Chalk residue, callouses, and various feats of flexibility and endurance are common occurrences at your local rock climbing gym. From small scale bouldering to vertigo inducing heights, climbing brings with it personal challenges to overcome, and a whole new kind of fun.
Just a few weeks ago, student Mason Alt decided to start the Rock Climbing Club at Schoolcraft to bring like-minded students together.
Climbing since the age of 15, Alt believes climbing is just like any other sport. Whether climbing for competition, as a form of exercise, or just for the passion, Alt has a knack for spreading the art of ‘bouldering’ to as many people as he can.
Climbing is a sport growing in popularity. Videos spread across the internet and social media platforms of professionals and amateurs alike creating holds out of nothing, and feats of grip-strength that baffle the eye.
There are dedicated facilities that allow for safe climbing indoors, such as Planet Rock, located on the west-side of Ann Arbor, and the club plans to meet at 11-12 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
As well as being simply a form of exercise, climbing rests on the edge of risk and ability, and it’s about pushing yourself each time to become a better climber. Alt spoke about the inherent danger and risk of climbing that creates an adrenaline-fueled rush.
“You can take risks that are going to push you outside of your comfort zone and bring you to these new areas that I think a lot of people look for in life. It’s really risky, but it’s safe in regards to making sure that all your systems are safe,” said Alt .
Climbing has a creative aspect to it that perhaps goes overlooked by the untrained eye. Like in any sport, there are the greats that push the act of climbing further than anyone before them. There are famous ‘routes’ that someone had to create first, drawn up as a hypothetical reality in their head in order to achieve the status of the ‘world’s first’ to climb in uncharted territory. Alt finds these trailblazers to be artists, expressing themselves in these designed pathways. When asked how easy it was to get started, Alt replied with a succinct, “As easy as you want to make it.”
No gear or equipment is required, just some time out of your day and a little more than lunch money to get a day pass and rental equipment at Planet Rock, where you won’t just find a sport to immerse yourself in, but a community to surround yourself with.
“I’ve found quite a bit of community through my rock climbing gym. I want to say, right now, I’ve collected a good five or six friends and they’ve really developed a love for rock climbing and the want to do more stuff. I think the community is there and the community is heavy. I want to bring that community into Schoolcraft students,” said Alt.
Climbing is surprisingly multidisciplinary. It’s a core workout, a test of grip-strength, an art-form, a community and Alt shows all the passion in the world for it. There doesn’t exist an ‘archetype’ for a person to enjoy climbing, as long as you have the willingness to try something new, and step out of your comfort zone, you might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish by joining the club.
For more information on the Rock Climbing Club, contact the Student Activities Office at 734-462-4422.
