Full Gravity Day 2015

SATURDAY, November 14.  Climbing goes from 10a- 1p, check in begins at 9a.  We ask that all Steepteam climbers arrive by 9:30a at the latest.  Pre-registration fee is $40, or $45 at the door, for registered USAC climbers as well as non-USAC climbers.

Online registration and more information can be found HERE

Full Gravity Day will be held at Spire Climbing Center, located at 13 Enterprise Blvd.
Be sure to fill out a liability waiver prior to arriving on competition day, this waiver can be filled out electronically HERE.

All Steepteam members are expected to travel and attend local competitions, if you have a conflict and will not be able to attend, please contact Dillon Key at (281) 450-2422 via text or call.

Please contact Dillon Key or Joel Anderson with any questions, either at practice or by phone.

Booty Bash 2015

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17.  Climbing goes from 10a- 1p, check in begins at 9a.  We ask that all Steepteam climbers arrive by 9:30a at the latest.  Registration fees are $50 for registered USAC climbers as well as non-USAC climbers.

Online registration and more information can be found HERE

The Booty Bash will be held at Freestone Climbing Center, located at 935 Toole Cir.
Be sure to fill out a liability waiver prior to arriving on competition day, this waiver can be filled out electronically HERE.

All Steepteam members are expected to travel and attend local competitions, if you have a conflict and will not be able to attend, please contact Dillon Key at (281) 450-2422 via text or call.

Please contact Dillon Key or Joel Anderson with any questions, either at practice or by phone.

2015-16 Winter Competitive Season

The next Winter Season is coming up soon!  We are excited for what this season has in store.  Below is information about this upcoming winter, a schedule, and expectations.  If you have any questions, please contact Dillon Key at (281) 450-2422 via call or text.

It is also important to note that as of Sept. 1, 2015, the USA Climbing Regional Realignment Plan will take effect.  More information about our new Region (301) and Division (3) can be found HERE.

LOCAL CLIMBING // USA CLIMBING

Local competitions will be required as we feel that they provide great benchmarking and goal setting opportunities in a friendly environment while helping foster the greater Montana climbing community.  We are not requiring team members to participate in USA Climbing sanctioned events.  Climbers wishing to compete at a USAC level will still have continued support by the team and coaches.  Our focus is to develop lifelong climbers.

2015-16 WINTER SCHEDULE

Starting Thursday, October 1st, practices will be twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays, at Steepworld, with breaks for the holidays.

Junior Team: (born in 2007 - 2003) 6:00 - 7:30pm

Senior Team: (born in 2002 - 1997) 7:30 - 9:00pm

Sign Ups:  September 28, 7:00 - 8:00pm at Steepworld climbing gym.

Competitions:

October 17 - Saturday - Missoula Competition

November 14 - Saturday - Bozeman Competition

November 21 - Saturday - Billings Competition

December 12 - Saturday - (OPTIONAL) USAC Regional Championship - Lehi, UT

January 9-10 - Sat-Sun - (OPTIONAL) USAC Divisional Championship - Ogden, UT

January 30 - Saturday - Montana Bouldering Championships

February 5-7 - Fri-Sun - (OPTIONAL) USAC National Championship - TBD

GEAR

All team members are required to have their own gear, this includes shoes, chalk bag, and appropriate climbing attire. Rental shoes greatly hinder the development of good footwork and are not acceptable.

EXPECTED COMPETITION SEASON COSTS

$345 + competition fees and travel costs for the 4 month Winter session. The total cost is broken down below.

4 Month Gym Membership: $145

Steepteam practices at Steepworld Climbing Gym in Billings Montana. Team members are expected to maintain a membership at the gym while team is in session. Gym fees are separate from team fees.

Steepteam Fee: $200. 

Fees cover coaches time and travel for 29 practices,  competitions, team shirt, insurance, administration, and other necessities needed to run the Steepteam non-profit program.

Competition Entry Fee: TBD

Climbing competitions have entry fees around $25-$50 per competition.  These prices are set by the host gym and cover the costs for routesetters to set and prepare for the comp as well as t-shirts, awards, gym time, etc.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Steepteam offers need based scholarships on a case by case basis. Talk to Steepteam Director Joel Anderson (406) 860-7616.

Steepteam Head Coach: Dillon Key (281) 450-2422

Steepteam Board Members: Joel Anderson (406) 860-7616, Joel Svec, Jim Barron

Additional Summer Opportunities!

Montana Wilderness School

"Montana Wilderness School is an outdoor education program that runs three-week summer expedition trips of either mountaineering and backpacking or packrafting, canoeing, and backpacking for 16 to18 year olds. All the trips are located in Montana and we are trying to primarily get Montana kids out in Montana wilderness areas, working as a group and learning new skills (including a Wilderness First Aid Certification which is unheard of for students of this age)! We also have a huge scholarship fund that will allow us to give partial or full rides to any student that needs financial help and we also cover most gear and equipment needed for all trips :) We don't want money to be a barrier for anyone who wants to participate in our trips!"

Website: http://montanawildernessschool.org/

There is a Billings' Parent Information Meeting being held in the Community Room of the Billing's Public Library on Tuesday, May 19, from 6- 7pm.

MWS Summer 2015 Expedition dates:

Mountains to Missouri: 25 days-June 21^st to July 15^th

Bob Marshall Backpack/Packraft: 20 days-July 26^th to August 15^th

Montana Mountaineering: 20 days- Session 1: June 28^th to July 18^th;  20 days- Session 2: August 2^nd to August 22^nd

Touch the Sky Climbing

"TOUCH THE SKY provides climbing opportunities to youth in order to foster environmental stewardship, physical awareness, and interpersonal relationships. Our programs are fun, challenging, and create memories that will last a lifetime."

Website: http://www.touchtheskyclimbing.org/#climb

TTS Summer Dates:

2015 France Sport Climbing Trips: Les Gorges Du Tarn - June 15-July 1;  Ceuse and Verdon - July 13-August 4

2015 South Dakota Road Trips: Spearfish Canyon - June 21-28 (Ages 11-14);  August 10-21 (Ages 14-18)

End of the Spring Season

Our Spring Season has come to a close and we would like to thank all of our climbers and parents who made this season rock.  We had a great group for this season and we were able to finish with a fun evening on the Rims.

Don't forget that our Summer Session is coming up in July and will include trips to Cody and Ten Sleep, WY!  Have a fantastic summer and thanks again to everyone that made this season so spectacular.

Steepteam Summer Session

HOW TO SIGN UP

We will host a sign up session on Tuesday, July 7th, from 5p-6p, at Steepworld Climbing Gym.  Waivers can be signed and team fees will be collected.  If you cannot make the sign up, please contact Dillon Key (281-450-2422) to secure your spot on the team.

SUMMER SESSION PLAN

During the summer session, we will be focusing on developing outdoor climbing skills such as knots, lead climbing, anchor building, and outdoor ethics.  As always, our goal is to develop life long climbers who will continue to pursue climbing and an active lifestyle for many years to come.

GEAR

All team members are expected to have the following gear: harness, shoes, chalk bag, a belay device (preferably an ATC), backpack, and appropriate climbing attire.

Steepteam will provide the following gear: anchors, helmets, ropes, and quickdraws.

For any questions about required gear, please contact Dillon Key or the expert staff at Steepworld.

2015 SUMMER SCHEDULE

The summer session will run from July 7th through July 28.  We will meet twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and practices will be held at Steepworld and on the Rims.  We are planning on two trips, one to the Island in Cody, WY, and one to Ten Sleep, WY.

SUMMER SESSION COSTS

Steepteam Summer Session $250

SteepWorld month membership $40 (or $10 per day pass)

Costs of trips (approx.) $60

Total Costs (approx.) $350

SCHOLARSHIPS

Steepteam offers need based scholarships on a case by case basis.  Talk to Steepteam Director Joel Anderson (406-860-7616) for more information

ABOUT STEEPTEAM

Steepteam is a 501c non-profit dedicated to providing climbing mentorship and training to Billings’ area youth interested in improving their climbing skills through practice and competition.

Head Coach: Dillon Key (281) 450-2422

Non-Profit Board Members: Joel Anderson (406) 860-7616, Joel Svec, and Jim Barron

Spring Fling 2015

SATURDAY, April 11th.  Climbing goes from 10a- 2p, check in begins at 9a.  We ask that all Steepteam climbers arrive by 9:30a at the latest.  Preregistration fee is $35 and registration at the door is $40.  T-shirts are an additional $5.  More Spring Fling information can be found HERE.

You can preregister HERE.

The Spring Fling will be held at the the Spire Climbing Center, located at 13 Enterprise Blvd.
Please fill out a waiver beforehand to save time at the door, waivers can be found HERE.

All Steepteam members are encouraged to travel and attend local competitions, if you have a conflict and will not be able to attend, please contact Dillon Key at (281) 450-2422 via text or call.

Please contact Dillon Key or Joel Anderson with any questions, either at practice or by phone.

Montana Bouldering Championship Wrap-Up

Last Saturday, Steepteam hosted the 2015 Montana Bouldering Championships! We had a great turnout and the comp was a huge success.  With 80+ competitors, the competition was stiff and pulled strong talent from all over the state.  Qualifiers went smoothly, but the real show came during finals as the top climbers competed for the title of 'Montana Bouldering Champion'.

We would like to throw out a massive thank you to everyone who made this comp so special, from Dave Shumway, our wonderful photographer, to our corporate and private sponsors, and as always, the routesetters, volunteers, and climbers.

The MBC '15 was an unforgettable comp and as this event continues to grow, we can't wait for what next year holds in store.

Full results can be found HERE and Dave's pictures can be found on his site HERE.

Steepteam Spring Season

HOW TO SIGN UP

We will host a sign-up session and first practice Tuesday, February 3rd, from 6pm- 8pm, at Steepworld Climbing gym. Waivers can be signed, team fees can be collected (the team cannot accept credit cards at this time), gym memberships can be paid (credit cards accepted). If you cannot make the sign-up / first practice please call Dillon Key (281-450-2422) or Joel Anderson (406-860-7616) prior to secure your spot on the team.

SPRING COMPETITION SEASON

The Steepteam Spring Extended Season is open to current Steepteam members as well as new climbers who are approved by coaches, and focuses on indoor competition climbing. The team will have the opportunity to compete in the USAClimbing Sport Climbing Series (SCS) and travel and compete in competitions from Bozeman to Pocatello.  All competitions are sport climbing competitions, meaning climbers will be on ropes, either top rope (YD-YC) or lead climbing (YB-Jr).

LOCAL CLIMBING or USA CLIMBING

We will be continuing to pursue our focus of developing lifelong climbers. We feel that local competitions provide great benchmarking and goal setting opportunities in a friendly environment while helping foster the greater Montana climbing community.  Thus, we are not requiring team members to participate in USA Climbing sanctioned events. Climbers wishing to compete at a USAC level will still have continued support by the team and coaches.

GEAR

All team members are required to have their own gear, this includes shoes, chalk bag, and appropriate climbing attire.  Additionally, a harness and belay device (preferably an ATC) is highly recommended for all climbers, and required for those who wish to compete.

SHOES

Rental shoes greatly hinder the development of good footwork and are not acceptable. Shape and fit are the number one priority. All team members should have a climbing shoe with a downward pointed toe, preferably velcro or slip-on. The fit of the shoe should be snug and tight with little foot pain. Shoes should be sized for no more than six months of growth. As bonus Steepworld has offered all team members a $10 coupon for climbing shoes and there is currently a good selection of shoes already on sale now.

2015 SPRING SCHEDULE

Starting Tuesday, February 3rd, practices will be twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with breaks for the holidays, at Steepworld Climbing Gym.    

Junior and Senior Team: 6pm - 8pm

COMPETITIONS

April 1 - LOCAL - Bozeman, MT

April 25 - LOCAL - Pocatello, ID

May 9 - REGIONALS - Bozeman, MT

June 13-14 - DIVISIONALS - TBA

July 9-13 - NATIONALS - TBA

EXPECTED COMPETITION SEASON COSTS

$335 + competition fees and travel costs = total for the 4 month Spring session. The total cost is broken down below.

TEAM FEE

$200. Fees cover coaches time and travel for 31 practices, 2 competitions, insurance, administration, and other necessities needed to run the Steepteam nonprofit program. Currently the non-profit is unable to accept credit cards.

GYM FEES

$135 for a 4 month gym membership. Steepteam practices at Steepworld Climbing Gym in Billings, Montana but is a separately operated non-profit, thus two different fees need to be paid. Team members are expected to maintain a membership at the gym while team is in session. Annual and family memberships are also available that may reduce costs. Gym fees are separate from team fees.

COMPETITION FEES

To be determined. Climbing competitions have entry fees around $25-$45 per competition and the team attends at minimum 1-2 competitions per season. These prices are set by the host gym and cover the costs for routesetters to set and prepare for the comp as well as t-shirts, awards, gym time, etc.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Steepteam offers need based scholarships on a case by case basis. Talk to Steepteam Director Joel Anderson (406) 860-7616

ABOUT STEEPTEAM

Steepteam is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to providing climbing mentorship and training to Billings area youth interested in improving their climbing skills through practice and competition.

Competitive Head Coach: Dillon Key (281) 450-2422  

Assistant Coaches: Aj Elliston and Katie Jacobsen

Non-Profit Board Members: Joel Anderson (406) 860-7616, Joel Svec, Jim Barron

Divisionals Wrap Up

Recently, we had 4 climbers travel and compete in the USAC Divisionals, which was held in the 'biggest little city in the world', Reno, NV.  For some, it was there first or second time competing at Divisionals, others had been there multiple times, but Divisionals follows a similar format to Regionals, in that it puts the climbers in a high stress situation.  The main difference is that there is a Qualifiers round, as well as a Finals round.  Competing against around 21-25 climbers from 3 different regions, competitors must place in the top 10 to advance from qualifiers to finals, and then in the top 7 to advance from finals to Nationals.  Despite the difficult problems and stiff competition, all of the Steepteam competitors climbed exceptionally well and we couldn't be prouder of how they handled themselves and how they climbed in such a difficult comp.  Results were as follows:

3rd - Charlie Barron (MYA)

10th - Jaden Rott (MYC)

17th - Tyler Schrowe (MYD)

24th - Brady Stoppel (MJR)

It is a huge accomplishment alone just to make it to Divisionals, and again, Steepteam couldn't be prouder of how all of our climbers performed and the positive attitudes that they brought to this intense competition.  We want to extend a HUGE thank you to the parents of all of our competitors for making this trip possible.  We also want to thank the Whitney Peak Hotel for hosting such a great comp, and the routesetters, volunteers and coaches who made this comp so memorable.

Montana Bouldering Championships 2015

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to announce that it is that time of year again, the most coveted event of the bouldering season is upon us.  The Montana Bouldering Championships are back, and the question on everybody's mind is - who will walk away with the all mighty belt buckle (and some fresh cash)?

SATURDAY, January 31.  Climbing goes from 2p - 6p, check in begins at 1p.  We ask that all Steepteam climbers arrive by 1:30p at the latest.  Registration fees are as follows: Open Category - $40;  Amateur, Masters and Youth Categories - $30

Preregistration will open soon and more information can be found on the MBC blog.

The MBC2015 will be held at the SteepWorld, located at 208 N 13th St.
Everyone on the team should be current on their waivers.

All Steepteam members are highly encouraged to compete in this competition, if you have a conflict please contact Dillon Key at (281) 450-2422 via text or call.

Please contact Dillon Key or Joel Anderson with any questions, either at practice or by phone.