A few years ago, Cliff Marr asked a simple question: “Why can’t we climb here?” 

He was relatively new to outdoor climbing and as such, was (and probably always will be) running off that excitement and drive that newcomers to the sport often enjoy.  Having grown up in Indiana, away from any nearby climbing gyms, he hadn’t had many climbing opportunities until moving to Bloomington, where he got to try out the local gym. 

Eventually he made some friends with more climbing experience, took a trip to The Red, and fell in love. Like so many others, though, Cliff didn’t want to be in a long distance relationship, but he also didn’t want to leave his home. After all, a strong sense of community has always been another of his loves. 
As a STEAM teacher, ‘Mr. Marr’ provides students with the tools needed to solve complex problems. Using those tools himself, he set out to find an answer. Along the way he met other, like-minded climbers and formed an organization. Now, as the president of the Indiana Climbers Coalition, one of the many questions he asks is: “Why can’t we climb here, yet?”