Although the 36-foot climbing wall is limited to the inside of the Charles J. Ping Student Recreation Center, its more than 400 hand and foot holds offer climbers an endless amount of ways to reach the top.
About 14 members of Outdoor Pursuits, the adventure recreation department of the Division of Student Affairs, run the wall.
“To work at the climbing wall you only need a very introductory knowledge of climbing,” said Amber Heft, graduate assistant for Outdoor Pursuits. “Like any job on campus, we accept applications. If an applicant has prior climbing experience, that’s great. If not, we teach them.”
Often, the only qualification an applicant needs is a love for the outdoors and an interest in climbing.
“I started at Hocking College’s Outdoor Pursuits and transferred here,” said Dustyn Whyte, a junior and climbing wall supervisor. “I applied for the job because I was here all the time, and I love the outdoors. Before college, I didn’t climb. Now, I climb the wall almost every day either for work or for myself.”
Outdoor Pursuits hires 10 to 15 people each year and trains them on how to use the wall and assist climbers.
“Staff are put through 20 hours of training, which includes instruction on equipment, our policies, how to use our software, and they spend time shadowing a shift so that they’re confident when they start working,” Heft said.
Staff members perform a wide variety of duties.
“The staff will introduce the climber to the harness and how to put it on correctly. Then they will give the climbers a couple little how-to’s on climbing, proper technique, and how our belay system works,” Heft said.
Other duties include working in customer service and creating different routes up the climbing wall. A different color of tape designates each route.
“I work as a trip leader, taking students out on weekend and day trips,” Whyte said. “I’m also a facilitator at the challenge course at the Ridges.”
The course offers team-building exercises for OU students, employees and Athens residents.
Whyte said he encourages everyone to try the climbing wall, which is open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and weekends from 2 to 8 p.m. The climbing wall has about 200 climbers per week.
“Anybody can do it. It’s not something you have to be trained for,” Whyte said. “We work to make this wall accessible for all students at OU.”
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