Peter Skene Ogden teacher Ken MacKenzie has seen more and more students interested in the school's climbing club.
He hosts three sessions a week - two at lunch time and another after school.
"The students are so encouraging of one another," he told the 100 Mile Free Press. "They are a great group of students and it gives them something to do through the year."
A climber himself for many years, he started with the school's climbing club in 2022.
The climbing wall, he said, was built in 2013 under the direction of teacher Shawn Melville, now the school's vice-principal, with 2010 Olympic legacy funding.
With a 7.5-metre height, the wall is big enough for six ropes, each with two to five different routes.
It's a safe wall, he added.
"Everyone is always on a rope so they cannot fall any distance. I teach them how to control the ropes and use the lock-up devices. There are 18 or 19 certified to handle the ropes. They all have to go through a training program and an evaluation."
Each climber knows how to belay and is prepared to climb safely.
He is always there to make sure everyone is safe and said the students are all really good about looking out for each other and letting people know if they are doing something that might compromise their climb.
"Some of them have been climbing for over two years and it is nice to see that support," he said.
Students in the club are getting so good at it though, MacKenzie said pretty soon there will only be one route they may not be able to climb so he planned to go in and make a new route on the weekend of Nov. 16.
"We've got lots of Grade 8s this year, but also from every grade up."
Last year McKenzie organized an all-day climbing competition at the school and 30 students participated. There were three routes, each climber tried one at a time, and they were scored for the hardest route.
There were five finalists and the winner was Owen Grady from Williams Lake, he said.
MacKenzie hopes to hold another competition in 2025, maybe in May.
Last year's was in June and it was a bit late in the year, he found.
When he's not climbing inside, MacKenzie enjoys climbing in the Cariboo at places such as Williams Lake, Knife Creek and Marble Canyon near Clinton.
