The Daily Utah Chronicle published an article in October 1983 about a young man named James Brimley who tried to scale the Union building by himself and without the assistance of a safety rope.
Brimley, a sophomore and 24-year-old English major, said at the time that he just wanted to test out his new EB Super Gratton climbing shoes. But like Humpty Dumpty, Brimley soon came tumbling down.
He lost his grip, falling to the ground, where he lay in pain until help arrived. Salt Lake paramedics put his leg in a splint and rushed him to a local hospital, where staff took care of a broken ankle.
Representatives from the U later noted that although Brimley’s attempt had received considerable attention, he was not the first student to try to scale the south sandstone wall of the Union.
Flash forward to 2015, and U students no longer need to resort to such extreme lengths to test out new climbing gear or get their daily dose of adrenaline. The new Student Life Center, located on the east side of campus near Legacy Bridge, has its own climbing wall for students to scale.
Students can attempt the 13-foot bouldering wall or the 54-foot top rope and lead wall. Harness and shoe rentals are available for only $3.
Case Turner, a manager at Outdoor Adventures — a place for recreationists to get gear — in the Student Life Center, said the volume of students using the climbing walls is fairly consistent. Apparently, Brimley was not the only U student who felt the need to defy gravity.
“The best thing is that we set really good routes, and we have a really good community feel in our climbing section,” Turner said. “It’s very educational and fun … In addition, you always get to meet people and run into your friends and build community.”
For students following in Brimley’s footsteps, there will be a Dynamic Competition on April 22 at the Student Life Center climbing wall. The event is a bouldering competition that requires participants to climb and jump from hold to hold with varying levels of difficulty. Registration is now open, and Turner said there are only 60 spots left.
Ying Tan, a sophomore in sociology and marketing, shook her head upon hearing about Brimley’s fall from the Union.
“I can’t imagine looking at the Union and thinking, ‘I’m going to try and climb that,’ ” Tan said. “Apparently, gravity was a little less obvious in 1983 than it is now.”
@mary_royal