Hanging out with the Climbing Club

Ready, set, climb! Seniors Claire Powell and Hank DeFord echo this phrase quite often, after school, on weekends, and especially on Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. for their weekly Climbing Club. 

In the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, every Senior is required to complete a Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) project, aiming to achieve at least one of the previous attributes. Each CAS project inherently impacts a type of community, local or global. For Powell and DeFord, their establishment of their own ‘Climbing Club’ targets Palisade students, local accessibility to the sport, and overall community involvement. 

Organizing the Climbing Club took great dedication and months of planning to ensure the best club supervisor and professionalism of the inner workings of the club. Every Monday, the club meets in 214 to watch informational climbing videos, practice tying knots, and share their passion for the sport. Club supervisor and Chemistry teacher Mr. Smith comments, “It’s been an awesome experience. Hank and Claire have really stepped up and it’s been great to have them as student leaders. It’s been fun to get a community together and climb on Thursdays while seeing and conversing with people outside of school time.” 

Additionally, on every Thursday, the club meets at Grand Valley Climbing Gym (GVC) to boulder and belay, either on top rope or lead. Members usually start off bouldering, a type of climbing performed on short walls without ropes and crash pads in case of falling. Students motivate their peers by helping map out the best route to take, sharing chalk, and congratulating each other after achieving a project. Moving downstairs of GVC are towering walls, adorned with thousands of routes ranging in difficulty and technique. Powell shares, “All the climbers both at the gym and within our community are so great! We want to expand that community with teens who are interested, while also providing an environment for people who haven’t tried yet or don’t have the means to.”

The Climbing Club has fostered a diverse community of Palisade students with a handful of freshmen, a few juniors and sophomores, and a pack of Bulldog Seniors. DeFord states, “I knew it was kind of hard to get into the climbing community. So once I started climbing, I really loved it, and I wanted to create a space for anyone who wanted to just get started and jump in and have a group to learn the ropes.”

 Being a part of this club has not only grown interest in climbing, but also made it more accessible to be immersed in such an equipment based sport. Club members have access to reduced rates at GVC for day passes, shoes, and harnesses. This undoubtedly boosts membership and incentives to attend Climb Nights.

Emma Priske has worked at the front desk of GVC for about two years and has watched the growth of youth participation in climbing thanks to Powell and DeFord’s innovation. “When it started, there weren’t that many kids, at least not what I had seen with the club discount. But, tonight for example there were probably five times as many kids. It’s really cool to see it growing with a lot of new faces I’ve never even seen before,” says Priske. 

“I’m really happy about our participation, especially with the underclassmen. It’s been really fun to see the same freshmen and sophomores showing up every time and really getting into the climbing, and that is a really big win for me,” DeFord comments. While Palisade freshmen are required to join a club, the membership of the Climbing Club is quite passionate, genuine, and attracts climbers with an obvious interest. Freshman Coltyn Kilchrist shares, “This club allows me to connect with friends while climbing and having fun.”

Both Seniors are amazing leaders, dedicated IB students, and talented climbers who created a welcoming and positive environment for Palisade’s student community.