Words & Photos from Ava T.
The first day of experiential programs for the Rock Climbing group was full of smiles, sweat and hard work! The day started off with us going to the PISE gym to stretch and activate before our rigorous day. Our leader at PISE, Chris, helped us learn new activation workouts that are used by some of the top athletes in BC! By the end of our stretching session, some of our group members were found lying on top of their yoga mats ready to take a long sleepy nap, little did they know our day was just getting started. We were later brought out of the Camosun Chargers Basketball Court into the large workout gym. There, we tried new workouts that can also be applied at the SMUS gym! We used yoga balls, did modified pull ups, land mines and other exercises which further helped us prepare for the upcoming Boulder House climb. After spending three hours at PISE we took a bus to the Boulder House Gym. In Rock Climbing, there are three main types that are most recognized for the sport: Bouldering, Lead and Speed. The first day, we were taken to learn bouldering. This form of Rock Climbing is not for the faint of heart. Scratch that! Any form of Rock Climbing is not for the faint of heart! Bouldering is rope-free climbing, meaning that when you fall, you fall! First, the instructor taught us how to fall properly, which is when you land on your feet and roll backwards to prevent too much impact on the knees at once. After the climbers caught the hang of falling, it was time to spread their wings and fly! Different types of climbs were labeled by color, meaning you could progressively climb harder depending on your comfort levels. Although it may appear easy, some of the climbs were slanted, making it increasingly more difficult as the more slanted the wall was, the less useful our foot holds were. As people were starting to get tired, the truly resilient climbers shone! Many people were seen retrying routes they previously failed, with each new try different techniques and ideas were incorporated, making it increasingly more enjoyable to watch.
The next day, our climbers were seen with blisters and muscle sores, however they didn’t let any of this get in their way! We took a bus ride to UVIC’s CARSA rock wall which was an intimidating sixteen meters tall! Instead of bouldering, the climbers started lead climbing. For the first half of the day, we were taught how to tie a proper figure eight knot, how to properly put on a harness, how to belay someone and rock climbing jargon such as “On belay?” “Belay on” “Climbing?” “Climb on” to indicate the climber was ready to start. After a few test runs, we were painfully waiting to jump onto the wall! Once we did partner and instructor checks we were ready to start climbing. After, we spent the rest of the day trying different routes, more bouldering and even self-belaying machines! Rock Climbing for the experiential program was truly so much fun and helped us all take a giant step out of our comfort zones, and I can certainly say that all of us are excited to continue the program in the future terms!