ALAMOSA – The San Luis Valley’s new high school rock climbing club, the SLV Cliffhangers, sent nine of 17 members to regionals on Feb. 15, with two qualifying for state competition on Feb. 22. Caden Jackson and Ammon Reed represented the club at state, with Jackson earning the “Spirit of the League” award for her amazing contributions in growing the rock climbing league. 

The Cliffhangers compete under the American Scholastic Climbing League (ASCL) and have climbed in Santa Fe, Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, Fountain, and at Adams State University. Members were also invited to climb at the True Penitence Climbing Festival in October of 2024. 

Rock climbing has many physical, mental, and social benefits for teens, including cardiovascular health, improved strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and injury prevention. Climbing also leads to better problem-solving skills, stress relief, resilience, and perseverance, in addition to increased confidence and self-esteem.  

The team-based environment creates healthy competitive experiences and builds skills in teamwork and communication while creating opportunities for creating healthy friendships in sport community settings.  

While the current, competitive season is over, the club will resume local climbing trips in the spring and throughout the summer, with competitions beginning in the fall of 2025. Contact Shawna Lease, Outdoor Adventure Director, at outdooradventuredirector@bgcslv.org, for additional information or to sign up for the club. 

SLV Cliffhangers is the San Luis Valley’s first and only high school rock climbing club and team. The group was created in September of 2024, in collaboration with local school districts, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley, City of Alamosa, and Adams State University. The club has 17 members, 14 of which are registered competitors. Search SLV Cliffhangers on Facebook to discover more about the club.