{"id":2450936,"date":"2019-11-10T20:56:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T03:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/"},"modified":"2019-11-10T20:56:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T03:56:00","slug":"reaching-new-heights-basalt-aspen-high-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/reaching-new-heights-basalt-aspen-high-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/","title":{"rendered":"Reaching new heights: Basalt, Aspen high climbing clubs get seasons underway"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5447154471545\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-315838-763\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | The Basalt High School climbing team warm up during practice by traversing the wall in their gym on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.47715736040609\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.5431472081218\">\n<p><strong>The Basalt High School climbing team warm up during practice by traversing the wall in their gym on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1024x682.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Basalt High School climbing team warm up during practice by traversing the wall in their gym on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1-1024x670.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Members of the Basalt High School climbing team run laps on their climbing wall in the gym of the school on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.517073170732\">\n<p><strong>Members of the Basalt High School climbing team run laps on their climbing wall in the gym of the school on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1-1024x670.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1-1024x670.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-1-1024x670.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Members of the Basalt High School climbing team run laps on their climbing wall in the gym of the school on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-2-1024x691.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Thomas Lizotte, 15, switches into his climbing shoes before practice at Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.47643979057592\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11.434554973822\">\n<p><strong>Thomas Lizotte, 15, switches into his climbing shoes before practice at Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-2-1024x691.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-2-1024x691.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-2-1024x691.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Thomas Lizotte, 15, switches into his climbing shoes before practice at Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-3-683x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Ella Lahey, 14, practices her figure-eight knot during climbing team practice in the gym at Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.95734597156398\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12.445497630332\">\n<p><strong>Ella Lahey, 14, practices her figure-eight knot during climbing team practice in the gym at Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-3-683x1024.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-3-683x1024.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-3-683x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ella Lahey, 14, practices her figure-eight knot during climbing team practice in the gym at Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-4-1024x709.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Coach Tanner Jones, center, talks to his team before climbing practice in the gym of Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.95588235294118\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12.426470588235\">\n<p><strong>Coach Tanner Jones, center, talks to his team before climbing practice in the gym of Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-4-1024x709.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-4-1024x709.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-4-1024x709.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Coach Tanner Jones, center, talks to his team before climbing practice in the gym of Basalt High School on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-5-1024x709.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | The Basalt High School climbing team warms up with stretches before practice in their gym on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.47631578947368\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9.5263157894737\">\n<p><strong>The Basalt High School climbing team warms up with stretches before practice in their gym on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-5-1024x709.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-5-1024x709.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/climbing-atd-110919-1-5-1024x709.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Basalt High School climbing team warms up with stretches before practice in their gym on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Wyatt Balderson isn\u2019t into the traditional sports, which is part of the reason he latched onto climbing. The Basalt High School senior was one of the first to help head coach Tanner Jones establish a club team at BHS a year ago, and even he\u2019s amazed by how far things have come in that time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s really different from last year where we really only had like maybe seven kids. It\u2019s really interesting to see it grow and progress,\u201d Balderson said. \u201cI\u2019ve definitely progressed my climbing way more. When I first started I was super weak and was just trying it because I thought it would be fun. I didn\u2019t know it would grow into something I really love doing, but it has and it\u2019s one of my favorite things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In only its second season, the BHS climbing team has gone from about seven or so kids to roughly 20. A big reason for this is the addition of its own climbing wall, built in January inside the school\u2019s auxiliary gymnasium. A winter sport, the Longhorns got their season underway Saturday in Grand Junction. The climbing season runs through the state meet in February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s probably the most supportive, laid-back competition environment I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s super inclusive. Kids from all abilities can climb. There is no bench, there are no starters, there are no tryouts. It\u2019s you against the rock. It\u2019s you climbing with other people of your same ability level and just trying to do the best you can and it\u2019s a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt competes through the Colorado-based <a href=\"https:\/\/climbtheleague.org\/\">American Scholastic Climbing League<\/a>, which was established in May 2018 and replaced the 10-year-old Colorado High School Climbing League. The nonprofit organization operates separately of the Colorado High School Activities Association.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The league is divided into four regions across Colorado, with Basalt being one of 19 teams officially listed as part of the Western Slope region. That group includes Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, coached by Dave Meyer, one of the regional directors, Roaring Fork and Aspen. Aspen\u2019s club team is a couple years older than Basalt\u2019s and has also seen considerable growth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s fully grown over the past four years or so into a pretty big program here at the school,\u201d Aspen coach Kim Hammond said. \u201cEverybody is really cohesive and kids are really kind and supportive of each other. I think that has a lot to do with the nature of the sport. It\u2019s very self-driven and we as coaches really try to make it so everyone feels they have a place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Both Aspen and Basalt competed Saturday at Grand Valley Climbing in Grand Junction. The AHS boys finished second behind CRMS, while the Basalt boys were seventh. Aspen\u2019s Henry Palmaz was ninth among individuals. In the girls\u2019 competition, CRMS won, Aspen was sixth and Basalt didn\u2019t record a team score, although did have a couple of girls compete.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Unlike USA Climbing events, which are largely built around racing the clock up a wall, ASCL events are much more laid back. Climbers are given three hours to figure out as many of the 20 boulder problems as they can, which vary in difficulty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYour plan is to climb the hardest routes that you are capable of,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s a newly-formed league and they are ironing out the kinks. Each year it gets better and better and more and more organized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt\u2019s own climbing wall has been a big boost to the club. Jones arrived in 2017 and took over the wall\u2019s fundraising, which had been approved by the school prior to his appointment. To date the club has invested about $85,000 into the project, with about $70,000 of that going into the construction of the wall itself. The other $15,000 went to gear, such as shoes and ropes, with the money being raised almost exclusively through community fundraising or donations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen, which currently trains out of the Red Brick Recreation Center, hopes to follow in Basalt\u2019s footholds with its own climbing wall one day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe are growing so quickly that we are really overwhelming the (Red Brick) climbing wall. There are a few of us here that would really love to see the high school get a climbing wall,\u201d Hammond said. \u201cWe are in the very beginning stages of hopefully someday getting our own climbing wall that can support the large amount of kids that we\u2019ve gotten over the last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/basalt-aspen-climbing-clubs-get-seasons-underway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Basalt High School climbing team warm up during practice by traversing the wall in their gym on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Members of the Basalt High School climbing team run laps on their climbing wall in the gym of the school on Wednesday, Nov. 6, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2450936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 07:26:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2450936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450936\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2450936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2450936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2450936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}