Outdoor Climbing Tips for Kids

[Smithes]

First off, this post contains absolutely no technical information that would take the place of actual climbing instruction and experience. Now, here are a few ideas that have worked for us over the years:

 

Friends. We all climb better in front of our friends. Having a friend to play with also makes the time between routes less tedious. And if you bring along the friend's parent(s) you may actually get in some hard climbing.

 

Realistic expectations. For you and your kids. Your kid will probably not be the next Chris Sharma. You’re developing a love of climbing and the outdoors, not producing the next phenom. Don't expect to climb at your limit when you're out with the kids. Both the climber and the belayer will likely be slightly distracted by roaming/crying children.

 

 

Be competent. Make sure you're proficient at whatever you plan for your kids. For example, you may never have needed to lower a partner with a Reverso. But if you're going to belay your kids from the top of a climb, you'd better know how it works because Murphy's Law applies to climbing with kids. I can't stress this enough. Work through potential scenarios and have a plan ahead of time.

 

As a parent, you have a distinct advantage here. It's all about attitude, and you're a pro. Say you're caught in an incredible lightning storm at Wild Iris (elevation 9000 ft.), huddled under an overhang with 20 other climbers. Your car (and jackets) are a mile away across an exposed, tree-less ridge. Your son is shirtless because your youngest daughter dumped a liter of Gatorade on herself. You, the outdoor parent, can smile knowing that you've handled worse.

 

 

 

 

[img:left]http://www.gccschool.org/files/images/KidsClimbing_0_1.inline.jpg[/img]

 

 

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Edited November 1, 2011 by Smithes

[RuMR]

is this for real or an ad for something???

Edited November 2, 2011 by RuMR

[Kimmo]

ok rumr, so not only is it a bridge, but it goes somewhere.

 

and cheap! let's talk.

[RuMR]

so...what does your kiddo think of those evolv shoes?

[Kimmo]

thanks for the tip. it's actually a good climbing shoe, unlike what she had. she still climbs better barefoot, but is improving with the shoe every time.

 

does vw set problems for the 3' crowd? seija's getting kinda bored on the vert jugs at sbp, and trying to make the reach on interesting harder problems.... I might be checking out the new vw soon (along with the little rockers!).