Climbing Walls
The Seattle Program Center offers climbers a number of walls and structures that can be climbed year round. It has:
- An amazing outside wall with natural-looking features,
- Two indoor climbing walls, one with a specially designed rappel station,
- A giant artificial boulder,
- A simulated water ice wall,
- A dry tool wall,
- 30 foot tall climbable basalt columns,
- An aid climbing practice area,
- 6 weight-drop stations suitable for standing and sitting belays,
- A boulder/scree field for scrambling and loosening up, and
- a Friction Mountain
ALL outdoor walls are available for climbing and practicing at the Seattle Program Center. Indoor walls are for member use only. Please note that all members must sign in, and must have a current waiver and top-rope belay badge on file before climbing indoor walls. Guest members may accompany a member, but must also sign in and have a current waiver on file.
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The South Wall catches your eye as you approach. It looks real, but was built to our specifications by Entre Prises. Each tower has a chimney, jam cracks, and natural-looking handholds. |
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The boulder sometimes has lots of extra holds for kids. And sometimes you may wish to use chalk. |
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These basalt columns are climb-able but you'll need to place protection as you hand and foot jam your way upwards. |
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There are a number of places to climb and rappel inside for members. This wall is a smaller version of the South Wall - natural looking handholds, jam cracks, and a chimney. |
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In the summer, members can still practice their ice climbing and crampon skills. The wall is made of dense foam which can hold the weight of a climber. Modified ice tools are used (no serrated edges) to protect the wall. |
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Water Ice climbers often have to climb over sections of rock. This Dry-Tooling wall provides the opportunity to practice climbing using your ice tools. This wall is also used for bouldering practice. |
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A unique friction climbing structure has been built on the north side of the Program Center. Textured concrete slabs are placed at a number of different inclinations to form a Friction Mountain. The vertical north wall of the tower are climb-able, with full-length cracks. The slabs look like real sandstone and granite. The company that builds the natural-looking exhibits at the Woodland Park Zoo were the concrete artists.
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In the basement, we have 6 weight-drop stations, allowing new belayers the opportunity to catch a 100 pound fall.
The Aid Climbing wall is loaded with bolts and hangers. Our Yosemite Big Wall climbers get their start here. |
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Sometimes these climbing structures can seem so real that goats move in and make themselves at home. OK. OK. Maybe not. These goats were brought in as part of a group that ate their way through an area overgrown with blackberry bushes. This area is now part of the Mountaineer Native Plant garden. These goat did spend a couple of hours enjoying the Boulder at the Program Center Grand Opening. |
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