Living on the Ledge Kate Tykocki You know that scene in Mission Impossible where Tom Cruise is hanging from some intense cliff? Well, you may not be able to do that in mid-Michigan, but just 15 miles west of Lansing is the Lower Peninsula’s only climbable rock face. The cliffs at Oak Park in Grand Ledge, or The Ledges as they’re more commonly called, are a great place for beginning rock climbers to get their hand chalky on top rope routes that range in difficulty from 5.5 to 5.13 with names like Potato Chips, Slim Chance and Poison Ivy Jam. Josh Rawson is a climber who also works at Moosejaw in East Lansing, a gear and outdoor equipments store. “It’s best for beginners to learn from someone else,” Rawson explains. Borrowing personal equipment can be a big taboo in rock climbing, since safety is key and you never want your equipment out of your sight. Even beginners should try to get their own basics such as a harness and shoes. The equipment can sound like a foreign language so check out a really knowledgeable climbing store to get the scoop on belay devices, carabiners, and more, and find out what you really need to get started. Climbing with a buddy will also let you split costs on the more expensive items, like ropes, or pool your equipment. You can also try bouldering on the sandstone cliffs out at The Ledges. “Bouldering is climbing without ropes,” explains Rawson. “You use a spotter and a crash pad to fall onto when you come down off the wall.” You want to stay relatively low to the ground to minimize your risk of injury. “Bouldering can be just as intense or harder than some climbing,” Rawson says. If you don’t have any friends to teach you how to climb, you can join up with a company like Higher Ground or Vertical Ventures and do guided climbing at The Ledges with licensed and insured guides. Fall is the perfect time for climbing with cooler weather keeping the walls from getting too hot and the gorgeous changing colors of the trees along the river in Oak Park. Oak Park is on Front Street in Grand Ledge, Michigan 48837.

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