Editor’s Note — This is a story in an ongoing Nebraska Today series that spends an hour (sometimes more, sometimes less) at campus locations to highlight events or services. For more information, or to suggest a topic for the series, send email to tfedderson@unl.edu or call 402-472-8515.
It’s 10:30 a.m. at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Outdoor Adventures Center and kids from a community summer camp are quietly attacking the climbing wall.
At the center of the silent fervor stands a fellow Bright Lights camper, eyes closed and patiently waiting for any sound.
A loud thump as a toe slips from a foothold sends the boy into action, pointing toward the sound and yelling “Ninja!” The discovered camper jumps down and walks to sit on a nearby mat with others who are out of the game. Meanwhile, the remaining players scramble for better handholds, aiming to be the last clinging to the wall and winner of Ninja Tag.
The Bright Lights “New Heights: Rock Climbing” group is one in a series of summer camp groups that will learn the ups and downs of bouldering and rock climbing in Nebraska’s largest climbing facility. During UNL’s fall and spring semesters, the facility is scrambling with university students traversing the three-story tall climbing structure.
“During peak hours, it’s not uncommon for us to have 60 people in the climbing facility hanging out,” said Todd Grier, coordinator for outdoor adventures with UNL’s Campus Recreation. “The pace is slower during the summer, but we’re still busy.”
The 13,000-square-foot Outdoor Adventures Center opened in May 2014. Along with a world-class indoor/outdoor climbing structure and bouldering gym, the facility offers an expanded shop for bike repairs and rentals; UNL’s first outdoor bike lockers; 24-hour shower access to members; outdoor gear rentals; and meeting space to plan outdoor adventures trips and hold related training classes.
UNL has a long-standing dedication to providing climbing training and experiences. The first wall was erected in 1976. It was a customizable flat concrete wall that doubled as a backstop to East Campus tennis courts. That original wall was removed about the one was added inside the Campus Rec Center in 1997.
It’s 10:45 a.m. and Campus Rec’s climbing wall guides lead the Bright Lights campers outside for a snack and drink of water. Climbing and clinging quietly is hard work.
The Outdoor Adventures indoor/outdoor climbing wall has five times the climbing opportunity over UNL’s old wall, growing from five ropes in the Campus Rec Center to 30 in the new building. It offers a variety of climbing opportunities, from amateur to veteran, and includes a 10-foot-tall bouldering area inside. The wall also allows for a variety of training opportunities, including rescue scenarios at various heights, and is used by UNL academic programs for course instruction.
The climbing structure has hosted two regional climbing competitions since it opened — a series finale in 2014 and a regional competition in 2016.
To maintain a fresh climbing experience, Grier said the design of hand and footholds on the wall are changed on a regular basis. For instance, the bouldering section of the facility undergoes a complete redesign each month, switching out half of the span every two weeks. The taller climbing walls are divided into primarily four-rope sections, with a rotating update to one section each month.
“We want to make sure this facility remains fun for people,” Grier said. “We don’t want our students and regulars coming in and having it be the same all the time. We want them to come back and be excited about the chance to get different climbing experiences.”
It’s 11 a.m. and the Bright Lights kids have stepped into climbing harnesses and are learning how to tie a basic, figure eight-shaped rock climbing knot. If it comes out looking like a pretzel, don’t worry. A simple flip of the rope and the figure eight appears.
During the facility’s first year of operation (July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015) more than 23,500 individuals used the campus climbing wall. Grier said numbers are on pace to equal or exceed that total by the end of the current fiscal year
“Most climbing facilities at universities are tucked away into a corner or built into an existing hallway,” Grier said. “UNL was forward thinking and designed this building to be the home to a top-of-the-line climbing facility.
“The success of that investment shows in how active this space is. It’s a space that students and members of the larger community love to visit and enjoy.”
It’s 11:30 a.m. and the Bright Lights campers have partnered up and are tied into ropes hanging from the top of the three-story tall climbing structure. Time to attack the wall — this time as loud as they desire. On belay!
UNL’s Outdoor Adventures climbing wall is open for campus and public use from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays during the summer. For more information, click here.
“An Hour on Campus” highlights 60 minutes at interesting University of Nebraska-Lincoln places. If you have a suggestion for “An Hour on Campus” feature, contact Troy Fedderson at tfedderson2@unl.edu.
