By DENNIS RAABE
Special to The Gazette
Your arms heavy, and your legs shaking slightly, you have one final move to reach the summit of the mountain.
Carefully scanning the face of the rock, you find a solid hold above your head, which appears just beyond your reach. To execute the move you will have to extend yourself to your limit, both physically and mentally. Taking a deep breath you push off the mountain, propelling yourself upward to grasp the hold. You are momentarily free of the mountain and with a final lunge your hand has a solid hold upon the rock. A range of emotions flood over you, but more than anything else you feel triumphant. Now exhausted, but filled with exhilaration, you look down and give a thumbs up to your climbing partner who has been belaying the support rope from the bottom of the climb.
Having completed this first climb, you have an insight into why rock climbing is becoming such a popular recreational activity for both the young and the young at heart. It combines challenge, exercise and a sense of adventure in an environment in which safety, peer support and team effort are of the highest priorities.
It is assumed by many that months of training, travel to far away places and an investment in expensive equipment would be necessary to experience the satisfaction and excitement associated with climbing. In fact, high-quality climbing experiences are available to community members of all ages and physical abilities at a modest cost through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Johnny Johnson, the UW-SP climbing wall coordinator, invites individuals, families and groups to experience an evening of high adventure and challenge on the climbing wall.
"Climbing in our facility is a high excitement and challenge with very minimal risk," said Johnson. "With the safeguards we have in place and the technology we utilize, there is little danger of injury."
Johnson is quick to inform those who are initially intimidated by the imposing sight of the wall, which dominates the northwest corner of the Health Enhancement Center.
The wall is 28 feet high with a wide range of climbs, including those for the tentative beginner as well as those to challenge the experienced and daring. The rocklike texture provides the climber with sensations, natural holds and feet placements not available on modular walls. The versatility of the wall allows for top rope (climbing up the wall with a rope supporting you from above) as well as lead climbing (creating routes while climbing above the rope which supports the climber) experiences.
The costs associated with using the climbing wall are very reasonable. The wall is available for climbing between 6 and 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. On Saturdays, the climbing wall is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Community members are charged $12 for the four-hour session, which includes the rental of the climbing harness. The cost for students is $8. Climbing shoes can be rented for an additional $3. There is a one-time certification fee of $5. Group and family rates are available by contacting Johnson at 346-4184.
The climbing facility at UW-SP was completed in the spring of 1999 and has quickly become a popular activity for university students and faculty. With a trained staff and nearly a year in operation, Johnson and his climbing technicians are ready and eager to introduce community members to this exhilarating recreational and all-around fitness activity.