Bouldering cave offers free money to climbers

Many Union College students, faculty and staff walk up the steps inside the atrium of the Don Love Building every day with many different goals. Some are headed to the student center to play ping-pong while others are studying in the library. One might be going for a snack at Cooper’s Corner and another might be on their way to Student Success. However, these people all have one thing in common—they are walking right over a feature of our campus that, while continuously offering great recreational opportunities to students, is now offering prize money to lucky ones who can prove that they have completed some complex challenges.

Beneath the stairs is the Bouldering Cave, a place where students can “rock climb” with little to no danger. Using a lot of finger strength and coordination, climbers can use the space with zero equipment. They are never high off the ground and it is much safer than traditional vertical rock climbing walls. Routes are changed by staff from year to year to keep things fresh and enjoyable.

The Bouldering Cave opened in January 2017 as a way to offer recreational options that were not dependent on the fluctuating Nebraska weather. The project was not funded by student tuition. Funding was raised by the Student Association asking alumni to match their contributions.

A new feature of the cave this year is the new “bounty routes” that are offered. The first students who complete these and submit video evidence to the Bouldering Cave Director Dan Keis are eligible to win a cash prize of $20 or $30, depending on the route difficulty.

“It’s very much … a budding community,” said Keis. “Prior to this year … there wasn’t much traction or momentum.” The staff hope to connect more students to the cave this year with tournaments, basic climbing classes and even a yoga/climbing collaboration.

“It’s a lot of fun to come climb here!” said Calista Covel, Bouldering Cave staff member. 

Any student is able to climb with staff supervision; those who would like to climb outside of hours can fill out a waiver, allowing them to use their student ID to gain access to the area at any convenient time. “I think that’s something that a lot of students don’t know,” Covel said.

By: Charles Metz