With the New Year comes fresh energy, dreams and aspirations. For myself and my friend Catherine McCulloch, a fifth year student in honours mathematics, it inspired us to try out the rock climbing wall at PAC for the first time. With Catherine being a regular user of the PAC gym and myself a regular at the PAC pool, it was only a matter of time until our curiosity inspired us to explore PAC’s third key feature: the rock climbing wall. The first step towards making our first climb a reality was research. A quick Google Search of ‘UW rock climbing wall’ brought me to the UW Athletics page detailing the climbing options:
- Rock Climbing Membership $64.00 + HST
- Rock Climbing Membership (including shoe rental) $79.00 + HST
- Rock Climbing One Day Use $12.50 + HST
- Rock Climbing One Day Use (including shoe rental) $15.50 + HST
Given that we were both newbies to the sport and wanted to give the experience a try before committing to a full membership, we opted for the one-day pass with shoe rental. After calling the PAC customer service desk to confirm the payment process, it was clarified that payment for single-day use must be made in person at the PAC customer service desk. One downside that stood out was this meant reserving one of the 25 spots available for the 1 hour and 30 minute sessions online was not possible. Only students with a membership can reserve spots online — single-day users must book at the PAC service desk.
Catherine and I decided our first climb would be on a Friday, during the 6-7:30 p.m. time slot. To ensure we’d be able to climb, we checked the UW climbing wall booking site to confirm spots remained available. With about 15 spots left, we headed to the PAC front desk to pay for our day passes. I finally felt like the climbing experience was about to begin when we tried on our climbing shoe rentals. The staff member at the climbing wall was extremely welcoming and gave us a full orientation of the facility and safety measures. We learned how to safely fall onto the mat, harness ourselves and the different levels of climbing difficulty.
Once our 15-minute orientation was complete, we were free to begin climbing on our own. Catherine and I both started off with the beginner climbing section and after a couple of attempts, we both grew comfortable letting the harness catch us when we fell off the wall. We were both successful in scaling to the top of the beginner climbing wall. Initially, we struggled to scale the intermediate and advanced sections. This challenge, as evidenced by watching other climbers scale difficult walls, was a reminder that with perseverance and consistency, we too could improve our climbing skills.
The climbing experience was a memorable experience that reminded us of the fun found in trying something new. Catherine added, “Besides pushing students out of their comfort zone, [rock climbing] is a great way to take a break from studying.” What advice would we give any student considering giving the climbing wall a shot? Catherine encourages newbies not to worry about looking silly. “You can’t expect to be perfect at something you’re trying for the first time and it’s more fun to be able to laugh at ourselves while learning new skills.”
To any student considering taking a step outside their comfort zone, we say go for it! You may find a sport you love and want to pursue further, or a fun activity that brings you and a friend closer.
