Ropeless Rodeo attracts top climbers from across the Northwest

Some of the best collegiate rock climbers in the Northwest descended upon Central Washington University last month for the annual Ropeless Rodeo, the first event in a series of 2026 Northwest Collegiate Climbing Circuit (NC3) competitions.

For the past 18 years, the NC3 organization has been hosting events at participating institutions in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The SURC climbing wall was the first stop once again this year, testing the skills of 100 competitors with varying experience levels on Saturday, January 24.

Senior Coordinator for CWU Adventure Programs Logan Scully explained that NC3 was founded in 2008 as a way to give collegiate climbers a highly competitive outlet outside of USA Climbing, which serves as the feeder program for the Olympics.

“The impetus behind this circuit was to create something that was fun and inclusive so we could build the sport for non-professional climbers,” Scully said. “We still see a lot of top talent at these events, but they’re doing it more for prizes and bragging rights.”

Like other NC3 events, the Ropeless Rodeo featured three divisions: recreational, advanced, and open. The competitors were evenly split between male and female, while three nonbinary climbers participated in a separate division.

The event lasted all day, with finals taking place in the evening.

“What’s great about these events is that, no matter your skill level, you can still compete for prizes,” Scully said. “Everyone is super-inclusive and the climbers all cheer for each other. It’s such a great vibe.”

Ropeless Rodeo participants cheer on their fellow competitors at the January 24 event in the SURC. (Photos by David Dick)

Joining the CWU Climbing Club at the event were teams from Oregon State University, the University of Washington, University of Idaho, Whitman College, Western Washington University, and Eastern Washington University.

The University of Oregon, Washington State University, and Portland State are also longtime NC3 members, while George Fox University (Oregon) and Gonzaga joined the circuit more recently. George Fox hosted an event January 31, Western hosted on February 7, and Eastern will be home to the next event this Saturday.

Competitors aren’t required to attend each of the 11 events, but they must participate in at least five to qualify for end-of-season honors.

Scully said the level of competition has increased so much in recent years that the difference in skill at NC3 events isn’t much compared to Olympic-level climbs. The two open division winners from Whitman College can hold their own with anyone, he added.

“The winners in this circuit are climbing routes that they’re using in USA Climbing,” he said. “It gets harder every year to create routes that will challenge them enough. There’s not much that these guys and gals can’t handle.”

Scully said the CWU Climbing Club members always look forward to setting up the 50-foot SURC climbing wall for the Ropeless Rodeo, the traditional first stop on the NC3 circuit.

CWU students and Recreation Center staff spend about three weeks setting the routes on the wall — a process that precludes many of the students from competing because they already know the routes.

“It’s not really fair for them to compete because they know all of the secrets since they helped set up the route,” Scully said. “Every time you compete, you want to be challenged in a novel way. And part of the fun is figuring out the riddle that the route-setter created.”

One aspect that Scully — a climbing aficionado himself — likes most about the Ropeless Rodeo is the sense of community that the climbers have created. They spend a lot of time together throughout the season and many of them continue to hang out once the competition calendar concludes in late April.

“Everyone really enjoys each other’s company,” he said. “A lot of them will crash at each other’s houses when they travel around to different comps or check out a new climbing gym together. The community they have built is really cool.”

Speaking of new climbing gyms, Scully pointed to a new bouldering facility that recently opened in Ellensburg. Fourth Ascent Climbing Center, located at 308 W. Fourth Ave., offers climbers in the area a different way to practice their skills.

Scully explained that Fourth Ascent is set up differently than the CWU climbing wall, and the two facilities complement each other well.

“We’ve been working with them pretty closely, and I think it’s going to be a popular place for local climbers,” he said. “Ellensburg is within an hour of a lot of great climbing spots, and it’s nice that we now have two gyms in town for people to practice. We’re kind of in the center of it all.”