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Eastern Oregon University builds new rock climbing gym

isabella crowley, the observer, la grande, ore.
·4 min read

Jun. 16—LA GRANDE — Work on the new climbing center at Eastern Oregon University is slated to get underway in August.

The upgraded climbing wall is part of a larger $12 million fieldhouse project at the La Grande university. In 2018, Eastern secured $9 million in lottery-backed state bonds for the fieldhouse. Additional funding was provided through a large private gift and the EOU budget.

"It will be a big asset to the university, community and students," said Tim Seydel, EOU's vice president for university advancement.

Bringing an upgraded climbing gym to the university has been a dream for Michael Hatch, director of the outdoor adventure program, since he started working at Eastern eight years ago.

"We have some phenomenal rock climbing here in Eastern Oregon that's actually really accessible," he said. "To support that kind of outdoor experience, to have a nice climbing wall here would be very worthwhile to the students and the community," Hatch said.

Upgrades

The upgraded climbing center will be double the size of the current climbing wall in Quinn Coliseum.

The gym will have 2,500 square feet of climbable surface, with at least 12 roped routes and 600 square feet dedicated to bouldering — a type of climbing done on shorter walls with protective crash pads rather than ropes.

According to Hatch, the new facility will have a good mix of difficulty levels: 30% beginner, 40% intermediate and 30% expert. There will also be specialized training areas for multi-pitch, rappelling and ice climbing.

Eldorado Climbing — a company based in Boulder, Colorado, that manufactures, builds and installs custom climbing walls — came in with the lowest bid. According to Seydel and Hatch, installation of the climbing wall is expected to be completed by the start of fall term.

Hatch noted that the climbing gym will be the biggest wall open to the public within a 150-mile radius.

"This is going to be a really amazing regional resource," Hatch said.

Opportunities

The gym upgrades will provide new opportunities for the climbing club at Eastern, explained Hatch. There is a Northwest collegiate climbing circuit that holds competitions at universities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

"Now our students will actually be able to have these climbing competitions here on campus," Hatch said. "This will hopefully increase the popularity of the program and we'll have more students who want to get involved in the climbing club."

Hatch believes the new facility will be a draw for potential students considering Eastern who are interested in competitive climbing.

The larger upgraded climbing center also will provide more opportunities for members of the community. The schedule has not been finalized, but Hatch said the climbing gym will be open on weekends and have more hours during the week.

Season access passes to the gym will increase to $150 for individuals and $300 for families. Group rates will increase to $100 an hour for private parties with less than 10 people and $130 for more than 10. School groups and nonprofits will receive a discounted rate of $75 an hour.

Events

The new wall will also be beneficial for community events. According to Hatch, the outdoor adventure program regularly partners with schools in Union and surrounding counties.

The latest partnership — spearheaded by Ruthi Davenport, professor emeritus at Eastern Oregon University — was with the La Grande School District. Over the last three months, third, fourth and fifth grade classes in the district visited the rock wall at Quinn Coliseum twice.

The elementary students went to the climbing wall three times a week for hour-long sessions, which allowed close to 450 kids the chance to climb.

"It was a huge success," Hatch said. "It's really empowering and exciting to watch those kids. When they first come in they are really timid. Some of them are afraid, some of them don't think they can do it. There is this hesitancy, this self-doubt. But then they start at it and in minutes this self-confidence totally elevates and blossoms. It's a really rewarding and cool experience."

In addition to local schools, Eastern partners with Scouts, church groups, the Union County juvenile department and the Center for Human Development. EOU has also worked with Parks and Recreation to run summer climbing camps.

Community events rely on Eastern faculty, staff and students to run. When climbing, the person on the wall is secured through a technique called belaying. The belayer — a trained individual on the ground — controls the rope tension while the climber navigates the wall.

During events, the number of belayers determines how many people can be climbing on the wall at one time.

The new gym will include several TrueBlue auto belays —ma device that allows people to climb without belayers by automatically taking up slack and locking during falls — which will allow more people to climb without needing more volunteers.

"It provides a really great community service and community space," Hatch said of the climbing facility. "The more opportunities we have to engage kids in physical activity and keep them healthy and active is a really good thing."