Be Gay. Do Climbs.
Whether you've been climbing for years, or don't know a hangboard from a harness; whether you are out and proud, a straight ally, or maybe still figuring out your identity: there is a place for you at QCC. Whether it's in a gym, at a local crag, or on one of our MetroParks hikes, we hope to meet you wherever you are at in your journey, in order to make climbing, and the entire outdoors, more accessible.
The QCC Google Calendar is our up-to-date list of events. You can also follow us on Instagram, or join the QCC Discord, to get day-of reminders about our meetups!
Gym Meetups
We hold meetings in our local climbing gyms 4 times a month, at 5.Life gyms throughout Columbus. QCC Gym Events will usually fall on a Monday or Friday, from 7-9 PM.
Entry is available at a discounted rate of $13, which includes a day pass to the gym, as well as rental shoes and a harness when applicable. Our meetups are also free for 5.life gym members, who may donate their extra member points toward QCC's guest pass to support our mission.
You can expect the following at our gym meetups:
1. Check in at the gym front desk, get gear (if needed)
2. Find QCC's flag, get a nametag with your name+pronouns (optional)
3. Circle up for welcome, announcements, and brief introductions
4. Gather for a group photo (can opt-out), then climb on!
For those with financial hardship:
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, QCC provides access to our events for climbers who find the entry fee to be a barrier. When checking into a 5.Life gym for a QCC meetup, tell the employee you'd like to use one of QCC's punch passes. They will check you in using our pre-purchased day passes, at no cost to you.
MetroParks Hikes
During the warmer months, QCC holds at least one outdoor hike per month at a Columbus MetroPark. These meetups are free of charge, and usually last 2-3 hours in duration.
Check the QCC Instagram and/or Discord for hike details and directions closer to the day of the event. Additionally, we will post updates there if an outdoor event needs to be cancelled or postponed due to weather.
Community Outreach
Though our focus is on the outdoors, we strive to support our community and our climbers outside of the crag or the gym.
Through outreach events, and non-climbing socials like our after-Bloc socials at Club Diversity, we hope to engage the community in ways that are not solely focused on the sport of Climbing.
We have also supported a variety of other outdoor-focused causes, such as helping host a Columbus session of The Summer of Pride Series, sponsored by The North Face and Public Lands, as well as supporting crag cleanup days through Ohio Climbers Coalition, and collaborations with the Outdoor Adventures office of Columbus Recreation and Parks.