An attendee of Women’s Climbing Night rock climbing at the Outdoor Adventure Center. Credit: Courtesy of Alice Adams
In an effort to create a female-inclusive environment in a predominantly male-oriented activity, the Outdoor Adventure Center will be holding a free, women’s-only climbing night.
The center, located within the Adventure Recreation Center, will be hosting Women’s Climbing Night April 12, with one session held at 7 p.m. and another at 8:30 p.m. The event will have a limited capacity of 24 people per session to ensure COVID-19 safety guidelines are met.
“A lot of gyms tend to be filled with men, and we wanted to make sure that we were providing a space for women to climb and to feel confident,” Emma Dingeldein, a third-year in city and regional planning and a facility lead at the Outdoor Adventure Center, said.
The atmosphere is what led Katie Kretz, a fifth-year in nursing, to partake in the Women’s Climbing Night more than once.
“It was really fun, and they played all women song artists and very empowering music,” Kretz said.
People who have never climbed before do not have to worry about their experience levels, Lisa Vogeler, a first-year in psychology and German, said — the OAC staff is there to assist.
“The OAC is always super inviting, and all the people who work there are always willing to talk to anyone,” Vogeler said.
The first Women’s Climbing Night was held on International Women’s Day in 2019. This year, the event reached its capacity limit of 24 people during the March 8 event, so the OAC decided to add more dates.
“We usually have the event once a year, but it went so well this year so we will be testing out this new development in the fall full-time, and we’re hoping to just get more and more people involved in it,” Dingeldein said.
Before the pandemic, Women’s Climbing Night included other activities for participants to do in addition to climbing such as yoga and Zumba, Dingeldein said.
Dingeldein said she hopes people will come back to the event and potentially foster an interest in climbing outside of the event.
“The first climb is always hard because there’s a lot of technique to learn, and it can be intimidating, especially if everyone does not have the same experience, so we’re just hoping that it’s to get your foot in the door and meet other climbers just like you,” Dingeldein said.
Students can register for Women’s Climbing Night by visiting the Recreational Sports program page. Equipment is provided by the Outdoor Adventure Center, and staff will be around to assist students and teach the basics of rock climbing.
