Laramie is a city known for its outdoor recreational activities, and climbing is no exception. Whether you’re scaling rock walls or The Wing in Vedauwoo Recreation Area, Laramie isn’t short on peaks to climb.
On campus, the Cowboy Climbing Club is available to students to practice their climbing skills indoors alongside a fun community of fellow climbers.
“It’s a good place for people to meet each other and…encourage people to keep climbing,” Shayla Babits, the vice president of the Cowboy Climbing Club, said.
The Cowboy Climbing Club is also a great place to fine tune your climbing skills, or pick up some new moves.
“We try to incorporate little demos into our meetings to teach people some things,” Babits said.
Members are also fond of the outdoor weekend excursions the club offers, organized in part by secretary and social media manager Sarah Cook.
“We’ve organized fun things that are sweet to be involved in…there’s a lot of people in Laramie who are stoked to climb,” Cook said.
Additionally, climbing isn’t only great for your physical health, but also your social sphere outside of campus.
“Climbing is a sport you can carry through your whole life…it’s a really good way to socialize, especially after you leave college,” Zach Nelson, president of the Cowboy Climbing Club, said.
Andrew Thomas, a regular member of the club, also values the sense of community he gained after joining the Cowboy Climbing Club.
“If you’ve never tried rock climbing it’d be good to join the club just to try something new and get outside of your comfort zone,” Thomas said, “but maybe you come here and you don’t end up liking climbing…but you might meet some really cool people”.
When asked why students should join the club, Nelson said, “Because climbing is awesome and we’re awesome… also, climbing is a really good sport to get into.”
The Cowboy Climbing Club offers a vibrant community of skilled and novice climbers alike and strives to nurture a love of the sport. They meet every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Half Acre Climbing Gym.
