After several months of renovations, Cornell Outdoor Education’s Lindseth Climbing Center opened to the public on Sunday. The facility, located in Bartels Hall, was upgraded over the summer for the first time in 25 years.
Among those in attendance was President Emeritus Frank Rhodes, who presided over Cornell when Jon Lindseth ’56, the center’s namesake, funded the original climbing wall.
At the dedication ceremony, COE Lindseth Director Marc Magnus-Sharpe expressed his appreciation for all contributors to the planning and fundraising process.
“With all the energy of Cornell Outdoor Education staff and so many supporters, this really will become a center of Cornell University — yet another place where students will build community, and challenge themselves and grow,” Magnus-Sharpe said.
COE spent approximately $847,000 on the renovations, with contributions coming from alumni, staff and current students, according to Magnus-Sharpe. He said COE is grateful for the strong community support and recognized that the new center would not have been possible without the help of all its contributors.
Scott Sklar ’80, co-chair of the COE advisory board, spoke about the impact that the organization has had on him, saying COE has “changed [the] lives” of Cornellians involved with the organization.
“It’s accelerated their maturity and their growth,” he said. “It’s made them who they are.”
Sklar added that he believes the newly renovated climbing center will become a “teaching facility that will train new generations of climbers.”
Grace Livermore ’17 and Raphael Laude ’18 — two of the many students who helped coordinate the renovations — said they were excited to have “an integral part of the community” restored.
“It’s been super exciting to get this thing together because the community loves it,” Laude said. “Everybody comes in super googly eyed. It’s just thrilling.”
The climbing center, currently open to the public, is located in the Ramin Room inside Bartels and can be used every day of the week.