UI to house largest climbing wall in nation
By Mandy Puckett Argonaut Staff Writer
The climbing wall in Memorial Gym was viewed as a fad when it was first erected.
Nine years later, UI is about to build the largest climbing wall
at any university in the nation, according to Scott Rulander,
Group Opportunities and Leadership Program coordinator.
The current climbing wall is located in a remodeled racquetball
court in the Memorial Gym. When the wall was first built, university
officials believed climbing was not going to gain much of a following.
Against expectations, climbing grew in popularity. The climbing
center added extended hours. The center will now be open Mondays
and Wednesdays, with Wednesday night climbing clinics starting
in October. Previously, the center was only open Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
The climbing wall will move into the Student Rec Center January
of 2002, The new climbing wall will be enclosed in glass making
it visible from across campus.
It will stand 55-feet tall with 5,480 square feet of climbing
surface, Rulander said.
"Once students are able to see the wall on campus, it's
going to become a must-do," Rulander said. The new climbing
center will have a more natural surface than the current wall,
providing improved climbing opportunities."
"The surfaces will be a lot better. The wall now is mostly
vertical surfaces. The new wall will be similar to natural rock.
It will have roofs, bolder overhangs and a climbing nose for
more advanced starts.
Climbers will be able to attach to spots rather than using pulleys
like they do now," Rulander said. There will also be a new
rappelling platform that will be friendlier for ROTC, he said.
Rulander said he believes the new climbing center will attract
climbers from around the inland Northwest.
"It will attract climbers to drive in from places like Spokane.
Hopefully, we'll attract some regional competitions, too,"
he said.
The climbing center is preparing for the move to the Rec Center
by trying out new programs at the wall in Memorial Gym.
"We're creating a model for the new facility," Rulander
said. "We're trying out new programs to see how it goes.
This way, we know how to manage right off the bat by seeing which
programs work and which don't."
The old wall will probably be kept for use in adventure courses
and academic groups, Rulander said.
Rulander said there are reasons why climbing has continued to
gain a following over the past nine years since the climbing
wall was built.
"A variety of people, not just individuals, use the wall.
Clubs primarily use it for training for trips and as a hub for
climbers to meet and plan trips. Academic classes and therapeutic
recreation groups use climbing along with people looking for
outdoor pursuits," he said.
Climbing is great for men and women, Rulander said, but each
gender has different strengths.
"Men tend to be physically stronger with more muscle while
women tend to be more graceful and balanced. Women are more aware
when planning their routes," he said.
"It's a good workout for the mind and body. Climbing works
you from your toes to your neck, and mentally challenges you.
It's great because climbing is a lifetime activity. You can only
play football for so long, but you can keep climbing at 60 or
70 years old," Rulander said.
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