Climbing Curriculum for Youth Programs

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            Elisha mainly inspires the kids to better understand themselves and what they are capable of achieving. Embracing their fear and understanding it. It is what keeps us alive and well. We all have fear in our hearts, and when we dangle from a rope over rocks, we become more afraid. Which is normal. She usually starts the students in an indoor rock climbing gym setting and discusses main aspects of climbing such as, awareness of the risks in climbing, knots and safety, communication between climber and belayer, footwork, balance, and breathing. She teaches ages ranging from 5 years old to 17 years old.

*Adults can contact her via e-mail if interested in private lessons, for themselves or for their child.

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The awareness of the risks in climbing:

• Climbing is inheritably dangerous and students need to be trained on how to properly be aware of the risks. The proper way to put on a harness, wearing a helmet, being aware of natural surroundings (poison ivy, snakes, wild animals), being aware of weather, and having the proper nutrition for the physical demanding activity.

Knots and Safety:

• Knots are very important in climbing, we will discuss why they are important and the different types of knots to use for different activities in climbing. Some examples of important knots would be the figure eight knot, fisherman knots, knots at the end of both rope ends, and others.

• Safety, is managed through communication between climber and belayer, knowing the rock quality in the surrounding area, weather in the climbing area, knowledge of belay devices, learning how to spot other climbers while bouldering, and much more.

Communication:

• Communications should be short and loud between the climber and the belayer. Climbers and belayers should always communicate before leaving the ground, while on the wall, lowering to the ground, and while on the ground after the climb. We will discuss in the class the key vocab between climber and belayer.

Footwork:

• Focusing on different positions of the foot, such as the heel, toes, the edges of the foot, and creating a sync with all limbs together on the wall.

Balance:

• Very important skill to master forever. The understanding of weight and body positioning is key to climbing movement.

Breathe:

• Climbing is a full body exertion exercise, it requires full attention. The one tool we forget to use, is controlling our breathe in a way for calm movements and mental stability.

Overall Goal:

• Helping students gain confidence in their abilities as a climber, understanding risks in climbing, taking care of natural surroundings, respecting others, and having fun while climbing.

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Thank you for your interest in the rock climbing classes. Please feel free to e-mail or call if you have any questions about the classes.