By Elinor Frisa

The rock climbing wall is hard to miss when you walk into Virginia Commonwealth University's Cary Street Gym. At 47 feet high, with more than 4,000 square feet of climbing surface and 22 climbing lanes, the wall offers 66 climbing routes and it's available to all VCU students, no matter their experience with climbing.

"Most people look at this wall and think it's too hard or too scary to try," said Charles Tomlin, an Outdoor Adventure Program student manager who also works at the climbing wall. "But the majority of the routes we offer here are easy or intermediate. It's a lot more approachable than it looks."

Originally built in 2010, the wall was redesigned in 2024, tripling its size. For students who are seasoned climbers or curious newbies, there are numerous ways to enjoy it. Among them: RecWell offers free belay clinics and an intro to rock climbing class. VCU's student-run climbing club, open to all skill levels, meets twice weekly. And the OAP even offers climbing wall instructor certification paths.

For a new video series called Uncharted, which explores resources, experiences and opportunities available to VCU students, social media interns Corey Ricks and Manuella Escobar - both of them new to rock climbing - decided to aim high and try the wall. Once they had their feet back on the ground, here's what they had to say about the experience.

What surprised you most about climbing the wall?

Corey: How cool it was once we actually got on the wall. Before, I envisioned the worst things happening. But getting on the wall and actively doing it, going step by step, was really one of the coolest experiences I've had at VCU.

Manuella: Same. Before this, I thought if you were going to rock-climb, you had to know people that rock-climbed or be in a club - and if you weren't, then it wasn't going to be a good experience or you were not going to feel welcome. But [the staff] made the experience feel so welcoming and they made us feel so safe.

On a scale of 1-10, how scared were you at your highest point?

Corey: 10 - and it was funny because I was up so high, and I was like, 'Oh no, Manuella' I have to come down! And she was like: No Corey, you have to keep pushing, keep pushing! And I was like: No, I have to come down.'

Manuella: For me, it was more like a 5, because [RecWell student employee] Natalie is a rock star - and I felt safe with her being the one belaying me. So I didn't feel scared. And Sam [who manages the climbing facility], he was like, 'You can literally let go of the rock and nothing is going to happen to you.' So I let go of the rock [letting Natalie know I was about to do it] and nothing happened to me, so I was like, I'm OK.

How did you feel once you were back on solid ground?

Corey: Safe and fulfilled. I'm down on the ground and I'm back to what I know, but it was really fulfilling actually getting up there and doing it. I felt like I achieved something. Once we played back the video and we chopped it up and posted it on YouTube, [I thought] maybe another student that was having the same feelings as me would go and try it and like it like I did.

Manuella: I felt happy. I felt very fulfilled not just because of the rock climbing, but it was also because it was a project that we'd had for a long time.

What is it about rock climbing that makes it worth trying?

Corey: It's just a really cool experience to do something that gets you out of your comfort zone. VCU offers so much, and rock climbing is one of those things that sounds really scary before you do it, but one thing I always tell incoming freshmen or fellow Rams that don't have a lot of experience getting out of their rooms is: Get out there. Do something fun.

Manuella: I don't know how many other universities have a rock climbing wall, but if you're at VCU, you're paying for all these resources and activities. You might as well take advantage of them and use them and experience them. Who knows? Maybe doing so you'll find friends, you'll find your community, you'll find your flock, and I think it's one of those cool things that VCU has that you've got to try at least once.

What did you learn about yourself through this experience?

Corey: I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was when it comes to keeping myself up on the wall and going to the next level.

Manuella: Learning what you are capable of and pushing your limits, but I think something other people maybe can relate to as well is that exercise and moving your body doesn't always have to mean going to the gym or lifting weights or running. For me, I hate running - I love going to the gym, but I hate running. I found that with rock climbing, it's kind of like cardio. Your heartbeat is going up. Many people look at exercising and they're like, 'Oh my gosh, it's going to take forever or it's too much or I don't like it and it's just not fun.' There are ways you can move your body and be healthy and have fun without having to do something traditional like weightlifting.