Winona State University is now the site of one of the largest university climbing facilities in the Midwest, boasting a 6,000-square-foot indoor climbing facility in Wabasha Recreation Center.
The new facility features three climbing sections: a 30-foot modular-style climbing wall with 32 top ropes, and two 14-foot bouldering walls with top outs and crash pads. The facility features two teaching and training stations and will be operated by a highly trained student staff.
The climbing facility will be used for curricular and recreational purposes by WSU academic departments and students. It will support academic coursework in the Physical Education & Sport Science and Recreation Tourism and Therapeutic Recreation departments, with courses in beginning and intermediate rock climbing, rescue training, and climbing wall instructor certification courses.
The facility will also offer open climbing hours for community use and programming and be accessible to K-12 students and educators, local groups and events, and visitors to Winona. Hours of operation and rates are available online at the Outdoor Education and Recreation Center website.
“The climbing facility will not only serve as a resource for WSU, with experiential learning initiatives and leadership opportunities for students, it will also be a great community resource for K-12 schools, families and corporate programming,” said Eric Barnard, Director of the Outdoor Education and Recreation Center. “We hope it will inspire a drive for lifelong physical activity and encourage participation in other amazing outdoor recreation and education opportunities in our region.”
For more information, contact Barnard (ebarnard@winona.edu) at 507-457-2940.
