The Climbing Wall at Vandy
A real cool feature of Vanderbilt’s that is becoming more popular across the nation is the climbing wall available at the Student Recreation Center that is available to all members of the Rec Center (that means students!) for FREE when the wall is open.
The Climbing Wall is a great place to warm up for, cool down for, or just have a good workout! During my freshman year, I was very excited about potentially going on a spring break trip of climbing in Red Rock, Nevada with Vandy’s Outdoor Recreation Program. Because it was an intermediate-advanced trip, I decided to “train” at Vandy’s Climbing Wall to become good enough to go on the trip. I ended up going almost every day of the week for 1-2 hours to climb, learn to belay, and hang out with my new friends! I still remember the first time I climbed there…it kind of stands out to me as an important moment of my climbing career.
I didn’t end up going on that spring break trip, but I did end up getting really involved with climbing. I went on an Outdoor Rec trip to Tennessee Wall near Chattanooga, got involved with WilSkills, and eventually applied for a job at the Outdoor Recreation Center and the Climbing Wall.
Though the Climbing Wall at Vandy isn’t the best, it is a great place to get some free climbs in, meet some cool people, and try out something new! Student organizations like Alternative Spring Break and Vanderbilt Visions have used the Climbing Wall as a fun activity to help their members get to know each other and challenge each other. The Vanderbilt Running Club, once it gets cold out, uses the Climbing Wall as their “Fun Friday” practice every once in a while.
So come out and try it out! It’s a great time for prospective students, freshmen, and upperclassmen alike! =)
