Outdoor Kid Climbing

My local friend Steve and I took our kids climbing on Saturday. There’s a spot about an hour and a half away that’s got great rock and not too crowded.

They don’t really look like it, but the kids had an awesome time.

Steve lead the routes and setup top rope for them. We did 4 different routes ranging in difficulty from 5.9 – 5.6.

I was really impressed with how the kids did considering all that’s different from climbing inside (texture, height, reach). In many cases what looked fairly straight forward from the ground, I’d later find out when I climbed it was quite tricky and more so for the girls because of their height.

Our true gauge for success was the fact that everyone wanted to come back, which is great. A few more times on the same routes should really boost their confidence and creativity in such experiences.

I managed to lead one myself. It was the easiest of the bunch, but it was nice to be on point. If I could just get to the gym on a more routine basis and get stronger, I’d be set for more leading.

– b