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Photos Courtesy of CHOCKSTONE Danielle Thalman of Medford assumed she would always be a spectator when her 12-year-old daughter Shannon fell in love with rock climbing, but that was before she hesitantly gave it a try herself with encouragement from a guide. Three years later, mother and daughter are equally excited about climbing and closer than ever because of it. “I didn’t plan it as a way to bond with my teenager,” Danielle said. “I was just having fun, but it’s true. It’s really fun and you spend a lot of time traveling. We’ve always been close, but it definitely bonds you together.” According to Jim Ablao, owner of Chockstone Climbing Guides based at Smith Rock, more and more families are discovering the benefits of rock climbing together. “It’s an activity where there’s a good exchange of trust and thoughtful communication,” Ablao said. “It gets people outside together as a family. Most of the time kids go to soccer and get dropped off, do their thing while the parents are in the stands. But this is an activity where they’re all together and sharing the experience through handling ropes for each other and coaching and watching each other be challenged.” Ablao said he is hoping to encourage more family rock climbing this May through August with the creation of his Families Rock program -- a weekly opportunity for families to climb with each other and other families at a reasonable price. The day of the week has not been determined and prices are fluid depending on the number of family members and their skill levels, but Ablao said a family of four will pay approximately $70 per person for a full day of climbing. In comparison, a private group lesson would cost approximately $85 per person. Chockstone provides all of the necessary equipment. “We have the ability to set up a whole spectrum of difficulty at Smith Rock,” Ablao said. “So we can set up climbs for little ones. Half of climbing with families is making sure you set up the right stage so that it’s not too intimidating for everybody, but yet still offers a lot of challenge.” Chockstone Climbing Guides offers the widest range of climbing services at Smith Rock. All of the lead guides hold personal certification and training through the American Mountain Guide Association and have wilderness medical training. Albao, who has been a guide since 1989, said there are plenty of reasons to seek professional help when rock climbing as a family. Guides are not only helpful to those who are new to the sport, but also to experienced climbers whose methods may be outdated. “A lot of parents will have climbed in the past and they want to share that with their kids,” he said. “But just like everything else, with climbing the technology changes and the techniques change. Safety is paramount to the activity, especially when it comes to climbing with your kids. As a parent I totally understand and respect that angle.” Pete Purdy of Bend was thinking along those lines when he hired Ablao to work with his sons Luke, 11, and Mallory, 8. Purdy has climbed Mount Everest, but that was 20 years ago and times have changed. “When I was younger we would just start climbing things without any ropes or gear and you’d find yourself halfway up a cliff and you couldn’t go up, but going back down was life threatening and you would still have to figure out what to do,” he said. “I determined if my kids were going to be adventurous, they were going to learn to do something the right way from the start.” Purdy said it’s been a joy to watch his sons enjoy a sport together. “It’s one of the few things they do together because one of them is in karate and the other one wrestles and one of them is in cross country skiing and the other is in downhill skiing,” he said. “One of the few sports they seem to like to do together is rock climbing and they’re getting quite good. They hold the rope for each other.” Thalman said she has been impressed by how rock climbing has helped her daughter learn to make good decisions. “My daughter assesses risk in a really incredible way,” she said. “You think about teenagers and what they face with decisions about drugs and boyfriends and such. We’ve dealt with so many predicaments on the rocks outdoors and we’ll assess the risk and go through. It’s really neat to see her now modeling that thinking and applying it to her life.” Thalman said she attributes a lot of her success at rock climbing to Ablao. “He really encouraged us and gave us confidence, so I felt like I could take off and do this with my daughter,” she said. “He’s one of a kind. What we’ve gotten out of climbing with Jim, it’s hard to even put your finger on. He gets you to do things you don’t think are possible for you.” Information: www.chockstoneclimbing.com |
Spring 2008 issue
Climbing Central Oregon's Volcanoes