By Gerardo Sanchez, Nov. 5, 2024
Located in the Bronco Recreational Intramural Complex is the 51-foot-tall Bronco Peak, Cal Poly Pomona’s own rock-climbing wall.
The wall is open to any new climber for a “Try-A-Climb,” which allows participants to climb one to two routes and serves as an opportunity to try rock climbing without any prerequisites. If climbers decide to continue upward with their climbing journey, they must attend a free orientation. The orientation is roughly two hours and covers climbing wall rules, how to fall safely and how to properly spot and belay another climber.
“We’ve got this bouldering section, we’ve got some more flat faces, some overhanging faces and a cave that takes up the left portion of the wall,” said Nate Schallmo, an adventures attendant and trip lead assistant. “Then we’ve got our ropes with the taller wall. We have a lot of routes, some that are technical, some that are beginner friendly and each one is a little bit different.”
Each route is highlighted by a distinct color, allowing climbers to have a visual aid for the path they are intending to take up Bronco Peak. According to Schallmo, the color itself doesn’t define the difficulty of the route but rather the tag located beneath the starting hold or the starting point of a climb.
After climbers complete the orientation, they can climb during the open climb hours. Those looking to continue climbing can become certified to belay another climber, which is the act of managing a climbing rope to keep a climber from falling. Before getting certified, climbers must pass either a top-rope belay or lead-climbing belay assessment while an adventures attendant is supervising.
Passing the top-rope belay assessment will reward climbers with a blue belt, which signifies their proficiency in belaying. There are multiple distinct solid colors of belts, each showing a climber’s ability and knowledge of climbing.
“Try-A-Climb is the white belt,” said Sean Crowley, an adventures attendant and trip lead assistant. “The next one is a yellow belt, which shows that you are in the orientation class. Once you finish the class, you get the green belt.”
The green belt serves as a visual indicator to all staff at the rock wall that a climber has been through the orientation class and understands the basics of every aspect of Bronco Peak. These basics include knowledge of how to tie in and belay, how to handle the bouldering area such as properly falling to the pads, downclimbing and handling the space around the bouldering area to prevent any collision with objects or other climbers.
The final color belt is the pink belt, which demonstrates a lead climbing certification. According to Crowley, experienced climbers can jump straight to the assessment, but inexperienced climbers can attend a lead-climbing workshop that is offered multiple times throughout the semester to learn how to lead climb.
Experience in lead climbing allows a climber to climb with their own rope and attach themselves to the wall while climbing. This will then allow others to follow the path created by the lead climber.
“You are basically leading this climb, which is why it’s called lead climbing,” said Crowley. “It takes many hours of practice and certain staff that are climbing wall instructor certified in order to test you so you can get your pink belt.”
Experienced climbers will still need to check in with an adventures staff member before climbing to demonstrate all the skills required to climb Bronco Peak.
To ensure the safety of every climber, proper equipment must be rented out at no additional cost. Climbing shoes, harnesses and chalk are provided by visiting the Equipment Checkout desk located behind the rock wall. Those looking for more equipment can purchase socks, hair ties, chalk balls and bags at the BRIC Pro Shop at the front desk.
The rock wall also hosts competitions such as Boulderodeo, which allows climbers to compete in open or recreation divisions. These competitions create a community of climbers at CPP, encouraging both experienced and inexperienced climbers to converse.
“I think it’s pretty addicting,” said Jonathan Soto, a mechanical engineering student. “I find that when you rock climb, you can see your growth. As you climb, you notice that you’re able to climb these new levels and grades. I find that really addictive, slowly working your way up.”
Feature image courtesy of Darren Loo
