# the dilemma
There is a bouldering wall that takes less than 10 minutes to walk to. There is another bouldering wall that is about ~25 minutes on the bike away, and it has a sister venue for top-rope and lead climbing that is also about ~20-25 minutes on the bike away
The monthly membership for the closer wall is a bit cheaper. The membership for the further away one includes both bouldering and lead walls. At the further away pair you need to go three and a bit times per month for it to be cheaper than paying as you go. The closer one only two and a bit times per month.
If I want to get on the end of a rope once per week, and boulder twice per week...do I need to forgo the convenience of my local wall? Is that the economical thing to do? What is rationality? And who are you?
# simpler times
A year and a bit ago there was no such dilemma, the local wall didn't exist. And I managed to go to both lead and bouldering walls pretty often.
# new kid
The new wall opened and their initial membership offering flagrantly undercut all the other gyms nearby. This, coupled with its proximity, made it an offer that was too good to refuse. It was so good, that I[1] could justify holding two memberships at the same time. Once the honeymoon period was over I dropped down to one membership - keeping the new, local one. I had been poached.[2]
Seven, eight or perhaps nine months later, and I have only donned a harness two or three times. Which, considering the whole freakin' reason I started climbing was so that I could go do it outside at some point, is a bit silly and backwards.
# restoring order
Last weekend we headed the venue with ropes. And it was fun. It's a great wall, and I really like the setting. Since I very much want to get a bit of lead practice in before heading the dolomites later this summer, and with the marginal cost of membership being what it is, I took out a membership. Today I went to their bouldering brother wall for the first time in ages. And d'ya know what? I prefer it to the local. There's natural light[3]. The warm-up / gym area is better. You don't have to go upstairs to pee. There's a top out wall. Two spray walls[4] - the local doesn't have a spray wall at all. The music was better. And despite being the original wall in the city, they are, I suppose, the underdog. The new kid has just shy of a dozen venues nationally.
I will let my membership lapse at the new place.
# on setting
I am basing this on not much at all, but I think the setting at the new/local place requires less problem solving. This might be just becaus I have 'learnt' their style over the last 15 months. Maybe. Today's climb felt very thinky[5]. It also felt very finger-y.
# note to self
get stronger and bendier.
onwards upwards