Climber Spotlight: Michael Molony
“I discovered climbing at a summer camp in Charleston, South Carolina. It was my favorite part of the whole trip. I pursued it in earnest in college in Wyoming, and suddenly, there was climbing everywhere. It was a rude awakening going from gym climbing to real rock. 90’s taped gym climbing all the way to Vedauwoo, which is a land of granite slabs and off width climbs. I was working for Organic Climbing and relocated to Central Pennsylvania when they moved here. I came to find out how much great climbing is on the east coast. New River Gorge, Chattanooga, The Gunks…This region has a lot to offer in terms of outdoor recreation and as a whole gets kind of forgotten sometimes. Climbing used to be such a fringe activity, but it`s become so much more accessible. Building Climb Nittany was always a dream that was discussed with other climbers but only came to fruition through 5.life. I remember one day building the gym the absolute terror of how much static electricity was in the air when we were laying the foam. We were all avoiding the metal so a footlong spark didn’t jump across and zap us. Thank you to the Climb Nittany community for the support. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for the belief and everything that you`ve done to be a part of this. We can design and build the coolest gym in the world, but if the people here didn`t show up for it, nothing good would come of it. I hope Climb Nittany helps remove more barriers to climbing for people, and that the community that’s growing here has the chance to take these experiences elsewhere, to the cliffs and boulders, and get to experience everything climbing can offer. There might only be a small fraction of people who do that, and that’s fine. I hope that awareness travels with people, that they`re good representatives of the sport, that more people get to be a part of this.”
We wish Michael well on his next endeavors!
#climbnittany #happyvalleypa #statecollegepa
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