From climbing 500-foot-tall desert rock towers to traveling to the top of icy, dangerous summits, the members of Ohio State’s Mountaineering Club are promised adventure every step of the way.

The club, which began in the 1960s, has offered OSU students the opportunity to gain knowledge about and practice the sport of climbing.

Jon Luers, the president of the Mountaineering Club, first found an interest in climbing five years ago. A passion for the sport has since developed.

“In my head, in class, I can’t think of anything else but climbing because of the past trips we’ve been on,” said Luers, a fifth-year in chemical engineering. “You relive the past rock climbs you’ve done.”

Throughout the year, the Mountaineering Club plans several trips across the country including journeys to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas, Red Rock in Nevada, and Joshua Tree in California.

This past January, a group of 14 students traveled to North Conway, N.H., to climb the summit of Mt. Washington. Amid dangerous snow conditions, the entire group reached the top of the summit, setting a club record for the greatest number of people to reach the top in the shortest amount of time.

Josh Tracy described the feeling of reaching the top after such a climb.

“It really is a blur from the bottom to the top of a route,” said Tracy, a third-year in mechanical engineering. “When you get to the top, you can relax and look back at what you just did.”

Tracy has found that his experience with climbing has changed failure into a hiccup rather than a defeat.

“When you climb, you know you’re going to fall,” he said. “It’s just trying not to and not worrying about it when you do.”

For Erin Parsons, climbing is a reward she gets to look forward to at the end of each week.

With parents who enjoy the outdoors, Parsons became interested in climbing at a young age. Although she enjoys the social aspect of the trips, other elements fuel her interest in climbing.

“It’s the adrenaline rush I get when climbing,” said Parsons, a fourth-year in mechanical engineering. “It keeps me ticking.”

Parsons relies on focus and determination to get her to the top.

“I try to narrow in my focus when I climb,” she said. “I push myself physically when climbing, more so than in any other aspect of my life.”

In addition to climbing and hiking, members also have the opportunity to teach new members about the sport.

Parsons has found this to be another rewarding aspect of the club.

“We give them the gear and the knowledge,” she said. “That starts a lot of people off.”

As he looks toward the club’s future, Luers said he hopes members can build off past climbing experiences and improve their skills.

“It is climbing the routes we’ve already done,” he said, “but climbing it in a better style.”