Camp Comes To A Close - My Summer Working at a Rock Climbing Gym

Michael Dixon
Oct 1, 2018
6 min read

Updated: Oct 10, 2018

I started working at Mesa Rim - Indoor Climbing, Yoga, and Fitness Center in June 2018 — two months after I left a busy sales job in search of work that felt more inspiring to me.

I first stepped foot in Mesa Rim while volunteering with Outdoor Outreach, a San Diego nonprofit that connects youth to the transformative power of the outdoors through hiking, climbing, surfing, and standup paddle boarding.

It was through that volunteer experience that I got my first exposure to climbing. A few weeks later, I applied for a seasonal camp coach position and was hired soon after for the summer.

A Different Type of Gym

The People

During my first few visits to Mesa Rim, I quickly noticed the type of people who like to climb. Many of them had similar nature-inspired tattoos, wore organic clothing, and sported rugged beards or dreadlocks.

After spending more time in the gym, I would find that climbers were, for the most part, humble, kind, caring, supportive, intelligent, weird in different and funny ways, eco conscious, and politically inolved or aware of current issues.

Climbers didn't fit the typical bodybuilding physique found in your local weightlifting gym. Climber were more lean and tone, than massive and top heavy.

An experienced climber once explained to me "You want to be as light and lean as possible when you get on the wall. Climbing is more technical than it is about brute strength. You'll become tired more easily if you rely too heavily on your arms, rather than getting your legs and feet higher on the wall first. Without learning the technicality of climbing, it will be more challenging to excel above the beginner climbs."

The Gym

The gym itself has it's own unique feel. The rock climbing walls stretch to the ceiling 53 ft. tall (highest in San Diego!). Men and women climb up routes of grey particle board using unique multi-colored holds, powdering their hands with chalk, as the gym speakers play everything from funky 80s hits to feel-good EDM.

Practical strength and bodyweight exercises are emphasized through CrossFit and gymnastics equipment, as well as finger boards designed to improve a climber's grip strength. Yoga classes are also available to improve balance and flexibility.

In the gym, there are three climbing options:

Top rope climbing - where a rope is passed through a fixed anchor at the top of a climbing wall, with each end tied to the climber and the belayer at the bottom.
Lead climbing - where more experienced climbers use a device called a quickdraw to clip the rope to bolts as they climb for protection.
Bouldering - climbing close to the ground without the use of a rope.

There is also a natural social environment built into the sport. Because everyone shares the same walls, people are either climbing or watching someone else climb as they wait for their route on the same wall. Climbers will typically discuss sticking points or explain how they "sent" (completed) a route in between climbs.

The Food

A personal favorite feature of Mesa Rim is the snack and drink selection. Mesa is stocked with healthy snack and drinks like Perfect Bars, GU energy gels, overnight oats, cold brew coffee, yerba mates, kombucha, and the most delicious breakfast burritos catered from California Grinders.

It was clear in the climbing community that Red Bulls and sugary drinks were out, and clean holistic energy was in!

Working with Kids and Remembering How to Play

A New Office Environment

When I applied for the position, I was attracted by the opportunity to work in a place that focuses on practical strength and movement, as well as the rewilding aspects of rock climbing. However, when I began working with kids, ages 4-14, I realized the job offered much more than I expected.

Every week between 9am and 3pm, a new group of young kids from a local school would start day camp. This usually consisted of morning stretches, top rope climbing, yoga, snack time, more top roping, lunch, a scavenger hunt, bouldering, and some light arts & crafts time sprinkled in throughout the day.

However, my one of my favorite aspects of camp was the riddles and jokes from the kids and camp coaches. A few examples:

What lies on its back 100 feet in the air? A centipede!
Two fish are in a tank. The first fish turns to the second fish and says "How the heck do you drive this thing?!"
Knock knock. Who's there? I eat mop. I eat mop who? Eww, that's gross!

The unfiltered honesty, joy, and playfulness that the kids brought to the gym each day was a welcomed change of pace from the usual 9 to 5 office grind.

There wasn't a single spreadsheet, quota, or deadline that needed to be met. Our spreadsheets were hand and foot holds on the thick multiplex walls. Our quotas were climbing higher or progressively more challenging routes than yesterday. Our deadlines were squeezing as much fun and learning in before the parents picked their kids up at the end of the day.

We celebrated victories and learned from our "losses". We had fun, but emphasized rules and safety precautions. Our company culture was a safe, inclusive environment that facilitated continuous learning and personal development.

My favorite part of coaching was building confidence in kids who were scared to go up more than a few feet on their first day of camp and then completing multiple routes with a smile on their face by the last day.

We also taught positive social behavior like treating each other with respect and solving disagreements with Rock, Paper, Scissors -- two VERY under appreciated tools in today's society.

Youth Yoga

In addition to bouldering and top rope climbing, we practiced yoga with the kids. It was generally lower on their list of favorite activities, but some of them really enjoyed it... or at least an opportunity to squeeze a nap in.

As you can imagine, getting 4 - 14 years olds to follow yoga poses and sit quietly through meditation is no easy feat. However, the Mesa Rim yoga teachers adopted new ways to make the classes fun and engaging for the kids, typically "moo-ing" and "meowing" through Cat/Cows, reading through a children's book that featured poses, and providing a sing along that the kids could move along to.

I plan to create an alternative to the Sergeant Salutations song, that is still burned in my head today, but the kids seemed to enjoy it and that's the most important part.

One girl, around 8 years old, told me that her favorite part was laying down at the end of the class (known as "shavasana"). This stillness at the end of a yoga class where your mind becomes clear and open is my favorite part of yoga too and knowing that I helped introduce such a beneficial mindfulness practice like yoga at a young age warmed my heart.

Outside of Camp

Team Outing and Bouldering Outdoors

Outside of camp, when I wasn't working with the kids, I was working on my own bouldering and climbing skills. I gravitated towards bouldering rather than top rope climbing because it didn't require a partner to belay you and required significantly less equipment. All you really need is a pair of climbing shoes, a chalk bag, and some chalk.

I would go 4-5 times some weeks, climbing after work or hitting the walls on on the weekend. I found that climbing consistently allowed me to significantly improve my forearm and grip strength and I made considerable strides on the wall.

Outside of the gym, I was watching how-to videos and climbing documentaries like Valley Rising. I became familiar with names like Warren Harding, Royal Robbins, Jim Bridwell, and Alex Honnald. I discovered gear brands that prioritized quality and sustainability like Black Diamond, Prana, and Petzl.

One weekend, I took a road trip up to Black Mountain in Idyllwild, CA to go bouldering with the some of the other coaches. There, I found out quickly that outdoor climbing on raw natural rocks, warmed by the sun, was much more challenging than indoor climbing on our smooth, manufactured holds and climate controlled gym.

Nonetheless, I fully enjoyed seeing my coworkers in their natural habitat as they scaled the rigid surfaces of massive boulders high in the Idywild hills. I climbed a handful of beginner routes but the real highlight was sharing space, snacks, and laughter with people who have a similar appreciation for the outdoors.

In Closing

During that summer, I learned technical climbing skills like how to counter balance my weight while climbing, switch my feet on a hold, save energy using better form, and literally pushed my comfort level to new heights.

I also learned valuable leadership and teaching skills, and the rewarding feeling of making a positive impact on children. And in turn was reminded of the playful nature of being a kid.

It was one of my favorite summer jobs to-date and I hope my experience encourages others to try something new and find other funs ways to get outdoors and into nature.