If you want to reenact that Tom Cruise rock climbing scene in Mission: Impossible 2, one possible…read moreway to do that is via wall climbing. We have to at least start with a harness and a belayer. Otherwise, we might fall to our untimely demise without those two important things. BaseKamp is stationed at the 5th floor of Market! Market! welcoming wall climbing hobbyists and enthusiasts. They offer lessons at P3500 for 9 sessions. It's 2 hours per session, so you'll really get those arms toned in no time. A single climb with a belayer is only P50. Imagine that! And I've always thought that this sport is expensive. For unlimited climbs for adults with belayer is P340; P140 without a belayer. They even encourage kids to try this sport out! If your child is between 7-13 years old, then he or she can try wall climbing already. An unlimited climb for kids without a belayer is P110 while with one, it's P310. It's also open from 12nn-9pm.

ROX is basically an outdoor lover's playground. Three floors of serious gear, an indoor climbing…read morewall that goes up multiple levels, and everything from bikes to hiking, camping, snow, and motorcycling essentials. The brand mix is solid, Birkenstock, Allbirds, Reef, Billabong, Roxy, Columbia, Garmin, Camelbak, New Era, Nike, Fox, Deuter and more. It's rare to find this range in the Philippines, which makes this place feel like a real destination, not just a store. Even if you're not shopping, it's fun to walk through and explore. If you're into the outdoors, this is the kind of place you could easily lose an hour in. Great value coming here

One day, I decided that I wanted to try Rock/Wall Climbing so I wrote it down on my bucket list…read more After a few days I started googling places that had Rock Climbing gyms. I found really good ones but they were in Quezon city, a bit far from me. Fortunately, I found one that was just a few minutes away. I found out that R.O.X., a one stop shop for anything outdoors, had Rock Climbing facilities. What's great is that their shop is in the heart of the city: The Fort, and they are just in Bonifacio High St. They're literally inside a mall. How convenient! So I skedaddled to their Rock Climbing facility and signed up for a class. The thing was, there are no classes. There's just a quick briefing about the activity, plus a few tips. A few warnings and advices later, I found myself with a harness, a wall to climb, and zero experience. The coaches were very friendly and supportive. They guided me at the start and when I got the hang of it, I just found myself at the top of the wall tired and sweay. When I was done, I had climbed three walls; one easy, one intermediate, and one difficult. The learning curve for rock climbing isn't that steep. All I needed was myself, the desire to learn, and I had fun with it. Rock Climibng was a bit challenging but it was a very awesome experience for me. I really had fun traversing the walls with just my arms, legs, and a harness for safety. It's a bit expensive though, but a good price for this kind of activity (considering that the coaches also help you if you're a beginner). You might spot famous rock climbers in this place! When I went there, I had the privilege of seeing one of the female Filipinos who climbed Mt. Everest. And yes, I was very intimidated and honored at the same time.

To climb here, you'd need about Php 650. Php 400 for unlimited climbing, Php 100 to rent the…read moreharness, Php 50 to rent climbing shoes, and Php 100 for the single purchase belayer card. You want to clim a wall yes? They'll teach you how to and additionally they'll teach you how to belay (because a belayer costs Php 100 per hour, it's cheaper to climb with a buddy). The coaches were very friendly and taught us about belaying and climbing really well, always highlighting the safety and proper equipment handling. How was it? IT WAS FUN FUN FUN aside from being challenging and tiring. I've been here 3 times and I will still be coming back. Parking: There are limited slots and the road is kinda small. If possible, it would be better to get dropped off but if you're bringing your car, pray for parking or try to get there in the afternoon.

I never thought I would be able to conquer my fear of heights (and frankly, my fear of any physical…read moreactivity aside from eating and stuffing my face with junk food) until I tried wall climbing at Power Up Climbing Gym. The gym is only a few minutes away from my place in Diliman, and it is such a convenient location since it is near public transportation routes. You don't even need to worry about being a beginner. Since the climbing gym is also a club of avid wall climbers and hobbyists who understand how it is to start somewhere, the environment is very conducive to making your first tentative steps to enjoying this strenuous and physically demanding hobby. The first time I went there with a bunch of other friends to celebrate a friend's birthday, I was a bit apprehensive about being hooked up to a harness, since the PJay, the person belaying the rope below (one of the permanent instructors in the gym) was literally half my size. But size doesn't matter, apparently. He was very skilled at hoisting me up the wall, and he cheered me on during my way up. The friendly staff at the climbing gym are very well-trained and experienced in all aspects of wall climbing and bouldering, and they are quick to offer advice as to which hand- or foothold to hang on to next to keep you from falling. They start your climbing session (if you are a first-timer) with an orientation about the basic techniques, and they will also introduce you to the lingo and the jargon that you need to use to make your climbing experience as safe, as enjoyable and as fun as possible. The venue may not be as clean, air-conditioned or well appointed with comfort, but you won't need that here. Don't worry about equipment. Just bring enough cash to rent climbing shoes, and you only pay minimally for the instruction, the belaying, the actual rental of the climbing equipment. There will also be guides to assist you if you are a complete novice. Power Up is a fun and friendly environment even for those who are so out of shape. No prior preparations required. Just bring your guts, lots of chalk for your clammy hands and a good set of activewear.

Scrolling down my Facebook and Twitter timeline, I noticed that a lot of young people like me are…read moregoing to mountainous regions near Manila to try out hiking. I'm not really a fan of hiking or physical activities in general, but for some reason I got a bit jealous. I also wanted to go hiking with my friends as part of our yearly barkada goals. When my friend heard that I was interested in hiking, he immediately planned a trip to Tanay, Rizal. He told us that he knows this really cool place where we could hike. It took us 1 and a half hours to get to Tanay, Rizal. We first went to Brgy. Daraitan to contact a tour guide. When we finally found a tour guide for our day trip, we decided to head out to Mt. Daraitan. We only assigned one person from our barkada to take pictures, because we heard that a girl fell down the mountain while she was taking selfies (Yikes!). During our hike, there were many campsites and way points where we rested. There's also a super clean river down the mountain where some of my friends bathe in. If you want to visit an ecotourism site, you can take an alternate trail to Mt. Lugang, a beautiful mountainous region deep within Sierra Madre. This place will surely make you appreciate the beauty of mother nature. It was a very tiring adventure. At first, I was really scared, but the tour guide told me that I'll be safe as long as I follow all of his guidelines. This experience is definitely one for the books!

I was so amazed with how the river looks. Although the ride going to this scenic view is quite long…read moreand bumpy, its actually worth the wait. You have to go in groups though so you will not ripped off your pocket. Its also better if you have your own private car because the only means of transportation is trike going to barangay Daraitan. Just make sure the vehicle will endure the rocky road, literally its super bumpy and kinda steep. Also you have to pay for registrations, mandatory tour guide, bridge and so on.. that's why its better if you're in groups. Locals were nice and friendly though.

I used to take rock climbing in 3rd year high school as a special Physical Education class with my…read morefriend and brother. I also used to be slightly afraid of heights but after the first time I climbed, I found it fun and exhilarating! I also beat my brother's friend on the wall, hehe. There's something about adrenaline, accomplishment and endorphins ("Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't just shoot their husbands. They just don't." Hehe, raise your hand if you know that movie quote!) that gives a person a big confidence boost. And rock climbing did it for me. It also made me taller! haha Now, I haven't done rock climbing in years and really missed it. My friend who's really active (she loves basketball and runs marathons) invited me and my sister to go rock climbing in Market! Market! And at first I thought she was joking. There's a rock climbing area inside a mall at the cinema area? But she assured me there was so I was totally game. I don't know any other indoor climbing places in Manila aside from the one that used to be in Power Plant Mall. I find that there being one in Market! Market! is extremely convenient for first timers and climbers who want to climb on a whim. You don't have to go far or out of town and it's very accessible to the public. It's a 44 foot wall and has different sides ranging from easy to difficult depending on your expertise and experience. Staff will be there to guide you of course. It was super fun and there were even 10 year old boys climbing along with us. It is an open area though so if you're quite shy or nervous, you might want to climb in an earlier time because a lot of people watch. But don't worry! It's not like you know these people anyway, haha. They have a small shop if you want to buy some gear and price point is affordable as well so that's definitely a good thing.

Mountaineering can be a very expensive hobby, and it is one of those activities that require good…read moreand reliable equipment, or else you compromise your comfort, convenience and safety. In my climbing and hiking trips, I would get such equipment envy seeing other people with really specialized equipment, especially well-designed and hyper-functional camping backpacks and rucksacks. It is comforting to discover that for beginner hobbyists and mountain climbers, a local brand can compete to the very expensive foreign brands such as The North Face and Columbia. Sandugo is a homegrown brand that caters to the mountaineering crowd. Their entry-level equipment is reliable and handy enough for out-of-town camping trips, and even seasoned mountain climbers swear by the durability and the dependability of their equipment. They cost effectively a third of the big brand names, yet with their sandals, shoes, climbing gear, backpacks and rucksacks, you don't really have to sacrifice quality and hardiness. It is a perfect starting ground for when you are only testing the waters as far as mountain climbing is concerned. The knowledgeable staff in their Metro Point branch will tell you about the pros and cons of using their products. They are very honest and straight to the point, as they are also experienced climbers themselves. They are able to give you expert opinions as to what equipment will be more effective for specific types of travelers.