Lindsey doing “something kind of epic”
Ok, so I love climbing. I spent about half my childhood either in a tree or on top of a tall rock near my house. As an adult, I was lucky enough to stumble across the sport of rock climbing. I learned to climb a few years ago when a friend talked me into taking and intermediate outdoor climbing course (I had never climbed before) and we spent a chilly weekend outside of Montreal at the end of October. The shoes I had packed were way too thin – I don’t think my feet had ever been that cold. Despite the near frostbite, I fell in love with the sport that weekend.
When we got back to Montreal, I immediately bought a pass at the local climbing gym and started climbing regularly. It felt perfect – it combined just the right amounts of social activity, team sport and personal challenge. In my experience, climbing communities tend to be incredibly supportive. It doesn’t matter if you’re coming in with years of experience or if it is your first day on the rocks – everyone is there to help each other learn. When it’s nice enough, climbing outside is a dream: fresh air, often beautiful views and great friends. And there is just the right amount of risk – I still feel safe while also feeling like I’m doing something kind of epic.
 So now that I’ve returned to Whitehorse, a city on the brink of full-blown winter and with no climbing gym, what am I to do? Luckily I also enjoy enough winter sports to stay entertained until I can have bare hands outside and still keep all of my fingers. I plan to spend a good amount of time on the slopes of Mt. Sima as well as check out some of the cross-country ski tracks in the area. Despite easily having enough outdoor activities to keep me busy all winter, I think it would be an incredible benefit to the community to have an indoor climbing gym that is open to the public. In addition to the great things I listed above, there are multiple physical and mental benefits. I’ve found it to be great for stress relief and focus that permeates my life off the climbing wall, not to mention the confidence that comes from tackling a hard problem. It can also be a great place for youth to hang out! Here’s a quote from Recreation Director Bev James on climbing and youth:
“Team building, unity, empathy and comradeship develop as youth and parents encourage each other to climb higher and faster. As they belay and instruct one another, rock climbing becomes a great way to help individuals and groups build character, trust, communication, problem-solving and leadership skills, which in turn creates stronger communities.â€
This article has more info on the positives that come from climbing!
Does a climbing gym in Whitehorse sound like a great idea to you too? Climb Yukon is already working to make this happen. Wondering how you can help make it happen?? The Reel Rock 11 Film Tour is coming to Whitehorse this Friday, November 4th. This is a fundraising effort to help Climb Yukon build a new climbing facility in Whitehorse. For more information on the event or other ways that you can be involved you can visit this website.