The Cotopaxi campus team at BYU and The Quarry Indoor Climbing Center hosted Climb Night to promote service and adventure in the Provo community on Feb. 1.
Cotopaxi campus team assistant director Sam Li said the event was meant to combine all three of Cotopaxi’s pillars: people, adventure and creativity.
“Definitely helping the brand get known ... but also tying it to what the mission is — which is, as a lot of people know, ‘do good,’” Li said.
For $15, students received entrance to The Quarry, along with gear rental and the opportunity to enter a raffle for Cotopaxi gear.
Students earned raffle tickets by finding Cotopaxi stickers along climbing routes and completing 'Do Good Challenges,' like giving someone a genuine compliment, meeting someone new or writing the name of a non-profit organization on a sticky note.
BYU student and frequent climber at The Quarry Asai Melgar said he has always found the rock climbing community to be welcoming, and Climb Night was no different.
“I think it’s to encourage beginners ... but also invite a whole community so that way when they do come, there’s people around that they can meet and feel like they belong,” he said.
Willis Knapp, manager of The Quarry, said with Rock Canyon nearby, Provo is a great place to jump into rock climbing and he’s seen it gain a lot of popularity. According to Knapp, there are many benefits of climbing.
“There’s fitness and problem-solving and it’s a pretty good social activity,” he said.
Justin Perez, a BYU senior studying strategic management and Climb Night participant, said he enjoys the thrill of climbing.
“It’s kind of ... a sense of danger,” he said.
Perez has taken note of Cotopaxi’s mission and efforts to be environmentally friendly, he said.
“I really like their motive to work for sustainability ... it helps change lives,” Perez said.
According to Li, Cotopaxi is about more than adventure gear. Cotopaxi’s website states that adventure inspires them to both “see the world and make it better.” Li said the BYU-Cotopaxi initiative was started to help students engage more with the Cotopaxi brand and mission.
“We’re kind of the next stewards of the earth, of taking responsibility, of doing good, of service,” Li said.
Cotopaxi’s website says the company is a certified benefit corporation, meaning they donate a portion of their profits to nonprofit organizations each year. According to their website, 1% of their revenue goes to the Cotopaxi Foundation, which focuses on relieving poverty in Latin America.
The Cotopaxi campus team at BYU is now preparing for Questival, a 24-hour adventure challenge where students earn points by completing different tasks around the community. Questival will be from March 22-23, with more information to be announced.