Outdoor Education classes just wrapped up their rock climbing unit after spending time at the Canyon Rock Climbing Gym for a rock climbing unit with students getting hands-on experience and learning about different types of rock climbing.

“[The unit] Is about trying to give students a different opportunity or activity to do and introduce to them not many people know about rock climbing or have been rock climbing,” Outdoor Ed teacher Justin Koons said, “So this is a great opportunity with our partnership with Canyons to get kids on the wall and experience different styles and get a lot of one on one teaching.”

New rock climbers had the opportunity to try different climbing styles and focus their energy on their favorite. 

“Whether you like to boulder or top rope,” Koons said. “There’s difficulty that ranges from easy to extremely hard so you can build on your ability to climb.” 

Different colors on the wall show different rankings of difficulty, the lower the number the easier it is. The difficulty starts at 5.0 and ends at 5.12.

“When we first got there I felt like it would be a lot easier than it actually was,” sophomore Mannansh Tiwari said. “I didn’t account for having to pull yourself up and gripping the holds”.

Rock climbing is a full-body exercise but mainly focuses on upper body strength and flexibility. 

“My first few climbs were really difficult, but they were warmups for my next few climbs,” Tiwari said. “Another thing I did not know about was the different types of climbing. Out of bouldering, auto belay, and being belayed, I liked climbing while being belayed by a friend.”

When the class first arrived they learned how to belay one another, using harnesses and a mechanism. This provides a way to climb very high, with little to no risk. 

“I liked bouldering best because it was a challenge for me,” freshman Connor Mercer said. “After the units are over I will probably go back to rock climbing.”