Climbing to a higher level
Climbing any mountain can be tough and takes physical and mental training. For those who love the rush of being suspended hundreds of feet in the air with their life depending on a harness, a nice long rope, a friend at the bottom and the strength of their own grip, Logan’s Rock Haus is a great hangout when mother nature sends people indoors.
Rock climbing is a fast-growing sport and according to Anthony Richards, a manager at the Rock Haus, Utah is a “Mecca” for rock climbing with Logan Canyon being among the many great places to climb in Utah.
A rock gym like the one here in Logan is no substitute for the great outdoors, but it’s a good place to condition and train especially during the long winter months, Richards said. “We have everything that you would ever need to train on,” he said.
The Rock Haus is in its second year of business, just celebrating its year mark this March, Richards said. Over the past year, the employees at the rock gym have seen business grow, with more than 8,000 patrons coming through the doors. Many of which, according to Richards, have been students. USU students and the community are privileged to have the state’s second-largest rock wall. The largest is being built in Sandy, Richards said.
The Rock Haus has a wide variety of climbing routes with top rope, lead climbing and bouldering courses for training, exercise or just plain fun, said Sunnie Hansen, a junior in exercise science and employee at the Rock Haus. Top roping is an exercise that is for endurance and improving technique, and bouldering is for strength and a different kind of technique, Hansen said. She said top roping is the safest way to climb because if a climber slips, they don’t fall very far – sometimes not even at all.
Lead climbing is more difficult, and to climb the courses at the gym, any climbers, including students, must be certified. With 30 top ropes combined with lead climbing and hundreds of courses, the 13,000-square-foot climbing surface can accommodate more than 30 climbers at one time, Richards said.
Scott Eagan, a junior in civil engineering and has been in the sport for more than 6 years, tries to make it out to the Rock Haus at least three times a week. He said even when it’s crowded, he can still find a place to climb. Eagan said he loves climbing outdoors on the real thing, but when winter comes along, he makes his way to the Rock Haus, which he said is an “awesome facility.”
“I like rock climbing because it’s challenging, but not competitive. It’s more of a personal challenge,” Eagan said.
Each course at the gym has a different level of difficulty. Climbers can find courses to fit their skill levels from basic to challenging courses with overhangs and cracks to simulate being outdoors, Richards said. Every six to eight weeks routes are changed, which means the facility always has something new to climb.
The Rock Haus is located near the Fun Park at 1780 N. 200 East in North Logan and opens daily at 11 a.m. except Tuesdays and Thursdays, when it opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. At the gym they have everything students need to get climbing for rent like shoes, harnesses and even chalk bags. A pass at the Rock Haus costs $12 for students with an ID card, $14 without, and the pass is good for all day, Richards said. Memberships are also an available way to save money.
Both Richards and Eagan agree that the Rock Haus is a great place to take a date. “It’s good for relationships to go and do something together. It’s a good date activity,” Eagan said. Richards said he sees students come in all the time on dates.
He said the Rock Haus is for people of all skill levels and ages; anyone who comes can have a good time. For students who have never climbed before, they offer classes that feature one-on-one instruction, and for prices of classes and more details, contact the Rock Haus.
-dwkoecher@cc.usu.edu