Scott Naurath sang ‘I Kissed A Girl’ as Michael Carver skateboarded circles around him. They were both hoping for visitors to come to the rock wall, located at the USU, where the two Fitness Centre employees work’hellip;and wait.

Carver, a senior studying exercise physiology, who at times minds the plastic geode, said that too often the rock wall sits empty with only a few students that know about its existence regularly using the apparatus. Naurath, a junior CTVA major with a theater minor, agrees.

‘A lot of people say ‘I’ve heard of the rock wall but I don’t know where it is,’ ‘said Carver. ‘And I’ve heard a lot of people say ‘I’ve never heard of that.’ But I’ve also heard people say ‘I’ve seen it but I thought you had to be someone special to climb it,’ so there’s a lot of different kind of confusion about it.’

Located near the pool in the USU, the grey monster is open to all CSUN students with a valid I.D. and un-Californian closed-toe shoes. Perhaps the best incentive for college students, aside from the excellent workout the wall provides, is that it’s free. Yet even in its third semester at CSUN, the popularity of rock climbing hasn’t quite caught on.

The rock wall is part of the Fitness Centre, which provides exercise facilities to CSUN students including a gym, a pool and a boxing studio, all located at the USU.

The Fitness Centre operates the rock wall and trains its student employees on how to climb and how to teach others to get into a harness and use basic commands.

‘We teach different techniques to get to the top,’ said Naurath. ‘It’s fun. It’s a good workout. It’d be cool if more people showed up because a lot of the time, we just chill and hang out.’

The rock wall is part of the Outdoor Adventures Program that the Fitness Centre is currently working on. According to Carver, the program plans to have organized outdoor activities like surfing, camping, caving and climbing trips, as well as other activities at a very low cost to students (perhaps as low as $20). The trips will include transportation and equipment at no additional cost, and the rock wall is the first activity in the Outdoor Adventures Program.

CSUN’s Department of Recreation and Tourism Management also offers rock-climbing classes. Titled Rock Climbing and Mountaineering, the CSUN course catalog states that the class teaches the basic elements of mountaineering, rock climbing and alpine travel, such as climbing ethics, fitness and the physiological effects of environmental stress and working at high altitudes. Training for the class takes place in the mountains, but the class is not required, nor is any other training, for the Fitness Centre’s rock wall.

The steep wall is perfect for people like Steve Dave-Martinez, a CSUN student who rock climbs and mountain bikes.’ Dave-Martinez said he learned about the rock wall doing research at the Matador Involvement Center. He asked about activities on campus that didn’t require a fee, like the Fitness Centre, and was referred to the rock wall.

‘It’s free with I.D so I’ve been doing that now,’ said Dave-Martinez. ‘This is my second time actually. Having one on campus is just great. It’s intense. My arms, my veins are popping. It’s a real workout.’

The adventure-seeker was not alone in his quest. He brought along two female friends that wanted to climb but who were disappointed to learn that ballet-style shoes were not appropriate rock-wall climbing gear. One did vow to return.

‘I want to because it looks exciting,’ said Guzman, a 17-year-old freshman. ‘It’s like an adventure.’