ORP's Milk Crate-Stacking Competition

Students climbing milk crates is not a sight that is seen everyday at Utah State University.

The crate-stacking competition took place Friday in the Nelson Fieldhouse. The event was put on by USU’s Outdoor Recreation Program.

The rules were simple: Stack a crate then climb it to stack another one.

But for USU student Steven Bennett, it was harder than it at first seemed. He reached the 10-crate mark and fell shortly after. Bennett’s girlfriend, Zoey Fishburn, reached 19 crates before she fell and was caught, mid-air, by the person on the other end of her belaying line.

“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Bennett said. “It's a rush being on those crates. You are totally free doing your own thing, holding yourself up, and keeping your balance but at the same time, you are safe if you fall. It takes a lot of balance and after a while your legs start to shake because you start to get sore.”

For Fishburn, the activity was an endeavor to get over a fear of heights.

“After Steven fell and I got past the 10-crate mark, I was so excited to keep going. I was really scared, even though you’re harnessed in it’s still a scary feeling, but I just kept going,” Fishburn said.

Troy Benallie, who is a junior at USU, won the competition with a total of 25 stacked crates.

“I would definitely crate stack again,” Bennett said. “It was really fun but I’m bummed out that I only got 10 crates.”