End-of-Schoolyear Climbing Activities – No prep, Challenging & Fun!

It’s a busy time and were are here to help by sharing our favorite no-prep activities that will keep your climbers engaged, challenged and enjoying the Traverse Wall®!

Elimination

Climbers must eliminate one color of hand hold and still make their way across the climbing wall.

Grade Level: 2 and up

Materials: None, but assumes your climbing wall has multiple colors of hand holds

Advance Set Up: None

Activity:

Before climbing, have climbers decide on a color of hand hold to eliminate from their climbing route and have them give it a try. For example, if they decide to eliminate red holds, they should climb without using any of the red holds for their hands and feet and try to make it all the way across the wall. If they don't make it, have them try again. Once successful, have them try it again with a different color eliminated.

Variations:

To make this less challenging: Have climbers eliminate one color for their hands and use any hold color for their feet.
To make this more challenging: Have climbers eliminate two colors of hand hold.

Note: If your climbing wall includes Everlast Climbing Route-Setting Hand Holds, it may be helpful to reference our past blog post that explains the color-coded hand holds.

One Arm One Foot

Participants climb using only three points of contact by eliminating one arm or one foot.

Grade Level: 4 and up

Grouping: Individual or partners (via partner climbing or spotting)

Materials:

None

Advance Set Up: None

Activity:

Participants begin climbing, one per panel, mounting the Traverse Wall® using one arm or one foot (along with two other body parts). As they make their way along the wall, they are challenged to continue using only three points of contact. For example, if they choose one arm, they are using both feet to climb.

If grouping as partners, decide if partner climbing or spotting and ensure the partner understands the role. Partners switch roles after the climber’s first traverse.

Variations:

To decrease challenge, have climbers use a combination of three and four points of contact and work to increase the distance they can travel using just three points of contact.
To increase the challenge, have climbers use their non-dominant arm or non-dominant foot.

Teaching Tip: Carefully monitor climbers to ensure they are maintaining control while climbing with the added challenge.

Front to Back Climb

Climbers rotate their bodies as they make their way across the climbing wall.

Grade Level: 4 and up

Materials: None

Advance Set Up: None

Activity: Climbers begin climbing facing the wall. As they traverse across the wall, they carefully rotate so they are facing out. Then they turn again to face the wall and repeat “flipping” until the end of wall is reached.

Note: This is challenging and should only be done by experienced climbers.