Post by Lee Petersen (Head Coach)
The Team Ascension Competition Team hit the road last weekend for a four-day bouldering trip to Hatcher Pass. With coaches, friends, and plenty of crash pads in tow, our climbers spent time pushing themselves on granite, spotting for each other, and figuring out how to move on real rock.
Climbing with this team is incredible. They train so hard throughout the year, so it’s really cool to see them take what they’ve learned into a very different environment. Outdoor climbing is similar to gym climbing in some ways, but different enough to throw a whole new set of challenges at them. And skin pain. Lots of skin pain.
They’ve all improved since our first trip this spring to the Tatlanika Boulders and Tr’at’egheth No’ (Savage River) in Denali National Park, worked some awesome routes, and saw some cool sends!
The Value of Real Rock
These trips are so valuable for our youth climbers and their families. They’re a chance to bond in a different way, because apparently spending 12+ hours a week training together isn’t quite enough. But more than that, outdoor climbing is just… different. There are no colored holds, no taped routes, no pre-set sequences. Beta becomes highly individualized, and route reading is entirely up to the climber. The weather doesn’t always cooperate, either. Our first evening out ended in light rain that slowly soaked everything until climbing just wasn’t possible anymore.
And the commitment? It’s huge. Granite is sharp. It hurts. Falling carries more risk. Spotting matters—a lot—whereas in the gym we rarely spot at all. We have to learn to deal with the fear of falling. It’s a whole new skill set to learn on top of everything else, and they’re learning it fast.
Plus, the evenings are half climbing recovery, half chaos, stupid games, too much sugar, and a lot of bad jokes. But honestly, that’s part of what makes these trips so good.
It’s a lot to take in, but that’s what makes these trips so valuable, real growth happens when the learning is layered and a little uncomfortable.
Sure, climbing outside is a learning experience, but we can’t forget that the climbing itself is fun. And we did a lot of climbing. Day two was by far our longest day with the most volume. We spent over 8 hours out at the boulders before heading to camp for dinner. Shortly after, we were back at the Aldershade boulder for an evening session of skin destruction.
Coaches and a few parents got a lot of climbing in, myself included. Many of our team families have become involved in climbing, some vicariously, others directly—especially if they weren’t already climbing before their kids joined. Community Crush and Ladies’ Night coach Chenoa and Team coach Cassidy both made solid progress on Dancing Queen.
Trips like this are a reminder of how much growth happens outside the gym. It’s not just about climbing harder—it’s about learning to support each other, adapt to new challenges, and have fun doing it. Whether it’s their first season or their fourth, these climbers continue to impress me with their progress, their work ethic, and the way they show up for each other. I’m proud of every one of them, and I’m excited to keep building from here.
Want to read more?
I also wrote a personal blog about the months of personal training that led up to this trip—along with some of the mental health challenges I’ve been working through. It’s a bit more unfiltered, but if you’re curious, you can read it here.
