Instead of sitting in classrooms, the Estes Park High School freshmen class spent the school day rock climbing with guides from Kent Mountain Adventure Center at Thumb Open Space, Lily Mountain, and Performance Park Monday, Sept. 8.
Matthew Alvarado, a freshman who participated at Thumb Open Space, had never climbed with a harness before. He was initially hesitant before warming to the challenge: “It seems super fun, and it’s super cool because not a lot of schools get to do it.”
After a hike to the climbing spot, KMAC Guides provided a detailed training session, showing students how to belay properly, effectively communicate with one another, climb, and lower themselves safely. In groups of three, students took turns while their classmates and teachers cheered them on.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” said Natalie Workman, another freshman at Thumb Open Space who has climbed before. “It’s a really nice spot, and the climbs aren’t that hard.”
Freshmen Climbing Day is an orientation activity funded by a grant from the Estes Park Education Foundation. TJ Sanford, a KMAc Guides guide, said Climbing Day creates an environment that forces kids to fail by trying and then teaches them to get back up and try again. The exercise is aimed at building perseverance.
“I want to see the students get more comfortable with themselves,” ninth-grade English teacher Andrew Virdin said. “Trying things that at first they don’t think are possible. Climbing itself is cool, but it’s also a great metaphor for other challenges they’re going to face as they get into high school.”
Climbing Day also allows students to get to know their teachers and peers outside the classroom, which improves student-teacher bonds in the classroom, according to Jessica Shochat, a high school science teacher.
Although Estes Park is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, “some of our kids never get outside…so exposing them to this amazing part of our community that surprisingly not everyone has been to is…challenging them in different ways,” said Shochat.
KMAC Guides co-owner Dustin Dyer credits Kate Crosby, a local climbing enthusiast, with the inspiration for Climbing Day. Crosby organized the Estes Park Exposure Festival, a fundraiser in 2022. Some of the money raised went to the Access Fund, a national advocacy organization based in Boulder that promotes sustainable access and conservation of climbing environments, for its preservation work with the Thumb Open Space. A portion of the funds was allocated to start Climbing Day.
According to Dyer, Climbing Day has since “taken a life of its own.” In 2024, KMAC offered to host Climbing Day at a discounted rate, and the Estes Park Education Foundation covered the cost. Now, KMAC Guides donates the day to the school.
“We’re not going to make money on it anyway,” Dyer said. “That wouldn’t be the point. I don’t even want money for this kind of thing. That’s not why we’re doing it. I’ve always felt that if you’re lucky enough to grow up in Estes Park, if you want to rock climb, [then] you should have all the resources at your fingertips to be able to become a rock climber.”
Shochat, Jon Anderson, an instructional coach, Stephanie Kline, a school counselor, and Mary Barron, the middle school assistant principal, worked together to incorporate the event into the freshman orientation program.
“I love Climbing Day,” Anderson said. “I think it builds some community with students. It’s a good challenge for some folks. Hopefully, they get to see that they can do some things, maybe they didn’t think they could. And they get to support some peers who maybe they don’t necessarily hang out with at school.”
Shochat and the staff are responsible for encouraging student participation, sending out information, securing transportation to and from the climbing site, and supervising the students. She said KMAC Guides handles trip logistics, including choosing the locations and climbing date, based on how many students sign up.
As a guide, Sanford said that in addition to mitigating safety risks, KMAC Guides instructs students while abiding by the concept of “challenge by choice.”
“We’re not going to force you to do anything,” Sanford said. “It is your choice to get up and to push yourself out of your comfort zone. That might be just belaying for the day, it might be touching the top of every single climb we have…For some students, it might just be going 10 feet off the ground.”
Members of the EPHS Link Crew, a high school transition program, join Climbing Day. Link Crew members are juniors and seniors who help guide freshmen and make them feel comfortable during their first year. They also act as the group photographers since freshmen are encouraged not to be on their phones.
“I hope they get a good freshman experience,” said senior Taylor Ellis. “That’s kind of the main point of this.”
“Climbing Day is probably my favorite day of the year,” Shochat said. “It’s so rewarding. I love seeing kids challenge themselves. I love seeing their dynamics. I love getting to know them as people instead of just students. I think that’s the best part, being surprised by them.”
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