Feb. 21 marked the beginning of Sacramento State’s first Mile High Climb Event that challenges participants to climb a mile at the climbing wall located in the Well.

Sam Braband, coordinator of the climbing wall and group facilitation, said he designed the event not only to pique interest of students, faculty and staff about the climbing wall, but also to initiate fitness and provide a fun way to get the Sac State community involved at the Well.

Braband said he originally designed the Mile High Climb Event to be a team effort, but one person can do the climb on their own, if desired. Teams are allowed up to four participants and have until March 18 to complete the climb.

Teams of four are required to climb 33 times each person, teams of three must climb 44 times each person, teams of two must climb 66 times each person, and a solo participant must climb 132 times. The climbs are recorded by the climb wall attendants who are there during the extended climb hours.

The Mile High Climb Event is open to all Sac State students, faculty and staff to participate in climbing a distance of a mile in one month. Registration began Feb. 21 and is open until the last day of the event, March 18.

Along with registering for the event, participants must pay a $5 registration fee that covers the cost of the T-shirt participants receive after completing the mile-high climb. Participants do not need climbing experience, however, they must attend a safety orientation that will cover the climbing regulations.

Although this is the first Mile High Climb event at the Well, Braband said he did not anticipate such a high turnout of people registering for the event.

“I thought I would be happy with 50 people who would register for the event. But as of last Friday, over 87 people had signed up by opening day – almost doubling how many I initially expected, which was a great surprise,” he said.

Braband’s main interest in organizing this event was to involve those who have never climbed before or who want to further challenge them physically.

“The beauty of this event is that you can challenge yourself as much as you want, both mentally and physically,” he said. “It is a great way to get into shape and engage in physical fitness at your own pace.”

With the amount of participants, Braband said the Well has extended its hours through the course of the month so participants can climb at their own pace. He said climbing is exhausting and can be difficult, but with the help of the climbing community at the Well, no one should be discouraged.

“I believe the mile-high climb event fits the physical and socio-cultural aspect of the Well’s dimensions of wellness,” he said. “Not only is the climb a great way to get in shape physically but it also allows people to create a community and build relationships with other climbers who are facing the same challenges and to work together.”

After hearing about the event from Campus Crusade for Christ, a Christian-based club at Sac State, a group of four students decided to team up and take on the mile-high climb challenge by completing 33 climbs each.

The students claimed they were no experts at wall climbing, however they are eager to face the Mile High Climb Challenge together.

“I like to challenge myself with high goals. This allows me to strive for what I want to accomplish,” said junior business major Kenny Wong, a member of the four-person team. “It is also a good way to relieve stress.”

The Mile High Climb Event was intended to increase fitness awareness for the Sac State community, while also providing life experiences for students to become stronger people and to calm the mind, Braband said.

“Although climbing can be difficult at times, it is a great way to encourage each other,” said sophomore liberal studies major Melissa Lowell, also part of the four-member team. “It is a good bonding experience where we can challenge ourselves and push to accomplish our goal as a team. It is also fun way to get involved with friends and we get a free T-shirt out of it.”

Yvette Villasenor can be reached at [email protected]