More University students than usual are deciding they prefer their exercise on the rocks.
Participation at the UREC Student Recreation Center’s climbing wall has more than doubled in the past three years, according to Chris Bullard, UREC Adventure Education Coordinator. The wall is receiving an average of 662 participants per month this year, up from a 300-person participation average per month in 2008, Bullard said.
The upward trend in attendance may have something to do with fees. The UREC SRC climbing gym cost $5 for each use up until early 2009, according to Bullard. Use of the climbing wall is now free to those with UREC memberships.
And the increase in traffic to the climbing wall since then has been substantial. Roughly 1,600 more people climbed the wall in 2009 than in 2008, Bullard said.
“We did little else differently between these years in advertising the climbing wall,” said Bullard. ”People just started to find it.”
The UREC rock climbing wall was opened for use in early 2006 and is located near the equipment rental station in a renovated racquetball court.
The climbing gym has sections that are 13 feet tall and a section that’s 20 feet tall.
The 20-foot section is known as the top rope section, which involves the use of ropes, harnesses and a spotter. If a climber should fall while using the top ropes, he or she will be caught with ropes using belaying techniques.
The 13-foot-tall sections are used for bouldering, a rock-climbing term for climbing without any belaying ropes or a spotter. Bouldering is limited to 13 feet at the highest, and mats on the ground are the only things to catch climbers who fall.
Safety is a big concern for UREC, Bullard said.
“Everything we use in the climbing gym is made to be super safe and specifically used for climbing,” he said.
The climbing gym hasn’t recorded many injuries. Bullard said there’s an average of two to three accidents per semester, and they’re rarely serious.
  Video: UREC Rock Wall
 
The 15-person staff that runs the climbing gym undergoes a centralized training process in addition to a two-day safety training session, Bullard said.
“We give a five-minute introductory safety speech to all new climbers,” said Luke Rogers, climbing gym employee and general studies junior.
Rogers said first-time climbers shouldn’t be timid.
“The best way to do it is to go head first, all out and do it big,” Rogers said.
Rock climbing is rigorous and a different workout from other activities, according to UREC employees. Most of the exercise is focused on the forearms, fingers and back.
“You’ll be waking up sore,” Rogers said.  “It surprises a lot people how physically draining it is.”
Neal Livesay wouldn’t have it any other way. The math graduate student’s interest in rock climbing was first sparked last December when he saw others climbing. Livesay now goes to climb the UREC’s wall three times a week.
“One of the great things about climbing is that it’s so dynamic,” Livesay said.
Colored duct tape markers designate the correct hand and foot holds within routes to keep climbers on track as they ascend. The different colors are used to denote the difficulty of the route, with pink being the easiest and black the hardest.
The climbing gym provides variety for rock climbers, Bullard said. Climbing routes are constantly being adjusted with a complete overhaul in route design at the beginning of each semester.
Bullard stressed that each trip to the climbing gym is a fun and unique experience. Music often sets the tone in the climbing gym.
“Some days I’ll come in, and it’s chill reggae, and others it’s Rage Against the Machine,” Bullard said.
The UREC rock climbing gym is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. Free belay clinics that focus on top rope skills and safety are held every other Sunday.
 
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Contact Josh Naquin at [email protected]