Climbers ‘rock on’ at local gym

WASILLA — Problems are a climber’s best friend during an indoor competition like the one hosted by Rock-On Climbing last weekend.

Fifty-three kids age 17 and under and 16 adults over 18 scrambled up walls and leapt from high holds over the course of two hours each on Saturday, amassing points based on the difficulty level of each path, or “problem” they completed. Since the highest “rock” stuck out just 16 feet above ground, the event was technically a “bouldering” competition, so participants climbed without the assistance of ropes or a belayer, relying on only a spotter and their own muscle strength to get them to the top.

“A lot of what we sell is sort of the illusion of danger,” co-owner and founder Cole Lund said. “It’s an extreme sport, that’s why people wanna do it, but in a gym everything’s 100 percent controlled.”

Rock-On Climbing has somewhere between 7,500 and 8,200 holes in which to place a variety of plastic holds, some of which have given the gym a unique Alaskan touch. Castings of real burls and fungi from trees have worked their way into the collection of climbing holds at ROC, making the gym experience a little more realistic.

Not that clinging to a wall high above the ground can’t put a real, healthy fear into a person.

“It feels great to be 40 feet in the air and be moderately terrified,” Lund said.

Clearly though, the Valley has been slow to latch onto the sport, as ROC is the first gym to crop up since Rock of Ages, which opened in 1995 and only stuck around for about two years, former owner Lynn Reynolds said.

“It’s a very niche market,” Reynolds said, of climbing gyms. “It’s not gonna be for everybody.”

Colony Middle School’s rock wall isn’t seeing as much action as it used to either.

Physical education teacher Lance Petrie said he is the only one currently certified to teach rock climbing at the school, and the wall is only available to students in the rock climbing Connections class, as opposed to the after-school program the school once offered. In addition, the wall only has room for a maximum of 20 people at a time, whereas most P.E. classes are composed of 40 students.

“You can’t have 20 students just running around while you’re trying to teach,” Petrie said.

Reynolds admitted that a big reason his gym closed down was simply that he had other business ventures on his plate at the time, but the fact remains that the only public climbing gyms available were in Anchorage, until recently.

Maybe that’s just because Anchorage is bigger.

“If you have one demographic, you’re only gonna get ‘x’ percentage (of the population),” Reynolds said, referencing the business side of rock climbing. “A larger number is going to serve you better. That is a benefit that Anchorage has.”

But with the big city climbers from Alaska Rock Gym collaborating with ROC by coming to Wasilla for competition, perhaps interest will increase in the Valley. Having a gym out here, too, might make it easier for the middle school program to return to its glory days; the school used to have to bring in people from ARG to certify the teachers, Petrie said.

Although outdoor bouldering or even climbing with gear in Hatcher Pass, for example, won’t appeal to every athlete, Lund said the classes at ROC prepare climbers for every situation.

“We’re giving them every skill they need to be a great climber,” he said.

Palmer High School senior Elias Stratton is one example of the classes’ success, having moved up from gym member status to team member and now employee at ROC in less than a year.

Stratton said he heard about the gym from a friend, came on opening day and found himself hooked.

“I knew the first day it was really fun and a good workout so I decided to do it,” Stratton said.

Stratton said his dad used to climb outdoors in New Hampshire, where their family is originally from, which encouraged him to look into the sport, but Saturday was Stratton’s first competition.

When he gets the opportunity, Stratton said he will “definitely” try outdoor climbing, but his main focus is baseball, he said.

“That’s the cool thing about climbing, it’s good cross-training for other sports,” ROC co-owner Amanda Lund said.

Rock-On Climbing is located at 1080 N. Wasilla Fishhook Rd. For more information, call 357-9196 or visit rockonwasilla.com.

Results

Women

1. Jen Yach, 6,400; 2. Kate Gibbs, 3,950; 3. J. Dabrie Huntington, 3,500; 4. Anne Balcon, 1,350; 5. Halie Moma, 1,300; 6. Amy Swiantek, 800

Men

1. Todd Helgeson, 13,200; 2. Brian Clevenger, 13,200; 3. Stephen Arwine, 13,200; 4. Hunter Ballard, 13,200; 5. David Funataki, 11,000; 6. Aaron Delaney, 8,600; 7. Joshua Campbell 6,200; 8. Adam Escobedu, 4,400; 9. Dan Drehmel, 4,300; 10. Eldon Prater, 4,200

Girls

1. Talia Bowles, 7,600; 2. Tayler Traughber, 6,500; 3. Adria Bowles, 6,000; 4. Alyssa Hargis, 5,500; 5. Jaqueline Daniel, 4,800; 6. Katie Flagel, 4,700; 7. Kassidy Way, 4,050; 8. Naomi Stock, 3,400; 9. Piper Hancock, 3,250; 10. Morgan Buwalda, 2,850; 11. Renatan Miller, 2,800; 12. Nicole Coulter, 2,400; 13. Anne Ming, 2,050; 14. Hermione, 1,650; 15. Torrey McClain, 600

Boys

1. Noah Burke, 13,200 points; 2. Russ Kalpin, 12,000; 3. Kaden Roettger, 10,600; 4. Trout Hartung, 10,400; 5. Liam Wimett, 10,200; 6. Logn Antorbus, 9,800; 7. Gus Barber, 8,100; 8. Russel Holland, 6,700; 9. Elias Stratton, 6,600; 10. Sid Munoz, 6,600; 11. Joshua Steinberg, 5,500; 12. Daniel Fisher, 4,250; 13. Isaac S., 3,700; 14. Levi Schumacker, 3,400; 15. Taylor Pintner, 3,400; 16. Conor Wood, 2,500; 17. Devon Wear, 2,500; 18. Ben Basher, 2,450; 19. Gavin Buzby, 2,400; 20. Ethan Brown, 2,250; 21. Norse Iverson, 2,150; 22. Lewis Schumacher, 2,000; 23. Andrew Bashor, 1,850; 24. Owen Beaudry, 1,450; 25. Kai Iverson, 1,450; 26. Jackson Barker, 1,250; 27. Robie Underwood, 950; 28. Kosmo, 900; 29. Ethan West, 800