Climbing has become an increasingly popular sport, especially among college students, and University of Minnesota students do not seem to be immune from the bouldering bug.
The new Climbing Training Center opened Monday at the University’s Recreation and Wellness Center (RecWell). The Climbing Training Center includes two brand-new, state-of-the-art climbing walls in addition to the existing climbing wall.
RecWell Outdoor Program Director Bryan Karban said these new walls are meant to accommodate the growing demand for more climbing square footage.
The RecWell’s main climbing gym hosts nearly 900 members every semester and 125 climbers a day, according to Karban.
The new Climbing Center took the space that previously had the Recwell’s racquetball courts, which Karban said were being underutilized.
Karban said as soon as RecWell decided to remodel its racquetball courts, he wanted to add new climbing structures in their place.
“I really wanted to bring in something that represents current trends in the future direction of climbing,” Karban said.
Karban said the two walls were both created by Kilter Board, a brand owned by Colorado-based company Setter Closet.
One wall is an Original Layout Kilter board made specifically for climbing gyms, according to Karban. The Original Kilter board is a universal design made up of standard-sized, traditionally shaped climbing holds.
The Original Kilter Board uses a specially designed Kilter app, which allows climbers to create their own climbing routes or use routes posted by other climbers, Karban said. When a route is selected, the board will light up the LED lights in the specific holds used in the route. The board has the potential for more than 18,000 routes that can be used by beginners or extreme climbers.
The second wall is a Spraywall, which has a more abstract design for its holds, which Karban said gives a unique challenge for more experienced climbers.
The Spraywall uses a separate app from Kilter, called Stōkt, for its route setting, Karban said. Climbers can use Stōkt to create their own routes or use other climbers’ routes as well.
Karban said the possible interactive aspect between users is what sets the Stōkt app apart.
“It creates kind of this social connection through the app, which for most climbers going to a climbing gym, you never get to have that experience of designing your own route,” Karban said.
Karban said both walls can also articulate from a 10-70 degree overhang to add an extra challenge for climbers. Karban believes these walls are some of the largest articulating walls in the Metro area.
Although the new climbing walls are open to all RecWell members for free, Karban said their addition was made with more advanced climbers in mind.
“They are meant for people who are trying to train for climbing,” said Oskar Bockhorst, a RecWell student employee and climbing instructor. “It could be a harder introduction. That’s not to say you can’t do it, but the holds here are generally worse than you would see at a normal climbing gym.”
Student Vivek Kethineni said the new climbing walls are nice because they allow climbers to try more difficult climbing routes than the RecWell’s older climbing wall has.
In addition to the new walls, the Climbing Training Center includes amenities such as hang boards, pull-up bars and other climbing-specific training equipment.
Karban said these extra amenities can help round out climbers who want to improve, as it can meet all climbing training needs.
The center requires all climbers to wear shoes, which they can either bring themselves or rent from the RecWell for $8 per day.
Although the center is targeted more at experienced climbers, it is still open to all students and RecWell members.
