Geared and ready, I look up to the 42-foot behemoth in front of me. This massive structure is the indoor climbing wall in the IMA, the highest indoor climbing wall in Seattle. As I prepare to climb a 5.8 – or medium level route – I think about how lucky we are as a campus to have this equipment.

“I think for UW students it [the rock wall] is a hidden gem on campus,” said Matt Jensen, climbing center manager.

The first rock wall on campus, located near the Waterfront Activities Center, was built to stop students from climbing the school buildings. Back then, students – who did not have access to any convenient climbing areas – would climb the two smokestacks in Red Square and other structures on campus without harnesses. After two students and a faculty member were killed in an alpine climbing accident in 1974, the UW administration decided to grant $40,000 of funding to create the wall, and construction began in 1976. It is still climbable.

“I think that one is fun for its historical reasons, it is old and it is interesting and sometimes it can be a bit scary,” Jensen said.

Back at the indoor climbing wall, I begin my ascent.

“On Belay?”

“Belay is on.”

“Climbing.”

“Climb on.”

I’m glad to have my harness, and that the hand and foot holds on this wall are easy to grab and use. I am about to top rope, the most common type of indoor recreational climbing, in which the climber is harnessed and connected to a rope, which is permanently fixed to the top of the wall. The other two types are bouldering and lead climbing.

Bouldering is a style of climbing where the climber ascends the wall without the benefit of a harness, rope or belayer, who is someone that holds the rope on the ground.

For the safety of the climber, bouldering routes – or “problems” – are much lower than top roping and lead climbing routes. Lead climbing is the most similar to outdoor climbing. In this style, a climber will attach the rope and clip into anchors, which are spaced along the wall.

Now I’m halfway up ­— and stuck. I look down to see which foothold is the correct color. This is a bad idea. I see the ground, 30 feet below me, and my brain sends a clear signal to my hands: “Hold on for dear life!”

After the momentary panic subsides, I remember that I am not on the wall alone. I am securely, though uncomfortably, strapped into a harness, which is connected by a rope and pulley to my belayer. In addition, I remember that the floor is very well padded, the rope and harness can hold much more than my body weight, and the clamps on the wall are regularly inspected and are “overly burley,” according to Jensen.

“Everything you get here, as far as the structure, is geared toward safety,” he said.

I put my trust in my belayer and continue my ascent, focusing hard on finding the next handhold and foothold, and attempting to keep my fear at bay.

The ability to belay is integral to the success of the climber. Skilled belayers can mean the difference between a scary slip and injury. This is why the staff of the rock wall conducts brief but thorough examinations of belayers’ skills before they are allowed to work on the rock wall. The exam consists of setting up a climber by tying the correct knots, double checking the harness, and catching the climber for three planned falls, two of which are surprises.

After a few more minutes of climbing, I finally reach my goal, the top of the wall. I slap my hand down on the red triangle marking the end of the route and say “lower” to indicate that I am ready to come down. I feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. The 5.8 level route was a perfect match for my skill level.

Climbing routes are ordered in difficulty level from 5.0 (very easy) to 5.15 (very hard). The wall at UW has routes ranging in difficulty from 5.6 to 5.12 and above.

Route setting is one of the most important parts of a successful climb. Every quarter, route setters will change the routes to represent the skill level of the climbers. Bouldering problems are replaced every two to three months.

“I think that route setting is a craft. It takes a lot of skill and it takes a lot of experience and it takes a little bit of artistic creativity,” said senior route setter Glenn Wolfe. “Your goal as a route setter is first and foremost, make sure people have fun, and second, to try to teach people how to become better climbers by setting routes that are specific to certain types of moves or certain types of foot placement.”

After a setter is finished, other staff members climb it and come to a consensus about the difficulty level before it is officially rated.

One of the hardest parts of setting routes is anticipating the climbing styles of the patrons.

“There is not one move that I can say, ‘that is what makes the gym,’” Jensen said. “It is all about the variety. We have so many different climbers. Some climbers make big strong moves. Some are good at using small hand holds and doing moves that take a lot of body tension.”

Often once a climber’s skill improves, they can no longer climb the wall hand-foot, hand-foot and need to learn climbing specific moves. One of the gym employees’ favorite moves is a “dyno”. In this move, the climber will jump from one hand or foothold, fly free in the air and then grab a second hand or foothold.

Finally, I am back on the ground. My belayer congratulates me on a climb well done, but nothing feels better than the earth under my feet. People who frequent the rock wall spend a lot of time on the ground trying to solve the challenges presented by the climbing routes. When they get stuck, they might ask fellow climbers.

“For an individual sport, there is a lot of teamwork,” said route setter Trevor DiMartino.

Finished with my climb, I take off my harness and climbing shoes. While the harness is necessary for safety, climbing shoes are a very important piece of climbing gear as well. The soles of the shoes are rubber and sticky, making it easier to maintain contact with the wall. When properly equipped, climbing shoes are worn tighter than normal shoes.

“Your toe should be touching the end, but your knuckles shouldn’t buckle,” Jensen said.

The gym is open to all newcomers and all skill levels. This means those who may not have the physique of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger still have a place on the wall.

“You don’t have to have shoulders the size of grapefruits and arms the size of watermelons. It just takes a little bit of time to develop hand strength and forearm strength — those muscles that we don’t use in our day to day lives,” Jensen said. “It’s a blast.”