This Saturday, Feb. 23, the CWU Recreation Center’s climbing wall will be swarming with competitors going for the top, both literally and figuratively. The Ropeless Rodeo Bouldering Competition is open to anyone above the age of 18, regardless of experience. It is expected to draw between 100 and 140 climbers from 14 different schools according to Aubrey Edwards, a senior majoring in public health. Edwards is overseeing the process of setting the climbing routes for the competition this year.

“Countless hours are being put in this week by our setters to make it as great as it can possibly be,” Edwards said. “Our entire goal beyond having fun new routes for everyone to climb is to create a competition you can just have fun at with your friends.”

The competition is in bouldering, which is a form of rock climbing that’s focused less on vertical distance, and more on technique in overcoming different routes, or “problems,” which are ranked based on difficulty. Competitors score points based on the difficulty of the route taken, and the amount of attempts it took them to reach the end. One thing that doesn’t factor into scoring is time, according to Climbing Wall and Challenge Course Coordinator Melissa Robertson. Robertson said that while the competition is being scored, it is also a friendly place to be for newcomers to the sport.

“There’s something for everybody, even if you’re pretty new or if you’ve been climbing for a while,” Robertson said. “It’s a really supportive environment, everyone is encouraging people. It’s not like a match where you’re trying to beat someone else, you’re just trying to do your best.”

The Ropeless Rodeo is a part of the Northwest Collegiate Climbing Circuit (NC3). According to their website, the NC3 is one of the largest collegiate competitive series in the country, with CWU as one of the three founding members. The organization now boasts 14 involved universities, all of which send a couple of participants to each event in the circuit. The NC3 hosts competitions all over the northwest each year, at the University of Washington, Western Washington University, CWU, Washington State University, Whitman College, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Eastern Washington University, Portland State University and the University of Idaho.

The event is designed to be accessible to just about anyone, no matter how much climbing they may have done in the past. Bouldering is done without a harness, which may make it more accessible to those who have previously been turned off by the complicated-looking harnesses involved in other forms of rock climbing. Additionally, certain routes are easier than others, meaning that any competitor, regardless of skill level, can find a challenge that will push them without being downright impossible.

The event is also an opportunity to explore CWU’s climbing wall. The wall is a featured wall as opposed to a flat wall, which means it has more variety in the textures and angles that a climber might traverse, according to Edwards. They are a strong proponent of giving climbing a fair shot.

“You’ll never know if you don’t like it unless you try it,” Edwards said. “If you try it out and like it, you can enjoy a fun new hobby and be a part of a great community, and if you don’t like it, then at least you can say you gave it a go.”

The Ropeless Rodeo will be held Saturday, Feb. 23 at the climbing wall in the SURC Rec Center from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registration will cost $35, and is limited to the first 140 contestants. A youth version of the event for 6-  to 17-year-olds will be held the night before, Friday Feb. 22, from 5-7 p.m.