Climbing Center Private Events
About
Private climbing events are fantastic opportunities for meaningful group experiences. From social celebrations and community building to formal team-building and co-curricular academic experiences! We're happy to discuss your vision and provide a meaningful and engaging event for your group.
Step 1
Submit the Reservation Request form at least 2 weeks prior to your intended event date. This allows adequate time to confirm details, collect necessary paperwork, arrange parking, and schedule staff for your event.
Step 2
Climbing Center staff will check availability and send you a confirmation that includes a cost quote, waiver form for distribution, and necessary paperwork.
Step 3
Arrive for event, submitting any outstanding paperwork and waivers to the event staff. The participants will receive a facility orientation before being fitted for climbing equipment, followed by climb-time for the duration of the event.
Essential Information
Anyone is welcome to request a private event at the Climbing Center. Requests will be considered for all dates/ times when the wall does not have drop-in climbing or previously scheduled programming. You are welcome to email us ahead of time to check availability or simply submit a request that includes your desired event date/ time and we will reach out to adjust if there is a conflict. All reservations include a block of time at the wall, staffing (often based on group size), and climbing specific equipment.
If you are interested in booking additional recreational spaces such as the pool, indoor courts, or outdoor fields as part of your event, please coordinate your request through the Athletic & Recreation Facilities Department.
GVSU Affiliation
The affiliation of the event organizer and the participants to GVSU impacts the administrative processes related to the reservation (i.e. paperwork, payment, parking, etc.) Affiliation details are as follows:
Internal
The person or entity making the reservation as well as the participants are GVSU students, faculty, or staff. e.g. a Resident Assistant booking an event for their floor, a Registered student organization booking for their members, or a professor booking for one of their classes.
Sponsored
The entity making the reservation is directly tied to GVSU but the participants are not. E.g. a department-led program involving K-12 students or a regional conference hosted by a GVSU department.
External
Both the person or entity making the reservation as well as the participants are not affiliated with GVSU. E.g. A youth birthday party, K-12 school groups, youth groups, scout troops, etc.
Rates
The rates are established based on the above affiliations.
Internal or Sponsored - $20 per climbing center staff per person
The first staff person is FREE. We will work closely with you to discuss your goals for the event and will schedule staff based on what makes sense. A lot depends on your overall group size, event duration, type of climbing desired, and budget.
External - $11 per participant
A minimum charge for 10 participants is required, plus tax if applicable. External events include up to a 2 hour block of time, in addition to staff and equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a complicated question that depends on what type of climbing you're wanting the participants to do (bouldering vs top roping), how long the group will be using the wall, & how many staff/ trained belayers there will be. For a standard 2-hour duration, we generally don't recommend more than about 30 participants. Unless your group specifies a type of climbing, both bouldering and top-roping are available across the wall.
Bouldering: climbing relatively low on the wall, using a large mat for fall protection. This style allows for larger numbers of participants to be on the wall at one time and has faster participant turnover on the wall.
Belayer: the person controlling the rope for a climber.
Top Roping: climbing higher on the wall with the protection of a rope. Requires 1 trained belayer per climber at a time. i.e. 4 trained belayers means there can be 4 participants climbing to the top of the wall at a single time.
Technically, we have no age limit. All are welcome to boulder to some degree and if we have a harness that fits the participant properly, we'll allow them to climb higher. In our experience, children under 7 years often don't enjoy climbing as well as they expect to, making the value less predictable.
Yes, but with limitations. Snack type items are fine as are the basic pizza, pop, cake & ice cream. Larger catered-style food requires either 1) using our on-campus catering or 2) a signed food waiver approved by GVSU's catering department. In both cases, requests must be formally submitted no less than 4 weeks prior to your event date.
If your reservation falls within a time where permits are enforced, we will submit a request to Parking Services for guest passes to be provided, free of charge, for your event. Passes are typically emailed to the event coordinator to be distributed as-desired.
The recommended lot nearest our facility is C1. Here is a link to our campus maps to help find your way.
If your group size is small (< 8 participants) and only want to boulder, it can be okay. Otherwise, we don't recommend it. Not only would bringing your group likely lead to overcrowding, the lack of trained belayers can lead to long wait times between climbs. For external groups, the cost for a day-pass + gear rental is more expensive than the group rate.