On Wednesday October 12th SheJumps hosted twelve lucky ladies for an introductory climbing clinic donated and taught by Earth Treks in Golden, CO. The course was led by two knowledgeable and fun Earth Treks instructors, Renee and Alison, who shared their experiences learning to climb and the journey to teaching others. This hands-on class taught knot tying skills, top rope belay, and climbing techniques in order for participants to be able to climb independently. The goal of the course was to achieve muscle memory for belaying so that the ladies were well equipped to not only pass a belay test at an indoor climbing gym, but also confidently take these skills outside.
The group practiced their Figure 8 knots and other skills before heading to the wall
Small groups offered lots of hands-on experience and immediate feedback from guides.
The women that participated in the clinic came from a variety of backgrounds with climbing. Some had climbed when they were kids and were interested in reconnecting with the sport. Other women came from adventure sports like backcountry skiing or obstacle course racing and wanted to expand the ways they connect with the outdoors. The course began with Renee and Alison teaching all the participants to tie figure eight knots independently of top rope systems. In fact, the segments of ropes the ladies learned with were theirs to keep and continue to practice on at home! Next the participants were taught to load a belay device (an ATC) and top rope belay a partner.
The women then broke off into groups of three and put their skills to use. All the women climbed and belayed one another in a private section of the gym. For the final hour, the instructors taught the women climbing techniques to use on the walls to use their bodies efficiently. The ladies again broke off into smaller groups to apply the climbing techniques, trying harder and harder grades. The clinic allowed all the women to get comfortable both climbing and belaying in a supportive and fun environment. Rather than having an instructor teach them to climb while having a veteran belayer belay them, the participants belayed each other. This style of learning pushed comfort zones and fostered trust, excitement, and teamwork. As the ladies left for the night, they walked away with raffled prizes of climbing gear, goodie bags, new Girafficorn gear, and tons of stoke for climbing! We can’t wait to get back to Earth Treks Golden to play on more of their 300+ routes – stay tuned for another Intro Clinic later in the winter!
We weren’t quick enough to get everyone in a group photo – we had 16 women representing SheJumps at Earth Treks
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