The rock wall in Carmichael Gym may look as if it had been painstakingly and carefully crafted from stone. Riddled with crevices and grips, its appearance may deceive passers-by.
And it should, according to Bill James, a graduate assistant to Outdoor Adventures, a division of Campus Recreation.
Photographs of authentic climbing sites provided the foundation for the wall’s facade, James said, which was built in 1986 and consists of a metal framework and mesh overlay sprayed with a concrete finish.
Artisan-carved crevices dot the wall, providing grips and footholds for those braving the height.
“It was a very forward project at the time it was built,” Karen Evans-Benson, assistant director of Outdoor Adventures, said. “It looks a lot more like natural rock, it feels more like natural rock, than many others do.”
The wall isn’t just for mountain climbers or extreme athletes. According to James, 30 to 40 climbers visit the wall per night, whether from physical education classes, the Outing Club or those who just want to add a twist to their normal workouts.
“The climbing wall is a good opportunity for students who aren’t interested in traditional sports,” Evans-Benson said. “It’s a good way for them to get physically active.”
This sport, she said, caters to a different crowd than those who attend more common fitness classes.
“The rock wall reaches a certain segment of the student population that’s not necessarily reached through a traditional yoga class or a traditional kickboxing club,” she said.
Not only do students who finish to the top burn a few calories, but they also catch an adrenaline rush.
“It’s one of those sports that’s really cool,” Evans-Benson said. “It’s powerful, how to get up something and finish getting to the top. There’s a rush you don’t get by lifting weights.”
But students and staff needn’t arrive at the wall equipped with boots, crampons and a harness. Campus Recreation provides climbers with all the equipment they’ll need to make it to the top.
“Students don’t have to run out and purchase everything in order to climb,” Laura Munsterteiger, Campus Recreation’s assistant marketing director, said. “We want the wall to provide life-like, real training to go out on the field.”
According to Munsterteiger, the wall’s most imperative function isn’t providing students a hobby or form of exercise. It’s training prospective climbers in the fields of strength, skills and safety so they can use those same fundamentals when they climb genuine mountains.
The first lesson students learn is how to belay — the technique of controlling a climbing rope so climbers don’t fall to the ground.
“Belaying is a very important skill in climbing,” she said. “It’s designed to give students safety skills not just on the wall, but in the field.”
To take the first step, climbers must pay a $10, one-time fee to learn basic techniques and skills. At least a day later — to ensure proper retention — climbers take a test, putting to use the skills they learned.
The students who pass are rated one of three colors — red, yellow or blue, each indicating the level of rock climbing to which they are allowed to proceed, according to Evans-Benson.
As students advance from red to yellow, yellow to blue, they learn more than just how to climb. Each step higher, each grip, Evans-Benson said, helps students gain a healthier, more well-rounded lifestyle.
“They’re developing skills like teamwork, organization, balance, problem solving,” she said. “You’re figuring out where you’re going to put your foot, how you’re going to get up that wall.”
But whether climbers are novices or advanced, at the red or blue levels, Evans-Benson said they have found their niche.
“They’re branching out, trying a new avenue to open their minds,” she said. “They work out inside this safe, warm environment and still do something they enjoy.”
Munsterteiger described rock climbers as belonging to a league of their own.
“They’re not your run-of-the-mill students,” she said. “Rock climbing is a lifelong pursuit and passion.”
