Written by Nick Crews
If you are on the Outdoor Recreation Committee (ORC) LISTSERV, then every week you get bombarded with emails about climbing events happening at Colorado College. You might just delete them before giving them a glance, thinking that the clinics and climbing trips are not for you. I’m going to show you how wrong you are. Outdoor Education’s climbing program has something to offer for everyone.
The goal of the climbing program at CC is to teach technical skills and provide an inclusive and fun introduction to rock climbing. One of the more popular components of the program is the technical skills clinic offered every Wednesday and Thursday except during fourth week. These are free, two-hour long, student-led classes that cover topics ranging from basic to advanced. They usually happen in the Ritt Kellogg Climbing Gym, and you can sign up for them on Summit.
These clinics can be the perfect introduction to rock climbing, especially if you have no experience whatsoever. The intro courses, such as Knots, Hitches, and Gear, will arm you with the basic knowledge to construct safety and rope systems. Intro to Anchor Building is also an excellent beginner class, where you will learn all about anchors, which hold the rope up on the wall. In the Sport Cleaning clinic, you will gain the skills that you need to safely retrieve your anchor while sport climbing (e.g. on bolts), and then rappel back to the ground.
There are no prerequisites to these clinics, and they are highly recommended for anyone who wants to get into climbing outside. Knots, Hitches, and Gear is being offered next Thursday from 3-5 p.m. Sign up on Summit.
In addition to these basic clinics, some more advanced topics are also taught, such as Intro to Multi-Pitch, a rescue series, and a progression of Aid Climbing clinics. If you already have some climbing experience and want to expand your skills or learn how to deal with emergencies while climbing, these are the lessons for you.
This year, a new program was added called Rock School, which is a package experience of many of these clinics combined. Over the course of a block, with the same mentors and fellow students throughout, you take a few classes a week through the entire beginner progression, culminating in two outdoor trips. The idea is that afterwards you will be totally prepared to independently sport climb outside. The current Rock School is already under way, but look for it again next fall. Sign up fast, since there has been a waitlist for the course in the past.
If you don’t want to learn any of these skills and just want to climb, then the climbing program’s outdoor trips are for you. During these, you can get outside to a beautiful place and learn the very basics that can get you up the wall safely.
These climbing trips and clinics are for everybody. Often, people are intimidated by the complicated systems and macho atmosphere that can go along with climbing. This is understandable, but believe me, the clinics and the climbing trips are really welcoming places, no matter your experience, athletic ability, or background.
If you want to learn more about any aspect of rock climbing, the climbing program through Outdoor Education has something to offer. If you have any questions, large or small, please email Nick Crews.