Nine-year-old Gabriel Harada spends hours climbing the walls. And, no, the Kaneohe boy is not driving his parents crazy in the process. He’s spending time on an indoor rock climbing wall at SoulTrex, an outdoor apparel and equipment store in Windward Mall.

"I like to climb trees, too," he said. "I feel like a monkey."

The rock-wall climbing provides Gabriel, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, with a sense of calm and focus he can’t find with most other activities he engages in, according to his father, Kevin Harada.

"It’s definitely a good way to burn energy. The bouldering classes (a style of rock climbing) have taught him perseverance," he added. "So far, he has not taken any medication to school this year. We are hoping that he keeps building skills so we can keep him off the meds."

SoulTrex owner Jacinda Elias said she’s heard similar comments from other customers. "Climbing completely engages your entire body, from your fingers to your core to your toes and especially your brain," she said. "Climbers have to think about how they will climb up or traverse across a wall, which holds they will use, how to move their bodies, and strategize which route will get them to their goal."

SoulTrex, which opened in February, has two climbing walls, one for novices and one with three sections for intermediate and advanced climbers. Kids can climb for free from 2 to 4 p.m. weekdays.

"The adults love it, too," said store manager Linda Awana. "Once they jump on, they immediately recognize the challenge and start to have fun with it. Many get a great workout, and many climbers come regularly to practice."

Regular rates are $4 per day or $30 per month for adults, and $2 per day or $15 per month for children; family rates are available.

Awana said the climbing wall was installed as a novelty, "something that no other store here in Hawaii has. However, it quickly became a much bigger and more involved project that opened up tremendous possibilities for us to promote our mission" to encourage both adults and children to get active and get outdoors.

Although trail hiking is a long-established activity in Hawaii, rock climbing is newer and growing in popularity. The SoulTrex wall was built in partnership with Team Climb Aloha, an offshoot of the Climb Aloha outdoor climbing shop and school. Elias said it provides a way to introduce novices to the sport and give them a safe place to practice climbing.

Mike Richardson, owner of Climb Aloha, said, "We wanted to make the wall fun for kids but challenging enough for the experts. Climbing indoors can be less threatening. People as old as 77 have come to classes. There are a lot of folks who enjoy only indoor or outdoor climbing, but there is also a lot of crossover appeal."

Justin Ridgely, owner of Volcanic Rock Gym in Waipio, opened his establishment in March 2010. He said his gym fills a gap for people who can’t get outdoors.

"If you get off work at 5 p.m. and it takes 45 minutes to hike to a location, you probably won’t get much climbing time," he said.

The facility, with 3,000 square feet of scalable climbing surfaces, provides a place for outdoor climbers to train, but he says it’s much more than that. "We definitely push each other and affect each other in a positive way," he said. "My life has changed dramatically since I started climbing 11 years ago. I maintain better relationships and meet people from all walks of life."

Both physical and mental benefits are gained through rock climbing, whether indoors or outdoors, according to Ridgely. Being a natural athlete is not a requirement, since the sport is more about body awareness and connection, he said.

"You don’t need to finish a climb to feel satisfied. It’s all about personal goals and accomplishments … how it helps you and what it does for you."

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Sources:

» SoulTrex, 46-056 Kamehameha Highway, 247-8735, www.soultrexinc.com

» Climb Aloha, 2241 Noah St., 391-3575, climbaloha.com

» Volcanic Rock Gym, 94-423 Ukee St., 397-0095, volcanicrockgym.com