Rock Climbing Day Camp
- Age (co-ed): 10-15
- Cost: $550 per camper
- Group Size: 12 campers max
- Instructors: 2 co-ed
- When: 5 days | Mon. – Fri.
- Parent drop off: 7:45-8:00 a.m. | Parent pick up: 5:30-6:00 p.m. (times can vary)
- Rendezvous Location: TBD
- No experience necessary
- Campers must come each day with 2 litters of water, snacks & lunch.
- Required Camper Gear List
overview
Prepare for an unforgettable experience of a lifetime during this weeklong traveling outdoor rock climbing immersion day camp. Each day, we transport the campers to a new rock climbing location. Each climbing location has unique scenery and rock quality and texture and offers a multitude of climbing routes of varying difficulty. The outdoor rock climbing day camp is designed to accommodate a group of campers with a wide range of climbing experience. Great for beginner climbers (includes first-timers) to the more experienced, including those who climb indoors at a rock gym and want to experience real rock in the outdoors.
highlights
The rock climbing camp covers a wide variety of topics for the campers to excel at and have fun while rock climbing. The rock instructors focus on teaching all campers climbing skills, movement, techniques and risk management for outdoor rock climbing.
The daily program includes instruction in “hard” skills such as learning climbing knots and how to belay, as well as learning climbing techniques and rappelling skills. The program also includes the instruction of “soft” skills such as learning about various objective and subjective hazards of climbing, especially in the outdoor setting, and ways to mitigate risks and be a smarter climber. Equally important to learning about and acquiring rock climbing hard and soft skills and making new friendships, campers will also learn about leadership, communication skills, environmental ethics and stewardship, group dynamics and decision-making and problem solving skills.
Campers will also learn and practice the 7 principles of Leave No Trace Ethics, which emphasize low-impact techniques of how to recreate responsibly in the outdoors (e.g. pack it in, pack it out).
Itinerary
For a map and a more detailed description of the rock climbing locations, please click HERE
Day 1 – Stover
We spend the day in a beautiful gorge along a horseshoe bend in the Tohickon Creek in High Rocks State Park near Ralph Stover State Park located in Bucks County, PA. The exposed climbing faces range from 40ft to 100ft high, offering great views of Tohickon Creek and the surrounding forest.
On the first day, we spend time doing introductions, icebreaker activities and reviewing safety guidelines. We will distribute and review climbing gear, learn climbing knots and proper communication for climbing and the basics of belaying. We will climb for a majority of the day!
Day 2 – Birdsboro
A local climbing crag that was once a quarry, Birdsboro Rock Quarry is now a climbing destination in Berks County, PA with well over 100 climbing routes. The adventure begins right away with a traverse of two cable bridges over Hay Creek.
We spend the whole day exploring awesome climbing routes and applying the skills learned during Day 1. Campers will learn more about climbing knots, the fundamentals of body movement and work on belay skills.
Day 3 – Stover
We return to Stover for a thrilling day of learning the fundamentals of rappelling and reviewing the basics of anchor building. The 100ft rappel station at Stover is amazing. The day culminates with a Tyrolean traverse. For a Tyrolean traverse, we setup a rope between 2 rock structures and traverse from one side to the other, all while suspended 100ft in the air—pretty rad!
As if that was not enough, throughout the day, Campers will also have the opportunity to climb new routes while applying the skills learned during Days 1 and 2. Campers will continue to work on climbing and belaying skills.
Day 4 – Rest Day (Psych!)
Day 4 is a rest day, but not really. Day 4 is a day to change it up a bit and give the climbing muscles a rest. It is a surprise adventure day that will consist of one or more of the following: Hiking, Biking, Rafting, Stand-Up paddle Boarding, Kayaking, Sailing.
Day 5 – Chickies (climb & rappel)
Chickies Rock is a premier climbing crag with cliffs over 100ft overlooking the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, PA. Geologically, Chickies Rock is the largest exposed Anticline (an arch of stratified rock in which the layers bend downward in opposite directions from the crest) on the east coast.
The rock climbing camp culminates with a trip out to Chickies Rock. This is where and when the campers apply all the hard and soft climbing skills they learned during the week. The day will be a mix of rappelling and climbing.
*All itineraries are subject to change due to logistical issues, group dynamics, environmental factors and other concerns.