Climbing with Kids Part 1

“Now if I was teaching a beginner how to climb, I’d set up a toprope on this slab over here and let them get used to the rope. Blah, blah, blah,” explained the guide to his two clients practicing their cliff rescue techniques next to us at City of Rocks last summer.

The guide was really talking to me, hoping I’d overhear his vast store of outdoor wisdom. I ignored him and kept belaying Nate’s 10-year-old son as he skated, thrashed, and hung his way his first climb – a, steeper, reachy 5.7.

I’ll give Mr. Know-it-all a little credit. He was exactly right – if the beginner is an adult or older teen, but young kids are, in general, totally different. Climbing with kids — or for that matter, any outdoor sport with kids — is an entirely different beast. The standard logic doesn’t always apply.

While Nate’s son thrashed, lunged and smiled, I strolled through the years of top ropes, successes and miscues. I knew a bit about climbing. Even more about kids. While the guide rambled on, I formulated my own list of hard-earned truths.

1. Technically speaking, there is such a thing as too easy.

The guide’s heart was in the right place – we do want our kids to succeed – but sometimes the easiest climbs make for climbing parent headaches. On low angle, easy slabs, a good length of rope comes in contact with a fair bit of granite. This creates friction. You wouldn’t notice if you were lowering a 200-pound man. A 120-pound teenager probably wouldn’t be an issue, but good luck lowering a 40-pound youngster down that low-angle slab, especially with the fuzzy old rope you keep around for setting up topropes. The kid has to cooperate and actively move down. If they don’t want to move, you’ll need someone to fetch them.

I’d set up topropes on the very slab the guide referred to and it almost always turned out to be a problem. More often than not, I would end up scrambling up, grabbing the back of the kid’s harness, and lowering both of us back to the ground. No matter what the route looks like, it’s a good idea to do a practice lower before the climber gets out of easy reach. You find out if the kid is going to freak out, it gives him some confidence close to safety of the ground, and you make sure the rope feeds smoothly. But, it’s not uncommon for the kid to freeze up anyway, and in that case, steeper is definitely better.

2. More is more.

What are we drawn to as climbers? Steep cliffs and big faces. It’s every climber’s basic instinct. A 10-year-old boy isn’t any different.

Going big.  Sometimes success means failing spectacularly.

Going big. Sometimes success means failing spectacularly.

In all likelihood, 10-year-olds are scrambling up steeper stuff while waiting their turn to climb. When they get on a rope, they don’t want to climb some “baby” slab. Most kids, especially boys, would rather fail spectacularly than succeed easily. There is no harm in picking a climb that inspires a child, rather than choosing a climb you are certain they will scramble up. We enjoy climbing because it is a challenge. When it comes to your kids, you want it to be more challenging than the latest video game release.

3. Redefine success because your kids already have.

Let go of the “rules” we climb by and look at it from a kid’s perspective. Making it to the top often isn’t a priority. In their mind there is no stigma to hanging on the rope. Danging and swinging are just as fun as climbing – it’s a little like being a pirate. I routinely “boost” my kids to encourage them when they’re stuck. Of course don’t ignore basic safety rules. They should wear helmets, keep their fingers out of bolt hangers, stay out from under other climbers, etc. The idea is to first develop an enjoyment of the sport. Technique and convention can come later. So while an adult might be frustrated by not making upward progress, Nate’s son was having a great time.

Stay tuned, in the next post we’ll share some tips that have actually worked for us.

— Steve Bohrer

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2 Responses to Climbing with Kids Part 1

  1. Kris says:

    Great post. I was guide for years and taking summer camp kids out climbing was our bread & butter business. Route selection is crucial and your steeper is better philosophy is right on the mark.

    Aside from the greater feeling of achievement involved in climbing a steeper face, there is the practical benefit to think about. If a kid freezes up and refuses to let go half way up a slab, its too easy to get a not hands stance. On a steeper face, they will eventually pump-out and then, like you said, it’s easy to lower them down 🙂

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