Climbing and Bouldering at AU’s Rec Center

Our Climbing Wall

Our climbing wall consists of a 12-foot bouldering wall and five 24-foot top rope courses to accommodate multiple users of varying abilities. The “naturals” in the wall actually allow the climber to use the wall when climbing instead of simply using standard climbing holds. To vary the texture, difficulty and diversity of the routes, our holds come from numerous manufacturing companies and routes are changed as often as possible.

Climbing Wall Incentive Program

Do you think you can climb 29,032 feet over the course of your collegiate career? Why not find out by signing up for the Climb To Challenge incentive program? Once you join, you’ll be awarded 200 feet for every easy route, 350 feet for a medium route and 500 feet for a hard route. If you reach the peak of Everest you get entered into a chance to win the grand prize. This is an ongoing program that you can start at any point during the school year. Small prizes are available to be won at certain checkpoints along the way.

Climbing wall instructor talks with students about to climb

What Is Bouldering?

Bouldering is a discipline of climbing that first evolved as a form of training for larger ascents but is now recognized as a sport in its own right. It involves traversing natural or artificial rock formations without the use of ropes or harnesses while ascending, on average, 12 to 15 feet.

The fact that boulderers usually remain fairly close to the ground is what distinguishes it from free solo climbing, which is a form of technical ice or rock climbing without protection up to much greater heights.

Outdoors, bouldering is done on natural boulders or small rock formations with thick mats called “crash pads” beneath the climber’s intended route; indoors, climbers boulder on artificial rock walls above a padded surface. Both indoors and outdoors, most serious climbers boulder with the aid of chalk and climbing shoes.

When bouldering, the challenge is to climb short but tricky routes called “problems,” using a sequence of moves that allow you to remain on the boulder or wall until you have placed two hands on the finish hold of the route.