Spring 2011 Outdoor Session

It's -4 outside, but spring is on the way. The focus of the spring session will be on climbing outside, the team will also attend two comps, (Billings and Bozeman) but will not be training for Regional, Divisional, and National competitions. Team members are welcome to compete in those events if they desire to do so. The winter bouldering session is our competition focused session.

TRY OUTS:

Steepteam is not a guide service. Steepteam is a program for youth with climbing experience to develop further skills towards becoming a life long rock climber. Our outdoor sessions take place in potentially dangerous environments which are not conducive to teaching beginners.

All team members are expected to have their own shoes, harness, chalkbag, locking biner, and belay device.

On the first day of practice all junior team members (birth years 1998-2002) are expected to A.) climb a 5.9 boulder problem in the gym, B.) properly put on and secure their own harness and C.) properly tie into a climbing rope.

All senior team members (birth years 1993-1997) are expected to A.) climb a v1 boulder problem in the gym, B.) properly put on and secure their own harness and C.) properly tie into a climbing rope, and D.) demonstrate proper top rope belay technique.

Tryouts will take place Tuesday March 29th or Thursday March 31st, where all climbers will be expected to demonstrate the above skills in front of a coach.

If your kid does not have the above skills, Steepworld Climbing Gym has opportunities to learn basic rock climbing skills and safety techniques through its Development Program. After the above skills have been established the climber may transition into the Steepteam program.

PRACTICE:

Starts April 5th and run every Tuesday and Thursday until June 9th. Tuesday practices will be at Steepworld Climbing Gym and the Thursday practices will be outside at Zimmerman Park or Gregory Hills. Junior team 6pm-7:15pm. Senior team 7:15pm-8:45pm.

COMPETITIONS:

April 16th - Bozeman

April 30th - Billings

May 14th - Regionals in Bozeman. All team members are encouraged to attend. You do not need to be a USAC member to compete.

If you are planning on competing towards USA Climbing SCS Nationals you will need to attend three local comps, thus you would also need to attend either Pocatello on April 2nd or Provo on May 7th. The Divisional Championship is June 18th in Salt Lake.

OUTDOOR TRIPS:

May 7th

May 21st

June 5th - Dirtfest

June 11th

The above dates can also be viewed at the STEEPTEAM CALENDAR

COSTS:

Gym Fees: This grants climbers access to use the Steepworld Climbing Gym. All team members are expected to hold a membership at the gym while on the team. A three month membership runs $90 and gives you full access to the gym.

Team Fees: This cost covers coaches, gear, insurance, administration, and other necessities needed to run the Steepteam non-profit program. We are still determining our spring session costs at this time, more info will be posted when known.

Visit Steepworld Climbing Gym or call 25-CLIMB for more information.

Nationals Results

Gnarly Charlie and Coltron Waymonator went down to Boulder for the ABS Nationals this past weekend. Out of the 39 best climbers in the country, Colton finished in 27th place and Charlie 3rd. Congrats to both on great performances.

Boise Regionals Schedule

HERE is a link to the Front Boise's website and tentative schedule for the Big Sky ABS Regional Championship on January 15th.

End of session team schedule

Here's the practice schedule for the rest of the fall // winter climbing session.

Tues Dec 21st - practice
Thur Dec 23rd - practice

Tues Dec 28th - no practice
Thur Dec 30th - no practice

Try your best to eat healthy over the christmas break and get into the gym a couple days and climb for fun. If you're traveling, try to visit another gym, every major city has one and will usually allow you to boulder without a partner. New route styles and terrain are always beneficial to climbing improvement.

Tues Jan 4th - non Boise attendees 6pm-7:15pm, Boise attendees 7:15pm-8:45pm
Thur Jan 6th - non Boise attendees 6pm-7:15pm, Boise attendees 7:15pm-8:45pm
Tues Jan 11th - non Boise attendees 6pm-7:15pm, Boise attendees 7:15pm-8:45pm
Thur Jan 13th - no practice, mandatory rest day
Fri Jan 14th - travel to Boise
Sat Jan 15th - Big Sky Regional Championship - Boise

Boise Hotel

The team has secured a block of rooms at the Shilo Inn Riverside near downtown and the gym for Friday evening the 14th and Saturday night the 15th of January. They have an indoor pool and hot tub. The discounted team rate is $55 per night.

Reservations under this discount can only be made by calling 208-344-3521 and ask for the Steepteam room block.

Boise Regionals Registration

Registration is now open for Boise Regionals. You can do so HERE. January 15th at the FRONT in Boise, Idaho. A great bouldering gym with a spectator friendly setup. The competition will likely start at an early hour and go all day Saturday. We will finalize our hotel selection for Friday and Saturday night this week at practice.

Anyone who competed in two local competitions this fall (Bozeman and Billings) and is a registered member of USA Climbing may compete with the opportunity to receive an invite to Nationals in Boulder Colorado in February. As of now, there are only 10 team members that are eligible to compete for a Nationals spot in Boise. Anyone who does not meet the above competition and membership criteria may still compete but will not have a chance to move on to Nationals.

The Regional competition is done in an on-sight format, different than what we're used to. In order to properly prepare kids for the competition, starting in January the senior team practices will be only open to kids competing at Regionals. While I dislike splitting the team in this manner, the Regional competition is a large investment for those attending, both in terms of time, money, and emotion. Anything less than proper preparation for the competition would be a disservice to those that are making that investment. Junior team practices will be open to all climbers with assorted activities and new routes available for everyone to try.

Competition Week

Friday and Saturday, Steepworld will be hosting the Space Rock Jam 2010. The gym will be closed during preparation Wednesday and Thursday, and will open back up for the Adult Comp Friday at 6pm. The Youth Comp starts at 11am Saturday morning.

SPACE ROCK JAM 2010

On Friday December 3rd Steepworld Climbing Gym will be hosting its 4th annual Rock Jam bouldering competition, the SPACE ROCK JAM 2010. The gym will be decorated out in black lights so wear your day-glow.

Adults climb Friday night December 3rd 6pm - 9:30pm while the USAC ABS Youth climb Saturday morning December 4th 11am - 2pm. Both comps will host a dyno competition after the main event.

$35 gets you on the wall climbing, a t-shirt, and a raffle ticket. Youth comp non-USAC members will be charged an additional $5 surcharge.