Overnight camping trip to focus on rock climbing

Students interested in taking ISU’s rock climbing wall to the real outdoors can register for an overnight camping trip at the welcome desk in the Student Fitness Center by noon on Tuesday.

This workshop will focus on students, registered members or not, to come experience real rock climbing outside of a wall on Saturday, Sept. 8 to Sunday, Sept. 9.

“Since we opened the Rec Center and we got the climbing wall here, it’s an opportunity for students that have climbed indoors to then be able to go and climb real rock,” Bill James, assistant director of outdoor and noncredit programs of Campus Recreation, said. According to James, the location of the real rock climbing will be at Giant City State Park just outside of Carbondale.

There is a mandatory participant meeting from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesday, which will include logistics, gear sizing selection, an equipment list and the final time of when to leave for the workshop, James explained.

“It was an outgrowth of the climbing wall,” he said. “For me, a climbing wall, a climbing gym is a training opportunity. It’s a way to learn and practice, but ultimately, the hope is that people are going outside and climbing real rock.”

Students participating do have to pay, but numerous benefits are included in the program.

“For students, the cost is $85 and that includes the transportation, their camping, their food, all their camping equipment and their climbing equipment,” James said. “All inclusive for a two-day trip.”

From beginners to experienced climbers, three or four staff members will instruct any student interested in participating, James explained.

“The other thing we do is we do set up a repel as well, so there is an 85-foot cliff base you can repel off to,” he said.

“We make it as safe as possible,” James added. “We’ve set it up so there is safety systems in place, it’s redundant, it’s backed up.”

Previously, this program was done in April, but with tests, finals and projects, not too many students had the opportunity to sign up, James explained.

“The hope with this one was to put it really early in the semester before we get to midterms, before everybody gets busy and involved in a bunch of other stuff,” he added.

For more information on the outdoor rock climbing workshop, visit CampusRecreation.IllinoisState.edu/events.