Exonians are reaching new heights thanks to an indoor climbing wall installed this winter in Love Gym. The brainchild of avid mountaineers Reece Chapman ’22 and Nick Rose ’23, the project came to fruition after two years of planning and with the support of Director of Athletics and Physical Education Jason Baseden and generous donors. “Not everybody’s into team sports,” Baseden says. “The climbing wall provides another physical outlet for not only the students, but the rest of the community.”
Rose and Climbing Club co-head Deborah Ang ’24 spent hours fitting the nearly 14-foot-tall synthetic rock face with movable handholds to create climbing routes for beginners and novices alike. “Setting each route is like creating a puzzle,” Rose says. “Climbing is 60% mental and 40% physical. Figuring out your route is super fun.”
Although Exeter’s “mountain” is no K2, Baseden hopes the wall might inspire students to follow in the footsteps of Robert H. Bates ’29 and aim high.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2023 issue ofThe Exeter Bulletin.