Climbing isn’t just a means of exercise. For many, it’s a passion. Although rock climbing in Michigan can be tough, the addition of a rock climbing wall in the Roche sports complex has given student climbers an easy way to continue doing what they love.
The rock climbing wall, which opened this semester, is open seven days a week. It is supervised by students who have a passion for climbing.
“I grew up climbing everything there was to climb,” said freshman Cassidy Syftestad, wall logistics supervisor for the climbing wall. “I live in California, so I’m near Tahoe and there are a lot of mountains, rocks, and boulders to climb. I started bouldering when I was pretty young.”
Bouldering is a form of outdoor climbing. As the name implies, it generally takes place on boulders or other smaller rocks, so climbers are closer to the ground. There are no harnesses or ropes involved. The only equipment needed is a crash pad to prevent injury from falls and climbing shoes if wanted.
“It’s the cheapest form of rock climbing,” said junior Taylor Flowers. “I’ve done that in Colorado up in Rocky Mountain National Park near Colorado Springs, and also a little bit in Montana.”
The flat topography of Michigan prevents climbers from being able to find outdoor spots to climb around Hillsdale, but they make do with what they have.
The closest climbing gym to Hillsdale is Planet Rock in Ann Arbor.
“That’s a really good place to go if you want something more advanced,” said sophomore Cecily Parell, special events supervisor for the climbing wall. Parell started a rock climbing club at her high school and is eager for the opportunity to possibly start one here.
“I would like to at some point go forward with making a rock climbing club here,” she said. “I would be sure that we had outings.”
Student workers at the wall also are in charge of creating new routes. Climbers use a specific scale called the Yosemite Decimal Scale to describe a route’s difficulty. The climbing portion of the scale ranges from 5.4 to 5.14. A 5.4 route is a route that is protected and has good holds for both hands and feet. A 5.14 route, on the other hand, has yet to be climbed.
“I just put up a 5.11 route which is pretty dang tough,” Parell said. “It stumped our best climber so that’s really exciting.”
Graduate student Peter Cross, however, was able to conquer Parell’s 5.11 route.
“I get [to the climbing wall] as often as studies will allow,” Cross said. “Climbing is more than just a workout. It requires both thought and physical strength which I really like.”
While climbers can enjoy attempting new routes on the climbing wall here, indoor climbing simply doesn’t compare to the real deal.
“You can definitely grow on the wall here but it would be good to make a trip to Ann Arbor,” Parell said. “The wall here is pretty small and there’s not a lot of variety, but we’ll be setting and resetting routes.”
“Outdoor sport climbing is ideal,” Cross said. “There’s nothing like trying to ascend an 80-foot rock, especially if it’s exposed and you’ve got a great view.”
Cross did not begin climbing until after he graduated from his undergraduate studies. Parell has a unique reason as to why she began climbing.
“I really got interested when I watched Princess Diaries, because in the beginning when she goes and she climbs this wall I thought, ‘Wow, that’s so cool, I want to be like her’,” Parell said. “She’s also the princess of Genovia, so she’s a really strong and powerful woman, so ever since I watched that movie I always wanted to climb.”
No matter your skill level, climbing presents more than simply a physical challenge.
“There’s a lot of puzzling and a lot of thinking involved,” Cross said. “You’re trying to figure out how to not only just use your strength, but your body position to get up the wall.”
So if you’re up for a mental and physical challenge, try to conquer Hillsdale’s new climbing wall.
