This past Saturday, Apr. 29, the Michigan Tech Ridge Roamers hosted their semiannual climbing competition, the Keweenaw Climbing Competition, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants of varying ages competed in a variety of different climbs, with the winners bringing home prizes from the event’s sponsors.
The competition included four different levels of climbing difficulty: beginner, novice, intermediate, and advanced, across the three different walls at Michigan Tech. Each participant was given two attempts to try and climb as high as they could on their respective routes. The individual who was able to reach the most holds across the three routes was named the winner for each respective category. The different levels of difficulty hosted at the competition allowed anyone to participate, whether they had never rock climbed or if they’ve been climbing their whole life.
During the week leading up to the competition, members of the Ridge Roamers Club cleared the current wall to set up the new routes for the competition. The routes set up across the three walls were installed and planned by the student members of the club. This was a great opportunity for members to get to see a different side of the climbing world and get to test out setting routes.
The competition itself was a great opportunity for fellow rock climbers to get together and have some friendly competition. With a great atmosphere of everyone cheering each other on, the competition allowed everyone, no matter their skill level, to have a great time and enjoy the sport of rock climbing.
If you are interested in participating in this event in the future, keep an eye out on the Ridge Roamers Instagram page for information regarding the competition occurring in the fall semester.
