After-School Program Has Kids Climbing the Walls

The bell rang out from 32 feet above the ground. “I’m at the top!” 6-year-old John Romo yelled to his climbing instructor before gently gliding on his lead rope back down to the floor. As he was lowered, four other children were scrambling up other areas of the sheer wall – all students of the Diablo Rock Gym (DRG) Kids Camp – a 10-week afterschool program in Concord designed to teach kids the intricacies of rock climbing.

Ten kids, ages 6 to 10, meet at DRG two hours each week, using rock climbing shoes, harnesses and belay devices to scale climbing walls. They also learn proper knot tying and climbing techniques such as top roping (climbing with a rope anchored at the top of the route) and bouldering (low-to-the-ground climbing without ropes).

The hardest thing for Samantha Turnage, 10, is coming down from the nearly three-story height. “I don’t like to come down fast,” she said. “It’s one of my challenges. Climbing on the really small rocks is hard, too, because you can’t get a really good grip.”

Diablo Rock Gym has 11,000 square feet of moderate slab climbing terrain, a steep lead prow (a jutting slab of rock) for more advanced climbers and 2,500 square feet of bouldering terrain. Bouldering is one of the tougher things Kids Club members Genevieve White, 6, and Hazel Lenoir, 8, have tried at DRG. “Climbing upside down in the bouldering area is really hard,” Hazel said.

While most DRG members are adults – many seasoned climbers use the gym to hone their skills – the gym is family friendly, offering day rates and monthly memberships for kids as well as beginning instruction for all ages. In addition to the afterschool and summer camp programs, DRG has climbing clubs for teens.

Dakota Schwartz, 17, works at the gym and has been climbing for seven years. She says the sport allows her to really focus and forget about anything stressful, as well as spend time with friends (or even her mom). “It’s a great workout, both physically and mentally, and is a skill I can always work to improve on.” 

There is no prior skill or fitness level required. “The biggest skill you need to climb is willingness,” said Hans Florine, general manager at DRG. “You never can tell who’s going to be a good climber.”

He might have an inkling, though, because he's among the fastest climbers in the world. Florine and his partner, Yuji Hirayama, set the Speed Climb World Record in October 2008 by making it to the top of The Nose route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in two hours, 37 minutes, 5 seconds. The two go back and forth with the record against fellow climbers German brothers Alexander and Thomas Huber. The route usually takes three to five days.

Concord resident Heather Porter climbs regularly at DRG with her friends Sheri Ashton of Walnut Creek and Christi Brown of Pleasant Hill. And she brings her husband and three kids to the gym on Friday nights. “That’s our date night,” Porter said.

Ashton said climbing offers moms a way to build camaraderie and to work as a team. As she looked up at her friend perched on the face of an inclined rock wall, she chuckled and said, “Christy is going to complete something right now. As moms, so rarely do we get to finish something without interruption. And climbing is great for kids. It’s great exercise and it builds individual successes. Kids conquer fears and it’s very empowering.”

Samantha, who has asthma, said climbing gives her an opportunity to finally participate in a sport. “My sister is always athletic and it was always so frustrating that she could do things I couldn’t do,” she said. “It’s good to know I can do something now.” And she loves it.

But it isn’t easy. The courses at DRG change constantly. A full-time course setting crew strips a portion of the gym each week, washes the climbing holds and puts up new routes. They are designated by colored tape and vary in difficulty, with ratings going as high as 5.14.

“A ladder that’s in the air straight up and down would be similar to a class 5.5 climb,” Florine said. “A 5.14 rating would be like gluing quarters on the wall and then trying to climb it.”

Dakota has climbed a 5.13a inside, but has found routes outside that are much more challenging even though they have "softer" ratings. “Every climb presents its own unique challenge, which makes just trying it completely worth it,” she said.  “I want to climb big walls. I want to climb the 50 classic North American climbs.  I want to be climbing when I am 80.” 

Climbing builds tons of self confidence, Florine said. “There’s this problem-solving element to climbing and you get instant gratification. You might first get to three feet; then you’re 10 feet off the ground.” Pointing to the rock façade, he said, “That’s their mountain top.”

For Samantha, learning to climb has been a joy. “It’s so hard not to have fun,” she said. “It’s always fun here.”

John Romo’s 8-year-old sister, Olivia, echoed the sentiment: “Yeah! Once in a lifetime. And a lot of fun!”