Teen Climbing Camp

Interstate State Park is located along the beautiful St. Croix National Scenic Riverway separating Wisconsin from Minnesota. Basalt rock formed by ancient lava flows offers both rope climbing and bouldering opportunities on either side of the river.

This is an excellent opportunity for returning campers to experience a new location and rock type, or for Minnesota-based climbers to experience TCC closer to home, though anyone is welcome to register.

Camper drop off and pick up will be near Interstate State Park in Taylor’s Falls, Minnesota.

OVERVIEW

The Crux Session is for dedicated climbers looking to push their limits. While the general camp structure is the same, our climbing days focus on trying hard on difficult climbs. This session is for climbers who aren’t afraid to throw themselves at an initially impossible feeling project; the ones who embrace failure as part of the process; those who are interested in pushing their personal limits.

CURRICULUM

Some common lesson topics include:

• Projecting: Projecting is an important skill set for progressing as a climber. It requires a tenacious, yet patient attitude. The process involves repeated failure before success. We’ll discuss how to pick an appropriate project, work through individual sections, link these sections together, and ultimately send the route! 

• Applying Tactics: Tactics are day-of strategies that can greatly increase your chances of sending. We’ll cover common, but often overlooked tactics, like an adequate warm up or proactive skin care, to more specific tactics, like brushing holds or visual/verbal cues on route. We’ll arm climbers with an array of tactics they can implement on difficult routes.

• Resting/Recovery: Adequate rest is one of the most overlooked elements in climbing success. We’ll discover the importance of rest and recovery on “off” days, at the crag, and on the project route through a variety of discussions and drills.

• Training: Training is essential in progressing as a climber. We’ll discuss useful strength training and climbing drills you can implement into your sessions to help take your climbing to the next level.
  
  

PREREQUISITES

Campers must be in high school (9th - 12th grades) and meet one of the following criteria to register for this session:

• A returning camper who excelled on the difficult routes during their last session.  

• An athlete on a climbing team with a letter of recommendation from a coach describing character, climbing experience, and any other pertinent information. 

• The ability to consistently climb outdoor routes of 5.8 or harder or indoor routes of 5.10 or harder. 

FAQs

Will we be trying hard every single day of camp?

No. Climbing at your max for five days in a row is a recipe for injury. You can expect 3-4 days of difficult climbing and 1-2 active rest days throughout the week. 

Am I strong enough for this session?

Yes, most likely. We aren’t necessarily concerned about what specific grade you climb, as much as your attitude towards trying hard and your preparedness for the week. If you climb regularly, you should have the stamina for success.

Is this camp intended for one discipline (boulderers vs sport climbers, competition climbers vs outdoor climbers, etc)?

No. We will spend time both bouldering and rope climbing. While campers may align with one discipline more than another, the lessons learned and skills gained can be applied to any discipline. 

Will we go to the same crag each day to work on projects?

We will potentially revisit a crag to work on projects though it is unlikely we will visit the same crag every single day of the week.

OVERVIEW

The Tech Session is for climbers who wish to gain independence with technical skills required to become a self-guided outdoor climber. In other words, we are working toward students being competent and confident going climbing on their own outdoors. 

We will spend a significant amount of time each day developing technical skills, and throughout the week skills will build on each other. Each day we will learn, practice, and apply these skills to real climbing situations, increasing the challenge to reveal complexity.

CURRICULUM

Some common topics include:

• Traditional Climbing Anchors: Learn the art of building strong, secure traditional anchors using natural (trees, boulders) and artificial (cams, nuts, hexes, etc) protection across a variety of settings. 

• Rappelling: Learn the best practices for rappelling to enable efficient transitions while climbing.

• Belaying: Master the core competency of belaying from both the base of a climb, as well as from above. Belaying from above is essential to lead and multi-pitch climbing.

• Self-Rescue & Risk Management: Identify, avoid and solve common problems climbers encounter to avoid and resolve “epic” scenarios and the need for outside aid/rescue. 

• Traditional Lead Climbing: The trad climbing skill set allows climbers to climb anywhere in the world, and are core skills for delving into mountaineering and alpinism terrain.
  

  
  

PREREQUISITES

Campers must be in high school (9th - 12th grade) and meet one of the following criteria to register for this session:

• A returning camper who has retained the technical skills from their previous session. 

• An individual who has taken one of our courses prior to camp (Anchors I, II, or III, Lead Climbing, Self-Rescue). 

• An athlete on a climbing team with a recommendation from a coach describing character, climbing experience, and any other pertinent information. 
  
  

FAQs

Will all the skills listed above be covered?

Most likely not, as each of the above skills are quite involved. Climbers spend years mastering each. We will take into account group interest/experience to prioritize, covering as much as we can while being as comprehensive as possible. We will avoid moving on to new skills until core competencies are demonstrated.

Will we still get to climb?

Yes! Though we will probably not at the same volume as a regular camp session. Technical instruction will be the primary focus of our days, which will allow you much more climbing time in future! 

Will I be able to climb independently, without a guide after this camp?

Maybe. Climbing independence depends on your previous experience, aptitude, learning pace and a zillion other things. We will do our best to be as comprehensive as possible, but the decision of when you are ready to climb alone is ultimately up to you.