The University of Wyoming Outdoor Program’s coordinators and employees lead outdoor seasonal rock-climbing trips for students to participate in every semester. Participants of all skill levels are encouraged to join.
Rock-climbing trips take place from August through October each fall, and cost anywhere between $13-$15 for individuals who want to participate. All of the trips are led by student staff.
The majority of these outings are day trips with eight to twelve participants.
“Last year we did some camping and paddleboarding, a climbing trip to Lander, and a backpacking trip up in the Snowy’s” said Payton Bartlett, UW Outdoor Program coordinator,
“We’ll take a group of students outside, I’ll decide on a couple of climbing routes for them, and we’ll spend a day going over skills and getting them on those routes. We did a traveler’s route clinic last year, which is traditional climbing, and we went over the use of specific gear and then got the students on the routes.”
Along with outdoor rock climbing, different indoor clinics are also available to students. Climbing movement classes and introductory bouldering classes are free to take at Half Acre’s indoor climbing wall.
“We pick areas that have a lot of different routes and the big thing that we tell people is challenge by choice,” said Lauren Allen, a Junior at UW and field guide at the UWYO Outdoor Program,
“Even if someone isn’t super stoked on going to the top that’s totally fine, they can just get up there and try and if they only want to climb ten feet off the ground, that’s great. It allows everyone to define their own challenge.”
The Outdoor Program offers backcountry cooking clinics, backcountry ski trips, cross-country ski trips, mountain biking trips, and scuba diving trips on top of indoor and outdoor rock-climbing classes and trips.
“Climbing is for everyone, and everyone has to start somewhere. That’s such a personal thing, and it’s a big challenge. It’s about challenging yourself, not competing with others,” said Bartlett,
“I would encourage everyone to come give it a try or come talk to any of us if you have any questions. Maybe climbing isn’t your thing, but I’m sure that there’s something in the outdoors that you might enjoy.”
