Middlebury’s climbing community returned this fall to find a brand-new wall towering over the indoor tennis courts in Nelson Recreation Center, complete with shiny holds, flat panels, and fresh, cushy mats. The first thing wall veterans noticed was what was missing: the cave. The steep and storied overhang where experienced climbers congregated, setting routes that defied gravity, is gone. In its place is a flat, pristine surface that looks more like a commercial gym than the charming, textured wall that preceded it.
“The old wall had a lot of character,” said Alex Laakman ’27.5, a wall monitor and experienced climber. “At first, you’re like, man, this wall sucks. And then over the next year, you kind of learn to enjoy it, even though it was objectively a really bad wall to climb on.”
After 10–15 years of service, the old wall met its demise out of necessity. Its bolt holes had stripped, making it impossible to safely secure holds. Half the time, monitors couldn’t attach holds at all, and when they could, the bumpy surface meant holds had to sit perfectly flush or risk being unsafe.
Installed over the summer with funding from an anonymous donor, this new wall replaced the rapidly deteriorating structure. Setter Matthias Galban ’27 began putting up the first routes right when classes started: top rope and lead climbs on the higher section, plus beginner boulders scattered across the flat expanse.
The technical upgrades are significant. Gone is the textured surface where climbers could smear shoes or snag tiny cracks. In its place is a “blank canvas,” as former head wall monitor Maya Henning ’25 described it, that is dramatically easier to set routes on. The wall comes with an arsenal of new holds — bigger pinches, longer rails, ball-shaped jugs — that offer a variety that was formerly impossible. Most exciting are the volumes, table-sized structures that can be bolted to the wall to add dimension.
“We can be way more creative because everything can now be secured flush,” Henning said. “You can do literally whatever you want.”
The renovation also came with new mats and a reorganized space, with shoes and cubbies relocated to the corner by the stairs. There’s more room, more seating, more of everything — except, perhaps, that ineffable quality the old wall possessed.
“I miss the features in the old wall,” Orion Heiser ’28 said. “This one’s a little blank, which I think limits creativity. The old wall had a more homey vibe. The new wall feels a lot more corporate.” After a pause, he added, “But it’s much more accessible, I think, for everyone.”
The loss of the cave has been particularly noticeable. Advanced climbers took it up as a serious challenge, but for newcomers, it could have felt like an intimidating, exclusive space. Without it, the wall is flatter and more open.
That tension — nostalgia for the scuffed old wall versus excitement for the clean slate — came up time and again in conversations with climbers. However, the change may be helping to draw new faces. Open hours this semester have been busy so far, with many first years trying climbing for the first time, and the climbing club’s GroupMe ballooning in size after the Activities Fair. There are even talks of starting a competitive climbing team, which would be a first for Middlebury.
First-timers approaching the climbing wall might expect to hear power screams echoing off the walls or see shirtless climbers aggressively brushing holds before attempting moves, with hand fans at the ready to dry their chalked fingers between attempts. They might anticipate someone screaming “SEND IT!” from across the gym, or groups discussing “beta,” and “projects,” and “crimps” with scholarly intensity as various flavors of Celsius cans accumulate on the mats. And of course, chalk — a climber’s best friend — along with the infamous “chalk goblins.”
Only a few of those stereotypical boxes are actually checked. For the uninitiated, the space can still feel intimidating. But don’t be fooled.
“The goal of the wall is that it’s a comfortable place for anyone to come and try something new,” Laakman said. “So many people come to Middlebury never having climbed before, try it a few times, and just get hooked.”
The jargon is easy to learn. “Routes” are specific climbing paths. At Middlebury’s wall, they are color-coded and labeled by difficulty, with tape marking each problem's starting holds and path up the wall. Monitors set new routes about every month. “Projecting” means you’re working on a specific climb. “Beta” is advice on how to do it, though “spraying beta” is unsolicited advice, and, like mansplaining, is frowned upon. “Send” means you’ve completed it, and a “crimp” is a tiny fingertip hold.
What makes Middlebury’s wall culture unique is the ethos behind it. Climbing is a social sport where people spend as much time sprawled on mats chatting as they do on the wall. It’s easy to make friends when everyone shares the same strange obsession with grabbing plastic rocks.
“Wall culture is honestly the best,” Henning said. “We have so many people who know what they’re doing and so many beginners. People are supportive and cheer for you whether you’re climbing a V0 or a V8.”
The wall is open six days a week, except Saturdays, with designated beginner hours, BIPOC hours, and women and non-binary hours alongside general open hours. Nine paid student monitors help newcomers learn the ropes — sometimes literally, since the wall also offers top rope and lead climbing clinics in addition to bouldering.
Henning said her favorite moments come from beginners surprising themselves.
“When someone doesn’t think they can do it, but they try and try again, and finally get that first climb. They’re so excited — that moment of ‘oh my gosh, I can do it.’ It’s cool to see people work out the puzzle of climbing, thinking through and figuring out what will make them successful.”
The climbing wall is more than just a place to climb. It’s a community hub where beginners dare to try something new, professors climb alongside students, and friends keep each other company. Whether you’re a first-year or a seasoned veteran, there is always a place for you at the wall.
The once-cherished cave may be gone, but its character will return. This time, built not from texture and quirks but from the community that gathers there, chalking up and reaching for plastic rocks with the same determination that previous Middlebury climbers brought to that old, beloved wall.
Ting Cui '25.5 (she/her) is the Business Director.
Ting previously worked as Senior Sports Editor and Staff Writer and continues to contribute as a Sports Editor. A political science major with a history minor, she interned at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. as a policy analyst and op-ed writer. She also competed as a figure skater for Team USA and enjoys hot pilates, thrifting, and consuming copious amounts of coffee.
