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ODE online edition
i
Adam Jones Emerald
The basalt columns on the flank of Skinner’s Butte offer local rock climbers a nearby outdoor ‘crux’ when the weather permits.
CLIMBING
in CMDIT
Rock climbers of all ages and
skill levels have been flocking
to Skinner Butte’s basalt
column climbing wall
By Jillian Daley
for the Emerald
Get ready to grip cliff.
Spring term, the University
is offering a series of climbing
classes, including Rock
Climbing 101, offered through the
Outdoor Program , and Introduc
tion to Lead Climbing, which is of
fered through Outdoor Pursuits.
The Outdoor Program, which
operates out of the Student Recre
ation Center, is putting together the
101 class, a Saturday clinic that
will meet at the basalt columns at
Skinner Butte. It costs $3 for four
hours of technique instruction and
an additional $3 for shoes, harness
es and blades, according to Emily
Simonis, an exercise and move
ment science major.
Michael Strong, the coordinator
of Outdoor Pursuits (an EMU-based
student cooperative), cautioned
that Introduction to Lead Climbing,
which will also be held at Skinner
Butte, “is not a beginning class.”
Crag climbing takes place 10 or
fewer feet above the ground, and
there is no need for ropes. Lead
climbing is more advanced. Work
ing in tandem, two climbers make
their way up a mountain. The lead
climber, as the name suggests, goes
first, securing the rope every few
feet by attaching it to the cliff face
with metal “anchors.”
Strong encourages only experi
enced climbers to register, and to
register soon, because there are
only a few spots available.
“We limit enrollment,” Strong
said. “We keep it down because it is
a special class with a little more in
volvement with instructors, so we
end up having 10 and no more than
12 students.”
It may appear easy to climb the
basalt columns at Skinner Butte,
but there’s a reason why only ad
vanced rock climbers should regis
ter for this particular class. Strong
explained that the class focuses on
lead climbing, which “takes longer
and requires practice to develop the
skill.” This makes it far more diffi
cult than “your basic crag climb
ing,” he said.
The climbing classes may fill up
quickly, as Strong said the sport’s
popularity is growing.
Roger Baily a local rock climbing
expert for Eugene City Parks, said
the number of people climbing has
increased, especially among youth.
“Young people are getting into
climbing at an early age, like eight
or nine or 10,” he said.
Baily has seen a variety of people
using the Skinner Butte columns,
especially in the summer.
“One hundred people go through
climbing instruction (through the
city’s programs) through the sum
mer months,” Baily said.
Amateurs, professionals and
clubs all visit the columns because
of their versatility as both a begin
ning and an advanced area for
those who love to climb, he said.
But Baily said climbers should
remember the delicacy of nature
when visiting the butte.
“The columns are in a natural
state, and rock’s natural state is a
state of deterioration,” he said.
Communication is also an impor
tant factor in safe rock climbing, he
said. In lead climbing, the two part
ners have to communicate effective
ly to carefully direct their ascent.
Baily said the average climber is
“someone who sets goals and tries
to work toward them and is willing
to fail. Sometimes you fall ten
times.” Climbing also takes some
one who is “willing to show some
vulnerability in front of (his or her)
peers,” he said.
Despite a need for compliance
with safety protocol and sterling
communication skills, climbing’s
popularity continues to increase,
Baily said.
Perry Smith , an employee of The
Crux, an indoor rock climbing gym,
said rock climbing “is going to be
come my life. I love doing it.”
Jillian Daley is a freelance reporter
for the Oregon Daily Emerald.