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A handful of people stand on the edges of large foam mats, staring perplexedly at the multitude of colored holds speckled across the rough, rocky wall. Small pieces of tape mark the different routes which stretch across the wall. The climbers’ minds are hard at work calculating the moves they will make up the boulder, contorting their bodies and fighting gravity as they ascend.
The Maine Bound Adventure Center, located in the large barn just behind the Memorial Union, is home to a subculture of alternative fitness. While countless students and community members flock to the Student Recreation and Fitness Center, a core group of people frequent the rock gym for a workout they can’t get anywhere else.
“I really think that people are fooled or disguised into the exercise because it’s packaged as fun,” said Charlie Bloedon, Maine Bound coordinator. “[It’s] a little bit different than pushing around inanimate objects to get strong. Here you work your core strength and your abs just by holding on to the wall and trying not to let go. It works different muscles that people never even thought they had.”
Maine Bound has been around since 1983, when it was tucked in the upstairs of the union. According to Bloedon, the program moved into the barn and has morphed over the last decade to become what it is today.
He said there is a population that uses the gym on a regular basis, but he still thinks the gym is underused on a large scale.
“People usually know where the barn is located, but haven’t stopped in, or it’s on their list of things to do,” Bloedon said.
The bouldering wall and tower are daunting. The tower stretches to the ceiling ominously, while the bouldering wall, with it’s 90-degree corners and upside-down climbs, looks just as menacing. Closer inspection reveals a multitude of routes, all with drastically varying levels of difficulty.
According to Bloedon, the marked routes are a feature they do to create variety and give people goals.
“The most challenging part about it is trying to keep it fun and fresh,” Bloedon said. “We’re constantly having to redo the routes. Once a month, the final Tuesday evening of every month, we have our route setting night, which is open to the community for people who want to give it a try. We teach people how to set routes because we need help. We’re a very grassroots program that way, where we don’t have the funding to pay people to set routes.”
Most routes are designed to mimic movements done in actual outdoor climbing, Bloedon said.
“The routes are definitely well done compared to some other places I’ve been,” said Nick Brown, an exchange student from Canada who frequents the rock gym. “There’s enough of a variety that no matter what your strengths are, you’ll be able to find something you can do.”
Bloedon described the process of placing the new holds: Some people set up routes on the bouldering wall by placing themselves in the starting position and going step-by-step placing holds. Others plan their routes ahead without trying the moves.
People arranging routes on the tower must ascend up with a bucket of holds, while the bottom is coned off so no one gets hit in the head.
Music is always a large part of the rock gym experience.
“The climbing community by all means is the DJ,” Bloedon said. “We take requests, we put on people’s iPods [and] we play Pandora [Internet radio] if people have station requests. Usually the staff will start it with whatever they’re feeling, and then if anyone comes in and wants to hear something different, we throw it on.”
Maine Bound organizes a myriad of trips throughout the year as well. This group was the first of its kind in the nation back in the ’80s, with students leading trips into the wilderness.
The trips range from introductory kayaking and rock climbing excursions to more intense trips tailored to skilled climbers and adventurers. They offer spring break trips often dubbed vacations because they are about having fun. This spring they are planning trips to Lake Tahoe and Oregon.
Perhaps the touchiest subject at Maine Bound is their lack of a drinking fountain. When asked about it, Bloedon let out a deep sigh.
“I wish that we had a water fountain,” Bloedon said. “We have a drinking fountain, what we call a drinking fountain, in the sink in the bathroom which kind of puts out some sulfur-ish water. I’m not completely sure why we don’t [have one].”
Bloedon admitted it is mostly due to budget problems. He was given the price tag on a drinking fountain and it wasn’t plausible.
However, there are talks that the university will be relocating Maine Bound because they are coveting the space the barn takes up. In that case, Bloedon said they would be getting their water fountain.
Whatever the rock gym lacks, it makes up for with its convenience.
“It’s free, so obviously they won’t have the same space available as some other gyms, but it’s really easy to go down there and just hang out,” Brown said. “Everyone there is pretty friendly. If you go long enough [the staff will] remember your name, and they’ll say ‘hi.’ Depending on what night of the week you go, you’ll fairly consistently see the same people.”
“We always hope that we fit in with people adopting healthy lifestyle choices, with being outside and holding recreation close to their heart,” Bloedon said. “We hope that through the trips that we do, we give people a positive experience when they head outside.”
Bloedon said they focus on training and sharing information with the hope that eventually people will head into the wilderness on their own. Even activities like rock climbing can be safe with the proper know-how.
He said Maine Bound focuses on being sustainable — providing things like trips and climbing shoes at a low cost to students.
Bloedon was also proud of the women’s climbing night, which takes place on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m.
Bangor Daily News