in Glasgow, the very place where they first met. They have also made friends with other couples who have found love through bouldering. The way people find love is constantly evolving. While dating apps have been a popular method for meeting partners, there has been a noticeable decline in their usage this year, according to a report from Ofcom. Traditional ways of meeting people, such as through work or during nights out, have also been disrupted. The shift towards remote work has been seen as beneficial for work-life balance, but it has also reduced opportunities for meeting new people. This autumn, over 10% of Britons were working from home, and more than a quarter were following hybrid work patterns, which combine home and office work. This change has made it more challenging for individuals to connect with potential partners. Climbing centers across the UK have emerged as unexpected venues for meeting new people. Sarah Moran, the manager of Climbing Works in Sheffield, shared her own experiences of dating people she met through climbing. She explained, 'They come up to me, we chat a little, maybe climb together, and at the end, we exchange numbers. ' The popularity of climbing has surged since the pandemic, largely due to its inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. According to the British Mountaineering Council, around 400,000 people climb at least twice a month, and there are over 400 climbing gyms in the UK. Climbers describe the sport as 'hyper-social,' as it involves being in close proximity to others. Gill Peet, the manager of Blackburn climbing wall Onyx, likens climbing centers to a 'grown-up youth club,' where climbers are almost compelled to socialize due to the time spent resting between climbs, discussing strategies, or seeking advice. The social aspect often extends beyond the climbing wall, with climbers enjoying coffee or pizza together afterward, as many climbing centers have their own cafes. Rose Henderson, who met her partner Mark Garbe in 2015 at a climbing group organized through the Meetup app, remarked, 'I do more talking at the climbing wall than I do climbing. ' The couple has built a social life centered around climbing, going on group trips to popular climbing destinations and planning their vacations based on climbing opportunities.