Which boarding schools have active indoor rock climbing activities? - Team, Class, Club, Outside of School…
Any guide or direction to look for would be helpful.
Thanks.
Dana Hall School has a rock wall in the athletic center.
Rock climbing is an intramural at Choate.
@ChoateMom, Indeed. And it’s year-round! Thanks.
@london203, Thanks for the info!
Thacher…the real thing, year round. Go West!
Westover has an indoor wall, and they also do some trips for “the real thing”. It’s a popular sport during winter term.
@ThacherParent, I can only find outdoor rock climbing, Fall for new and Spring for experienced. Do you mean they do outdoor climbing year round or do they have indoor team not on their website? Thanks.
@cameo43, Thanks. I actually checked their website when you recommended me Westover last time. I asked them if they have a regular climbing team but it wasn’t answered. Do you know how is a typical practice session during winter term? Particularly we are looking for more on competitive side - grueling conditioning and practicing advanced skills, etc. Daughter climbed level 5.11D & V4.
Mercersburg has rock climbing as an afternoon activity, i.e., as an alternative to a sport. They have a wall plus they take the kids to other venues. My son is doing it now and enjoying it. But I doubt that it is as intense as what you want.
@Mercersburg. Thanks. She would take an afternoon activity instead of none. Daughter only started climbing 2 years ago but really fell for it. I think it matches her personality very well.
Tilton has a rock climbing wall in the athletic center and the school occasionally takes trips to other rock climbing locations!
Check out Berkshire. They have a great mountain program that includes rock climbing and a real mountain right on campus. http://www.berkshireschool.org/page.cfm?p=544
Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA has both a JV and Varsity team for girls and boys. Very popular activity/sport at EHS. Boys won WAICL championship in 2014.
http://www.episcopalhighschool.org/athletics/list/team/index.aspx?TeamID=987
FALL
Episcopal Rocks and Rapids combines the thrill of whitewater kayaking with the challenge of rock climbing. This program teaches safety, builds resilience, grows outdoor leadership skills, develops cross-sport strength and fitness, and promises to be a great adventure.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the team will paddle on the mighty Potomac River. Students will learn how to outfit a kayak, safely wet-exit and roll the kayak, and navigate class I-III whitewater. On Mondays and Fridays, the team climbs either indoors at local Sportrock Gym or outdoors at Great Falls and Carderock Recreation Area. They will also learn the belay, sport climbing skills, and bouldering techniques.
WINTER
The EHS Rock Climbing afternoon option is a competitive sport climbing team for boys and girls. The boys’ and girls’ teams compete in the WAICL (Washington Area Interscholastic Climbing League) as well as individually in amateur climbing meets in the area. Learning to safely climb and belay each other, the students develop strong team-work, leadership, trust, and confidence while actively engaging in a core, leg, upper-body and aerobic exercise. The competitions are not about speed, but rather successfully completing the two most challenging, marked routes possible to earn a score based upon difficulty of the climbs.
The team climbs four days a week (Monday through Thursday) at Sportrock Climbing Gym in Alexandria - a short drive from campus. A typical day involves a team stretch, warm-up, and activity designed to enhance technique and endurance by reading and climbing various top-rope routes in the gym. The end of practice includes some free time to work on low-wall bouldering, where climbers can hone smaller muscle groups and specific moves. Thursdays are always exciting as the group breaks into smaller teams for a season-long intrasquad competition. On Friday afternoons the group stays on campus at EHS to work on strength and cardiovascular training. Towards the end of the season, the more advanced climbers have the opportunity to participate in a lead-climbing class taught by the instructors at Sportrock.
@prepster1234 & @Chelsea1, Thanks for the information!
@i70sband, I think I heard about Episcopal a few months ago but forgot. It’s amazing that there is actually a great boarding school with Varsity Rock Climbing! Thanks. I was concerned that if an Asian girl would feel comfortable in the South at the time. Majority of her friends in our homeschooling community are White, but we are in a metropolitan area in California where race is much less an issue for Asians. Anyone has a comment on that?
While below the Mason-Dixon line, I would by no means categorize Alexandria as “the South,” but I’ll let someone with more knowledge comment specifically on the feel at EHS.
Alexandria is part of the Washington DC metropolitan area, which I guarantee is significantly more racially diverse than any other boarding school community anywhere on the East Coast.
@skieurope, @soxmom, Thanks. I must got a wrong impression when I read people claiming that the school is the most well known boarding school in the south.
Sorry for being slow to respond. Yes, they have a Fall program for newbies. Spring is for more experienced climbers. While they have an indoor rock wall, they have many outdoor options that can be accessed year round.
Well it probably is, and it is technically in the South, but then Miami-Dade and Broward counties are also in the South, but few people would argue that they are representative of the South.