The new athletic facility at Whitworth University features a state-of-the-art indoor climbing wall. Located in the southeast corner of the newest building on campus, the climbing wall is 32’ high with approximately 2,500 square feet of surface area. Asana, a climbing company based in Boise, Idaho, is responsible for the intelligent padded floor and a majority of the climbing holds.
“This new wall is an incredible resource and educational tool that is changing lives. The vision to create a vibrant climbing community at Whitworth is happening before our very eyes,” says Brad Pointer, the climbing wall coordinator at the Whitworth facility.
The general response from the student body has been great. Obviously, the first week of school witnessed the most traffic. Nevertheless, the wall is used every day, and increasing numbers of veteran climbing students are bringing new friends to try out the sport. For now, the wall is only open to students and staff, but the long-term goal is to create a Whitworth-only climbing comp and join the NC3 circuit (Northwest Climbing Competition Circuit).
At this time, the wall fosters roughly 65+ boulder problems and 30 top rope/lead climbing routes. The wall is stacked with challenges for every age and ability. Thanks to this progressive investment from the leadership at Whitworth, we can expect to see a lot more strong climbers on the north side of Spokane.
