Just outside of Victoria is the small community of Saanich, B.C It has small clusters of houses surrounded by rural farmland and narrow winding roads reminding you of that accidental trip off the highway where you took an exit just to explore, because you had a good feeling about it and it served you a little detour adventure.
In this community, far away from any forest boulders, looming cliffs or towering walls is a high school with an incredible indoor climbing wall and a high school climbing academy where students choose from a host of climbing-related courses alongside their academic schedules.
The focus of the program is simple: Give students with a passion for climbing a chance to learn and improve no matter what direction they want to take it while also pursing a strong secondary school academic career. With high-level coaches, certified climbing guides and guest speakers, students learn by being immersed in the climbing community as a whole and come out with a deep and varied knowledge base and love of climbing. It also opens up career paths for those interested in the climbing gym business, route setting, coaching and guiding.
I have worked with, climbed at and learned a little about Stelly’s Climbing Academy in School District 63 and have a deep respect for its holistic, individualistic approach to mixing school and a physical passion. The idea that you give a teen knowledge, teach and encourage them to grow their motivation for an activity and then watch the motivation seep over into their academic learning and the rest of their lives is a beautiful thing.
Could Squamish support a sister academy? There’s groundwork already in place for academies in our high schools with hockey, soccer and mountain biking. Why not add climbing to the choices students have when entering secondary school? We will have an indoor climbing centre in less than a year, and we have the largest variety of rock climbing styles in Canada, a mild climate, and a large local pool of guiding professionals, sponsored athletes and experienced community members from which to draw instruction, guiding, coaching and mentorship.
Climbing is deeply rooted in Squamish’s history, with the early ascents on the Chief and the fervour they caused along the original Highway 99. Some of Canada’s best professional climbers call Squamish home.
There is cutting-edge rock climbing just about everywhere in Squamish with more being developed every year which can only add to the vibrancy of the community. Maybe it’s time to add yet another amazing facet to this jewel we call Squamish and give the local youth a chance to get high off the ground. Join me over the next few weeks as I delve deeper into this topic with the School District 48 and see how realistic this idea actually is.
