Students climb to new heights at Trees rock wall

Nate Norris starts out sitting, but within seconds he’s roughly 8 feet in the air. He’s moved… Nate Norris starts out sitting, but within seconds he’s roughly 8 feet in the air. He’s moved a few feet to the right since he first left the ground, but after swaying a bit, he’s steadied himself. Norris, a junior, is one of the many Pitt students who regularly use the rock climbing wall in Trees Hall. It’s located in the same gym as the basketball courts, all the way in the back, beyond the golfing area. He and freshman Joanna Leach alternate climbing and belaying, or spotting by removing the slack by pulling the excess rope, for each other. They estimate they go to the rock climbing wall in Trees about four or five times a week. Norris said it’s not only a physical exercise but also one for the mind. Garth Dellinger, a senior who works at the wall, also thinks the mental part is important. ‘It’s one of the least competitive sports,’ said Dellinger, who was supervising climbers and teaching lessons. ‘You’re not competing against anyone but yourself.’ Jason Berardinelli, another employee at the climbing wall, agreed. ‘Everyone here is pushing each other just to keeping going,’ said Berardinelli.’ ‘People here are very nice and helpful.’ The friendly atmosphere was on display, as one climber was just another step up from reaching the top of the wall, but felt too tired to continue. Another climber on the course next to his was making her way up and offered advice on which rock to step on next and told him to keep going. It was a nice gesture, even if the climber ended up stopping his run right there. For those who don’t own climbing gear, students can rent it once you get there. A pair of shoes costs $2, a harness is $1, and belay hardware is also $1. So for those who wish to climb and need to rent all the equipment, it costs $5. For those that bring their own equipment, it’s $1 to climb. There are also month-long passes ($10 for students with their own equipment, $20 for students without their own equipment), semester-long passes ($25 and $50) and year-long passes ($45 and $90). Students can take lessons for $5, which is a 45-minute class on how to use the ropes properly. After students take the lesson, they come back the next day and must demonstrate that they remember how to properly use everything and are then put into the computer system.’ Students can then climb the different routes, said Nancy Egger, another employee at the wall. The University also offers an introduction to rock climbing course. The wall itself is about 80 feet wide and 25 feet tall, said Egger. The first climbing areas are fairly flat parts of the wall. As the wall continues to the right, it gets a bit more interesting. It indents a few inches, and a few feet into the climb the wall shifts toward the center. A few feet higher than that, the wall juts outward. Once a climber reaches that part of the wall, he or she is facing up, practically parallel to the ground. At the end of the wall is a section for bouldering, which Dellinger said is a style of climbing where the climber doesn’t use a rope and goes about halfway up the wall. Crash pads lay on the floor under that section of the wall, which contains about twice as many rocks to grab onto as the other parts. The rocks on the wall are all different sizes and colors. They come in yellow, blue, orange and a few other more rock-like colors. Some have holes in the center to put a hand or foot into, while others are full so the climber can either grab or step onto it. During the climb, the belayer gives Twister-like instructions. ‘Put your right foot on the blue one, yeah, right foot blue. Now put your left foot on the yellow one, left foot yellow.’ Egger said they try to change the routes around once every weekend, but occasionally, maybe at the beginning of the semester, they change nearly everything around. There are also competitions held at the rock wall, Egger said, adding that there will be one in the spring. People from different schools will compete, and anyone can enter. ‘It will be an all-day event on a Saturday,’ said Egger. ‘Probably toward the end of January or early February.’ Egger, Berardinelli and Dellinger all said they climb at places other than the rock wall at Trees. Berardinelli and Dellinger, as well as Norris and Leach, said they’re members of Pitt’s Outdoors Club, which goes on climbing trips. ‘Some people start outdoors,’ said Berardinelli, but added starting indoors isn’t ‘required, but advised.’ So for those looking for a different way to exercise, or perhaps just wanting to live out that life-long Spiderman fantasy, you might want to make the trek up to Trees and do some climbing. ‘It’s like an adrenaline rush,’ said Dellinger, ‘a natural high.’