Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to climb El Capitan?

Students can attempt to climb the equivalent of Yosemite’s El Capitan — 3,000 feet — by completing 84 top-rope climbs at the Wildcat Recreation Center.

The WREC is hosting the El Capitan Challenge at the climbing gym. The event runs from March 22 at noon until April 14 at 1 p.m.

“I would recommend students deciding how many days a week they want to climb and allot a number of ropes for each day,” said Kat Lohbeck, manager for the climbing gym.

This year, participants who complete the challenge will receive an El Capitan sticker and the first few to finish will win selected prizes.

Staff tracks the number of completed routes in a spreadsheet. Each climber must have a belayer to ensure safety when climbing the wall, given the nature of top-roping. 

“This is a wonderful way to encourage climbers to get belay-certified at the climbing gym and to find climbing partners,” Lohbeck said. “We love seeing the friendships and bonds that form simply from belaying and climbing with others.” The goal of the El Capitan Challenge isn’t just to complete it within the three-week timeframe, but also to get more people interested in climbing. “The routes climbed do not need to be a specific grade/difficulty, so it’s a great way to motivate beginner climbers to climb,” Lohbeck said.

El Capitan was chosen as the inspiration for the challenge because it is a symbol of the international culture of outdoor climbing. “By comparing the height to El Cap, it provides climbers a way to understand the true magnitude of the challenge and the height of the mountain itself,” Lohbeck said.

In previous years, more than 40 participants have taken part in the challenge, which has been happening annually for about a decade. Events like these are popular among students for their low-stakes, high-reward nature, accessibility and community-building aspects. 

Last year, the first three people to complete the challenge won chalk and posters of El Capitan’s climbing routes. El Capitan has more than 250 established routes, with The Nose being one of the most sought-after climbs in the world and The Dawn Wall being one of the most challenging climbs on Earth.

 Lohbeck said the main takeaway the climbing gym hopes students take away from this challenge is that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to, including the resilience, strength and endurance required for climbing. 

That determination is reflected in El Capitan’s climbing history. Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore first completed the ascent of The Nose route in 1958, a 47-day climb using fixed ropes and siege tactics. 

According to Touchstone Climbing, this marked the beginning of the “Golden Age” for Yosemite climbing. Perhaps even more impressive are the free climbers in 2015, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson completed a free climb of the Dawn Wall. Then in 2017, Alex Honnold completed the first free solo climb of Freerider, another climb on El Capitan. 

This challenge is taking place in the month leading up to the climbing gym’s top-rope competition to build community interest in climbing and prepare participants for the upcoming contest. 

Lucy Bakowski can be reached at [email protected]