Mapadika students climb their way to the top

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Near to the top of the climbing wall, Endri Purwita Aji pauses, working out his next move. His forearms burn and he "shakes them out" before reaching into his chalk bag.

The powder absorbed the moisture on his fingers, so there was less chance he would slip.

Pushing up with his legs and extending his body, magically he gripped the hold and looked out over the edge of the wall.

That afternoon, Endri and his fellow students were climbing at the Indonesia Satya Negara University (USNI) in South Jakarta.

"This exercise will improve the strength of our fingers, which is important for climbing," Endri told The Jakarta Post at the university on Thursday.

Endri who chairs the university's "nature lovers" organization, Mapadika, said the students were in training for an upcoming competition.

"Our members are crazy about climbing. For us, this activity is relatively a new thing," he added.

Active as an organization since Feb. 14, 1989, Mapadika has offered rock climbing as an activity since 2002.

The most prestigious event is the competition run by the Indonesian Students Sports Association (BAPOMI). This event is one level below the National Games (PON) in which athletes from 33 provinces competes.

"We sent a team to the climbing competition, but unfortunately we were not the winners," Endri said.

Fellow student Dimen Ibnu Purwanto said climbing required both skill and courage. "In wall climbing, generally, the level of difficulty and speed is judged," he said.

The referee records the speed and the difficulty of the climb.

"That is why we have to do so many exercises," said Dimen, a former Mapadika chairman.

Dimen expressed regret over Mapadika's limited equipment and the lack of commitment of other students.

If there are bakti sosial (external activities for social or humanitarian purposes) only a few students turn up.

"We do not organize social activities ourselves. We only join in other organizations' because of the limited human resource here," Dimen said.

Mapadika has planted trees, donated money to an orphanage and donated blood as part of its bakti sosial.

To help the survivors of the tsunami in Aceh, the group sent a volunteer, Dimen, who was in the province for about one month.

Mapadika students also assisted in the search-and-rescue operation on Mount Salak, when some students were injured while mountain climbing.

The organization has also arranged trips to Sumatra, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara.

For its activities, Mapadika has received various awards and trophies.

"We will recruit new members soon, we hope they will do better" Dimen said.

Sixteen years after its establishment, Mapadika now has 120 members, about 20 of whom are active.

Usually, it takes one month to train new students as Mapadika members, including in basic navigation and survival techniques.

After days of classes, the new recruits can practice what they have learned in Kawaratu, an area on the slopes of Mount Salak, West Java.

With its motto of Belajar, Bersahabat and Berpetualang (Learning, Making Friends and Having an Adventure), Mapadika is sure to attract more members every year.