On the first Saturday of every month, Elevation Bouldering Gym hosts the BIPOC Meetup, a free climbing event reserved for members of the BIPOC community in the wider Eugene area. The UO Outdoor Program facilitates a monthly trip to the event for BIPOC students, including a pre-trip info session and transportation to the gym.
The community event is geared toward increasing accessibility of rock climbing and other outdoor sports, breaking down existing barriers so BIPOC individuals can feel welcomed in an environment that isn’t always inclusive to them. The UO Outdoor Program helps fund monthly trips from campus to Elevation for this event through the Redefining Outdoorsy initiative.
“A lot of people of color haven’t been able to access gear,” Erin McGinnes, the collaborative program coordinator at the UO Outdoor Program Office, said. According to McGinnes, who is closely involved with the Redefining Outdoorsy initiative, the costs of climbing can add up quickly. She said that climbing essentials such as ropes, crimps, shoes and a monthly membership can sum to hundreds of dollars, something that may not be affordable to every college student, especially for students of color who are more likely to face socioeconomic disadvantages.
McGinnes said it can be hard to even know where to go or how to learn the sport if you don’t know someone else who climbs, making it even more difficult for BIPOC who have not historically had access to this activity.
“Climbing itself is really expensive in most other towns. It’s exclusively people who are men, exclusively people who are white,” Ashley Fenner, a fifth-year UO student and participant in the monthly BIPOC Meetups at Elevation, said. “Eugene happens to be really special and makes room to have programs like this.”
For Fenner, the inclusivity and welcoming environment are important aspects of the BIPOC climb nights. Elevation has effectively created an opportunity specifically for BIPOC that includes climbers that may have not felt comfortable in the space otherwise. “This particular space I probably would not have climbed in if there was not a program that had explicitly invited me to it,” she said.
After the first session at the BIPOC meetup, Elevation offers a variety of opportunities so BIPOC attendees are encouraged to return and keep practicing their skills. According to McGinnes, the bouldering gym offers a range of opportunities including a free one-month membership to new members of the gym. “Elevation wants to make it really accessible, and make it a place where people can come and learn,” she said.
Elevation also focuses on providing a variety of different activities, making an avid effort to include climbers of all levels. Fenner said there are always new climbers at each month’s meetup. Whether you’re a first-time climber or a seasoned pro, there is a wide range of activities to engage in. McGinnes mentioned there are lessons provided to hone in skills. “Say you’re trying to work on your crimps. Then they’ll have someone there who’s really good at that and can help you with that,” she said.
The program additionally focuses on supporting connections and fostering community within the attendees of BIPOC climb night, encouraging comfortability and fun so that the gym feels like a safe place to return to. “It’s like the best climbing experience I’ve ever had, honestly,” McGinnes said.
McGinnes said she’s looking forward to seeing more cultural aspects incorporated into climb night –– and doing even more work to make BIPOC individuals feel included and welcome in a space that may be unfamiliar to them.
Fostering a sense of community among BIPOC students and individuals is a vital step toward creating accessibility to climbing, according to McGinnes. “It’s really hard to create that culture when there’s not someone there to teach you,” she said. According to her, the future of BIPOC in spaces such as climbing gyms relies on the education of peers and friends in the same community.
With climbing specifically, there’s a special vulnerability that is reached with the extreme sport, and a trust that’s built among participants as they learn and progress. “I love being able to watch people achieve their goals and reach them and try and fail. It’s a good space to develop some of those friendships,” Fenner said.
Above all, the program aims to encourage attendees to continue using these skills. Fenner described the skills she’s learned as inspiring and transferable. “I can go climb outside. I can go hike. I can take on these new activities I haven’t tried before,” she said.
