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Climbing Gym

"Keep your eyes open, take risks, and whenever possible, don’t do things the way everyone else does." — Jonathan Belden Daniels '86

The Jonathan Belden Daniels ’86 Memorial Climbing Gym and the Charles W. (Chuck) Drake ’90 and Josh Hane ’89 Leadership and Training Center

Spring Hours:

Tue & Thu: 8-11am, 4-10pm

Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, & Sun: 4-10pm

Viva Hardigg Outdoors Club (VHOC) climbing sessions are every Monday 4-5:30PM. This session is intended for people who feel their gender is underrepresented or marginalized in the out of doors.

People Of Color Outdoors (POCO) climbing sessions are every Thursday 4-5:30PM. This session is intended for people who feel their race/ethnicity/nationality are underrepresented or marginalized in the out of doors.

Check gym capacity in real time

Groupme for the Climbing Gym can be found here.

Location 

The climbing gym is located in the basement of Maxwell Dormitory. For a detailed map, click HERE

Rules and Regulations

1. Dartmouth Climbing Gym Policies
2. Climbing is limited to 15 climbers at any one time.
3. All members must fill out a waiver before coming to the gym for the first time.
4. No personal belongings may be stored in the gym.
5. Users are allocated 1.5 hours when the gym is at full capacity.
6. No climbing in the gym outside of these hours unless approved by the Outdoor Programs Office.
7. Only liquid chalk is allowed in the gym.
8. Climbs must be visually inspected by the climber before climbing.
9. No solo climbing.
10. Bouldering, with spotters, is permitted on the first ten feet of the climbing wall.
11. Landing areas must remain clear of obstacles.
12. Loose holds should be reported to the monitors on duty.

Prices

Free to all Dartmouth Community Members (Faculty, Students, & Staff). Unfortunately, no non-Dartmouth Community members are allowed at this time.

Safety

To ensure the safety of every climber, monitors are always on hand to assist and help practicing climbers. Monitors are experienced climbers who are well-acquainted with proper safety techniques. They inspect holds, supervise climbing activity, and assure compliance to climbing rules. Monitors remain on-site during climbing hours and secure the area when they leave.

There can be no climbing unless the monitors are on-site. Users of the climbing gym are expected to follow the rules and heed the instructions of the monitors. Rules violations may also result in further action as set forth in the Dartmouth College Student Handbook.

The Climbing Gym was opened to the public on October 10, 1994, the culmination of a decade-long effort by members of the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club and the Outdoor Programs Office to bring a world-class indoor climbing facility to Dartmouth. Many students, faculty and alumnae/i participated in the design and construction of the gym.

The gym is a twenty-three foot tall bouldering cave where climbers of every skill level can practice their skills. Climbing Gym monitors assist climbers and ensure safe climbing techniques.

The Leadership and Training Center was opened in 2002. The Center adds lead climbing and belay stances for anchoring and rappelling to the gym’s offerings, as well as equipment for strength training and a library of periodicals and instructional videos. A Moon Board was added t0 the Leadership and Training Center in 2019.