ROCK stars

At Rockreation in Costa Mesa, novices and advanced climbers get their fix scaling walls. For some it’s a rush; for others, a challenge. And for all, it’s a strenuous workout. Kate Keith takes a moment to assess the situation, mapping out her next move and the best way to keep climbing upward.

If she tries the move and hesitates too long or doesn’t make it, she could fall almost 30 feet. Carefully thinking it over, she goes for it. She removes her hand from the rock she’s been clinging to and reaches far above her, grabbing for another rock. She immediately makes a similar move with her foot and she’s there, ready to make her next move.

“You doing all right? How you feeling?” Marissa Gerlach yells up to Keith, checking in with her rock climbing partner to make sure she’s doing OK. If Gerlach stops paying close attention to Keith’s every move -- even for a split second -- it could be over for Keith.

With the same kind of skill and determination it takes to climb Half Dome at Yosemite, the two are actually climbing at Rockreation, a 12,000-square-foot warehouse-turned-rock-climbing-gym in Costa Mesa designed with outdoor climbers in mind. A mat below them more or less protects them from a fatal situation, but they are learning the safety, trust and skills that go into outdoor climbing.

“It’s all about looking out for each other,” Gerlach said as she released more slack, allowing Keith to climb higher on the 30-foot wall.

She then demonstrated how with a simple tug of the rope through her belay device she can stop Keith from moving up or down.

A NEWFOUND PASSION

Keith and Gerlach didn’t know each other at all when they started an Orange Coast College rock climbing class in August. Each had been looking for a gratifying physical activity and thought climbing might be fun. After meeting the first day of class, they clicked and became climbing partners.

“It’s definitely a good workout and it’s fun,” Keith said. “It’s better than just going to the gym.”

After a few weeks of class, both found they were enjoying the sport. In a short time, they noticed their arms and legs bulking up, and they were quickly picking up on techniques.

“I definitely am finding myself more in shape from it, faster than I would have expected,” Keith said. “Once I excelled to the next level, I found myself moving up faster and faster.”

Kenny Ristau, director of instruction at Rockreation, teaches the Orange Coast College class. He said it’s a beginners course designed to teach students the basics of climbing -- terminology, how to tie knots, basic climbing techniques.

“I get eight weeks with them to teach them how to move and how to use the gym,” he said, adding that by the end of the eight-week session most of them are full-fledged climbers.

Keith and Gerlach got so much out of the eight-week college class that they enrolled in the second session just to be able to continue using the gym and strengthening their skills.

Keith said by spending much of her free time in the gym, many of the advanced outdoors climbers who practice there are quick to help out the newer climbers girls and offer advice on techniques.

“You meet people here and you get to know everyone,” Keith said. “Everyone helps each other out.”

LIFE ON AN EDGE

Al Moreno started climbing at Rockreation five years ago to impress a girl. Though that relationship never materialized, Moreno developed an intense passion for the sport of climbing.

Moreno is a former Marine and a retired Los Angeles police officer. He now operates a private investigations firm. And Moreno had tried just about every sport, but he was captivated by the intensity of climbing.

“Climbing is such a unique sport. Unlike all other sports, there is very little room for error,” he said. “It’s terrorizing, but it’s almost serene. I think because you’re walking on the edge, you feel so alive.... Climbing is just consistent with my life -- it’s always been on the edge.”

Moreno spent close to a year mastering techniques and practicing indoors at the gym. He said he never planned to take the knowledge he gained and applying it to outdoor climbing.

“I had no intention to go outside because I was scared,” he said. “I’m scared of heights.”

When his regular climbing partner, Holden Harris, put him on the spot one day in front of a few ladies and experienced climbers, he gave in and agreed to go outdoors.

On his first day outdoors, he said he completed a route he now considers mild, but he was terrified the entire time.

“I was just deadly afraid.”

SAFETY FIRST

“Safety is the biggest issue,” Gerlach said. “That’s the first thing you learn when you start here.”

A climbing partner is necessary in the sport because one person needs to stay on the ground and act as a belayer for the person climbing, meaning they can tug the rope through a belay device and stop the person from falling if they make a mistake.

Traditional rock climbing utilizes a pulley system, which is why tying knots correctly and double-checking equipment can make a life-saving difference.

There are few sports whereby the participant literally puts his life in another person’s hands. That’s why the bond between climbing partners can be so strong, and why it’s so important to have an incredible amount of faith and trust in the person belaying.

FACING YOUR FEARS

Mark Hatashita, an instructor at Rockreation, said people tend to avoid pain and difficult situations, but climbers frequently face pain and difficult situations head-on.

“It really is a whole philosophy of a way to look at problems,” Keith said. “You don’t just get on the wall and go for it. You kind of strategize what you’re going to do. If I try a route and I can’t get it and I fall or something, I step down and look at a better way to go about and try again.”

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

Keith said in the past couple of months, since she started climbing, she has identified her strengths and weaknesses and has also developed ways of working with them.

Hatashita said most women don’t have much upper body strength and rely more on their flexibility and leg muscles.

Keith said when she has trouble getting up a wall, when she runs into a tough spot, she finds herself back-stepping, which helps her overcome large reaches.

“Instead of pulling myself up, I just sort of work my way around it,” she said.

Moreno equates climbing routes to math problems, with the easier climbs being more like algebra and the difficult ones being more like calculus. And much like solving a difficult problem, the sense of accomplishment one gains after completing a difficult climb can be an awesome sensation.

“It’s really satisfying to know you worked at it and completed something you didn’t think you could do,” Keith said. “It’s a personal challenge -- you always want to do a little bit better.”

Rock climbing is a sensation you can’t really understand unless you do it, Moreno said.

20051120iq6enlknPHOTOS BY DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)DESCENT: Rock climber Melissa Gerlach repels down a rock face at Rockreation in Costa Mesa. Below, Al Moreno free climbs up a split in a wall. 20051120iq6eokknPHOTOS BY DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)DESCENT: Rock climber Melissa Gerlach repels down a rock face at Rockreation in Costa Mesa. Below, Al Moreno free climbs up a split in a wall. 20051120iq6eo0knDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Kate Keith, left, and Marissa Gerlach, prepare for an ascent at Rockreation in Costa Mesa.