The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse opened the renovated climbing gym in the Recreational Eagle Center (REC) at the beginning of the 2025 spring semester.
What had begun as a project to replace the flooring turned into a full-scale renovation for the climbing gym.
“[The REC] recognized the need for expansion. Bouldering and climbing in particular have just exploded, and nationwide there is so much more participation in it, so the timeliness is great,” said REC Outdoor Recreation Coordinator Jacob Sciammas.
The flooring, which was the original reason for the renovation project, has changed from a relatively hard surface to a soft, springy cushion.
“The flooring that was in there before was just not adequate for significant falls. The standard in the industry has progressed since it was built,” said Sciammas.
The gym has also increased the climbing height to 21 feet and added additional auto belays. A lot of people enjoy bouldering, which is climbing without a rope or harness, but belays are used for those who want to climb higher or just prefer that extra sense of safety.
“I like all of the new automatic belay devices. They’re really nice for me because I don’t like to do a lot of bouldering because I get scared of falling down,” said UWL Student Katriana Wolf.
“I’m happy there’s so many of them, and then I can clip in and go by myself because I don’t need somebody else to belay me,” said Wolf.
There are still numerous opportunities for bouldering in the new space with different sized walls and a cave design. Overall, the climbing gym is just bigger and brighter than it used to be.
“When you walk in there, it feels like a totally different place,” said Sciammas. “It’s bright. It’s airy. It just feels like the kind of place you wouldn’t mind hanging out.”
The climbing gym expanded into one of the racquet ball courts, increasing the square footage and amount of climbable surface in the space. There is now more space to sit and hang out, as well as have room for new kilter board to be installed.
According to Sciammas, kilter board is a type of climbing equipment where climbers use independent programming via an app to select whatever route they want, including the difficulty and features of the course.
Once the climber selects the course, lights around the physical holds chosen will light up, making an exciting tool for climbers at the REC.
The REC hopes to have the kilter board installed this month, giving more opportunities to those who visit the already busy climbing gym.
Foot traffic has more than doubled compared to pre-renovation numbers, with weekends seeing three to four times the amount of climbers.
“The biggest increase is in community members and families…because that need isn’t satisfied in the community in any other way,” said Sciammas.
The climbing gym has also seen an increase in student engagement, and while the numbers were traditionally higher at the beginning of the semester, the usage of the climbing gym hasn’t slowed down since it reopened.
“We have already outgrown the new wall,” Sciammas said. “We are turning people away, which we only had to do occasionally in the past.”
To accommodate the high engagement, the climbing gym plans to add more staff members in the fall and expand their hours.
Group reservations will soon be available online, and the climbing gym will be open for reservations and special events in the summer.
While the climbing gym is seeing a lot of new faces, there are also people who return to the space again and again. The staff sets new routes for climbers, giving variety to those who frequent the gym.
About a fifth of the wall gets reset every other week by the route setting team, which was put together when the climbing gym reopened. Individual holds can be moved around, but the new wall also includes removable volumes which adds even more variety to the routes.
“The newer walls focus on ways you can add things called volumes, which are these really massive polygons that you can attach to the wall with screws, and then you can add holds onto those, too, so you can change those individual features,” said Sciammas.
The REC also offers a variety of programs in the climbing gym. Black lights were installed so that the climbing gym could host glow climbing events, and there is a new, special beam for crate stacking.
There are also different classes offered for those that are new to climbing or for people wanting to learn more.
“‘Fighting Gravity’, which is the introduction to movement class, gives people a good basis to climb efficiently and confidently,” said Aidan Kuhn, a staff member at the climbing gym.
“We also have a top rope belay class, which is probably our most popular class, as well as a route setting class, but the big one that this space enables is our lead climbing class,” said Kuhn.
The lead climbing class was not offered in the past because the old wall didn’t have the capacity for it. The new gym offers opportunities for people to learn this skill, which translates very well to climbing outdoors.
“I think it’s so cool since we live by the bluffs, and you can go out and learn to climb there, too,” said Wolf. “Personally, I never really climbed before I got to college, so [the climbing gym] was a really cool place to learn that new activity. Then, I had friends that brought me out to the bluffs and were teaching me about climbing in the bluffs, too…so the wall was a good introduction for that.”
“The space is really good at building community. The friends that I’ve made at the wall are now some of my closest friends outside of the wall, too,” said Abby Esterey, a climbing gym staff member.
Climbing club is a great way to get connected with other students and also offers opportunities for climbing at other facilities in the area. No experience is required to join, and they participate in many events held at the climbing gym.
For those wanting to try out the new climbing gym at the REC, it is free for UWL students. Day passes are available for faculty, staff and community members.
“The climbing community is super welcoming,” said Wolf. “It’s fun, and no one is judging you. Just come try it out.”
