While surrounded by mountainous terrain, the West Virginia University climbing community feels grateful to live in a state with a vast amount of favorable routes. Here are some of the WVU community’s favorite places to climb, in West Virginia and beyond.
“The first time I ever went to the New River Gorge was on the Thanksgiving Climbing Club trip when I was a sophomore. So three years ago,” said senior and an avid WVU Competitive Climbing Team member, Mark Ulbrich.
The national river in West Virginia, New River Gorge, is a highly popular and favored selection for climbing at WVU. According to the National Parks Service, the area has over 1,400 established routes and “The New” is one of the most popular climbing areas in the country.
“... It does have everything to the type of climbing and range of difficulty. The NRG just has it all,” continued Ulbrich. He has spent the majority of his time devoted to outdoor climbing at New River Gorge.
Junior and WVU Climbing Club president, Dawson Apple, claims his favorite climbing destination is Obed, Tennessee because of how seclusive and hidden the area feels. He first visited the area during the Climbing Club spring break trip in 2019.
Obed, Tennessee is well-known for it’s especially steep walls, where certain routes lead climbers to horizontal positions over the rushing Obed River rapids. Climbers are often drawn to the area by the approximately 350 established sport routes. Bouldering is also exceptionally popular in the area.
Coopers Rock is another well-known and beloved favorite climbing spot of the WVU community and throughout the east.
“Can’t forget about the classic: Coops,” said senior and WVU Competitive Climbing Team captain, Doug Tompkins. The state forest is home to hundreds of boulder problems and several notable top-rope routes. It is also just a short drive from the WVU main campus, giving easy access to students. This past fall semester, the WVU Climbing Club kicked off the year with an afternoon at Coopers Rock, dedicated to bouldering and inclusive to anyone looking to join the club.
Many climbers in the WVU community have traveled far and wide to experience sensational climbing destinations but sometimes nothing can beat a place so close to home.
To learn more about WVU’s climbing wall, visit https://adventureclimbing.wvu.edu/ .
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