Getting on the wall
Bouldering (no rope, low traverses and problems over pads) just needs a ten-minute orientation on how to fall and move around under other climbers. Top-rope climbing needs a belay check: demonstrate the knot, the commands, and a catch to a staff member, and you're certified to belay a partner.
If you're new
Staff run a free learn-to-climb session most weeks that covers both, and route setters refresh the problems on a rotation so there's always something at the easy end. Come in non-restrictive clothes; the wall provides everything else.
In and around Porter Falls
Day-to-day life at Porter runs between Founders Union, the residence halls on the south quad and North Campus across the Riverfront Trail. The Porter Loop shuttle and a compact footprint mean most students can get anywhere on campus in under fifteen minutes on foot.
The practical details
To boulder: A short floor orientation on falling and spotting — then climb. To top-rope: A belay check; pass it and your Porter Card is flagged as belay-certified. Gear: Shoes and chalk rent at the desk; harnesses provided for roped climbing. Anything time-sensitive — an accommodation, a booking, a deadline — is worth confirming directly before you rely on it, because the specifics here can change from term to term.
If you have a question
The office behind this is Dean of Students Office (Founders Union, Room 200). Call (715) 555–0182 or email deanofstudents@uwporterfalls.edu during the fall and spring terms, or sign in to MyPorter to send a message or book a time. If it turns out another office owns the question, they will route it rather than send you back to the start.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every office, person, building, phone number and statistic on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real institution or a service you can actually contact.