How young could someone start ice climbing?

topher donahue wrote:Just took my 6-year-old daughter ice climbing today for the first time. Super safe spot. Tiny routes. Then she wanted to try a mixed line, and then a dry tooling problem. All of it her motivation, even going in the first place. Kinda blew my mind. Check it out here: Check it out here.

Awesome, thanks for posting that.

Kid Ice Climbers Calendar - might work if there were only 6 months in a year since there's still not too many of them! Fun idea though. Great to hear from you guys who enjoy the idea of kids sharing out of the box adventures with their parents. It doesn't have to be ice climbing or any climbing for that matter. But having adventures as a family makes being a parent or a son or daughter an awesome thing.

Topher,

I'm with you. Doesn't need to be ice climbing (you're right.....the end is in sight)...but it could be a combo of ice, rock, swimming with Great Whites, etc.

With all of your skills, I vote YOU as the Editor-in-Chief, however, I will throw some money and heavy sweat equity into this venture if you....or anyone else gets serious. I suspect some of the parents who weighed in on the string would do so as well; their stories are priceless (not to mention their kids). There are probably half a year's stories & photos in this string alone.

The more I've thought about it, the cooler the idea becomes (but not because of me; it's collective energy). I have seen so many "pretty picture" calendars that barely stop me as I hurry by them, with horse blinders on. But kids climbing, etc. in a calendar? Who wouldn't screech to a halt?

I'm in.....who else is?

We don't ice climb, or perhaps I should say I don't climb ice, but my 12-y-o daughter (USAC member and competitor) is bugging me for gear. Of course, she hasn't decided whether she wants that gear more or less than she wants new/better rock climbing gear, road biking gear, mountain biking gear, ski gear, or that woody she wants me to build in the back yard. In other words, I have taught her and her big brother to do lots of things, including things that some consider dangerous.

I've also been teaching kids to fly fish in more organized settings for years, and I think my lessons from that are applicable here. An activity needs to be evaluate for the level of physical coordination it demands, and for the level of judgment it requires (measured primarily by the results occurring if good judgment is not used). Kids at 6-8, in general and on aggregate, will have a hard time, IMO, placing picks, and judging whether their placements are good. On a good top rope, though, the consequences of failure are low. Leading a nasty overhang, on the other hand. . .

By age 9-11, you start seeing a much higher level of coordination in most kids. Also, at that age, IMO, they start to understand cause and effect, choices and consequences much better. By the "tween" years, they can be taught evrything except truly good judgment. In addition, some kids will not fall into the typical curve, so a particular child might do great at age 6, while another struggles until their teen years.

What is really dangerous, IMO, though, is not teacing kids to be at home in the natural world. Not letting them fail occasionally. Not challenging them. And not sharing your passions with them. That's all much more dangerous than the possibility that they might get on ice and decide they don't like it.

ready to climb before we can get the harness on him

I'm in to help with a calendar.

I think it is great to get kids out there.
Here are a couple of pics. One is from 2009 (age 9) and the other from this weekend (age 14).

The link to the vid is from this last weekend too.
Of course, in the vid keep in mind that he had the easy route.

Cheers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u21z6wZOMs&feature=youtu.be

coop wrote:I'm in to help with a calendar.

Coop:

Great!! I've talked with a number of people about this....it's often come up in casual conversation....and/or its come from ice climbing friends on Mountain Project but aren't "commenters".

I think it's just too good an opportunity.....and a unique niche for us to pass up.

What's the next step? ($$). Anyone else want to help with this?

There are several well known photographers in my neck of the woods and they know all about calendars (costs, etc.). I'll volunteer to talk with the two of them and ask how to go about it (everybody else weigh in here).

But as a first task at my end, I'll get their advice. What do you think?

(BTW, friends have sent me 7 photos of kids ice climbing and I didn't even ask them for photos!!! Lotsa proud parents out there).

Coop, what's next? We need a plan......