Fun for Indoor Sports Enthusiasts
Jan 16, 2025 02:25PM ● By MARIE EDINGER
BrewView explored several of these alternative winter sports and entertainment options, and here’s what we discovered.
CURLING
Curling is a game in which two
teams of four players each slide
curling stones over a stretch of
ice toward a target circle, and the
place to play it is at Rutland Rocks
Curling Club. Rutland Rocks is an
“arena club,” meaning they own
their own stones and equipment,
but don’t operate their own
facilities. Instead, they lease time
two nights a week at the Giorgetti
Arena, which is owned by the city
of Rutland.
The management at the nonprofit club told BrewView that they welcome members of all ages and ability levels. “The members of our club are especially dedicated to the ‘spirit of curling.’ People are friendly, our club is very social, and people like to play the game to the best of their ability but are not overly competitive,” says club board member Matt Olewnik.
Rutland Rocks also has youth programs at local schools and hosts the state’s only local curling tournament each year—called a bonspiel. The club is also working to create a shorter version of the game for seniors, which they plan to call “Sturling.” They hope to raise funds to build a dedicated curling club in Vermont.
INDOOR GOLF
Snow and ice aren’t the best ground cover for golf. So try indoor simulators like those at the Green Room instead! You don’t have to be a golf pro to enjoy them. The Green Room boasts a newly constructed space with two state-of-the art full-swing simulators.
And if you want the company but just aren’t feeling your swing that day, the facility has a movie theater screen in the background that can play movies, music, or television. It offers other sports, too, so you can simulate hockey, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and even zombie dodgeball, just to name a few.
The Green Room also hosts private events where guests can rent out simulators and an attached bar area, and they’re starting up a winter golf league for 2025.
ROCK CLIMBING
Rock climbing isn’t just a workout—it promotes mental health, provides a place for social interaction, and is simply fun! At Petra Cliffs Climbing Center & Mountaineering School, visitors, with help from staff, can try out bouldering (climbing lower to the ground without a harness), using the auto belays (a device that allows you to clip in and climb without a partner), or “top roping,” learning how to belay (managing the rope for your climber).
Open since 2000, Petra Cliffs offers a variety of options depending on your skill level and preferences. “We love providing a place for the community and visitors to play, learn, connect, and to experience healthy challenges,” owner Andrea Charest tells BrewView.
Petra Cliffs hosts a variety of parties, like the Reel Rock Film Tour and the “Beans & Boulders” bouldering competition, and they are building a new climbing facility just a few hundred feet from their current location in Burlington.
Green Mountain Rock Climbing Center also boasts a friendly and welcoming environment. “Indoor climbing is an activity we want to make accessible to anyone and everyone, with experience or without,” says Haley Elliott, an instructor at Green Mountain.
Green Mountain focuses on climbers of all ages. They offer training programs specially designed for kids six and under called Little Rockers and Gecko Training, and an older-adult group called the “Flailing Fossils.” There is also a ten-week competitive adult league, which includes a handicap system.
“What excites me most is seeing personal growth happen for the youth of our community! Climbing is both a physical sport, and a thinking sport and getting to witness our students have breakthroughs in their personal climbing journeys is wonderful,” Haley says.
If you’re around the Upper Valley, check out The Notch. Josh Garrison, the co-founder and climbing manager there, describes the business as a “kid- friendly modern climbing gym with engaging, challenging, and fun climbing routes and boulder problems.”
The Notch is working on expanding its program offerings and soon will launch an adult league and community competition.
“The Notch fills a void in the Upper Valley and provides a gathering place for outdoor and community-oriented individuals looking to share climbing with others,” Josh says. “We are most excited about creating a positive and healthy community gathering place for our members.
