Over a dozen people showed up for rock climbing at 9th Street Climbing, the local crag, on Sept. 25 as part of a weekly event hosted by Weber State University’s Outdoor Recreation Program.

The event began at 5:30 p.m. and ended at sunset. Ropes were set up on the crag in three different places. The difficulty level of the climbs were from 5.6 to 5.10 grade. There were other areas at the crag with a more difficult grade, but they were not used for the event.

According to trip aid Spencer Torman, all participants had to do was show up, sign a waiver, go through a tying and belay clinic and then get on the rock right away. All gear to make the climb, including anchors, ropes, harnesses, helmets, carabiners and belay devices, was provided by WSU.

“You don’t need a lot of experience,” trip leader Thomas Bugnet said. “We’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

He said they usually have between 10 to 20 people on average showing up for Wednesday night climbs.

When climbing the rock formation, participants choose their route. They don’t have to go straight up to the top. Sometimes they travel horizontally before they can advance. The goal is to get to the top without falling.

“It’s a great view of the valley from on top of the rock,” trip aid Aidan Hueton said. “It looks higher than it is from up here.”

Hueton mentioned she has been climbing for about four years. She pointed out the area on the crag where the ropes were set up. They were located in a specific area so that any climber with any skill level can climb the rock.

The setup used by the students has a climber belayed from the ground or the base of the route. The belay system resembles a pulley in which an anchor has been set at the top of the climb. The rope runs through it from the belayer on the ground to the climber. As the climber moves upward, line slack is taken in so that in the event of a fall, the climber falls the shortest distance possible.

“I have been climbing about a year,” Erin Golden said. “I do mostly beginner climbs.” She said she had a lot of fun this summer when she went on the All Women Rock Climbing trip. Golden said she wanted to keep climbing with other people that want to climb, so she attends climbing on Wednesday evenings.

Everyone interested in trying rock climbing, making new friends and watching the sun set is welcome to attend Wednesday Night Climbing. The free event will be held at the 9th Street crag every Wednesday evening this fall. For more details, visit https://www.weber.edu/campusrecreation.