A typical Thursday for the Cate School climbing team involves sitting at the peak of a scenic mountain, surrounded by teammates and coaches, watching a fiery sunset descend below craggy ridges. The climber’s bodies ache from the mindblowing distance they just scaled, and they are caked with dust and sweat; however, their physical struggles pale in comparison to the overwhelming sense of fulfillment and pride they are imbued with when surveying the feat they have just accomplished.
In the midst of a busy student schedule, the climbers load the Yukons for their weekly off-campus trip to escape the bustle of school life and be fully immersed in nature. They rope-climb or boulder-up landscapes that have been described by team members as “extremely magnificent, breathtaking, picturesque,” with their excursions taking them to many extraordinary destinations in the Southern California wilderness, such as Gibraltar, Lizard’s Mouth, Little Lebowski, and more.
When they are not braving the backcountry, the climbing team can be found at the on-campus climbing tower, bouldering cave, and slab wall, where they have freedom to work on their “projects”. Projects are routes up or through the course - they give climbers the opportunity to challenge themselves and grow as individuals. These routes can take anywhere from a few sports blocks to weeks on end to complete, and serve as sources of both triumph and frustration.
Despite the self-driven nature of the sport, climbing is never a solitary endeavor. “Because [the] climbing [team] is such a small group of people, we really have a chance to bond. There is always a dynamic of everyone helping and cheering each other on,” says Elise Tsai ‘26. Skill level and social circles aside, climbing gives everyone a chance to come together and create a support system that leaves no one behind.
To end the season, the climbing team took their final Thursday expedition to Gibraltar, a famous climbing spot in Santa Barbara. They took this time to reflect on the winter, thank their coaches (Ms. Sharpe, Ms. Salcedo, and informally, albeit just as essential, Mr. Shapiro), and hand out awards, some of which included “Best Route Setter,” “Best Fitness Coach,” and “Most Likely to Take Over the World by Digging Holes.”
Although climbing may not be your average sport, it is a unique team effort, and has left every member with a season to remember. Above all, it has forged a community they can lean on as they continue to reach new heights.
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