Frequently, I take this beautiful state for granted. I have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of scenic views. Utah has crystal clear lakes, mountains that shoot to the heavens, hiking and biking trails that rival the best this world has to offer, and many more breathtaking scenes.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to be a piece with this great earth. I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday climbing rock faces up Big Cottonwood Canyon. I have never been climbing in the outdoors in my life. I have done similar things such as climbing at an indoor climbing gym and rappelling off cliffs, but this was different. I can’t fully describe the feeling you get after making it to the top of a climb and experiencing not only the view from the top of the world but the serenity of accomplishing such a hefty feat.

As a student at the University of Utah I had the opportunity to learn to climb as a class. It was the best two credit hours I could ever earn. You spend one day in class learning safety tips and climbing lingo. Then you spend one weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) climbing and refining the skills you learned the day before.

By the time I finished the class, I had scaled 10 different walls and seen Big Cottonwood Canyon from 10 different viewpoints. It is amazing how students at the University experience such a great landscape. None of our climbs was more than 35 minutes from campus. Not only are there spots to climb close to campus but hundreds of them as well. I learned that there are over 500 climbs alone in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

I am now hooked on climbing. I have already bought my own harness, rope, and other climbing gear. It is a fairly expensive sport hence I was not able to purchase all that I needed at once. Over time I will accumulate everything I need to climb wherever I want. The University bridges this gap for me. I am able to rent the items that I don’t have from the Outdoor Recreation department. This makes it so I can enjoy many other climbs across the valley.

Anyone interested in learning to climb or getting credit for having a great weekend should consider taking a climbing class. They are listed under the Parks, Recreation & Tourism department at the U. Gear is also available from the Outdoor Recreation department if you ever want to go out on your own.