One of my favorite climber is this bloger here in a story of climbing the North Ridge of Mount Baker in January with zero visibility and risk of avalanche he was lucky to avoid. Here is the story of him climbing the Picket Range. If you like climbing check Paul stories they are fascinating.

I have to bring you this story about facing fear of heights that attacked the bloger while rock climbing. He was climbing the rock when one friend had the safety rope and then looking down froze because of the height fear. Well he climbed anyway and this is the motto that he took from the story to all the times in our lives when we are faced with fear but we cope anyway with the help of mentors, friends and other safety nets that we create.

With my companion, fear, I climbed and reached the top. My colleagues slowly let the slack out of the safety rope as I pushed back off the wall and they brought me back down to the ground. My muscles were twitching. My heart was still racing. And the climbing instructor said, Great job. How would you like to try it again . . . blindfolded? She wasn’t kidding. I rushed off to find a bathroom! I came back and let them tie a bandana across my eyes, lead me up to the rock, and I climbed again.

I probably wouldn’t dare.

Coming across the blog of the Rockbrook Camp describing rock climbing activities for young teens.

High ropes course climbing is the first step in our rock climbing program progression. Here you learn the basics about climbing techniques, safety protocols and equipment, and then it’s off to the next step— climbing at Castle Rock, our granite slab outcropping up the hill from the center of camp. After that, there are almost limitless climbing routes available in the Pisgah National Forest nearby

it made me think that doing these activities with the children can be a great thing.

There is no reason that children won’t be able to master rock climbing, sure they need guidance and practice but with energy and inclination to cope with challenges they can really enjoy mastering this skill.

If they start young don’t be surprised if they end up as better climber than you after some time.

Ice climbing spots can be fun, especially for those of us that are not afraid of the cold.

If you are into ice climbing or want to start there are many people out there that would like to help you get started. One option for those of you who want to learn ice climbing and are near Michigan is the ice festival in the Upper Peninsula in February.

I signed up for the advanced ice climbing class which was part of the ice festival. It only cost $89 which includes all gear. For anyone thinking of going next year, it is a great value for the person who needs ice tools, boots, and crampons. I had all my gear so it wasn’t an issue.

Overall, I thought the advanced course was disappointing because they covered only basic to intermediate climbing techniques. I also did not get a chance to personally practice all that we were taught. However, I would still recommend the ice fest for anyone who wants a new experience. For the one who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on gear to try it out or is interested in ice climbing, this is a great opportunity. The Ice Fest also had a demo clinic for the public who didn’t want to take a class. During the clinic, they supplied gear to anyone who wanted to try ice climbing for free. The one problem was they had hundreds of people. Consequently, there were long lines waiting to climb at the demo. If you want a lot of climbing time, the classes are the way to go.

If you want to join the class or visit the Festival this year here is the link for more information.

Enjoy.