About Us
Rock climbing is a new addition to life on campus. Housed in the Bobby Valentine Health and Recreation Center, the climbing room contains a 45-foot climbing wall for climbing top rope and two 4-meter-high bouldering walls. Top rope is when you're clipped into a rope that's attached to the top of the wall while you climb and then are slowly lowered down afterwards. The climbing wall has 12 top rope routes that range in difficulty from beginner to advanced and all routes are changed at least once a semester. On the climbing wall we have 4 auto belays and 2 traditional top ropes. Traditional top rope is when there's a person on the other end of the rope belaying you. An auto belay doesn't require someone to hold the other end of the rope while you climb, instead it uses an automatic retracting device. To ensure the safety of our climbers, traditional top ropes are always belayed by our trained climbing staff who can also give you climbing tips and tricks for the different routes if you get stuck. The staff can also provide you with a harness and shoes at no charge to borrow while you climb.Â
Bouldering is a form of free climbing where you climb up small walls unharnessed and then climb down or jump off. Our bouldering routes range from beginning to intermediate and as part of your climbing orientation the first time you come in to climb, we will show you the correct way to safely fall back onto the mat. Climbing is free for all students and is a great way to get in a fun, yet challenging, workout.
Open climbing hours are typically Monday-Thursday afternoons as well as a few day times scattered throughout the week. The Fall 2022 schedule is:Â
In addition to open climb throughout the week, there are weekend events periodically that include speed climbing competitions, bouldering competitions, and classes like introduction to climbing and introduction to bouldering.Â
