Director
Oct 25, 20162 min
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.
We weren’t quick enough to get everyone in a group photo – we had 16 women representing SheJumps at Earth Treks