Best College for climbing

Here are my top 3:

#1 Quest College Squamish BC!
This is the champ! Best back country skiing, rock climbing, mtn. biking. Close proximity to the canadian rockies, north cascades and Rodgers Pass.

#2 MSU Bozeman
Great rock climbing, great ice climbing, great skiing, and lots of partners. It is also a very good college and cost of living is pretty cheap in ol montucky.

#3 I'll give it to Durango
Silverton, Ouray, Indian Creek, the Black, good skiing.

Prescott College AZ, especially if you want to major in Adventure Ed.

I think you need to weigh proximity with name recognition and reputation. Sure, there are tons of small colleges close to really good climbing. But a degree from those places isn't going to carry much weight if you leave the immediate community. I'm not saying that the education isn't good, but people will stare blankly at your answer to "where'd you go to school?" unless you add a clarifier on to the end every time. They may also be more likely to hire someone who went to a college that they've at least heard of before.

Surely places like UC Boulder, CSU, U of Utah are good bets. People doing the hiring in other states aren't going to scratch their head wondering where they are. Dartmouth is probably the highest rated college that is close to lots of good climbing. Admittedly, the climbing is better in CO/UT, but a slip of paper from Dartmouth is worth more than a lot of people might realize.

If it's any help now, I'm thinking of majoring in immunology

University of Utah! I'm also 4 years away from college but I love living in Salt Lake. Such a great climbing community and every type of climbing imaginable, plus a lifetime worth of projects

North Country Community College!

I live 5 minutes from one of the best places to boulder in the ADK park, 5 minutes and a 10 minute walk to some local cracks, 20 minutes from Pitchoff, and 40 minutes from anything in chapel pond, beer walls, etc.. About 30 minutes to Willinghton. Theres so much rock and ice up here it's overwhelming.

If you want climbing and medicine... the University of Utah is really the only one I can think of! Tons of great activities here, 4 seasons, and a decent city with an international airport. The state gov is a theocracy, sure, but SLC itself is pretty liberal. They want to make it into Portland, OR, and downtown is going through a billion dollars of remodeling.

Put it this way..
- I can mountain bike from my downtown house onto quite nice single track, and end back downtown in a big loop. Many many other rides in the area.
- 7 world-class ski resorts within 30-40 minutes, with the best powder in the world.
- Innumerable climbing routes within 45 minutes.
- International airport offers cheap access other places.
- Cheap-ish living/rent
- Canyoneering! National parks! Slot canyons!
- The director of my department (computer science - SCI) was a famous UK climber (Martin Berzins).

And a.. Great medical school! If research becomes your thing, ever hear of Mario Capecchi? Yup, he's here, too, along with tons of other research (Huntsman Cancer Institute, etc..).

If you want, move somewhere and live for a year so you can get in-state tuition. Lots of people do that.

Kevin Brooks Henry wrote:If it's any help now, I'm thinking of majoring in immunology

I agree completely with Dan.

You should be looking at big research universities if you want to do science/research/medicine. You can get yourself involved in some really cutting edge things as an undergrad and interact with people who are at the forefront of science.

And the climbing accessible from SLC is epic. There is an incredible amount of stuff in the immediate vicinity, and in less than 6 hrs, you can be in Red Rocks, Moab, Tetons, City of Rocks, etc.

Rich Schreckengost wrote:4. The people in Boulder suck (might catch some slack from that one).

Those darn Boulderites! Always picking and bullying the non-locals. I was told we people from NC were too nice when I moved here and that I needed to learn one phrase, "Go f$&k yourself!" It's pretty easy to say and if someone from Boulder (for the record it's never happened to me) gives you some attitude hit them with the suggested comeback. Who is scared of a gluten intolerant, born-again vegan, Wholefoods posterboy, I just crushed the blue 12a at Movement, just bought their rubber kneepads in prep for Rifle season(I hear it's closed to Boulder residents this year) Boulder born and bread wannabe anyway?

Boulder attitudes are a myth. Don't feed the hype.

Don't forget Montana. U and State. I went to the U in Missoula and it has some great climbing in the Bitterroot (granite big wall trad in Blogget Canyon and then fun sport in Kootenai) then there is fun sport limestone at Rattlers Gulch and plenty of fun to be head out in Lolo. If you are up for adventure there is unlimited amounts of mixed and trad routes through out the great state. Missoula is a great college town with a solid university. Not to mention if you fish, boat, ski, bike or backpack. Its the nuts!

Bay Area access to climbing sucks. Its too far for a day trip and almost too far for a quick weekend. Too much traffic to get out and back.

"College is only 4 years and you want to get a good education and prepare for your future. Unless you are at the level where you are considering becoming a professional climber, I would put other factors ahead of climbing when choosing a school."

+1,000,000

Unless your work is going to be climbing, don't do it. Let that be a criteria to filter but not the deciding factor. If it is.. you are wasting you time and likely your parents' money.

If you hail from Iowa then Black Hills State University or South Dakota School of Mines and Technology are great choices. You are still close to home yet spitting distance from some of the best granite and limestone climbing in the region. Colorado would be just a days drive away if you want to road trip.

wow this thread is really back from the dead. If you like ice climbing montana state university in bozeman is by far the best, we also have good bouldering, good sport and some pretty awesome trad in gallatin canyon

First question that should be asked is how rich are your parents ? CU Boulder might be a fine school but it's 30-33k /year just for tuition. I have never heard about it being that good.

the gallatin is great, but don't think it compares at all to stuff like Eldo or RMNP. I kinda wish I'd gone to CU, and if I was there I'm sure I'd feel the same about MSU.

Bard college is great. 40 mins away from the GUNKS, right in the Catskills, Rumney not far away and the red/new are within a long weekend.

ccalpinejournal.org/

Check out any of the past journals by clicking on Inside the Journal. Nuff said......

Don't pick a college based on what you'll do when you're not studying. I'm a big fan of not saving the good times for when you're older, but college really can be worth it. Find a place to get a good education, where you're comfortable, and if possible, with a name in your field of choice.

For whatever it's worth, I have several friends studying/with science based degrees from the University of California Davis, including one getting her MD/PHD in immunology. Seems like a good school, closeish to Tahoe and Yosemite for climbing/skiing. Close enough to the Bay area/ Sacramento that there's the possibility of fun weekends that don't involve the outdoors. Probably not as hippy liberal as Berkeley or Boulder.

Or Boston, plenty of good schools, first in class medical facilities, reasonably close to climbing.

Competitive academics, integral climbing community, and great access -- Colorado College babeeeeee