A rocky ruckus takes over the WREC

The Ruckus climbing competition is an annual event held on Veteran’s Day
Byline photo of Aiyana Curry
Aiyana Curry, Reporter // November 13, 2025
Koichi Kurita on the hardest route in the competition. He made it further than the rest of the climbers, but still didn't complete the whole route. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Koichi Kurita on the hardest route in the competition. He made it further than the rest of the climbers, but still didn’t complete the whole route. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
The competition was open to climbers of all skill levels. Students were divided into three categories: beginner, intermediate and advanced, with each having their own series of routes to complete. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
The routes were on a scale from one to 20, with 20 being the hardest. Climbers received points for reaching the “zone” hold, which was found in the middle part of the route, and even more points for finishing it in its entirety. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Climbers were sprawled out on the mats, waiting patiently for their turn to climb in the three and a half hour long competition. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
“So we closed the gym on Friday, stripped the whole wall, and took everything off that was currently on it. We spent three days setting routes and testing them,” said Kat Lohbeck, climbing gym manager. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Clayton Simmons, the winner of the advanced division, attempting the hardest route in the competition. Despite not finishing, his performance on the other routes in the advanced division put him ahead. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11.
Mountain Sports, who donated $300 to the event, running a booth with merch at the contest. “We’re here for the community. We’re here to share knowledge, help others grow and help people start their climbing journey,” said Jack Hacker, employee of Mountain Sports. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Walker was the closest out of the advanced climbers to finish the yellow route, working on it until the very end. He was stuck on the last move and nearly had it at the end before slipping off the final hold. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Bailey climbing a blue route, an intermediate level climb.  Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Ken, working on one of the hardest routes in the comp. Nobody was able to complete this route as one move showed to be too challenging for many of the climbers.  Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Koichi, who placed second in the advanced division, just arrived back from Bishop, where he was climbing for a week. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Each of the podium climbers in each division received a plaque and an item of their choice, such as shirts, hats and chalk bags, from the table. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Sponsored by Red Bull, many climbers and spectators took home free cans of the drink after the competition. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11.
The yellow route shown in the picture brought climbers a lot of difficulty as they had to jump to the to the next hold. This climb was one of the hardest of the comp, with nobody finishing the entire route. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
Riley Cheung, a staff member and setter at the gym, finished the night by climbing on the route that he set with another setter, Nathan Lundquist. Photo taken by Aiyana Curry on Nov. 11, 2025.
About the Contributor
Aiyana Curry
Aiyana Curry, Sports Editor
Aiyana Curry is a junior at Chico State, going into her second semester on The Orion. Originally from San Diego, Calif., she is excited to start her reporting journey, aiming to eventually become a sports reporter. In pursuit of this goal, she’s working toward a degree in journalism with a minor in sports media. She’s also on the Chico State Softball team and in addition to writing, enjoys working out, drawing, cooking, reading and photography.