There are two types of competitions: USA Climbing comps and local comps. USA Climbing is the governing body for the sport of climbing and organizes comps against other college students across the country. There are Qualifying, Divisional, and National competitions, and each level requires you to qualify for the next. Local comps are competitions held by gyms for their members. These tend to be more casual and community-oriented, with things like food trucks, live music, raffles, prizes, and finals for the top competitors, to name a few. We take day trips to a few locals in the Midwest throughout the year.

Yes! In fact, most team members are also part of the club. The club offers gym membership discounts, access to outdoor trips, and larger social events to meet other climbers.

Throughout the year, the midwest will have a few Qualifying comps. By participating in one of these events, you qualify for Divisionals. These are usually bouldering and are either day trips or one-night trips. Divisionals is usually a one-day event in March, with bouldering in the morning and sport in the afternoon. Anyone from the Midwest (aka the Heartland Division) who went to a Qualifying comp can participate. The top 13 climbers in each category (F Bouldering, M Bouldering, F Sport, M Sport) qualify for Nationals. This usually is a one-night trip to a city in the Midwest. Nationals is a 3-4 day event in April that brings together the best collegiate climbers in the country. It is held in a different place each year and usually requires plane travel. The first few days have qualifying rounds for each discipline, where the top 20 climbers move on to a finals round on the last day. Qualifying comps and Divisionals are modified redpoint. At Nationals, qualifiers for bouldering are modified redpoint, sport is flash format, and speed is fastest lap. Finals are onsight for bouldering and sport, while speed is a knockout bracket.

We expect team members to attend at least one practice a week and climb at least three times a week. This means spending 10-12 hrs a week at the gym or commuting. Team members are also expected to attend at least one competition and are strongly encouraged to attend Divisionals.

The Michigan Climbing Team is a sanctioned club sport here at the university, so we have dedicated team members that attend weekly practices, train together, and represent the University at national-level competitions. The Michigan Climbing Club has a more casual commitment: they run monthly outdoor trips and social events for people of all abilities and interests. You can check them out here.

No! We don’t believe in tryouts or cuts, just commitment and enthusiasm! If you are curious about joining the team, come to a few practices to see for yourself—regardless of skill level and no strings attached.

We practice twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-10pm with comps and additional training opportunities on weekends. We train at our local gym, Planet Rock Ann Arbor, which is a ~15 minute drive from Central Campus. The university is currently building a dedicated climbing wall in the new CCRB, estimated to be completed Summer 2025.

We organize carpools where team members help drive those without cars to our regular practices. Pickup/Dropoff locations are in the cul-de-sac by the Cube on central campus and Pierpont Commons on north campus. Signup for carpools is sent out on a weekly basis first come first serve, though we usually have enough spots for everyone. The Club also organizes carpools on Tuesdays and Thursdays; however, because there are so many people in the club, they use a lottery system to assign spots, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get a ride.

Yes. Yes we have.

As an official Michigan Club Sport, we receive a portion of our budget from the University. However, the vast majority of our funding comes from fundraisers and donations. As part of your commitment to the team, we expect members to help promote and support our fundraising efforts throughout the year. Without the support of friends, family, Michigan alums, and others, we would not exist.

We expect team members to cover their gym membership, shoe, and gear costs. Planet Rock offers a four-month semester pass for ~$290 to members of the Club, another great reason to join the Club. Gear costs vary from person to person and depending on how often you climb. At a minimum members should own their own harness, chalk bag, and shoes; a good estimate is that you'll need 1-2 pairs of shoes per year. Our dues are $60 for the year, which includes a jersey and covers base travel costs. To compete, USA Climbing requires you to purchase a membership for $65. Qualifying and local competitions typically cost $30-50. We usually have 3-5 of these each year, but you are only required to attend one. Divisionals is $135 and Nationals is $200-300 (depending on how many disciplines you qualify for). The team aims to cover the majority of travel and lodging costs associated with comps, i.e. flights, hotels, rental cars, gas, etc. We do recognize that climbing is an inherently expensive sport. If the cost of competitions poses a financial barrier to you, please reach out and we’ll do our best to help.