From conquering the rock wall at local Madison gyms to traveling the country in search of the most challenging climbs in the country, Mountaineering Club members take trips that challenge climbers of all levels.
The Hoofer Mountaineering Club is a student-run organization that wants to keep people out on the rocks, while also maintaining a collective of knowledgeable climbers who can both teach and pass on their knowledge to others. We love teaching new members or even just getting people together to all go climb, whether it be at Devil's Lake or as far as Red River Gorge in Kentucky. We run both club trips and more relaxed unofficial trips for last-minute planners! If you're more experienced (or looking to improve), we also offer a climbing team!
A membership with Hoofer Mountaineering gives you access to our gear locker, as well as discounts at the climbing wall in the Sett and 20% off climbing gear at Fontana Sports in Madison.
FAQs
What is Mountaineering?
The Hoofer Mountaineering Club is a student-run organization of climbers that want to keep people out on the rocks, while also maintaining a collective of knowledgeable climbers who can both teach and pass on their knowledge to others.
How do I get started?
To join, you can either purchase a membership online or sign up in-person at the Outdoor Programs Office. We hope to see you at HMC meetings, clinics, socials, and events in the future!
How often does Mountaineering hold events?
You can expect weekly meetings, socials, clinics, and trips.
What kinds of events does Mountaineering have?
Hoofer Mountaineering general meetings are held every Thursday at 7pm in Mendota Lounge. In addition, we hold technical skill clinics, climbing socials at local gyms and crags, and regional and global trips.
Where do you go to climb?
With Devils Lake, Governor Dodge, and Hillbilly Hollow in our own backyard, we utilize our local crags to their fullest potential.
Some of our further destinations have included Joshua Tree National Park, Yosemite National Park, the Margalef and Siurana crags outside of Barcelona, and Red Rock Canyon. The annual trip to Red River Gorge for Halloween is a fan-favorite as well.
What is the climbing team?
If you're looking to sharpen your climbing skills, train, socialize, and compete, Hoofer Climbing Team is for you! You can learn more here!
How can I sign up for events?
Become a member!
Do you provide gear?
We sure do. We offer anything and everything a climber may require, so you shouldn't need anything of your own.
Contact Us
Hoofer Mountaineering Club
Memorial Union, Lower Level
800 Langdon St.
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-1630
info@hoofermountaineering.org
Contact Us
News
HMC's annual Halloween trip to Red River Gorge! This trip was focused on sport climbing. The Red River Gorge in Kentucky has some of the best sport climbing in all of the US, there are routes for all types of climbers! And camping at Miguels, a classic climber camp spot for RRG!
Upcoming Events
Hoofer Mountaineering - Winter Break Trip Spain
Hello!
Hoofers Mountaineering is super excited to announce a 2023 Winter Break Trip to Spain! Spain is a sport climbing Mecca and one of the best sport climbing destinations in the world. There is going to be a lot of information within this document so buckle up!
We know this event is open for signup WAY ahead of time. This is for two reasons. First, it's a long trip, and people need time to make sure they are off work and able to go.
Second and more importantly prices increase as the trip gets closer. In order to make this trip as affordable as possible, we are opening it now so people can get their flights in advance and save money.
The trip dates are from Jan 1st, 2023 until Jan 17th, 2023
This event has a deposit of $100 which gets you a spot on this trip. The total cost you will pay to the University will be $310 which will cover your housing, rental car, and gas. The full $310 will be due September 30th, 2022.
Flights, Airport transit, checked luggage, and food will be coordinated outside of the university.
If you want to go on this trip, signup now. The $100 deposit is refundable until September 30th, 2022.
Below is going to be a cost Breakdown for the trip. (15 Nights)
|
Cost Per Person |
|
|
Flight |
$533 |
|
Rental Car |
$110 |
|
Housing |
$132 |
|
Gas |
$67 |
|
Transit for Airport |
$56 |
|
Checked Bags (For climbing Gear) |
$38 |
|
Food (Est $20 a day) (We Will Cook) |
$300 |
|
Total |
$~1250-$1300 |
On the fence about this trip? Here are some things to consider!
We will have 14 Full Days in Spain. We will likely climb for 9-10 of them and check out amazing tourist destinations for the rest. We will be staying in Tarragona Spain. This is about an hour south of Barcelona. We will certainly spend a day or two in Barcelona doing anything and everything!
The two main climbing Crags for us will be Margelef and Siurana. The grades range from 5.8 all the way to 5.15.
https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106631762/margalef
https://www.mountainproject.com/area/106624710/siurana
Here are some amazing routes you could get on!
More things to consider is the weather. The temperature for Spain at this time of year is around 40-60 F. It's ideal weather for climbing but not the best beach weather. While our AirBNBs are on the beach there most likely won't be a great opportunity for a beach day.
Finally, don't forget, you need a passport! If you don't already have one they take a while to get! Don't procrastinate!
Everything Below this point will be directed towards people who are going to go on this trip. If you are on the fence, please consider that everything listed above in the cost breakdown is price locked EXCEPT the flight. Flight prices will only increase as the trip date gets closer. Be aware!
Flight
IF you are leaving from Madison/Chicago this is the flight you NEED to get. The airport in Spain is an hour drive from where we will be staying. If your flight arrives in Barcelona after the main trip's flight it WILL NOT work.
IF you are leaving from a different airport or will not be on this flight listed above PLEASE CONTACT ME (events@hoofermountaineering.org) before you purchase your flight. We can figure something out and make sure anyone who wants to go on this trip will be able to go
Rental Car
For this trip, we will have one 7 passager Van and one 5 Passager Car.
Not much more to say about this here. Drivers will need International Drivers Permits. They are super easy to get. Having one would be a big help!
Airbnb
We have two Airbnbs within the same Condo Building. Each Airbnb has 6 Bed Spots for a total of 12 people on this trip.
Both Airbnbs have laundry and a full kitchen. Plan to pack light to save space.
We will cook most nights and definitely cook breakfast and lunch. This will save us a lot of money on food. Bonus point to you if you know how to cook!
Since we have two separate AirBNB we can all hang out one at a time but we cannot exceed the 6-person limit while sleeping. There will be a trip leader for each Airbnb as well.
Airport Transit
For those of us leaving madison. We will be taking the Vangalder Bus from Gordons to the Chicago Airport. The round-trip ticket is $56. We will talk much more in detail about this once the trip roster is set.
Gas
For those of you curious about the cost of Gas listed above here's how it was calculated.
We did a large over estimate on how much driving we will do throughout the trip. The cost is based on $8.50 per gallon (Above Spain's Average). More than likely gas prices will not go that high. We also underestimated the fuel economy of rental cars.
If there is a significant portion of gas money left over at the end of the trip it will be refunded to the participants.
Checked Bags
We will need to get 12 people's worth of climbing gear to Spain. Ideally, we can fit all the gear into 3 checked bags which splitting the cost among 12 people will make it $38 a person. The airline ticket includes a carry-on and personal item for everyone. If we can pack light and squeeze more climbing gear else were. Then the cost of checked bags can decrease.
Food
Typically we will cook meals in the Airbnb for most nights. We will also be eating out a fair bit too because it's a vacation and we want to relax.
If you have any food allergies / dietary restrictions we will go over them in the pre-trip meeting in the future.
Questions and Concerns
This was a ton of information to take in. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out at events@hoofermountaineering.org
I hope we can make this trip an amazing one!
Winter Break Trip Joshua Tree
Hello all!
On behalf of Hoofer Mountaineering, I am stoked to announce a secondary Winter Break 2023 trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California! Home to more than 8,000 highly-rated routes, Joshua Tree is recognized as one of the most legendary climbing destinations in the world!
Similarly to the HMC Spain Trip, this event is open for signup early in advance to ensure that attendees have enough preemptive time to schedule this trip, as well as book their flights in advance. Important information is as follows:
Timeline: January 4th, 2023 through January 12th, 2023
Capacity: 12 people including leaders (Ethan Seath Claire Johnson)
Financial Break Down: (Per Person)
Flights → $330 (We will be flying into Palm Springs International Airport. This price is based off of a departure out of MSP Airport)
Camping → $21
Airbnb → $84
Food → $180 (We will be cooking)
Rental car → $110
Gas → $35
Total → $765
Down Payment: In order to ensure a spot on this trip, a $100 deposit will be due by November 6th. This deposit will go towards the $250 total cost of University dues that covers your housing, rental car, and gas payments for the duration of the trip. Flights, airport transit, checked luggage, and food will be coordinated outside of the University. Likewise, this deposit will be fully refundable until November 6th.
Checked Luggage: In addition to the facets listed above, we will need to get 12 people's worth of climbing gear to California whilst flying. In an ideal world, we can fit all the gear into 3-5 checked bags, which will cost roughly $15-30 a person. Note that the airline ticket includes a carry-on and personal item for everyone. If we can successfully pack light and squeeze more climbing gear elsewhere, the cost of checked bags will decrease.
Requirements:
- In order to sign up for this trip, you must be a member of Hoofer Mountaineering
- Attain a Top-rope rating through HMC
- Attend a Sport Climbing Clinic through HMC
- Submit a deposit via RecHub
- Attend the Joshua Tree Trip Logistical Meeting (more info on pre-trip meeting coming soon)
This trip will be predominantly focused on routes that cater to Sport or Top-rope climbing, hence the requrements listed. Furthermore, we will be hosting clinics and information sessions in the near future for those that would like to gain more knowledge prior to the trip.
Housing: We will be camping for the first 4 nights of the trip at Black Rock Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. Subsequent to that, we will be staying in a dainty little cottage (with a hot-tub!!!) for the duration of the trip. Attached below are some photo references of the campground as well as the AirBnB:
Pre-Trip Meeting: All further necessary information will be gone over at the Joshua Tree Pre-Trip Meeting. This will be required for all attendees as the information will be pivotal to the success of this trip. More information on the timing of said meeting will be sent out individually to all of those who have signed up via RecHub and payed their deposit.
That's all for now! There was a lot of content to digest, so please dont hesitate to reach out to me (mountaineering@hoofers.org) if you have any further questions regarding this trip!!!! I'm hoping that we can make this one hell of trip!!!!