The Cave Bouldering Gym, Kansas City

When people think about rock climbing, the general directional alignment is assumed to be upwards: up a climbing wall, up a rock face, up a mountain. At The Cave Bouldering Gym, the same is true, except participants have to go down first—way down. The gym lies 10 stories beneath street level in the Downtown Underground development, where it invites climbers of all ages and abilities to enroll in a bouldering class or solve more than 80 bouldering problems. Recognizing the importance of giving newcomers a smooth introduction to the sport, the Bouldering 101 course equips beginners with all the skills they'll need to successfully enter the world of bouldering, including basic body movement, falling and spotting, and terminology.