App State’s Climbing Club is expanding its activities this year, aiming to take members’ climbing to the next level through increased outdoor trips and competitive events. This focus not only seeks to enhance skills but also to strengthen the sense of community among students with shared interests.
Brendan Doty, a junior mathematics major, serves as the club’s president this year after holding the vice president position last year. Doty became involved with the club seeking connections, having climbed for seven years at Inner Peaks in Charlotte without knowing many other climbers. He found the club to be an ideal way to meet students who shared his passion, noting he made "a ton of friends there" and valued the "ability to connect with people based on shared interests."
This semester, the club has planned four outdoor trips. These excursions offer members the chance to explore new skills while learning about the responsibilities involved in climbing in natural environments. The Boone area provides numerous climbing opportunities, with many popular spots located along U.S. Route 221 in Blowing Rock and on Grandmother Mountain. However, many of these areas are privately owned.
The club actively teaches new climbers how to respect the land and avoid actions that could jeopardize access to these sites. Doty emphasized the club’s objective to not only facilitate access to these areas but also to "inform our members of those dangers," highlighting the importance of land stewardship within the local climbing community.
In addition to outdoor adventures, the App State Climbing Club offers competitive avenues for its members. The club hosts two competitions annually: Southern Comfort (SOCO), held at Center 45, and the Bootlegger Bouldering Competition, which takes place in the spring at Appalachian Bouldering Center. SOCO has become one of the club's most significant accomplishments, attracting climbers from across North Carolina and beyond to Boone. This competition features multiple heats, culminating in the top six men and women advancing to finals. In the finals, competitors face an on-site format, seeing the climbing routes for the first time as they begin their attempts.
The club is also working to establish a new program designed to help cover competition costs for members who might otherwise be unable to afford participation fees. For more experienced climbers, opportunities exist to compete through the USA Climbing division, with pathways to national competitions.
The majority of the club’s members are beginners or intermediate climbers. Meetings are typically held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 8-10 p.m. Members gather in Room 202 of the Student Recreation Center before proceeding to the climbing wall. Due to the climbing wall's capacity for up to 14 people, larger groups are divided and rotated through various activities to ensure everyone has an opportunity to climb. The club provides free gear for use on the on-campus climbing wall and offers some equipment for outdoor trips.
For Doty, the availability of equipment and competitions are secondary to the club's social benefits. He reiterated that the club is excellent for experienced climbers seeking to connect with peers and for anyone simply looking to enjoy climbing in a welcoming environment.
