The Middlebury Campus

Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Marie Horbar Seaching for the next foothold, a student scales the Middlebury Climbing wall. [Click to enlarge]

"Suspended reefers in Chacos" is how Brittany Burnett '09 describes the types of people who frequent the climbing wall.
"Definitely crunchy granola types with rolled pant legs, but undeniably sexy," says Dave Birr '09.
Alex Fisher '10 agrees that the climbing wall is a magnet for eye candy. "Climbers are attractive, muscular guys with no shirts who listen to eclectic music," she says.
Certain stereotypes surround the students who spend hours at the climbing wall, located at the south end of the Nelson Recreation Center. Although they may not wish to dispel the conception that they are good-looking, they would like to correct the granola-eating stereotype, patch their rocky relationship with the tennis team and encourage timid newcomers to visit the wall.
"People think it's a hippie sport, but it's not. It's for people who enjoy the outdoors," says avid climber and climbing wall monitor Claire Ojima '07. She admits that the wall can be intimidating to people who have never tried it before.
"I never would have come alone the first time," admits Hillary Coleman '10, who now uses the wall as a "stress reliever." More than a stress-relieving activity, the wall offers a supportive, community environment.
"The thing about climbing is it's so friendly," says Ojima. The climbers at the wall pride themselves on being accepting and welcoming.
"We don't necessarily always hang out outside of here, but we all see each other here and have fun together," says climber and wall monitor Justin Ouyang '09. Ouyang uses the wall as a way to train for outdoor climbs and also as a way to meet other climbers and plan outdoor climbing trips.
As if Middlebury students do not test their limits in enough ways, less-experienced climbers use the wall as a means of overcoming fear and pushing themselves to try new things.
Coleman took the climbing wall class as her physical education credit over J-Term and said that a surprising number of people in her class were admittedly afraid of heights. She describes the moment of pause climbing gives her: "I think, wow, I'm up really high, but I just keep climbing," she says.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools