Rock Climbing Adventures

Climbing suits children better than it suits adults. They are light, flexible, fearless at the right age, and they solve the puzzle of a route faster than most grown-ups. The barrier is entirely equipment and supervision, not ability, which is why almost every family starts indoors.

Start indoors

A climbing gym solves the whole problem in one visit: harnesses and shoes are rented, the belaying is done for you or auto-belayed, the falls are onto padding, and you find out in an hour whether your kid loves it. Austin Bouldering Project is the largest in the region. Most gyms take children from about age four or five on the auto-belay walls and run kids’ classes and birthday sessions.

Bouldering - low walls, no ropes, thick mats - is the easiest entry of all, and it is what most children take to first.

Outside, and what to look for

Bouldering before roped climbing. No ropes means no belay skills, and a child can try a problem, fall off, and try again with no equipment ritual in between. Reimers Ranch and Hueco Tanks are both bouldering destinations.

A crag with a flat, shaded base. You will be there for hours. Somewhere the non-climbing sibling can play matters as much as the routes do.

Short approaches. A 45-minute hike in with a rope and a pad is the fastest way to lose a child’s interest before the climbing starts.

A guide for a first outdoor day. Outdoor climbing has real consequences and the anchors, the rope work and the fall assessment are not things to learn from a video. Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz is one of the most storied climbing areas in the country and has a long history of instruction.

Important practical notes

• Hueco Tanks requires a reservation and, for most of the park, a guide. It is a protected cultural site with rock art, access is capped daily, and you cannot simply turn up. Check the reservation system well in advance - this catches people out constantly.
• Helmets outdoors, always, for everyone. Rockfall does not care how easy the route is.
• Shoes can wait. Rental shoes indoors are fine, and children’s feet grow out of climbing shoes absurdly fast.
• Let them down when they ask. Pushing a frightened child higher is the single best way to end their climbing career.

Best time

Spring and fall in Texas - Hueco Tanks is essentially a winter destination, and summer rock in Texas is too hot to touch. Late spring through October in the Adirondacks and the Gunks. Indoor gyms are year-round and are the answer in July and August.

What to bring

Water, snacks, a sit pad, tape for fingers, and closed shoes for the approach. Everything technical comes from the gym or the guide when you are starting out.